Civil Lists.

On Feb. 13, 1804, the act of Assembly was approved providing for the election in Delaware County, at the following general election, of three reputable citizens to be directors of the poor, who were instructed to meet, and by lot to divide themselves into three classes, "the place of the first to be vacated at the expiration of the first year, of the second at the expiration of the second year, and of the third at the expiration of the third year; so that those who may be chosen, after the first election, may serve for three years; and one-third be chosen annually,"¹ which manner of electing the directors and the period of service remained in use until changed by the second section of Article xiv. of the Constitution of 1874.

In the report of the committee of the Legislature on the operation of the poor law, made Jan. 29, 1825, the statement from Delaware County was, "The establishment of a house of employment in this county has increased the number, or from some other cause, there is more than when maintained in the different townships; but we have no hesitation in saying that the effect has been such as to make their situation more comfortable, the morals and health better preserved."

In 1855 the directors of the poor, having been authorized by the act of May 8, 1854, to sell the old county-house and farm at Media, sold the estate in the fall of that year for a sum over fifty thousand dollars, and purchased the farm of Abraham Pennell, one of the directors, containing about one hundred and one acres, for sixteen thousand dollars, and contracted with John Eves & Co., of Nether Providence, to erect the building for twenty thousand three hundred dollars. The proceedings of the board aroused considerable feeling in the county, and a public meeting was held on the 29th of December, 1855, "to investigate the action of the Directors of the Poor in changing the location of the public property;" and an adjourned meeting was held on Jan. 18, 1856, when a bitter debate was had, after which the whole matter drifted by, and in a short time had ceased to attract any further public attention.

The following is the list of directors of the poor, giving the year when each director became a member of the board:

1805, William Anderson, Jonathan Heacock, John Smith (resigned and John Thomson appointed); 1806, Thomas Pennell, Philip Moore; 1807, John McIlvain; 1808, Benjamin W. Oakford; 1809, David Pratt; 1810, George W. Oakford (died in office, John McIlvain appointed), William Peters, Jr., John Worrall; 1811, Thomas Garrett; 1812, George Miller; 1813, Francis Wesley; 1814, John Powell; 1815, George B. Lownes; 1816, Joseph Hoskins; 1817, William Trimble; 1818, William Mendenhall (in place of William Trimble), Enos Sharpless; 1819, Samuel Garrett; 1820, Jesse Darlington; 1821, Joseph James; 1822, James Craig; 1823, Enos Williamson; 1824, Micajah Speakman; 1825, Isaac Yarnall (in place of Speakman, resigned), John Larkin; 1826, Oborn Levis; 1827, Joseph Henderson; 1828, Thomas Dutton; 1829, Isaiah Fawk; 1830, John Kerns; 1831, John Hinkson; 1832, David Lyons; 1833, Robert N. Gamble; 1834, James Ogden; 1835, Edward Lewis; 1836, Samuel Hale; 1837, Jesse Walter; 1838, George Martin; 1839, Capt. James Serrill; 1840, James Barton; 1841, Moses D. Palmer; 1842, George Lewis; 1843, Caleb J. Hoopes; 1844, Moses D. Palmer (he resigned and George F. Gilpins appointed); 1845, James J. Lewis; 1846, Marshall Painter; 1847, John Clayton; 1848, Joel Evans; 1849, John Miller; 1850, Thomas Williamson; 1851, J. Edward Garrett; 1852, Abraham Pennell; 1853, William Trainer; 1854, Joseph B. Leedom; 1855, Jacob Byers; 1856, Samuel A. Barton; 1857, Francis Leedom; 1858, Samuel Johnson; 1859, E. B. Loveland; 1860, William H. Grubb; 1861, Judge Tyson; 1862, Samuel B. Leedom; 1863, Peter W. Green; 1864, Joseph Powell; 1865, Baldwin Howard; 1866, Fredrick J. Hinkson; 1867-68, Powell, Howard, and Hinkson; 1869-71, Powell, Howard, and William Trainer; 1872, James Shelley Tyson, Joel Sharpless; 1873, Edgar T. Miller; 1874, Jesse Hibberd; 1875, Chalkley Harvey; 1876-77-79-80, Chalkley Harvey, Jesse Hibberd, John H. Kerlin; 1880-81, Chalkley Harvey, John H. Kerlin, Milton Edwards; 1882, Chalkley Harvey, Milton Edwards, Henry L. Donaldson; 1883, Henry L. Donaldson, John B. McCay, Jr., Joseph Leedom.

County Auditors. - During all the period while Delaware County was a part of Chester County the accounts of the public officers were audited by the court, which was found to be injurious, inasmuch as they were often given hurried examination, the justices growing weary of the dry column of figures submitted to their inspection and approval. The evil became so noticeable that the Legislature sought to rectify it, hence we find that on

"August 11, 1791 The Court appoints John Talbot, Mark Wilcox and William Pennock, as auditors to settle &c., the accounts of the Treasurer and Commissioners of the County, in conformity to the act of Assembly of March 30, 1791. Read three times in Court."

Subsequent appointments by the court were as follows:

1792, John Pearson, Abraham Pennell, and Richard Flower; 1793, Benjamin Brannon, Thomas Newlin, Abraham Sharpless; 1795, Samuel Price, Esq., John Horn, and Caleb Pierce; 1796, John Crosby, Esq., Elisha Price, Esq., and William Martin; 1797, John Crosby, Esq., William Martin, Esq., Thomas Newlin, Esq.; Nov. 26, 1798, "The Court nominate John Crosby Esq. and Thomas Newlin, Esq. be continued and adds Richard Flower in the room of William Martin, the other Auditor, deceased;" 1799, Edward Hunter, Esq., William Trimble, and Nicholas Newlin; 1800, Abraham Pennell, Joseph Shallcross, John Talbot; 1801-2, Nathaniel Newlin, Esq., Joseph Pennell, Jacob Gibbons; 1803, Benjamin W. Oakford, Moses Palmer, Pierce Crosby; 1804, William Anderson, Thomas Smith, Frederick Fairlamb; 1805, Abraham Sharpless, Richard P. Lloyd, John Thomson; 1806, Moses Palmer, Benjamin W. Oakford, Dr. Jonas Preston; 1807, Dr. Jonas Preston, Moses Palmer, Pierce Crosby; 1808, William Pennock, Moses Palmer, Pierce Crosby; 1809, Moses Palmer, Edward Hunter, Maskill Ewing; 1819, Moses Palmer.

In 1821 the offce became elective.

1823, William Bishop, Enoch Abraham, Samuel Hewes; 1824, Cyrus Mendenhall; 1825, Joseph Gibbons; 1826, Enos Sharpless; 1827, Henry Moore; 1828, Abner Lewis; 1829, Daniel Abraham; 1830, Benjamin Serrill; 1831, John D. White; 1832, James McMullin; 1833, Alexander McKeever; 1834, Joseph Gibson, William S. Flower (in room of James McMullin); 1835, William Eyre; 1836, H. Jones Brooks; 1837, Caleb J. Hoopes; 1838, Casper W. Sharpless; 1839, George Smedley; 1840, Joel Evans; 1841, William J. Wilcox; 1842, Minshall Painter; 1843, Jesse Brooke, Jr.; 1844, Robert E. Hannum; 1845, Jonathan Miller; 1846, John Sellers, Jr.; 1847, Frederick Fairlamb; 1848, Jacob Parry; 1849, Randle Bishop; 1850, William Eyre; 1851, Lewis Miller; 1852, Randle Bishop, William Eyre, Lewis Miller; 1853, William Ogden; 1854, Abraham P. Morgan; 1855, Walter Y. Hoopes; 1856, J. Lewis Garrett; 1857, William D. Pennell; 1858, ----- ------; 1859-60, Robert E. Hannum, John D. White, Jacob Smedley; 1861, James H. Ogden; 1862, J. H. Omensetter; 1863,