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40 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY
Rice Harper, 1856; Isaac McKesson, 1857; Robert Bennett, 1859; G. M.
Darling, 1861; Calvin Caswell, 1863; B. G. Taylor, 1866; William II.
Crane, 1867; E. White, 1868; W. S. Webb, 1869; Louis Wells, 1870;
Stark Adams, 1873; Wells W. Miller, Gustavus Graham, G. W. Clary,
Henry Kelly, James Douglass, C. V. Turner, John Homegardner, John
L. Hull, William Zimmerman, D. J. Deyo, George Knapp; J. C. Parker,
1895-1898; J. C. Parsons, 1896-1899; C. L. Halliday, 1897-1900; C. L.
House, 1898-1901; Henry P. Breining, 1899-1902; Charles A. Peake,
1900-1903; Charles L. House, 1901-1904; Henry P. Breining, 1902-1905;
George I. Hayes, 1903-1906; John L. Ricger, 1905-1908; David Riedy,
1906-1909; Louis Neill, 1907-1910; David Reidy, 1909-1912; Jacob J.
Creeelius, 1909-1912; George OsAvald, 1909-1912; Jacob J.. Creeelius,
1912-1915; John M. Holzaepfel, 1912-1915; George Oswald, 1912-1915;
Jacob J. Creeelius, 1915; John M. Holzaepfel, 1915; Henry Kelly, 1915.
PROBATE JUDGES
Ebenezer AndreAvs, 1852-1858; A. II. Stryker, 1858-1861; Rush R,
Sloane; F. D. Parish, January, 1861, to November, 1861; George Morton,
November, 1861, to November, 1863; A. W. Hendry, November, 1863, to
February, 1870; E. M. Colver, February, 1870, to February, 1879; Albert
E. Merrill, February, 1879-1891; George C. Beis, 1891-1894; Lewis II.
Goodwin, 1894-1900; U. T. Curran, 1900-1906; Thomas M. Sloane, 1906-.
LOCATING THE COUNTY SEAT
The location of the seat of justice of Erie County at Sandusky City
AA'as more the result of accident than othcrAvise. Some people are
inclined to remember it as a providential act, while others, more practical,
perhaps, have chosen to attribute its location at that place to good
luck.' Whichever may be correct is of no material importance IIOAV, but
the incident at the time was of the most vital importance to the town.
Three places Avere presented to the consideration of the commission
—Sandusky, Huron and Milan. The first—Sandusky—claimed it on
the ground that that place Avas the metropolis of the county, having the
greatest population, being more accessible, and having facilities of land
and by water that Avere possessed by no other location. The people of
Huron argued that their toAvn was even better than Sandusky, their
location equally central, their lake advantages better, and the site, by
every necessary consideration, much more desirable than the others.
Milan, or Abbott's Corners, sought through the efforts of the people of
that neighborhood to impress the commissioners Avith the availability of
their site, and not Avithout sound argument. This had been for a short
time the seat of justice of Huron County. It Avas more central than the
other toAvns suggested, and Avas equally accessible by Avater through the
canal, and more accessible by land as it lay nearer the geographical center
of the county.
In due course of time the Avorthy commissioners visited the several