Joe
Mattecheck
�Somewhat rolling, however, not so
much so but what every acre can be cultivated.�[1]
�There are many fine farms with
large groves and substantial farm buildings.�
There are still a number of homesteaders living on their land.�[2]
�
1881����� ����������24
1882����� ����������25
1883����� ����������9
1884����� ����������2
1885����� ����������2
As with any new area, events were
happening.� �The first recorded death was
in 1888 Charles Hartman Sr.� The first
child born in the township was in 1884.�
The first marriage was consummated Thanksgiving Day 1884.�[3]
The first school in the district
was held in a private home. It opened
Prior to 1926 two chicken
hatchery�s existed within the township.�
One hatchery had Full Blood Brown Leghorns and the other had Pure Bred
White Rocks. They sold for 10 to 15 cents per chick. �Custom hatching was available for $.03 cents
per egg.
J. J. Fosse of the township was
elected as a state Representative for
The Public Land Survey System
(PLSS) is a rectangular survey system.� It is called a rectangular system
because wherever practicable the units are in rectangular form.� The rectangular
survey system divides land into townships and ranges. A regular township is six
miles on a side bounded on the north and south by township lines, and the east
and west by range lines.� The township is divided into 36 sections, each one
mile on a side, comprising about 640 acres, which was the basic unit under the
Land Ordinance Act of 1785.� No township or section is mathematically perfect
for various reasons, including the fact that the earth's surface is not flat.[5]�
Townships are numbered somewhat
different.� Sections 1 to 6, 13 to 18, 25
to 30 are numbered right to left.� The
other sections are numbered left to right.�
Generally Sections 16 and 36 are considered school sections and were not
allowed to be homesteaded.� Both of these
sections are homesteaded on the tax records of 1886 and 1887.
Tax records for 1886 and
1887
Real estate tax records vary as the
township grew in 1886 to 1887.� The total
number of acres in the township is approx. 23,040 acres.�
Acres taxed on the 1886 records,
with 31 landowners is 3924 acres and a total tax value of $6389.00, a average of
$1.628/acre. �In 1887 32 landowners had
4977 acres with a total tax value $9640.00 a average of $1.936
acre.
Thirty one people paidd real estate taxes
in 1886 with 32 paying real estate taxes for 1887.
Personal property tax records are
included in the 1886 and 1887 tax records.�
Categories that have taxable values are:
Horses����������� ����������� 120���� �����������
$5155.00������
$42.96
Mules/Asses� �����������
4��������� ����������� $180.00��������� $45.00
Neat Cattle���� �����������
265���� ����������� $3517.00������ $13.27
Swine������������ ����������� 114���� �����������
$196.00��������� $1.72�
Sheep �����������
����������� 36������� ����������� $36.00����������� $1.00
Carriages Vehicles etc.������ ����������� $3348.00
Money and Credits ������������������������� ����������� $50.00
Household ���������������� ����������� ����������� ����������� $82.00
All other Property not exempt by
Law�������� $1696.00
Categories not used are Value as
Equalized by Township Board, Value as Equalized by
The last 4 categories on Personal
Property Tax records are related to Census Returns.� The total Number of People as
follows:
����������� 1886
Over 21�� Male���������� 76 ������ Female���������� 40
Under 21
Male���������� 67������� Female���������� 34
1887
Over 21
Male 86 ������ Female���������� 53
Under 21
Male���������� 86������� Female���������� 54
The number of people with Personal
Property taxes to be paid in 1886 was 76 and in 1887, 87 people.� Some of the taxed people are female
landowners and female personal property owners.�
Neat Cattle can be defined as Head
of Cattle or the Common Domestic Bovine.�
Record books list people as summarized for totals.
Clerk records
��Wheatland, Day Co S.D.
At the Annual Town Meeting held in
the town of
Many of the township meetings were
held in one of the four school buildings as well as residences of officers of
the township.� Often, in the minutes of
the township, it is referred to as the town.�
Much of the minutes cover such things as election of officers, financial
issues, road districts, election procedures, poll locations, and elections.�
The Town Clerk read publicly the
report of the Board of Auditors, including a statement of the fiscal concerns of
the town, and a raw estimate of the sums necessary for the current and
incidental expenses of the town for the ensuing year.�
Elected supervisors were required
to render a account in writing stating the labor assessed and performed in the
town, the sums received by them for fines and commutations, etc..� Also a statement of the improvements
necessary to be made on the roads and bridges, as well as a estimate of the
probable expense of making such improvements beyond that of the labor to be
assessed for the year, that the road tax will accomplish. A statement in writing
of all expenses and damages in consequence of laying our, altering or
discontinuing roads was made.
On motion it was ordered that the
following sums of money be raised by tax upon the taxable property in said town
for the following purpose for the current year;�
For general township purposes $250.00[7]
Minutes were very detailed and in
many cases items were very organized.�
The official bond and oath of Henry as Constable was laid before the
board and on motion it was approved.� The
process went on for each member being sworn in and was written out.� Raising of taxes was also done by
motion.� �On motion the board levied one
(1) Day Poll tax labor and Five(5) mills on the Dollars as a special Road tax on
all Real and Personal Property in the town for the year Eighteen Hundred and
Ninety Three (1893).� On several
approvals the elected person was not approved because they neglected to qualify.
�Minutes reflected dollar values fees to
be paid of $6.25 for town clerk, board chair person $5.25 board members of
$3.25.� Sometimes a elected official was
not approved for failing to qualify when elected for his 2nd
term.� Special elections were held for
various reasons.� On such election was
for a INDIANA REVERSIBLE ROAD MACHINE.�
The voter turn out was high as it was 8 to purchase and 76 against buying
such a machine.
Complaints were received from
residents that named residents were not assessed high enough as well that some
items or livestock were not even on assessed lists.� The clerk was instructed to notify those with
a complaint against them were to appear to a future board to answer the
complaint against them.
At the
Another task that was recorded was
selection of Jurors.� On
Road construction and Road taxes
were a topic of conversation and approval several times through the time frame
of 1893 through 1898.�
Some of the officers were bonded
officer�s and was generally bonded at $500.00.�
This action was done each year the board held a organizational
meeting.�
Many of the township clerk records
are written almost in calligraphy.� Much
of the hand writing in the 1880s and 1890s is generally very clear.� Many times one could almost feel as if you
were at the meeting as to the way the minutes were thought out and written out.
Annual reports/notices were
required for 48 different public functions.�
Many reports were filed by the township clerk, others by the person in
charge of that function.� Due dates are
posted for each of these reports/notices.�
January 1, May 3 are the most required dates. June and February are other
dates.
Road notes
A record of road transactions was
kept in a separate record book by the township supervisor�s.�
The back portion of the book was
the Supervisor�s Road Order.� It
consisted of four pages and was completed by the road supervisors.� These pages followed a printed format of how
each step was to be processed and excited.�
The first section of these pages was Owners, Description, to include
Section, Town, and Range.� The second
section was how each Owner was to be notified of action to be done.� The third section was the legal actions as
well as an affidavit that the notification etc. was completed.� The fourth section was Township employee
actions (could be a surveyor). The fifth section was award of damages section.
�Section five was also recorded by the
Township Clerk.
An affidavit was part of this
process of adding, changing or removing the road structure.� When a road was built on a property line with
two townships involved each township� was
responsible of half of the work and costs.�
The township was divided into six
road districts early on but in early 1909 it had been reduced to four
districts.� On
One entry that was made in 1952 is
a copy of a joint meeting from
Treasurer books
Treasurer meeting entries were
sometimes a large list of people paid for services.� Money received was a entry, to what fund it
was entered. �Money paided out it was
recorded to who and from what account it was paid from as well as a warrant
number and amount.� Service on elected
offices were the largest in number.� The
book contains many name and what acct charged and not much else.
Voter registration
Registration Law for
On the back cover 3 different
sections existed first is Oath to be taken by Applicant for Registry before
Registration Board, Affidavit of Qualifications of Elector and Affidavit of Two
electors, Touching Residence of Applicant for Registration.� These were all in a 1899 Register of Electors
book.
1908 Register of Qualified Electors
was used for both 1908 and 1910.� Whoever
made the entries must not have had a book available for 1910.� From 1900 to 1916 some variation existed from
journal to journal but accomplished same thing.
As with most books a signature
section of the Board of Registration saying they registered qualified
electors.
Deed/Transfer of
Ownership
Know all men by these
present.
That we A. M. Wilcox, Henry Paul
and John Johnson as Supervisors of the Township of Wheatland, Day County Dakota
Territory, owning a certain tract of land described as follows to wit:� Beginning at the North West corner of the
South West quarter of Section Twenty Two Township One hundred and Twenty(120)
North, of Range Fifty Five and running south on the section line 295.16 feet
thence East 328.16 feet, thence North 295.16 feet. Thence West 328.16 feet to
the place of beginning, have caused the same to be surveyed and platted for
Cemetery purposes as shown upon the plat hereto annexed and we as such
supervisors hereby dedicate to the public when lawfully upon said cemetery
grounds the use of all alleys and driveways as shown hereon.
Witness our hands and seals this
26th day of Nov 1888.
A M Wilson, John H Johnson, Henry
Paul
(All information is hand
written).
Justice of Pease
Info
�����������������������������������������������
SS
On this 26th day of
November 1888, personally appeared A. M. Wilcox, Henry Paul, and John Johnson,
Supervisors of the Township of Wheatland who acknowledged the execution of the
foregoing instrument as such supervisors, for the use and purposes their in
expressed.
John Hanson
Justice of Pease
Plot information
I William Alley do hereby certify
that the annexed is a correct plat of the Wheatland Cemetery as surveyed and
platted by me for the Township of Wheatland, that the same is located on the
SW1/4 Sec 22 T 120 R 55 and fully described as follows beginning at the North
West corner of the South west quarter of Section twenty two (22) Tp 120 Rge 55
and running south on the section line 295.16 feet, thence east 328.16 feet,
thence north 295.16 feet, thence 328.16 feet to the place of beginning, that the
dimensions of all lots as indicated on said plat where the same is not shown by
figures on the margin thereof is 18 by 22 feet, that all alley ways are four
feet wide that the outside drive way is as shown by figures on said plat, that
all other distances are as marked on said plat and that stone monuments for the
base line were set in the ground at the points marked X on said plat Dated at Webster D.T.
this 10th day of November 1888.
William Alley
Surveyor
Register of Deeds
Seal
Office of Register of
Deeds
Received for records the 14 day
of Feby A.D., 1889 at
A.M. and Recorded in Vol. 1 of
Plats
Page 24
G. S. Maynard Register of
Deeds
E. S. Cotton Deputy
On the original papers lots 101,
102, 119 and 120 (the South East corner of cemetery) are shown as Potters
Field.� Records do not show anyone buried
in any of these lots.� Lots are number
using the same scheme of numbers as a township.�
1 to 10 was right to left and 11 to 20 was left to right.� This process went on till reaching 120.� Each lot was measured to hold 8 graves.� N/S was 18 feet and E/W was 22 feet, the back
row of graves was numbered 1 to 4 north to south and front row was 5 to 8 south
to north.
Burials were� 1889 2, 1890 2, 1892 1, 1896 1, 1898 1,1900
to 1910 5, 1911 to 1920 7, 1921 to 1930 5, 1931 to 1940 10, 1941 to 1950 6, 1951
to 1960 10, 1961 to 1993 7.� The last one
being 1993.� Four burials are recorded
with no date of death.� Ten are under the
age of 10.�
During 1941 a WORK PROJECTS
ADMINISTRATION GRAVES REGISTRATION PROJECT was conducted of cemeteries.� FIELD FORM 2-WPA-GR. Was filled out in the
field during 1941.� A supplement form was
added latter in 1941.� The township
officers appear to have gone back and added additional dates and people.� They also continued to add burials that
occurred after 1941.� The inventory was
Name, Grave number, Block,
On
Moving across the timeframe of the township we find that early on it is referred as town, education was a high priority, and the list goes on.� Many of the procedures that were used were controlled by the territorial legislature as well as the new statehood procedures.� The people who lived in these townships were the ones who implemented and carried out programs that were for the people of the township.� Many things had to grow as the township was settled by the incoming population.�
I have scanned all of these
records.� I do not expect it will be easy
for different people to go visiting these elected officials everytime someone is
looking for a document etc.� Any time
these documents are view by a researcher or others I feel they should be scanned
and made available to anyone who wants to look at them.� Most of the elected officials will not have
the time to work with researchers and that is the reason I feel them must be
scanned etc.� The other possibility is
turning over all these records to the state historical society.� Local availability is then no longer
available so that has risks.
Are these records protected as time
moves on?� So much information of life in
early Dakota Territory/South Dakota is well hidden in these records.�
[1]
History of
[2] ibid
[3] ibid
[4] ibid
[5]
http://nationalatlas.gov/articles/boundaries/a_plss.html
[6]
Clerk�s Record of Wheatland Township from the
[7] ibid
[8] Two record books maintained by the Township Clerk