Okaloosa County
<>Chapter 6937 Acts of the Legislature of Florida in regular
session AD 1915
Creation of
Okaloosa
County
Approved by Park Trammell Governor
June 3
rd AD 1915
Ratified by the people in an election held on the first
Tuesday same being the 7
th day of September 1915
<>First County Commissioners Meeting recorded October 4, 1915
by JW Baggett, Jr.
Milligan,
Fla
Oct. 4
th 1915 (These minutes may be read in their entirety
at the
Baker
Block Museum.
They were copied
from County records by Jeanette Henderson, Curator of the museum.)
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Know all men that we
JW Baggett, Jr. of
Blackmon,
Florida
John H Givens of Laurel Hill,
Florida
RA Rozier of
Milligan,
Florida
WJ Davis of
Deerland,
Florida
BP Edge of
Niceville,
Florida
Being duly commissioned by Hon. Park
Trammell
Governor of the State of Florida as County Commissioners
of Okaloosa County
for the purpose of temporarily carrying on the County Government
as required in Section 5 of the Law creating said county.
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On motion of Mr. Baggett seconded by Mr. Givens and
passed by the Board. Mr. Rozier acted as temporary Chairman and Mr.
Baggett was
appointed temporary Clerk.
After prayer by Rev. DF Sutley the Board
proceeded to
elect a permanent Chairman. Mr. JW Baggett, Jr. being duly elected as
permanent
Chairman.
Mr. Clary not having received his
commission as
Clerk, Mr. Rosier acted as clerk at this meeting.
After short talks by Rep. WH Mapoles and
WM Davidson
also Ex-Senator JHB Miller, the Board proceeded to examine and approve
the
Bonds for the County
Officers.
The Bond of Jas. L. Clary as Clerk
Circuit Court was
fixed at $3,000.00 and with the United States Fidelity & Guaranty
Co. as
sureties was approved.
The Bond of BH Sutton as Sheriff was
fixed at
$5,000.00 and with SW Balentine, LL Shaw, CB Ferdon, JD Cobb and HJ
Britt as
sureties was approved.
The Bond of Geo. H. Webb as Tax Assessor
for $1,000
with the United States Fidelity & Guaranty Co. as sureties was
approved.
The Bond of JW Kierce as Supervisor of
Registration
was fixed at $00.00 and with GW Kilcrease and Jackson Griffith as
sureties was
approved.
The Bond of JL Mapoles as County Judge
was fixed at $2,000.00 and with the United States Fidelity &
Guaranty Co.
as sureties was approved.
On Motion the Board adjourned until 8
o’clock on
Tuesday Oct. 5th.
Oct. 5th 1915
Board met pursuant to adjournment with
all members
present.
<>The Bond of PJ Steele as
County Treasurer
was fixed and with the following sureties was approved.
IA Steele $3,000.00
JM Gaskin $3,000.00
SM Stokes $3,000.00
JWJ Capps $3,000.00
Daniel Campbell $3,000.00
RJ Hart $1,000.00
Oscar Steele $1,000.00
JC Steele$3,000.00
The Tax Collector’s Bond was fixed at $20,000.
The application of Dr. EP Webb as County Physician
and Medical Inspector of Public School Children was laid over until
next
meeting.
The application of Eric Von Axleson for
the County
Printing
was laid over until next meeting.
Seals for Board County Commissioner and
Clerk Circuit
Court and County
Judge were
purchased from WE Lym for
$4.50 each delivered.
The Clerk was ordered to ascertain the
numbers of
acres of land of the Choctawhatchee Forest Reserves embraced in Okaloosa County.
The Clerk was ordered to purchase 500
assorted
hunting license and applications.
The salary of Game Warden was fixed at
$240.00 per
annum and JL Rhoades of Baker was elected as Game Warden.
It was ordered that Okaloosa County
be divided into County Commissioners Districts as follows:
<>1
District
Number One
Beginning where Yellow River crosses the Alabama line
and running down east bank of said river to south line of Twp 4 N,
R24W, thence
east on said line to where it intersects Walton Co., thence north on
said line
to Alabama line, thence wet on said line to starting point.
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2
District Number Two
Beginning where Yellow River crossed the Alabama line
and running down east bank of said river to south line of Twp 4 N,
R24W, thence
west on said line to where it intersects Santa Rosa Co., thence north
on said
line to Alabama line, thence east on said line to starting point.
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3
District Number Three
Starting at NE corner of T3N, R22w and running west
on said Township line to Range line between ranges 23 & 24, thence
south on
said line to SW corner of Section 18, T1N, R23W, thence east on said
section
line to where same intersects Walton County, thence north on County
line to
starting point.
<>
4
District Number Four
Beginning at the NE corner of T3N, R24W and running
west on Twp. Line to where same intersects Santa Rosa Co., thence south
on
County line to SW corner Section 18 T1N, Range 25W, Thence east on
Section line
to Range line between ranges 23 & 34, thence north on said range
line to
starting point.
5
District Number Five
Beginning at NE corner Section 24, T1N, R22W and
running west on Section line across County, thense south on County line
to the
waters of the Gulf of Mexico, thence east along coast line to Walton
Co., thence
north on County line to starting point.
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<>It was ordered that Justice of the Peace District #1
be embraced in Commissioners District #1
Justice of the Peace District #2 be embraced in
Commissioners District #2<>
Justice of the Peace District #3 be embraced in
Commissioners District #3
Justice of the Peace District #4 be embraced in
Commissioners District #4<>
Justice of the Peace District #5 be embraced in Commissioners
District #5
Justice District #6 be and consist of that portion of
Commissioners District #5 west of said line<>
It was ordered that the records and supplies for the
Clerks office be purchased from Geo. D. Bernard & Co. and records
for
Sheriff and
County
Judge’s office be
purchased from SC Toof(?) & Co., both houses guaranteeing the
prices.
Resolved that the Board vote a resolution
of thanks
to the people of Milligan for the courtesies extended them at this
meeting.
The Board adjourned to meet at 9AM on
Tuesday Oct. 12th
1915
<>JW Baggett, Jr.
Chmn.
RA Rozier
Clerk for
Meeting
<>Meeting of October 12, 1915
Members present: JW Baggett, Jr.; John H Givens; RA
Rozier; BP Edge; WJ Davis
Dealt with normal business, including
approval of
bonds for WF Wilkinson, WH Spivey, WH Jones as Members of Board of
Public
instruction; DP Ray, JR Miller, GW Soule, R Hanahan, RJ Hart and JWJ
Capps were
sureties. Bonds for the following were approved as well: WC Pryor,
Supt. Public
Instruction, $1,000, Fidelity & Deposit Co. of Maryland, surety; JF
Richbourg, JP Dist. 1, WH Tyner& David Daniel Campbell, Surety; WL
Culberson, JP Dist. 6, unreadable & JW Brooks, surety; JL Rhoades,
Game
Warden, unreadable &?P Rhodes, surety.
<>
Appointments for Overseers to sections of roadways
were made.
The Scotch Manufacturing Co. Commissary
was made
temporary Courthouse and the owners were to be responsible for:
“expenses of
repairing and fitting the Bldg. and to pay insurance on bldg.”
The Tuesday after the first Monday of the
month was
designated as official meeting day.
<>JW Baggett, Jr. Chmn.
Jas. L. Clary Clerk
<>
Milligan, Fla. Nov. 2, 1915
Same mbrs. Present as above.
<>
Bill approved for JM Bell, Sheriff, Walton Co.
<>
Bond of JA Richbourg approved with JH Richbourg, LE
Bowers, WA Richbourg, JW Gaskin, Daniel Campbell, DR Moon, JC Steele,
HM
Stokes, BH Hart, JD Cobb as surety $20,000.00
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Bonds for: Billie Wright, Notary Public, WT Hart
& ?L Hart, surety; DF Smith, Deputy Sheriff, AA Moore & JR
Miller,
surety; IG Churchwell, Deputy Sheriff, JBS Clary, SR Fowler & EP
Webb,
surety; RJ Diamond, JP Dist 3, GE Bowers, JG Perryman, ME Savage &
CB
Ferdon, surety.
<>
GW Moore, Jr. was to build temporary jail (16x24’)
for $48.00 with a 6X6 closet attached, $6.00, 3 closets for Court House
for $15.00.
<>
Pension was approved for Noah D. Peacock.
<>
WA Humphries appointed “Convict Guard” and instructed
to “feed prisoners at legal rate.”
<>
Mr. Givens was to “confer with and secure attorney to
represent this county in making settlement between this county and the
two old
counties.”
<>
JW Baggett, Jr. Chmn.
Jas. L. Clary Clerk
<>
Milligan, Nov. 23, 1915
Same present as above.
<>
Meeting to review tax roll from Walton and Santa Rosa
Cos. DA Gillis Tax Assessor, Walton Co. & JWC Mann of
Santa Rosa swore
to the correctness of their
reports. The total assessed valuation for the new county
-- Real, Personal, Railroad, Telegraph were
$21, 516.75. All parties agreed that the roll was accurate and that if
either
Walton or
Santa Rosa
found additions to the rolls, they would credit Okaloosa with said
amount. JA
Richbourg, Tax Collector for Okaloosa was charged with verification and
collection of taxes and his duties outlined.
<>
In December, special meetings were held with the two
older counties to settle accounts and complete the formation of the
county.
Bridges, roads, machinery, and assessments from taxes and Forestry
Department
were all involved.
<>Researchers may
be interested in the names mentioned
in the minutes as well as the vignettes of history included. Santa Rosa and Walton Counties
both have some
of the minutes leading up to Okaloosa’s formation. The minutes of 1915
and much
of 1916 may be found at Baker
Block Museum.
I will be typing bits and pieces of them as I have time.