1858 Election Documents, Harrison County, Indiana

Description:	Original handwritten election documents of Harrison County, Indiana from October 1858. The documents are organized by the county’s existing thirteen townships of the period – Blue River, Boone, Franklin, Harrison, Heth, Jackson, Morgan, Posey, Scott, Spencer, Taylor, Washington, and Webster. The October 1858 election was a rather large one with numerous state and county positions on the ballot. For the State of Indiana, voters were selecting an auditor, secretary of state, treasurer, attorney general, superintendent of schools, and four State supreme court judges. Voters were also choosing various district representatives to Congress and a prosecuting attorney for a judicial circuit. At the county level, they made decisions on candidates for recorder, treasurer, district attorney, sheriff, surveyor, coroner, judges, and commissioners. Candidates for local township assessors were also on the ballot. For each of the thirteen townships, the election documents consist of a poll book and a tally paper. Both of these are pre-printed forms that were completed with handwritten entries. The poll books are made of several sheets of paper that are fastened together in the middle to create a booklet. They contain a list of names of persons who voted in that township, and an official return statement that lists each candidate and the final vote totals. The tally paper is a separate sheet that lists each candidate’s name with accompanying tally marks that indicate the number of votes the candidate received. Following the election, township officials filed these documents in the county clerk’s office. In addition, there is one large “canvas” sheet with totals from each township for each candidate, and county totals are given. It contains a handwritten record of the election and results and a table with vote totals from across the county. This large sheet consists of several large pieces of paper that were glued together. For this project it was scanned in six sections. The canvas sheet for the October 1858 election is especially unique for both its size and its artistry. The sheet measures approximately six feet in length and is three feet wide with one section extending to over three and a half feet. What is most impressive about this document, however, is the creative penmanship and decorative detailing that it displays. Whoever recorded the information on the sheet took great care to make it visually appealing. The script itself is beautifully written, and the creator incorporated different ink colors, font styles, and formatting to highlight and emphasize particular words and sections. Decorative borders line each of the sections, and charming elements, such as a hand with a pointing finger, appear in various places. The entire document is trimmed in a red and blue edging that provide a patriotic appearance against the cream colored paper. Another interesting document associated with the October 1858 election is a receipt written by the Corydon postmaster to the Harrison County Clerk. The receipt affirms that the county clerk deposited the certified election results with the postmaster and that they will be delivered to the Secretary of State.
Origin:	1858-10
Source:	http://cdm17251.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p17251coll27/id/941
Collection:	Harrison County Election Documents, 1833-1864
Rights:	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/
Copyright:	This image may be printed or downloaded by individuals, schools or libraries for study, research or classroom teaching without permission. For other uses contact: genealogy@hcpl.lib.in.us
Geography:	Harrison County, Indiana
Subjects:	Election returns local elections political candidates county government voting voter turnout elections--United States—history Indiana—politics and government public trustees auditors treasurers judges sheriffs attorneys coroners assessors tallies postmasters postal service

Further information on this record can be found at its source.