2012 Spring Newsletter

From Lykins to Miami County Early Government 1854 to 1880 by Jim Bousman On January 22, 1854 Stephen A. Douglas introduced in the U. S. Senate what became known as the Kansas-Nebraska Bill. One provision of the bill, section 32, provided for “squatter’s sovereignty” and the bill was signed into law on .BZ 0O +VOF UI " ) 3FFEFS CFDBNF UIF ĕ STU (PWFSOPS PG ,BOTBT 5FSSJUPSZ 0O .BSDI UIF ĕ STU 5FSSJUPSJBM FMFDUJPO UPPL QMBDF ć F WPUJOH EJTUSJDU XIJDI JODMVEFE .JBNJ $PVOUZ DBTU 377 votes for the pro-slavery ballot and 91 for the free-state. However, a subsequent investigation found 380 illegal WPUFT DBTU JO UIF EJTUSJDU *O UIJT ĕ STU FMFDUJPO UIF QSP TMBWFSZ DBOEJEBUFT XFSF FMFDUFE ć PTF FMFDUFE XFSF .FNCFST PG UIF $PVODJM " . $PČ FF BOE %BWJE -ZLJOT House of Representatives - W. A. Heiskell; Allen Wilkinson*; Henry Younger**; and Samuel Scott. * Killed May 24, 1856. * * Henry Younger never lived in Kansas and was the father of Cole, Bob and Jim Younger. On July 3, 1855, the Territorial Legislature organized Lykins County: bordered on the North by Johnson County, East by Missouri, South by Linn County, and West by Franklin County. Paola was selected as the permanent seat of justice. Lykins County was originally 24 square miles, but a later act changed the county to 24 ½ miles from East to West and 24 miles from North to South. Basically, the center of Miami County is 38 degrees and 57 minutes N by 94 degrees and 84 minutes W longitude. 0O +BOVBSZ 5FSSJUPSJBM 0ď DFST $POHSFTTJPOBM %FMFHBUF BOE UIF 5FSSJUPSJBM -FHJTMBUVSF XFSF FMFDUFE VOEFS UIF 5PQFLB $POTUJUVUJPO CZ 'SFF TUBUF CZ WPUFST ć FO PO 0DUPCFS $POHSFTTJPOBM %FMFHBUF UIF 5FSSJUPSJBM Legislature, and a call for a Constitutional Convention were approved by Pro-slavery voters. On May 20, 1857, the population of Lykins County was 1,352: of which 413 were designated as legal voters. Lykins County sent David Lykins, William A. Heiskell, and J.T. Bradford as delegates to the Lecompton Constitutional Convention. Of the three, only Heiskell and Bradford signed the Lecompton Constitution. On December 12th, H.H. Williams was elected Senator under the Lecompton Constitution. 0O "VHVTU UIF 'SFF 4UBUF QBSUZ VOEFS UIF 5PQFLB $POTUJUVUJPO FMFDUFE Pď DFST -ZLJOT $PVOUZ XBT SFQSF sented in the house by E.W. Robinson and J.W. Stewart. S.L Adair was elected to the senate. On October 5th, Lykins County was represented in the Territorial Legislature by A. J. Shannon, John Hanna, M.J. Parrott, and H. B. Standi ford . G.A. Colton was elected as the Assistant Secretary of the Council. ć F TUSVHHMF GPS B UFSSJUPSJBM DPOTUJUVUJPO DPOUJOVFE JOUP 0O +BOVBSZ UI UIF UIJSE TFTTJPO PG UIF 5FSSJUPSJBM Legislature met at Lecompton. Also on January 4th, a second vote on the Lecompton Constitution showed Lykins $PVOUZ DBTUJOH B MPQ TJEFE WPUF BHBJOTU UIF $POTUJUVUJPO ć FO PO .BSDI UI ( " $PMUPO ć PNBT 3PCFSUT BOE " Knapp were elected as delegates to the Leavenworth Constitutional convention. Finally, on October 4, 1859, the citizens of Kansas Territory adopted the Wyandotte Constitution (Lykins county was represented by B .F .Simpson and W. P. Dutton) .

6OEFS UIJT DPOTUJUVUJPO # ' 4JNQTPO CFDBNF UIF ĕ STU "UUPSOFZ (FOFSBM 8 8 6QEF HSBČ XBT FMFDUFE UP UIF $PVODJM BOE ( " $PMUPO BOE 8 3 8BHTUBČ UP UIF IPVTF . + 1BSSPUU XBT FMFDUFE EFMFHBUF UP $POHSFTT *U TIPVME CF OPUFE UIBU 8 8 6QEFHSBČ XBT UIF President of the Council and G.A. Colton was Speaker of the House. While the struggle for a constitution was being played out, the population of Lykins $PVOUZ DPOUJOVFE UP HSPX ć F DPVOUZ XBT JOJUJBMMZ HPWFSOFE CZ B 1SPCBUF +VEHF BOE UXP DPNNJTTJPOFST ć F ĕ STU 1SPCBUF +VEHF XBT *TTBD +BDPCT ć F ĕ STU DPNNJTTJPOFST XFSF +BNFT #FFUT BOE - % 8JMMJBNT 8 " )FJTLFMM XBT UIF ĕ STU DMFSL PG UIF #PBSE PG $PVOUZ Commissioners.

Jim Bousman

Page 8