Jefferson County, Iowa

Early in May, 1876, His Excellency, Samuel J. Kirkwood. Governor of Iowa, issued his Proclamation, requesting each County in the State to comply with the recommendation of Congress for a Centennial History by Counties and Townships.

In response to the Governor's Proclamation, the citizens of Jefferson County met at the Court-House in Fairfield on the 26th day of May, 1876. and selected the following citizens as a Committee to procure the publication of such a History of Jefferson County: S.M. Boling, C.W. Slagle, I.D. Jones, W.W. Junkin;, Chas. Negus, C.H. Fletcher and J.F. Wilson.

The Committee, so appointed, held a meeting on the same day, and selected S.M. Boling as its Chairman.

On Monday, June 5th, the Committee waited upon the Board of Supervisors for aid to secure the publication of the History. The Board, by resolution, appropriated three hundred dollars for that purpose.

At a subsequent meeting of the Committee, Major Chas. H Fletcher; one of the Committee, was selected as County Historian.

 

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The County of Jefferson is situated in the southeastern part of Iowa, its eastern boundary line being thirty-six miles west of the Mississippi river, and its southern boundary line twenty miles north of the southern boundary line of the State. It is bounded on the north by Keokuk and Washington counties: on the east by Henry; on the south by Van Buren, and on the west by Wapello county. Its breadth from east to west is twenty-four miles, and from north to south eighteen miles, containing 132 square miles, or 276,480 acres of land