OFFICIAL MENTION OF THE COURTHOUSE FIRE OF JULY 3, 1895

Jonathan Kennon Thompson Smith

(Page 6)

Henderson County Court Minute Book M, page 3 (July 4, 1895):

Whereas, it appears to me, R. J. Dyer, Chairman of the County Court of Henderson County, Tennessee that on the morning of July the 3rd 1895, the court house at Lexington, Tennessee was burned together with a loss of all the papers, record books of the County and it appears that the County officials have no office to keep the records saved from the burning or to transact the public business, or to hod the court of the County, and in view of the urgent necessity to provide for all these things and to take steps to rebuild the court house and to attend to such matters as the emergency of the case may demand.

Now I R. J. Dyer, as Chairman of said County Court do hereby call a quarterly court of said County to convene at Lexington, Tennesseee on Monday July 14, 1895 at 9 o'clock A.M. at some room in said town to be provided for that purpose to take action and to perform all such things as it may seem wise to said court to do for the purpose of securing temporary quarters for meeting and holding of all the courts of the County and to provide for offices for all the county officials.

W. D. A. [Grigg?], as clerk of the County Court be directed to issue notice to the magistrate commissioned in the County to be _______ [present?] on the day and date above mentioned at the place designated to look to the matters above set out. And that this order be spread ______ the words of the County Court. This July 4, 1895.

R. J. Dyer, Chairman   

Other works by Jonathan K. T. Smith can be found at the Madison County Records Repository at TNGenWeb.