1848 Mt. Washington Town Trustees Election

Recently we discovered in Deed Book L, page 248, the following election results. It is interesting to note that secret balloting did not exist at that time.

The candidates are listed below. The capital letter preceding each name is used to identify him in the voting chart below.

A - H. J. Barnes
B - B. Peters
C - Michael Cunningham
D - Peyton Burdett
E - W. B. Hamilton
F - S. M. Hobbs
G - Owen Roby
H - F. J. Johnson
I - John Stringer
J - Charles Hall

We have attempted to duplicate the chart as it was written in the deed book. It appears that each voter announced his five choices, and the election clerk kept a running total as each voter's choices were listed.

Voters' Names	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J
Charles Hall	1	1	.	1	1	1	.	.	.	.
W. Hardman	2	2	.	2	2	2	.	.	.	.
J. C. Buky	3	.	1	3	3	3	.	.	.	.
Sol. Pierce	.	.	.	4	4	4	1	.	.	.
A. L. Miller	4	3	.	5	5	5	.	.	.	.
Jno R Hamilton	5	4	.	6	.	6	.	.	.	1
J. N. Boswell	6	5	.	7	6	.	.	.	.	2
Matthias Ash	7	.	2	8	7	7	.	.	.	.
Jno Lewis	.	6	3	9	8	8	.	.	.	.
W. W. Hall	8	7	4	10	9	.	.	.	.	.
Peyton Burdett	9	8	.	.	10	9	.	.	.	3
S. M. Hobbs	10	9	5	11	.	.	.	.	.	4
W. Hall Sr.	11	10	6	.	11	10	.	.	.	.
Jno W. Showalter	12	11	7	.	.	11	2	.	.	.
Jas Wright	13	12	.	12	12	12	.	.	.	.
H. J. Barns	.	13	8	13	13	13	.	.	.	.
C. W. Hall	14	14	.	14	14	.	.	.	.	5
W. B. Hamilton	15	15	9	.	.	14	3	.	.	.
W. T. McGee	16	.	10	15	15	15	.	.	.	.
W. A. Hundley	.	16	11	16	.	16	.	.	.	6
O. W. Myers	17	.	.	17	16	17	.	.	.	7
W. Leston	18	.	.	18	17	18	.	.	.	8
P. O. Curry	19	.	.	19	18	19	.	.	.	9
W. Smith	20	.	.	20	.	20	.	1	1	.
F. Johnson	.	17	12	21	19	.	.	.	.	10
L. L. Hamilton	21	18	.	22	.	21	.4	.	.	.
TOTALS	21	18	12	22	19	21	4	1	1	10

The entry concluded with this statement: "At an election began and held in the town of Mt. Washington in the tavern house of Charles Hall for the purpose of electing trustees for said town to serve as such for the present year, said election was held on the 13th day of March 1848, and the following persons: Peyton Burdett, B. Peters, H. J. Barnes, Smith M. Hobbs and W. B. Hamilton, receiving the highest number of votes, are hereby duly elected. Given under my hand this 13th day of March 1848. Copy attest. Sam. S. Hamilton."

An image of the deed page is shown below.

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