Using the Database:

The Greene County database of elected officials allows you to search for the names and terms of elected officials from the departments of the Auditor, Clerk of Courts, Coroner, County Commissioners, Court of Common Pleas, Engineer, Prosecuting Attorney, Recorder, Sheriff, and Treasurer from the beginning of the county in 1803.

The database can be searched by year, name, office, or any combination of these three. 

To search by name, enter the first, last, or part of an official’s name.  If you want to determine who all of the officials were for a certain year, only search by year.  To determine every official who has held the office, search only by office.  Variations in the spelling of names have been placed in parentheses. 

Both primary and secondary sources were used to compile the list, many of which are available at the Greene County Records Center and Archives.  Below are the sources used and the types of information they contain, as well as some additional information on some of the offices.  If you are interested in knowing where information on a certain official was found, please contact the archives.

Joseph Dean Judge of the Probate Court Click on picture for a larger image

Silas Hale Clerk of the Common Pleas Court Click on picture for a larger image

M. A. Broadstone County Recorder Click on picture for a larger image

Sources

Primary Sources:

Appearance Docket – Maintained by the Clerk of Court, the Appearance Dockets contain information on legal cases of the Circuit Court and often hold the signature of the Clerk. 

Board of Elections – Contains the names, year elected, and office of county officials.

Commissioners’ Journal – Contains many different kinds of information about the county including roads, surveys, petitions, and resolutions.  The journals were used to find elected officials from all departments.

Court of Common Pleas – These records appear under different names depending on the time period.  Names include, Court of Common Pleas Civil Minutes, Common Pleas Minutes, and Law Record.  These records contain the cases heard by the Court of Common Pleas including the plaintiff, defendant, and judgment in each case.  The Court of Common Pleas also contains the bond of the sheriff and coroner for a number of years.

Marriage Records – The years 1803-2002 are held in the Archives.  These records contain the names of the bride, groom, and their date of marriage.  The marriage records were used to identify probate judges.

Mothers’ Pension Records – Lists requests of county assistance by families.  The records also contain the reports and recommendations of county officials.  The final determination was left to the Juvenile Judge of the Court of Common Pleas.  These records were used to help determine which judge was in charge of the juvenile cases.

Record of Mortgages – Provides the mortgage, the parties in the transaction, and whether the mortgage has been released.  When a mortgage was recorded or released, the recorder would sign or stamp the margin of the record.

Secondary Sources

Broadstone, M. A. History of Greene County Ohio: Its People, Industries and

            Institutions.  Indianapolis: B.F. Bowen & Company, 1918.

The Dayton Daily News.

Dills, R. S.  History of Greene County, Together with Historic Notes on the Northwest

            and the State of Ohio.  Dayton: Odell & Mayer, 1881

The Fairborn Daily Herold.

The Greene County Room, Greene County Public Library.  “Elected Officials of the

            Past.”

The Greene County Room, Greene County Public Library. Vertical Files.

Robinson, George F. History of Greene County, Ohio.  Chicago: The S. J. Clarke

            Publishing Company, 1902.

The Xenia Daily Gazette.

The Xenia Torch-Light.

The Xenia Weekly Gazette.

Information About the Greene County Offices

The Auditor

The functions of the County Auditor have been performed from the beginning of Greene County, but the office itself was not a separate entity until 1820.   Previously, Colonel John Paul, then Josiah Grover took over the combined job of Auditor, Clerk of Courts and Recorder.   When the Auditors office was first created, the Auditor was to be appointed, however it became an elective position in 1821.

The Clerk of Courts

The position of Clerk of Courts also performed the function of Auditor and Recorder until those functions were split off in 1820 and 1830.  The office of the Clerk of Courts was created by the first Ohio Constitution and the Clerk was appointed by the Court of Common Pleas.  The Clerk of Courts became an elective position under the 1851 Ohio Constitution. 

The Coroner

The person holding the position of County Coroner was not required to be a licensed physician in Ohio until 1945.  The Coroner determines the official cause of death in cases involving murder, suicide, or when the cause is unknown.  Because Coroners were not always licensed, the County paid local physicians to perform autopsies.  The first known licensed physician in Greene County was John G. Kyle who held the office from 1856 -1865. 

The Board of County Commissioners

The Board of County Commissioners was created in 1804 as an act by the Ohio General Assembly.  Originally, one Commissioner was elected every year.  After the first election, Jacob Smith was elected for three years, John Sterritt for two, and James Snoden for one.  Commissioners nowadays are elected to four year terms.

The Court of Common Pleas

The Court of Common Pleas was created under the Northwest Territorial Act of 1788.  However, a Common Pleas Court would not be created in each county until the state constitution was passed in 1802.  The court was presided over by a head judge, and up to three associate judges that were appointed for seven year terms by the state legislature.  This system remained in place until 1851 with the passage of a new state constitution.  After 1851, judges were voted into office by the citizens of Ohio.

Over the years, the growing caseload has changed the structure of the Court of Common Pleas in Greene County as three new departments have been created.  The state constitution of 1851 created the probate court as a separate department within Common Pleas.  In 1908, the state enacted legislation allowing for a juvenile court and in 1913, a court for cases dealing with domestic relations.  In Greene County, the Court of Common Pleas consisted of two courts, the general division and probate courts until 1985 when the domestic relations department was created.  The judge of the probate court usually heard juvenile cases until 1995 when it also became its own department. 

The Engineer

The office of the County Surveyor, or Engineer, has held great importance in Greene County history.  Surveyors were responsible not only for determining boundaries of land, but also roads.  The Surveyor, however, did not determine which roads would be built and where they would lead to.  Early settlers and citizens petitioned the County Commissioners for a new road.  In the 20th century, Surveyors took on engineering duties as the number of roads, ditches, and bridges increased due to the use of cars and trucks for transportation.

The Prosecuting Attorney

The Prosecuting Attorney argues cases on behalf of the State of Ohio at the County level.  The Prosecuting Attorney office was its own department from the beginning of the County.  Since then, seven Greene County Prosecuting Attorneys have gone on to become Greene County Common Pleas Judges.  The position of Prosecuting Attorney was appointed until 1833 when the position became elective.

The Recorder

Along with the Auditor and the Clerk of Courts, the functions of the Recorder were originally all part of one job in Greene County.  The Greene County Recorder became its own office in 1830 when the position became elective. 

The Sheriff

Originally, the County Sheriff was not only responsible for apprehending and jailing criminals.  The Sheriff also performed the function of tax collector when Greene County was formed.  Not only does the Sheriff no longer collect taxes, but in 1886, stopped service as the county executioner.  The position of Sheriff has always been an elective post.

The Treasurer

Of the Greene County elected offices, the Treasurer has the distinction to have been the first to be represented by a woman.  Upon the death of John McVay in June, 1922, Carrie R. Faulkner was unanimously appointed by the County Commissioners to fulfill his term.  Four years after Faulkner left office, Helen Dodds became the first woman elected to any office in Greene County, holding the position for two terms from 1927-31.  Another woman would not hold an elected office until 1969, when Dorothy L. Shaw was elected as Auditor.