How Early County Courts Really Operated

Mamie Jones wrote that early county courts handled many kinds of business in the same sessions, including licensing liquor, laying out and maintaining roads, collecting taxes, and making appointments. These courts often met in private homes before any public buildings existed. Court sessions frequently lasted several days, not just a single sitting.

She noted that court business could be interrupted by practical or personal needs of the justices, reflecting the informal nature of early local government. Notices and advertisements—including legal announcements—were often copied word for word into the court minute books, especially when other records were scarce.

Jones also wrote that jailers were personally responsible for jail equipment, bedding, and locks. When prisoners escaped, it was commonly blamed on poor construction or weak locks, not violence. Rewards for escaped prisoners were usually small cash amounts, rather than large sums, and were often advertised publicly.

Source: Mamie Jones.