County Formation. -- November 1, 1833, by act of the Territorial Legislature, Carroll County was erected. The act reads as follows: "All that portion of the county of Izard west of a line commencing at a point on the State line of Missouri, where the range line between Ranges 16 and 17 west strikes the same, running south with said line twelve miles; thence west six miles to the range line between seventeen and eighteen; thence south with said line to the dividing ridge between Crooked Creek and the Buffalo Fork, thence a direct course to the ridge dividing the waters of the Buffalo Fork and Richland Creek; thence with said ridge to the ridge dividing the waters of the Arkansas and White Rivers; thence west with said ridge to Range 25 west; thence north with said line to the ridge dividing the waters of War Eagle and King's River; thence down said ridge to the post road from Izard court-house, to Washington court-house; thence on a north course to the Missouri line, so as to include all the waters of King's River; thence east with said line to the place of beginning, shall be constituted and erected into a new county, to be called and known by the name of Carroll County." The name was conferred in honor of Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, a distinguished Marylander, or possibly in compliment to Gov. William Carroll, of Tennessee. The original territory was reduced in 1836, 1842 and 1869, upon the formation, respectively, of Madison, Newton and Boone. In 1869, in order that Carroll might not be reduced below the constitutional area of 600 square miles, the northern portion of Madison was annexed. With the exception of unimportant changes in the southwestern boundary, the territorial limits have since remained undisturbed.
The first election for county officers, held in 1834, resulted in the choice of George Campbell as judge, John Bush as clerk, Thomas H. Clark as sheriff, Abraham Shelly as coroner and William Nooner as surveyor. Their successors in order have been as follows:
Sheriffs. -- T. H. Clark, 1834-36 (resigned in 1835, succeeded by N. Rudd); Charles Sneed, 1836-42; A. Thomas, 1842-44; J. L. Wilburn, 1844-52; A. C. Oliver, 1852-56; J. C. Shipman, 1856-58; R. C. Campbell, 1858-60; David Smith, 1860; R. C. Campbell, 1860-62; John Harper, 1862-64; A. S. McKennon, 1864-66; N. B. Crump, 1866-68; J. J. Grim, 1868-72; S. L. Hayhurst, 1872-76; A. C. Oliver, 1876-78; T. C. Freeman, 1878-84; Joel Plumlee, 1884-86; H. S. Shahan, 1886.
Clerks. -- John Bush, 1834-36; W. C. Mitchell, 1836-40 (the office was filled part of the year 1836 by G. F. Stallings); J. A. Hicks, 1840-46; Tilford Denton, 1846-48; John W. Peel, 1848-54; George C. Gordon, 1854-58; Samuel W. Peel, 1858-64; George J. Crump, 1864-68; W. W. Davis, 1868-72; J. P. Fancher, 1872-76; J. C. Hanna, 1876-78; J. P. Fancher, 1878-80; J. E. Jones, 1880-84; H. H. Moose, 1884-87; Len Nunnally, 1887.
Treasurers. -- A. M. Wilson, 1836-38; William Beller, 1838-42; H. L. Denton, 1842-44; E. Ford, 1844-46 (resigned, unexpired term filled by Thomas Callen); Thomas Callen, 1846-48 (deceased before the expiration of his term; W. E. Armstrong appointed); John Dunlap, 1848-50; A. Hulsey, 1850-54; J. Albright, 1854-56; Jeremiah Hale, 1856-60; J. M. Haggett, 1860-62; J. F. Seaman, 1862-64; J. S. Stanley, 1864-66; Tilford Denton, 1866-68; J. H. Hale, 1868-72; A. M. Bradley, 1872-74; James Walker, 1874-76; J. G. Walker, 1876-78; S. S. Meek, 1878-80; W. H. Woods, 1880-84 (failed to give bond, H. D. Field elected February 26, 1884); H. D. Field, 1884.
Coroners. -- Abraham Shelly, 1834-36; M. L. Hawkins, 1836-42 (Burts was coroner from 1836-38; Thomas Moreland, 1842-44; John T. Spears, 1844-46; A. S. Dooly, 1846-48; Jesse McKelay, 1848-50; John Bunch, 1850-52; Gideon Weaver, 1852-54; W. M. Raines, 1854-56; Jacob Riddle, 1856-58; N. P. Naples, 1858-60; Daniel Grimlin, 1860-62; W. W. Bailey, 1864-66; J. m. Pittman, 1866-68; G. D. Bull, 1868-72; William Wood, 1872-74; O. P. Crockett, 1874-78; E. Thomas, 1878-80; E. Winfield, 1880-82; C. T. Dodson, 1882-84; J. M. Mitchell, 1884-86; C. Smith, 1886.
Surveyors. -- William Nooner, 1834-36; Elijah Tabor, 1836-38; John McMillan, 1838-42; T. B. Callen, 1846-48; A. V. Callen, 1848-50; Price Byrne, 1852-58; J. Bartlett, 1858-62; Henry McMillan, 1864-68; Cyrus Maxwell, 1868-72; Thomas Bunch, 1872-76; T. S. Bunch, 1876-78; J. M. Bunch, 1878-82; W. R. Phillips, 1882-86; J. W. Kenner, 1886.
The election of Thomas as sheriff in 1842 was annulled by the county court, which declared Charles Sneed sheriff. This ruling was revoked by the governor, who commissioned Thomas.
State Senators. -- C. R. Saunders, 1836-40; W. C. Mitchell, 1840-54; John McCoy, 1854-56; W. W. Watkins, 1856-62; Bradley Bunch, 1862-64; J. McCoy, 1864-66; W. W. Watkins, 1866-68; M. L. Stephenson, 1868-70; William Dugger, 1870-74; Bradley Bunch, 1874-78; W. W. Watkins, 1878-82; R. B. Weaver, 1882-86; ------- Crandall, 1886.
Representatives. -- L. B. Tully, W. D. Reagan, 1836-38; T. H. Clarke, F. G. Willbourn, 1838-40; B. Gaither, 1840-42; G. W. Bains, J. Fancher, 1842-44; G. E. Birnie, T. H. Clarke, 1844-46; S. S. Matlock, J. W. Turman, 1846-48; J. H. Crow, 1848-50; B. W. Ayers, Tilford Denton, 1850-52; John H. Brittain, Tilford Denton, 1852-54; Bradley Bunch, John Haggin, 1854-56; B. W. Ayers, Bradley Bunch, 1856-58; Bradley Bunch, G. C. Gordon, 1858-60; Bradley Bunch, J. Childers, 1860-62; I. R. Holt, A. A. Baker; 1862-64; J. W. Plumlee, J. F. Seaman, 1864-66; Bradley Bunch, J. H. Berry, 1866-68; Benjamin Vaughan, J. A. Fitzwater, j. T. Hoffer, P. A. Williams, 1868-70; E. P. Watson, G. J. Crump, F. J. Eubanks, J. S. O'Neal, 1870-72; W. L. Chapman, Joseph Wright, J. M. Foster, J. F. Cunningham, 1872-74; D. G. Hart, J. M. Foster, 1874; H. H. Moore, 1874-76; W. S. Poynor, 1876-78; J. G. Morris, 1878-80; E. J. Black, 1880-82; B. W. Gowdelock, 1882-84; J. P. Fancher, 1884-86; W. R. Phillips, 1886.
Members of Constitutional Conventions. -- John F. King, 1836; W. W. Watkins, B. H. Hobbs, 1861; Joseph Wright, 1868; Bradley Bunch, 1874. Not represented in the convention of 1864.
The First Court-house of Carroll County was a log building about twenty feet square, two stories high. The purchase of the site and the disposition of lots in the town of Carrollton was entrusted to three commissioners, Henry Keys, John S. Blair and Barnett Cheatham, presumably appointed by the county court, and given charge over all matters pertaining to the erection of county buildings. Owing to the destruction of the county records, there is no certain information as to the time when this was done; but it is known that the court-house was intended to serve a temporary purpose only, and was built south of the center of the public square in Carrollton, in order not to interfere with the erection of its successor. There was a substantial stone chimney at the east end, built after the completion of the remainder of the building. There were two entrances to the lower floor, on the north and south sides, respectively. This floor was provided with benches, and was occupied during the sessions of the court. There was an inside stairway to the upper floor, which does not appear to have been used for any particular purpose. The roof was made of heavy hoop-sawed boards. The chimney was built in 1837, and the building proper the year previous, probably. The office of the clerk was usually in one of the stores at Carrollton, in which he officiated in a similar capacity.
The Second Court-house was built in 1844-45, at a cost of $3,000. It was brick building about 30x40 feet in dimensions, two stories high, and stood in the center of the square at Carrollton. The lower floor was entered by doors on the north and south, and was used as a court-room. The upper floor was reached by an interior stairway; it was partitioned into three rooms, one of which, at the sourthwest corner, was used as the clerk's office, and the two others as jury rooms. The stairway was at the west end. The contractors for the erection of this building were Louis Rains and William Young; the former built the walls, the latter had charge of the wood-work. This building was destroyed by fire in the winter of 1859-60. It was supposed to have been the work of an incendiary, but no positive proof of this has yet been presented. There appears to have been but little necessity for a court-house during the Civil War.
Third and Fourth Court-houses. -- Upon the close of hostilities in 1865, and the return of the soldiers to their homes, one of the first considerations that engaged their attention was the provision of what was essential to the administration of justice. A log building, closely resembling it [sic] first predecessor, was built in the public square, to the southeast of the center, and was one of the first houses built in Carrollton after the war. It was one story high, without a chimney, and did not remain long enough to receive that necessary addition. It was destroyed by fire in 1866 or the following year, and with it such of the county records as had escaped the previous similar catastrophe. They had been removed by S. W. Peel, the clerk, to a vault in the Carrollton cemetery, and there preserved during the war. The loss of these records is most unfortunate and deplorable.
A frame store building was purchased from Crump and Berry, removed to the center of the square and, with trifling alterations, transformed into a temple of justice. June term, 1870, James Stanphill, commissioner of public buildings, was directed to purchase six chairs and have seats sufficient to accommodate jurymen before August 1, following. May 1, 1871, lot No. 2 in Block No. 13, purchased of Crump & Berry, was sold by the sheriff, J. J. Grim, to W. W. Davis for $102.