The leading points in the history of legal affairs in Cleveland have already been noticed with sufficient fullness in the sketch of the history of Cleveland, especially so far as relates more immediately to the earlier portion of that history. The following biographical sketches give a good general idea of the progress of affairs in relation to the Bench and Bar of the city within the active life of the present generation. It is therefore unnecessary at this place to detail more than a few incidental facts.

The township of Cleveland, of the county of Trumbull, was organized in 1800. The first justice of the Quorum, for the new township, was James Kingsbury, and the first Justice, not of the Quorum, was Amos Spafford. The first constables were Stephen Gilbert and Lorenzo Carter.

In 1810, the county of Cuyahoga was organized and Cleveland made the county seat. The court-house, of logs, was two years afterwards built on the Public Square, as narrated in previuos portions of this work. The county was organized on the 9th May, and on 5th of June a County Court was held with the following officers:

Presiding Judge.--Benjamin Ruggles
Associate Judges.--Nathan Perry, Sen., Augustus Gilbert, Timothy Doan.
Clerk.--John Walworth.
Sheriff.--Smith S. Baldwin.

The first lawyer in Cleveland, under the county organization, arrived here the same year and put out his shingle with the name of "Alfred Kelley" inscribed thereon. Previous to this the law business had all been done by Samuel Huntington, who arrived in 1801. At the time of the organization of the court, the court-house had not been built, and the first session was held in Murray's store, which had just been built. The first business was the finding of a bill by the grand jury for petit larceny, and several for the offence of selling whisky to Indians, and selling foreign goods without license.

The first execution was that of the Indian Omic, which took place June 24th, 1812, as previously narrated.

In March, 1836, Cleveland was incorporated as a city, and henceforth to the ordinary courts of the county was added a city court for cognizance of offences against the ordinances.

In the year 1848, a Superior Court was organized, with Sherlock J. Andrew as judge, and G. A. Benedict as clerk. This court existed but a short time, when it expired by reason of the adoption of the new constitution of the State, which made no provision for its continuance.

In 1855, Cleveland was selected as the seat of a District and Circuit Court of the United States.

As a matter of curiosity, the following list of Attorneys and Counsellors in Cleveland, in 1837, is taken from McCabe's Cleveland and Ohio City Directory, those not practising at that time being marked with an asterisk: Joseph Adams, John W. Allen, Sherlock J. Andrews, Oliver P. Baldwin, John Barr, Phillip Battell, George A. Benedict, Henry W. Billings, Elijah Bingham,* Flavius Bingham, Thomas Bolton, James A. Briggs, Varnum J. Card, Leonard Case,* Richard M. Chapman, Alexander L. Collins, James L. Conger, Samuel Cowles,* Henry H. Dodge, John Erwin, Simeon Ford, John A. Foot, James K. Hitchcock, George Hoadly, James M. Hoyt, Seth T. Hurd, Moses Kelley, George T. Kingsley, William B. Lloyd, George W. Lynde, Samuel Mather, Daniel Parish, Henry B. Payne, Francis Randal, Harvey Rice, O. S. St. John, Wyllys Silliman, George W. Stanley, Samuel Starkweather, John M. Sterling,* Charles Stetson, Charles Whittlesey, Frederick Whittlesey,* John W. Willey,* Samuel Williamson, Hiram V. Wilson.

[Illustration: Alfred Kelley]