Jailor's Bond 1842

One of the duties of the county court was to make the appointment of county jailer. The first jailer of Crittenden County, Kentucky was John H . Bruff, who was appointed 12 December 1842. Crittenden County was still new, having been created from Livingston County in early 1842. Because several sessions of the Crittenden County Court are missing from 1842, the document below is the only extant record of Bruff's appointment as jailer. In order to qualify as a county official, he was required to sign a performance bond to guarantee he would "well, truly & faithfully perform and discharge" the duties of jailer. This document was located in a bundle marked "Officers Bonds" in the Crittenden County Clerk's Office.

"Know all men by these presents that we John H. Bruff, John S. Gilliam, Wm. Hoggard & H.W. Bigham are held and firmly bound unto the Commonwealth of Kentucky in the penal sum of one thousand dollars to the payment of which well and truly to be made we do hereby bind ourselves our heirs jointly & severally &c firmly[?] by these presents sealed and dated this twelfth day of December 1842 --

"The condition of the above obligation is such that whereas the above bound Bruff has this day been appointed jailor in & for Crittenden County & Commonwealth of Kentucky by the County Court of said County, Now if the said Bruff shall well, truly & faithfully perform and discharge the duties pertaining to said office so long as he shall continue to hold said appointment, then this obligation to be void, otherwise to be and remain in full force and virtue  Given under our hands and seals the day and date above written.
Teste: H.W. Bigham, Clk  [signed] John H. Bruff, John S. Gilliam, Wm. Hogard, H.W. Bigham."

Published 24 July 2014, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog, http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/