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history of Green County. 
law, a large number of the voters of Green County had 
pledged themselves to submit to the decision of the 
commissioners, whatever it might be. The commission- 
ers, after looking the county over, selected a place which 
they called Roscoe, about two and one-half miles north- 
east of the present village of Monroe. The place was 
not acceptable to the people. It was then made to ap- 
pear before the legislature that Mr. Sutherland owned 
all the timber in the vicinity of Roscoe, and that his in- 
fluence had led to the selection of that place. The rep- 
resentation was a mistaken one, as regards both the 
ownership of the timber and the influence exerted by 
Mr. Sutherland. But this law was also repealed, and it 
was decided that the question of the county seat should be 
decided by a vote of the people. In the meantime, it was 
undertaken to dig a well in Mr. Payne's town, but, after 
digging about forty feet, those interested in it became 
discouraged, and gave up the attempt. The belief then 
became general that the county seat must be at some 
place where water could be more easily obtained, and 
Messrs. Payne, LyBrand, and Russell offered to give 
the county 12o acres of land near the spring-Mr. Russell 
stipulating that his share of the gift should be for the 
benefit of a county seminary. Mr. Andrick had also 
abandoned the hope of making his town the county 
seat, and had united with others in claiming that honor 
for a site which was situated a short distance south of 
Roscoe. At the election, in May, 1839, the point at issue 
seems to have been not so much the comparative merits 
of the two sites under consideration, as the comparative 
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