California. Justice Court (Yolo County : Putah Township)

History

Administrative History

Yolo County's judicial history began in 1850 when the new California Legislature acted to create the State's first twenty-seven counties. In June 1850 a court of sessions, composed of the Yolo County Judge and two justices of the peace, convened at the original county seat of Fremont. This court divided Yolo County into townships. Each township was to have one elected justice of the peace presiding over a justice's court, and at least one constable was to be appointed by the County Sheriff for duty with each of the justice's courts. Boundaries of Yolo County's judicial townships were established in 1850, but they were reorganized on several occasions.

Davisville (later Davis), California fell under the jurisdiction of the Yolo County, Justice Court, Putah Township. As the Davisville area became more populous, the North and South Putah Townships came into being. Davisville was the first railroad station in Yolo County. This new transportation center had a thriving economy, but with prosperity came an accompanying crime wave. Numerous saloons were the scenes of fighting and raucous behavior. Crime in Putah Township ranged from vagrancy and public drunkeness to theft and robbery to assault and murder. Murder was rare while the crimes of vagrancy and stealing livestock were common.

Justices of the peace were public officers invested with judicial powers for the purpose of preventing breaches of the peace, and bringing to punishment those who violated the law. Justices had the power to arrest wrongdoers or command others to do so. Once a person who had witnessed a crime made a criminal complaint against a defendant, proceedings before a justice of the peace were commenced by the justice's issuance of a summons served by a constable commanding the defendant to appear at court at a stated time. Also, a justice could issue a warrant of arrest directing a constable to bring the defendant forthwith to court. After a hearing in a justice's court, the defendant was discharged, held to bail to answer to the complaint, or for want of bail committed to prison until the time of the trial. On the day of trial the justice would hear the case and give judgment as appropriate, passing a sentence or awarding costs. In some cases, the plaintiff or the defendant had the right to demand a trial by jury in which case the justice directed a constable to impanel a jury. In other cases, the trial was moved to a superior court. If the defendant believed that he or she could not have an impartial trial before a particular justice, he or she could so swear in which case the papers would be transferred to the nearest other justice who would then proceed with the trial. Court officials were compensated for their labors by collecting court fees. Justices of the peace were directed to file and safely keep all papers given them in charge and to keep a record of court proceedings in a docket book.

The Yolo County, Justice Court, Putah Township, Records Collection includes court records created by the following justices of the peace:

Edmund L. Brown was Justice of the Peace for Putah Township at the time Davisville was founded in 1868. He remained in office until at least November 1871. Brown was born in Virginia and was one of Yolo County's earliest residents. His Davisville ranch was part of the land grant, Rancho Laguna de Santos Calle.

Lewis Craig Drummond's (b. 1828-d. 1882) time as Putah Township's Justice of the Peace included the period from February 1872 to July 1875. Drummond was born in New Jersey and came to California via Panama in 1849. He lived in Sacramento until 1852, when he moved to Yolo County and settled in the South Putah district. Drummond owned a residence in Davisville as well as a ranch and was a successful grain farmer.

A court record dated August 1878 shows that James T. Lillard (b. 1830-d. 1889) was also Justice of the Peace for Putah Township. Lillard was born in Kentucky and came to California across the plains, arriving in 1849. After a two year stint as a gold prospector, Lillard settled on a Davisville area farm in 1852. He built a two-story hotel in Davisville, The Lillard House.

Gilbert Lewis Ludington (b. circa 1830-d. 1916) was a Davisville property owner. Ludington's term as Justice of the Peace for Putah Township included the years 1893 to 1898.

William Henry Scott (b. 1861-d. 1950) served as Justice of the Peace during the years 1899 to 1942 and had his first office, in Holt's Barber Shop on Main Street in Davisville. Scott also published the Davisville Enterprise .

sources:

Amos, V. M. A Historical Account of People, Resources and Points of Interest in Early Yolo County for Teacher Use In Enriching Social Studies. Master of Arts Project, Sacramento State College, 1950.

Illustrated Atlas and History of Yolo County, California. San Francisco: DePue and Co., 1879.

Larkey, J. L. Davisville '68: The History and Heritage of The City of Davis Yolo County, California. Davis, Calif.: The Davis Historical and Landmarks Commission, 1969.

Larkey, J. L., and Walters, S. Yolo County Land of Changing Patterns. Northridge, Calif.: Windsor Publications, 1987.

Martin, R. Eden. The Whitley Point Record Book. Chicago, Ill.: R. E. Martin, 1996.

Russell, William O. History of Yolo County California: Its Resources and its People. Woodland, Calif.: 1940.

From the guide to the Yolo County, Justice Court, Putah Township, Records Collection, 1852-1922, (University of California, Davis. General Library. Dept. of Special Collections.)