History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century/3/Counties/Jefferson
JEFFERSON COUNTY, originally a part of Demoine, was established in January, 1839. It is the third county west of the Mississippi River in the second tier north of the Missouri State line and contains twelve townships, embracing an area of four hundred thirty-two square miles. It was named for Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence. The county-seat was located in March, 1839, where a town was laid out and named Fairfield. The county was organized by the election of the following officers: J. J. Smith, Daniel Seares and B. F. Chatlin, county commissioners; John A. Pizer, clerk; J. W. Sullivan, treasurer; James Sanders, recorder.
The first settlement had been made in the spring of 1836 by James Lanman, Amos Lemon, George Stout, Alfred Wright and others who took claims in the eastern part of the county. The first term of court was held by Judge Joseph Williams in August, 1839. A court-house was built in the fall of the same year and a jail was built in 1841. The first house in the town was erected by Henry B. Notson in the spring of 1839. The United States land office was removed from Burlington to Fairfield in 1842. The first store was opened by William Hutson immediately after the town was platted and a tavern was kept in a log cabin with but one room and a loft, by Thomas Dickey. Miss Clarisa Sawyer taught the first school in a log cabin in the spring of 1839. On the 12th of June, 1847, the first number of a weekly newspaper was issued by A. R. Sparks, called the Iowa Sentinel.
The state Agricultural Society was organized at Fairfield on the 28th of December, 1853. Parsons College was located at Fairfield in December, 1874, in consideration of $30,000 donated to the institution by the citizens. The Burlington Railroad traverses the county from east to west.