xt77d7959t2w https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt77d7959t2w/data/mets.xml Richland County, South Carolina South Carolina Historical Records Survey 1940 Prepared by the South Carolina Historical Records Survey 
Project, Division of Professional and Service Projects, Work Projects Administration; Sponsored by the University of South Carolina; Other contributors include: United States Work Projects Administration Division of Professional and Service Projects; vi, 239 pages: illustrations and maps, 27 cm; Includes bibliographical references and index; UK holds archival copy for ASERL Collaborative Federal Depository Program libraries; Call number FW 4.14:So8c/no.40 books English Columbia, South Carolina: South Carolina Historical Records Survey Project This digital resource may be freely searched and displayed in accordance with U. S. copyright laws. South Carolina Works Progress Administration Publications Inventory of the County Archives of South Carolina, Number 40 Richland County (Columbia) text Inventory of the County Archives of South Carolina, Number 40 Richland County (Columbia) 1940 1940 2015 true xt77d7959t2w section xt77d7959t2w m~+ }~» I  ‘;mNm1 1y¤www
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RICHLAND COUNTY COURTHOUSE gg
Completed A. D. 1957 ge
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.\  

 INVENTORY OF THE COUNTY ARCHIVES
· OF SOUTH CAROLINA
Prepared by
The South Carolina Historical Records Survey Project
Division of Professional and Service Projects
Work Projects Administration
Sponsored by
The University of South Carolina
No. 40. RICHLAND COUNTY (COLUMBIA)
* * * * * * * *
“ Colu bia, South Carolina
j The South Carolina Historical Records Survey Project
_   Aprii 1940
i
, it

 The Historical Records Survey Projects
Sargent B. Child, Director
Anne K. Gregorie, State Supervisor
Records and Research Section
Harvey E. Beoknell, Director
Milton W. Blanton, Regional Supervisor
Flora B. Surles, State Supervisor S
Division of Professional and Service Projects
Florence Kerr, Assistant Commissioner
Blanche M. Ralston, Chief Regional Supervisor
Margaret D. Davies, State Director
WORK PROJECTS ADMINISTRATION
F. C. Harrington, Co missioner
' Malcolm J. Miller, Regional Director
l Lawrence M. Pinokney, State Administrator é
I Q

 F O R E W O R D
The Inventory of the County.Archives of South Carolina is one of
a number of bibliographies of historical materials prepared throughout
the United States by workers on the Historical Records Survey Projects
of the Work Projects Administration. The publication herewith pre-
sented, an inventory of the archives of Richland County, is number 40
of the South Carolina series.
The Historical Records Survey Projects were undertaken in the win-
ter of 1955-56 for the purpose of providing useful employment to needy
unemployed historians, lawyers, teachers, and research and clerical
workers. In carrying out this objective, the project was organized to
compile inventories of historical materials, particularly the unpublish-
ed government docu ents and records which are basic in the administra-
tion of local government, and which provide invaluable data for students
of political, economic, and social history. The archival guide herewith
presented is intended to meet the requirements of day-to-day administra-
tion by the officials of the county, and also the needs of lawyers, bus-
· iness men and other citizens who require facts from the public records
for the proper conduct of their affairs. The volume is so designed that
it can be used by the historian in his research in unprinted sources in
the same way he uses the library card catalog for printed sources.
The inventories produced by the Historical Records Survey Projects
attempt to do more than give merely a list of records - they attempt
further to sketch in the historical background of the county or other
unit of government, and to describe precisely and in detail the organi-
zation and fu ctions of the government agencies whose records they list.
The county, town, and other local inventories for the entire country
will, when completed, constitute an encyclopedia of local government as
well as a bibliography of local archives.
The successful conclusion of the work of the Historical Records
Survey Projects, even in a single county, would not be possible without
the support of public officials, historical and legal specialists, and
many other groups in the commu ity. Their cooperation is gratefully
acknowledged. ‘
The Survey projects were organized and directed by Luther H. Evans,
u til he accepted a position with the Library of Congress and was suc-
ceeded in March 1940, by Sargent B. Child. As a nation-wide series of
locally sponsored projects, they operate in the Division of Profession-
al and Service Projects, of which Mrs; Florence Kerr, Assistant Commis-
sioner, is in charge.
F. C. HARRINGTON
Commissioner
2

  
' V
4 ' i
»

 l P R E F A C E
The Historical Records Survey began on a nation-wide scale as part
of the Federal Writers' Project of the`Works Progress Administration,
and became in October 1936 an independent part of Federal Project No. 1.
When federal projects were terminated on August 31, 1939, the work was
continued by locally sponsored state-wide projects as part of a national
research and records program. Under the national direction of Luther H.
Evans, and since March 1, 1940, of his successor, Sargent B. Child, the
Survey has inventoried state, county, city, church, and, to a limited
extent, private records. At present, it is preparing for publication
in a condensed form, descriptive lists of the public records of local
W units of government. In each state the counties are numbered in alpha-
betical order, and treated as separate units, each with an introductory
section giving the historical background and a description of the pres-
ent government and records system. All records are referred to the of-
fice oi origin, which is carefully described as to history, functions,
and required records. Each type of record is given a numbered entry
showing the comprehensive dates for which it is extant, the quantity, an
interpretation of contents, and details as to nature of recording, in-
dexing and location. State, municipal, church, and other records will
be described in separate publications.
The South Carolina Historical Records Survey Project was begun on
March l, 1936. The University of South Carolina, as official sponsor of
the project, is contributing the offices of state headquarters. Acknowl-
edgments are due Professor R. L. Meriwether, head of the department of
history, for criticisms of the historical sketches of counties, and for
access to the proof of his "Expansion of South Carolina". we are also
indebted to Dr. Leah Townsend of Florence, for legal advice, and for the
invaluable Code of Laws of South Carolina 1932. State officials of the
Work ProjectE—Kdministratibn have at all times given every possible coop-
eration in the administration of the project.
The Richland unit, the first in the state, was opened on March 3,
1936, with Jennings Wilhalf as the first assignee. Although the county
offices were then in temporary quarters at the Township Auditorium, four
_ workers began the first listing. ·Adeline Stroman was the first foreman.
The chief significance of the Richland u it was that it became a labora-
tory for the training of many successive workers. In May, Marvin M.
Smith of Walhalla, and Anna L. Sinkler of Eutawville, were added, and
made the first recheck under the direction of the research editor, Miss
Esther E. Strong of Chester. When the county offices were moved to the
new courthouse in February 1937, Marvin Smith, field supervisor, with
_ the assistance of James C. Lever, made a recheck of the records in the
new location. In the autumn of 1937, Robert W. Barnwell, research edi-
tor, prepared the first draft of the inventory, and spot checked the
records of each office. After the final pattern was decided upon by the
national office of the Survey, revision of the essays and entries was be-
gun early in November 1938, by Roberta Chestnut, research assistant in

 vi
Preface
the state office. ‘With assistance of Mrs. Willah W) Brown, Miss Chestnut
again spot checked the records and added many entries. Citations were
checked by Josephine Copeland and Miss Chestnut. The final draft of the
book was completed by the end of August 1939, and illustrations prepared by
Paul Jordan and Welton M. Boylston were added. Cross referencing and proof-
reading were done by Vivian Barnette. Publication was financed by an author-
ization of $150 for materials from the Richland County Delegation, which thus
became a co-sponsor of the project. The stenciling and mimeographing are the
work of Mr. Boylston. The typing was the responsibility of Florence Worthy,
Dora Duren, and Audree Cox. The index was prepared by Janice Tribble, and
the binding was done by Mrs. Flonie H. Lewis.
The fortyesix separate units of the Inventory 2f_the Cou ty.Archives of
South Carolina will be issued in mimeographed form for free distribution to
state and local public officials and to a selected group of public and insti-
tutional libraries. Requests for information should be addressed to the
state supervisor, university of South Carolina, Columbia.
Qvxnb K: ` yj »`__,;_·.j cv»‘ze·a'¢,
March 25, 1940 Anne K. Gregorie, State Supervisor
The South Carolina Historical Records Survey Project

 2 1;
e
TABLE OF CONTENTS
by A. Richland County and its Records System Page
of- `
  la    tc}1|IIOOIOIlillOOOIOIIOOOIIOIUIIIDOCOOOOIOQIIQQIII  
thus
the 2. Governmental Organization and Records System ............ ........ 8
hY» Legal Status of the Cou ty. Structural Development of
B County Government. General Administration. Registration
of Titles to Property. Judiciary. Law Enforcement. Fi-
nance. Elections. Education. Public Health. Welfare.
QE Extension and Conservation. Obsolete Fu ctions. Records
b° System.
sti-
5. Housing, Care, and Accessibility of the Records.. ......... ...... 19
4. Abbreviations, Symbols, and Explanatory Notes.... ........ ....... 24
B. Cou ty Offices and Their Records
ject
IO   DelggationllllliIOIOOIOIOOIIIIUIIQOIIlOO|••Ql||IIOI•  
II. Supervisor and Board of County Commissioners ............... ..... 29
Minutes and Reports. Claims. Warrants. Orders and Notices.
Cash Book and Ledgers. Prisoners and Paupers. Pensions.
Miscellaneous. Maps. Special Investigating Com ission.
Courthouse Commission.
III. Permanent Roads Com issions (defunct) .... . ............. ......... 41
IV. Com issioners of Roads (defunct) ............ . ..... .............. 45
V. Commissioners of the Poor (defunct). ...... . .... . .... . .... ....... 44
VI. Com issioners of Public Buildings (defunct) ............. . .... ... 45
        defu¤ct)I||O|IIQIIIIIIIIIQOIDIOUOIIOOIIII  
VIII. Clerk of Court as Register of Mesne Conveyance. .... . ..... ....... 48
Real Property: Deeds and Plats; Mortgages. Personal Prop-
erty. Legal Notices. Statutory Liens. Business Regis-
trations. Surety Bonds. Unclaimed Instruments.
IX. Commissioner of Location (defu ct) .................. .. ...... .... 55
Xl     Cour-b•|•IlIOOIIOIIIIOUOQOOOIIIIOII••IOIIlII|II|O|I|OOO•   ,
Cou ty Officers. Professional Registrations. Business
Registrations. Licenses. Military Records. Alcoholic
Liquor Records. Voters and Elections. Fees. Vital
Statistics. Correspondence. Maps.

 I, - 2 _ §
{ Table of Contents T
I Page
XI. Circuit Court of General Sessions..... ......... ............ 62
Sessions Cases. Dockets. Minutes. Executive
Clemency. Jurors. Court Costs. Naturalization.
XII;   Solicitor!IOQOOIOQIOOIIIIICOOIIOIOOIUIDOIOOQIIIIOII   I
    JuryblllltllIIIOIIQIIOIOUCQOOOCQOOOOIIOIIIIIIOOIIIIOO  
XIV. Board of Jury Com issioners .... . ......................... .. 71
XV. Circuit Court of Common Pleas ...................... . ...... . 72
Judgments. Cases Sued by the State. Appeals. Calendars.
File Books. Minutes. Attachments and Bonds. Miscel-
laneous Orders and Equity Matters. Venires. Cases
Dismissed or Nulla Bona.
XVIIQ       (dSf\mct)•\IIi•|III¢II•I¢•DIlO|•IOIOIIIIIOI  
Papers of Record and Indexes. Dockets. Minutes and
Reports. Estate Records.
      (1917—_)|•II•I•IlIIlIUIIIQQIOIIOIIOOCICOIUtill  
Case Papers. Calendars. Minutes. Jurors and Court
Costs.
  mstorlllllllilll•OIIIIOOIO¤|OIIII•U|I•I•l•tllllOOIIOIIOOQQ  
XIX. Judge of Probate. ............. . .... .. ............. .. ....... 88
Transmission of Property: Papers of Record and Indexes;
Transcripts and Indexes; Inheritance Tax; Accou ts; Fees
and Costs. Court Procedure. Miscellaneous, Dower, and
Lunacy. Marriages. Pensions. Liquor Permits. Corres-
pondence.
. mn   Courtttlliiit•IOOUUOOUIOIIIQQOIOOOIIIIOUIUOIOOOI  
my  j»Str&t8s••||•III|l•I§•••lIllI•||||l•I•IIIlIOUOIIOIIIIIOI  
XXII. Court of M gistrates and Freeholders (defumct)............. 104
      (d9f‘mct)•IOIiIOOIUIOOOIIIIUCOIIOOOIOIOOOIIO   V
 | ShorifflllllllOlOilI•QIIOQDOOOIIOOOOOIIIOOIIIIIUIOIOIIOOOQO  
Mesne Processes. Final Processes. Tax Executions.
I Sales. Fee Records. Records of Criminals. Motor
Vehicle Records. Reports, Correspondence, and Mis-
oellaneous.
XXV. Rural Policemen (defunct)..... ................... .......... 114
V   CoronarlllllIIOIUIOOOIOIillIIID|I|\OIlOI|III|I|IlIOIIOOODII   A

 Table of Contents
Page
  AuditorlillllOI|OlIO•llIl|•I•I•lUOIIDIQIIUDIIIIOOIIOOIOOIUC  
Tax Records. Conveyances. Settlement Records. Cor-
respondence. Maps. Miscellaneous.
      Eqmlizationniitllltn•§l•III••rtlullllllflllllllll  
  TreasllrerlllllllllllllICOUOIOIOOOIOIOIQDQQOIIIl•|I•IOliIO§.  
Taxation. Financial Records. File Books. Reports.
Fees. Bonds.
    CollactorllllllllilOOIUOIOQIOIIUIIlI|IOOlI|CI|••i|IlIO•  
Tax Executions. Collections. Partial Payments. Sales.
Settlement Records.
       SSi0¤I|lOOOQIOOIDQQIIQIUOOIOIOIICIIUIII  
XXXII. Sinking Fu d Commission (defu ct). ......... . ......... ...... 156
XXXIII. Superintendent and Board of Education. ............... ...... 157
Minutes and Reports. Financial Records. Teachers'
and Trustees’ Records. Pupils. State Aid. School
Property. Discontinued Records.
XXXIV. Richland Cou ty Public Library............... .... .... ..... . 149
Minutes and Reports. Administrative Records: Statis-
tical; Registers of Members; Catalogs; Charge Files.
XXXV. Board of Registration.... .................................. 155
XXXVI. Commissioners of Election.... ...... ........................ 154
XXXVII. Cou ty Dispensary Board (defunct). ............... .......... 155
XXXVIII. Cou ty Board of Public Welfare.... .... .. ....... . ...... ..... 155
Case Records. Administrative Records.
      HonorlllIIOIOIIIIOOIIOIIOIIOIIOOIIIUUOIIICOIOOIIOI  
XLI   Offj.CGI°•·••••••••••••••••••••••••»•••••·•••·•••••••  
XLII   [mthQ§|I•IIOItUOIIIOCOIIIIOIIQQIOOOCQUOICOOIOIOOOOI  
Reports. Maternity. Child Health. Applications and
Permits. Survey. Financial Record.
XLII. Venereal Clinic Board ...... . .... .. ..... ...... .... ..... ..... 165
XLIII. Richland Anti-Tuberculosis Association ........... .......... 166
General Administration. Tuberculosis Clinic. Ridge-
wood Camp: Administration Records; Case Records. A

 Table of Contents Q
Page C
XLIV• CO1 •a·_HospitavllllllllIlll!IOODCOUOIIIIIIIOOOIIOIIOIOIOII   V
Trustees. Patients. Laboratory. X-ray. General
_ Clinic. Nurses. Accounting. Bond Issue. Corre-
spondence. I
        B0a·rd|QIIlItOIIOIIOOQIIIOIIIUIIIOOIIIIQ   *”);k“
XLVI. Farm and Home Extension Service...... ....... ............... 184
Farm Agent. Soil Conservation. Hom  Agent.
    COm]j.sSiO¤\•••••••••••••••••••••••I•••••••••••|•|OOO   `
  Mi1iti&••••••••.·•••••.••••••••••••¤‘•i•'•‘•••‘•••••••••••••••••  
G0vernor's Guards and Richland Rifle Club. Medical M
Department Detachment, 265rd Coast Artillery. Head- .-
quarters Company, lO5th Quartermaster Regiment. __w
County Officials, Boards, and Employees, A. D. l940.......• 196
BibliographybllIOOIOUIOIOOOIIIOOII•••OIv•Il•Il•O|`I•OIIIIli|  
Index
Chronological ............ . ...... ........ .... .. .... ....... 201 A
AlpmbeticallltlbtOlIllIIIOQOOOIOOQIIOII|OIIlI•OOIIOI•I··  
Illustrations it
Fi
Richland County Courthouse. .... ....... .... ......... frontispiece JC
Nhp of Parishes of South Carolina, 1770. ..... ........ facing C 51 ‘
Map of Circuit Court Districts, 1769.. ...... ......... facing 6
 ap of Proprietary Cou ties of South Carolina, 1682.. facing 8 fh
"""""' A-*'}?L
Chart of Cou ty Government, 1939 .... ................. facing 18 ..*o if
Floor Plan of Courthouse. .... .......... . ........... f ‘ 20 it
d • 8.C1I1E  
mp     County!OIIII}!•OIi•llOlIl;IIOIO|OI|€i      
V Map of Circuit Court Districts, 1785 ........ . ....... . facing 47 5
e
Map of Circuit Court Districts, 1800 ...... ........... facing 65 $3
Map of Counties, l868........... .............. .. .... 4 facing 118 Q
' Map of Counties, 1939, showing year of origin ...... ......... end C;.

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 • 50
V (First entry, p. 28)
1, HISTORICAL SKETCH
Richland County lies in the geographical center of South Carolina;
and its county seat, Columbia, has been the state capital since 1790
""* (Stat. V, 102; HJ, Jan. 4, 1790}. Traversed by the fall line and sand
hills which mark the prehistoric ocean edge, the county lies in both the
red clay piedment and the sandy coastal plain. The area is 751 square
miles. The population by the census of 1950 was 87,667 persons, pre-
dominantly native born. Small farms, peach orchards and dairies prevail
_ in the rural areas. Large hydroelectric cotton mills and other industrial
V establishments, and administrative offices for county, state and federal
c governments, furnish employment to the urban population.
5
T; The earliest inhabitants of the region were the Congarees, a tribe
q of the Catawba group of Siouan Indians (D. D. Wallace, History of South
Carolina, N. Y., 1954, 4 vols., I, 15). The tribe dwindled after the
coming of European traders, and the remnant joined the Catawbas after the
Yamassee War. In 1701 John Lawson noted their hospitality and friendliness
to the English when he visited the Congarees' town, "not above a dozen
Houses," among which curious flocks of domesticated cranes wandered like
barnyard fowls (Lawson's History of North Carolina, reprint, Richmond,
1957, pp. 24-25). The most important of the trading paths between Charles-
ton and the Cherokee towns followed the west side of the Congaree River,
` . » and touched here at the head of navigation before turning toward the moun-
_m tains. As early as 1718 a fortified trading post known as the Congarees
E was already established near the mouth of Congaree Creek, (E. L. Green,
iigg, History of Richland County, Columbia, 1952, pp. 15-17.)
é; The first white settlement which has been authenticated to have
QB been within the limits of what is new Richland County was made in 1740,
Q3 when Richard and Philip Jackson recorded their holdings on Jackson Creek,
later called Patrick, and new Gills Creek (ibid., pp. 5-6, 25). The lands
>{ of the colonial settlers are usually described in grants as being in Craven
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 u -7-
Historical Sketch (First entry p. 28)
When county courts were abolished at the close of 1799, Richland Coun-
ty became Richland District, and the circuit courts began to hold regular
sessions at Columbia (Stat. VII, 290). Simon Taylor, clerk of the county
court, who had entered all registrations under the varied functions of that
court, now took over three new district offices and continued the records as
clerk of the circuit courts, as the register of mesne conveyance, and as the
ordinary. Until 1806 his citations summoned to the State House those who
were concerned with the settlement of estates (MS Wills etc. Book C, entry
` 195, passim). After Columbia became self-governing, Simon Taylor was twice
elected intendant of the town (Columbia 1786-1956, edited by H. K. Hennig,
Columbia, 1958, pp. 576, 577). ·~—__ _
Ever since the removal of Richland’s seat of justice to the state capi-
tal, the history of the county has centered in Columbia. There it has been
so closely identified with the history of the state, that any attempt to
sketch the one must include the other.
Early in 1805, the college which was later to become the University of
- South Carolina, "faithful index to the ambitions and fortunes of the state"
(Sesquicentennial historical Marker Committee, Guide to Columbia, p. 50),
opened in Columbia, and brought into the community such men as Thomas Cooper,
Francis Lieber, the LeContes and others. Since then other institutions of
higher learning have been established and new offer facilities for students
of varying creeds and races.
From the beginning, Columbia was a market town at the head of navigation
as well as the centrally located state capital. To overcome the obstructions
to river traffic, the state in 1815 undertook a system of canals, which was
not altogether successful. Richland early developed a system of dirt roads
for wagon trade from all parts of the state, and by 1826 four regular stage
couch lines were scheduled. In 1855 the Columbia Railroad Company was char-
tered, but not until 1842 did the first train reach Columbia. (S. M. Der-
rick, in Columbia, pp. 549-62.) No county in the state new has better con-
nections with the outside world, and since 1869 (Columbia, p. 186), annual
State Fairs have attracted the people of the state to Columbia.
In 1822 the State Hospital for the Insane opened, as the earliest of the
several institutions (R. E. Seibels, in Columbia, pp. 155-60) which now make
the city one of the medical centers of the state.
In 1868 the penitentiary at Columbia was declared to be the state in-
`stitution for the reformation and punishment of criminals from all counties
(Stat. XIII, 566; XIV, 92-5). Now, in the immediate vicinity, refornmtories
for juvenile offenders have been added to the state penal system.
Not only was Columbia a focal point of the Nullification movement, but "
when this reached a climax in Secession, Columbia was laid in ashes at the
close of the Civil War, and Richland lost its public buildings and records
(infra, p. 19).
1 The statewide government which followed the war was planned in Columbia,
and when a radical Congress ended it, Columbia bore the brunt of Reconstruc-
For abbreviations and explanatory notes see pages 24-26

 an
V •• 8 ••   ri
(First entry, p, 28) Governmental Organization and Records System - {
Legal Status of the County . y
tion, both military and civil. In the registration of 1868, Richland had »
but 1256 whites and 2812 blacks as qualified voters. As a result, Richland (
County sent three Negroes among its four delegates to the convention which l
drafted the "Carpetbag" constitution of 1868; and Richland's legislative dele— _
gation of that year was all Negro. Radical Republicans organized Union leagues 7///
for controlling the Negro vote, and elected city and county officers. It was ¢
Wade Hampton, a native of Richland County, who led the Red Shirt campaign of
1876 which ended the rule of the Republican Party in South Carolina. In the
dual government which ensued until the contested election was settled in ’
Hampton's favor, the Democratic legislature assembled as the Wallace House J
in Carolina Hall, which had been the temporary Richland courthouse immediate-
ly after thc Civil War. (C. E. Cauthcn, in Columbia, pp. 45-56.) ‘
In the Tillman movement of the l890's; in the industrialization which
followed the concentration of cotton mills in the New South; in the cataclasm
of the World War, and in the federal policies for the alleviation of the i
great depression which resulted, Richland County necessarily has been the
scene of important events identified with the history of the state.
2, GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION AND RECORDS SYSTEM
Legal Status of the County
Counties in South Carolina were provided for in the royal charter of
1665 (Stat, I, 55) and in the fundamental constitutions of 1669 (art. 5,
Stat. I, 45). The early counties of Berkeley, Craven, Colleton and Gran- I
ville functioned as units of local government, chiefly as election districts,
for a brief period in a portion of the coastal region, They existed in name
until the American Revolution, as vaguely definedgeographical divisions, e
. progressing with settlement into the wilderness and useful in describing
the general location of land grants. "When Richland County was organized in Q
1785, the county was hardly more than a magisterial district, a mere subdivi-
sion of the circuit law court district of Camden, created by the state as Q
its agent for local government (infra, p. 47). The constitution of 1790 Q
(art. I, 5, 7) made Richland an election district with two members of the (
house, but combined Richland with Fairfield and Chester for senatorial repre- ~
sentation. In 1800 when Richland County was abolished, Richland District F
as a circuit court unit (infra, p. 65) became the agent of the state for ·
c the administration of justice. The constitution of 1865 (art. I, 5) rec- A
ognized it as an election district for both senate and house, coinciding I
with the judicial district. Since 1868, the county has been a corporation, i
with power to "sue and be sued, purchase and hold for the use of the county Q
personal estate and lands lying within its own limits, and to make nec