By Matthew Cumberledge
The history of Greene County originated long before the actual establishment of Greene County, when it separated from Washington County on February 9, 1796, and the artifact this month is a witness to these very early times. The artifact showcases a rare survival from the late 18th century; this small, notecard-size sheet of paper is a wolf skin bounty.
Throughout the late 18th Century, wolves were a huge problem to the new farmers that inhabited what would become Greene County, killing livestock and otherwise considered a menace. State and local governments would pay a small fee to anyone who would legally kill and skin a wolf, and provide it to an inspecting agent. In this case, the text of the bounty reads:
Washington County [now Greene] SS, July 25th 1789
I do hereby certify that Rezin Virgin brought to me one well grown wolf scalp proved according to law that it was killed in this county therefore do order the treasurer to pay this bearer twenty five shillings by me
Henry Vanmeter
Rezin Virgin was a very early settler in northern Greene County, likely in the Morris, Washington and Morgan Township areas. Henry Van Meter was a well-known Justice of the Peace, a member of the Van Meter family who settled near Carmichaels in the 1760s. Some sources cite the Van Meter family as being the first family to settle in what would later become Greene County.
The Greene County Historical Society is honored to preserve several of these early wolf skin bounties. These have been in our collection for many years and were recently rediscovered in our Archival Library by GCHS Library volunteers, led by Chris Hardie.
Check out the GCHS Facebook page for our digital programming and announcements regarding our opening on July 7!