A Bill to Locate a State Road Therein Named, and for Other Purposes, [22 January 1835]1
Sec[Section] 1st Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois represented in the General Assembly— That so much of the State road, leading from Jacksonville in Morgan county to Quincy in Adams county established by an act entitled "An2 act to locate a State road from Jacksonville in Morgan county to Quincy in Adams
county, and for other purposes3 approved February 25— 1833— as lies between Illinois river and the Western boundry line of Schuyler county be and the same is hereby vacated—
Sec 2nd Be it further enacted That John Taylor Ser[,] Benjamin Kindrick and Harvey Lester of the county of Schuyler be and they are hereby appointed commissioners to view,
mark and locate a State road from a point on the West bank of Illinois river opposite
Meredocia— Thence the nearest and best route through [Moun]t Sterling to the Western boundry line of Schuyler county in the direction of Quincy doing as
little injury to private property as the public conveniance will permit—
Sec. 3rd Said commissioners or a majority of them shall meet at Mount Sterling on the first
Monday in May next, or within one month thereafter; and after being duly sworn by
some Justice of the peace, faithfully to perform the duties required of them by this
act, shall proceed to locate said road accordingly. Said road shall be marked in the
prairy by suitable stakes well set in the earth, and in the timbered land by hacks, and
blazes upon the trees— they shall make a return of the location thereof to the
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county commissioners court of Schuyler county, particularly noting all the principal places upon and near said
road— Said commissioners shall receive for their services, one dollar and fifty cents
each per day for all the time nicessarly employed in said work together with a reasonable
compensation for one hand as a marker, which sum shall be paid by the county of Schuyler.
Said road shall in all respects be deemed a public highway and shall be opened and
kept in repair as other State roads are—4<Page 3>
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A Bill For an act to locate a State road therein named and for other purposes
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[01]/[22]/[1835]
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Sel. com Henry.
Vandevanter
Ross.
Vandevanter
Ross.
1Abraham Lincoln wrote the text of this bill as well as the bill’s title on page four.
Jacob Vandeventer introduced HB 144 in the House of Representatives on January 22, 1835. After the first reading, the House, on the motion of Abraham
Lincoln, dispensed with its rules, read the bill a second time, and referred it to
a select committee. The select committee reported back the bill on January 23 with
an amendment, in which the House concurred. The House passed the bill as amended on January 24.
On January 27, the Senate referred the bill to a select committee. The select committee reported back the
bill on January 28 with an amendment, in which the Senate concurred. The Senate then
passed the bill as amended. On February 7, the Council of Revision approved the bill and the act became law.
Illinois House Journal. 1835. 9th G. A., 1st sess., 349, 363, 376, 419, 497, 498; Illinois Senate Journal. 1835. 9th G. A., 1st sess., 326, 352, 358, 404, 453, 454, 455, 460; Illinois House
Journal. 1835. 9th G. A., 2nd sess., 410.
4State roads were those public roads established or designated by the General Assembly
and usually crossed county lines. Only the General Assembly could establish, alter,
or abandon state roads, until 1840 and 1841, when the General Assembly gave counties
the authority to alter or to abandon state roads upon petition by a majority of voters
in the area of the change.
Handwritten Document, 4 page(s), Lincoln Collection, Illinois State Archives (Springfield, IL).