A Bill to Relocate a Part of the State Road Leading from Crow's, in Morgan County,
to Musick's Bridge, in Sangamon County, [11 December 1835]1
A bill for "an act to relocate a part of the State road leading from Crow's, in Morgan county, to Musicks bridge, in Sangamon county."2
Sec 1 Be it enacted by the people of the State of Illinois represented in the General Assembly. ThatJames Goldsby, David Batterton, and Charles Broadwell3be, and they are hereby appointed commissioners to view mark, and locate so much of
the State road leading from Crow's in Morgan county to Musick's bridge in Sangamon
county, as lies between the head of Richland creek, and the Sangamo river.
Sec 2. The said commissioners, or a majority of them, shall meet at the house of Peter Cartwright, on the first monday in March next, or as soon there after as practicable, and after
being duly sworn, shall proceed to perform the duties required of them by this act,
avoiding as much as possible the injury of private property
Sec 3. The said commissioners shall, as soon as convenient cause to be filed with
the clerk of the county commissioner's court of Sangamon county a report & complete map of said road, which report and4 map shall be preserved, and shall form a part of the record of
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said court. Said road, when so established, shall be kept in repair as other State
roads are
Sec 4. The county commissioners court of Sangamon county, shall allow to said commissioners,
out of the county Treasury, such compensation as to them shall seem just and reasonable
[ docketing
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4
[ docketing
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A Bill for "An act to relocate a part of the State road leading from Crow's in Morgan
County to Musicks bridge in Sangamon County"—
[ docketing
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[12]/[12]/[1835]
[12]/[12]/[1835]
2
1Abraham Lincoln wrote the text of the bill. He did not author the docketing on page
two.
On December 9, 1835, Abraham Lincoln presented to the House of Representatives a petition from citizens of Sangamon County,
requesting the alteration of roads in Sangamon and Morgan counties. The House referred
the petition to a select committee that included Lincoln. In response to this petition,
Lincoln, on behalf of the committee, introduced this bill in his handwriting, in the
House on December 11. On December 15, the House passed the bill. The Senate concurred on December 21. On December 28, the Council of Revision approved the bill and the act became law.
Illinois House Journal. 1835. 9th G. A., 2nd sess., 28, 33, 39, 66, 116, 142, 156, 162; Illinois Senate
Journal. 1835. 9th G. A., 2nd sess., 46, 47, 61, 82, 115, 117, 131.
2State 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, 2 page(s), Lincoln Collection, Illinois State Archives (Springfield, IL).