A Bill for the Organization of the County of Van Buren, 24 December 18361
2Section 1 Be it enacted by the people of the State of Illinois represented in the General Assembly that all that tract of country lying within the following boundaries, to wit: Begining
at the North West corner of Sangamon county on the Illinois river and runing from thence East along the North line of said county to the North East
corner of Township No. 20 North of Range No 5 West— Thence South along the Range line between Ranges four and five to the South
East corner of Township No Eighteen North of Range No five West— Thence diagonally across Ranges, five, six, and seven West to the South
West corner of Township No Seventeen North of Range No Seven West. Thence West along the line between Townships No Sixteen and Seventeen North to ^the^ line between Sangamon and Morgan counties. Thence North along the line between Sangamon and Morgan counties to the
Sangamon river. Thence along the channel of the said Sangamon river to it's junction with the Illinois
river, and thence following the meanders of Illinois river to the place of begining,
shall constitute a new county to be called the county of Van Buren3
Sec 2nd The permanent seat of Justice for said county shall be the village of Petersburg, and the public buildings thereof shall be erected on the public square recorded
in the plat of said town as public ground: Provided that unless the proprietors of
the said village of Petersburg shall convey to the said county of Van Buren for the
purpose of the erection of public buildings, one fourth of all the lots of the said
village, the seat of justice of said county shall not be located at the said village
of Petersburg; but shall be located by commissioners hereinafter named, at some point
not more than one mile and a half from the geographical centre of said county.
Sec 3rd The county commissioners for said county, when elected under the provisions of this act, shall immediately
appoint some suitable person, as agent, whose duty it shall be to call upon the proprietors
of said village of Petersburg or their agent, and notify them or him, that he is ready
to make the selection of the lots aforesaid, on behalf of the county; and if the said
property proprietors or their agent agree to said selection, the said agent for the county,
shall proceed to make the selection by choosing one lot, and allowing the said proprietors
or their agent to choose three, and so proceed till the whole selection is made: Provided
that the paying over, by the proprietors of the said village of Petersburg, to the
county commissioners of the said new county, one fourth of the proceeds of the sales
of the lots already sold
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shall be deemed a sufficient compliance with the provisions of this act in regard
to the lots so sold.
Sec 4 If the said proprietors shall neglect or refuse, for a longer term than ten
days after the said agent for the county has notified them that he is ready to make
the selection as aforesaid, to convey to the county commissioners for the use of said
county the lots selected, or offered to be selected, by said agent, the said county
commissioners shall give notice to John Henry of Morgan county, Benjamin Mitchell of Tazewell county, and Samuel Hackelton of Fulton county, that they are appointed commissioners to locate the seat of Justice of said county,
whose duty it shall be to meet at the said village of Petersburg on the second monday
of August next, and after being duly sworn by some Justice of the Peace, faithfully
and impartially to discharge their duties, shall proceed to locate the seat of Justice
of said county according to the provisions of this act; which location shall be the
permanent seat of Justice of said county.
Sec 5 The county commissioners of said county shall allow, out of the county treasury,
the sum of three dollars to each of said commissioners for each day they may have
been necessarily employed in making said location.
Sec 6 The said new county of Van Buren shall constitute a part of first Judicial circuit, and a circuit shall be held for said county at some convenient place in the village
of Petersburg until the public buildings shall be erected. The time for holding said
courts shall be appointed by the Judge presiding on said circuit.
Sec 7 All Justices of the Peace and constables now commissioned in and for the county
of Sangamon that now reside within the boundaries of the aforesaid county of Van Buren
shall hold their offices in and for the said new county of Van Buren.
Sec 8 The legal voters of said county shall meet at the several precincts now organized
for holding elections within the above boundaries on the first monday in July next,
appoint Judges and clerks of elections, and proceed to elect three county commissioners,
a Sheriff, a Coroner, a county Surveyor and county Recorder for said county; and the
returns of said election shall be made by said Judges and clerks to the Justices of
the Peace in said new county of Van Buren, any three or more of whom shall meet at
the village of Petersburg within seven days after said election and proceed to open
said returns and in all things perform the duties required by law of the clerks of
county commissioners courts and Justices of the Peace in like cases
Sec. 9 In all elections for officers, except county officers, the county shall vote
with the county of Sangamon until the next census; and the returns of the elections
shall be made to the county clerk of the new county of Van Buren, by
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whom a certified copy abstract of the returns of such election shall be made to the county commissioners
clerk of Sangamon county within seven days thereafter.
Sec 10 Be it further enacted that the legal voters of the county of Sangamon shall
meet at the several places of holding elections in said county, on the first monday
of June next, and if a majority of said voters shall vote in favour of the organization
of said new county of Van Buren under this act, then shall the county be organized
as is in this act provided for; but if a majority of said voters shall vote against
the organization of said new county, then shall this act be void and of none effect.
Sec 11 It shall be the duty of the Judges and clerks of the several election precincts
in and for the county of Sangamon, to meet at the several places of holding elections,
on the day prescribed in the tenth section of this act, and then and there proceed
to open polls for the purpose contemplated in the said tenth section, and in all respects
conduct the voting, and make the returns in the manner prescribed by the general election
laws of this state. The official certificate of the clerk of the county commissioner's
court of Sangamon county shall be evidence of the result of said voting
Sec 12 The clerk of the county commissioner's court for Sangamon county shall give
notice of said voting in the same manner, and for the same length of time that he
is required to do by law, of general elections.4
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[ docketing
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A Bill for an act to establish the county of Van Buren ^“An act^ for the organization of the county of Van Buren ^Van Buren”—^
2Responding to petitions from citizens of Sangamon and Morgan Counties, Stephen A. Douglas from the Committee on Petitions made a report and introduced HB 17 in the House of Representatives on December 20, 1836. The same day, the House referred the bill to a select committee
that included Abraham Lincoln. On December 21, Lincoln, on behalf of the select committee, reported back the bill with amendments. The House amended the select committee’s proposed
amendments by striking out “Marshall” and inserting “Van Buren”. Upon Lincoln’s motion,
the House also amended the proposed amendment by filling in the blanks with “August.” The House then approved the amendments of
the select committee. On December 22, the House again referred the bill to a select
committee, which reported it back with an amendment on December 23. The House approved the amendment, and on December 26, they passed
the bill as amended. Afterward, the House amended the title of the bill by inserting
“Van Buren” in the blank. On December 29, the Senate referred the bill to a select committee, which reported the bill back without amendment
on February 23, 1837. The Senate then indefinitely postponed consideration of the
bill.
Illinois House Journal. 1836. 10th G. A., 1st sess., 55, 82-83, 89-90, 92-93, 94, 123, 683; Illinois Senate
Journal. 1836. 10th G. A., 1st sess., 111, 112, 122, 493.
3In 1836, Sangamon County encompassed parts of the present-day counties of Christian, Logan, Menard, and Mason. The new county proposed by this bill would have included present-day southern Mason
County and most of present-day Menard County.
4The Sangamo Journal published the majority and minority reports of the Committee on Petitions.
Sangamo Journal (Springfield, IL), 7 January 1837, 2:6.
Handwritten Document, 4 page(s), Lincoln Collection, HB 17, GA Session: 10-1 Illinois State Archives (Springfield, IL).