Sec.[Section] 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: Beginning at the northwest corner of section twenty-seven, in township seventeen north, of range eight, west of the third principal meridian; thence, east, to the centre of the southern boundary of section twenty-four, in township seventeen north, of range seven west; thence, north, to the middle of the northern boundary of said section; thence, east, to the middle of the northern boundary of section nineteen, in township seventeen north, of range six west; thence, north, to the centre of section eighteen, township and range last aforesaid; thence, east, to the middle of the eastern boundary line of said section; thence, north, to the channel of Rock creek; thence, down the channel of Rock creek, to where the northern boundary line of section nine, township and range last aforesaid, crosses the same; thence, east, to the southwest corner of section two, township and range last aforesaid; thence, north, to the southeast corner of section twenty-seven, in township eighteen north, range aforesaid; thence, east, to the southeast corner of section thirty, in township eighteen north, range four west; thence, north, to the southeast corner of section eighteen, in township nineteen north, range last aforesaid; thence, west, to the line between ranges four and five; thence, north, to the northern boundary line of Sangamon county; thence, west, with said line, to the Illinois river; thence, with the present boundary line of Sangamon county, to the place of beginning, shall form and constitute the county of Menard.

Sec. 2. That all that tract of country lying within the following boundaries, to wit: Beginning at the northwest corner of township twenty north, of range four west; thence,

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south, to the southwest corner of section eighteen, in township nineteen north, of range aforesaid; thence, east, one mile; thence, south, to the southeast corner of the county of Menard; thence, east, to the line dividing ranges three and four; thence, south, to the southwest corner of section seven, township seventeen north, of range three west; thence, east, to the northeast corner of section fifteen, township last aforesaid; thence, south, one mile; thence, east, to the eastern boundary line of Sangamon county; thence, with the present boundary lines of Sangamon county, to the place of beginning, shall constitute the county of Logan.

Sec. 3. That all that tract of country lying within the following boundaries, to wit: Beginning where the third principal meridian crosses the north fork of the Sangamon river; thence, down said river, to the line between sections nine and ten, in township fifteen north, of range three west; thence, south, to the southeast corner of section four, in township fourteen north, range last aforesaid; thence, west, three miles by the surveys; thence, south, three miles by the surveys; thence, west, three miles by the surveys; thence, south, to the southern boundary of township eleven, range last aforesaid; thence, east, with the surveys, to the third principal meridian; thence, north, to the place of beginning, shall constitute the county of Dane.

Sec. 4. That Benjamin Mitchell of Tazewell county, John Henry of Morgan county, and Newton Walker of Fulton county, be, and they are hereby, appointed commissioners to locate the seats of justice of the counties of Menard and Dane. Said commissioners, or a majority of them, shall meet at Petersburg, in Menard county, on the first Monday of May next, or within twenty days thereafter, and, after being first duly sworn by some one authorized to administer oaths, faithfully and impartially to discharge the duties imposed on them by this act, shall proceed to explore said county, and to locate the seat of justice thereof, with a view to present and future population; which location, when made, shall be and remain the seat of justice of the county of Menard: Provided, That if the said commissioners shall locate the seat of justice of Menard county on the west or left side of the Sangamon river, then, and in that case, the lines of said county shall be changed as follows, to wit: Beginning at the southwest corner of section three, in township seventeen north, of range six west; thence, north, four miles by the surveys; thence, east, with the surveys, to the eastern boundary line of said county as described in this act; thence with the before described boundaries throughout: Provided, further, That said commissioners, in making the location of the seat of justice of said county, shall pay no regard whetever to the above contemplated change of lines.

Sec. 5. Said commissioners, or a majority of them, shall meet at such place, within the county of Dane, as may be agreed on by them, and at such time as they may agree upon,

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not exceeding twenty days after they shall have located the seat of justice of Menard county; and shall then and there proceed to make the location of the seat of justice of the said county of Dane, in all respects conformably with the fourth section of this act.

Sec. 6. Said commissioners shall make out a certificate of the location of the seats of justice of each of the said counties of Menard and Dane, stating what tract of land, and what part of the tract each location is made upon; which certificate shall be signed by the said commissioners, and filed in the office of the clerk of the county commissioners’ court of Sangamon county, and shall be evidence of the said locations respectively.

Sec. 7. Neither of said locations shall be made on private property, unless the owner thereof shall either convey to the county twenty acres of land, having the location at or near the centre thereof, or donate in money, to be applied to the erection of public buildings, the sum of three thousand dollars.

Sec. 8. That Charles Emmerson of Macon county, Chenney Thomas of M’Lean county, and Charles R. Matheny of Sangamon county, be, and they are hereby, appointed commissioners to locate the seat of justice of Logan county; and who, or a majority of whom, shall in all respects perform their duties in the manner that the commissioners for the location of the county seats of the counties of Menard and Dane are by this act required to do; and shall meet at the town of Portville, in said county of Logan, on the first Monday of May next, or within twenty days thereafter, for the purpose of forming the same; and such location, when so made, shall be and remain the seat of justice of the said county of Logan until the end of the session of the General Assembly in the year 1841.

Sec. 9. Each of said commissioners named in this act shall receive out of the county treasuries, respectively, for which he may have served, such per diem allowance as shall be paid the members of the present General Assembly.

Sec. 10. An election shall be held on the first Monday of April next, in each of the counties established by this act, to elect for each of said counties one sheriff, one coroner, one recorder, one county surveyor, three county commissioners, one clerk of the county commissioners’ court, and one probate justice of the peace, who shall hold their offices until the next succeeding general election, and until their successors are elected and qualified; which election shall be conducted in all respects agreeably to the law regulating elections. Said elections shall be held, in the county of Menard, at Petersburg, Sugar Grove, Huron, and Lynchburg; in the county of Logan, at Portville and Pulaski; in the county of Dane, at Buck Hart Grove, Allenton, and the house of John Durbin; and shall be held by the judges heretofore appointed by

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the authority of Sangamon county for the precincts respectively: Provided, That where any place named in this act for holding said election has not heretofore been an election precinct, the electors meeting there may choose their own judges and clerks, who shall be qualified according to law previous to entering upon the discharge of their duties.

Sec. 11. The judges of election shall deliver to each officer elected a certificate of his election. The poll-books shall be retained by them until the clerks of the county commissioners’ courts shall respectively be qualified, and then deliver such poll-books of each county to its own clerk; who shall make, and transmit to the Secretary of State, an abstract of the votes given at such election, in the same time, manner, and form, as is required of clerks of county commissioners’ courts in elections in other counties of this State.

Sec. 12. The said counties hereby established shall be attached to, and form part of, the first judicial circuit.

Sec. 13. The county of Menard shall be entitled to one Representative in the General Assembly, and the counties of Logan and Dane together, one; the county of Sangamon, five; and the four together, two Senators; and in case any vacancy shall occur previous to the next election, the four counties shall vote together to fill said vacancy, in the same manner as if no division had taken place.

Sec. 14. All business now pending in the Sangamon circuit court, or which shall be commenced therein previous to the organization of the counties hereby established, shall be determined therein as if no new counties had been established; and the sheriff of Sangamon county is hereby authorized to perform all duties within the boundaries of the said new counties, which may be necessary for the finishing of the aforesaid business, and for the collection of the taxes already assessed. All business now pending in the courts of the justices of the peace, or of the probate justices of the peace, of Sangamon county, or which shall be commenced therein previous to the organization of the new counties hereby established, shall be finished by said justices and their constables, as though no division had taken place.

Sec. 15. The judges of the several election precincts within the aforesaid counties shall meet at the several places hereinafter named, on the second day after said election, to compare their respective polls; in the county of Menard, at the town of Petersburg; in the county of Logan, at the town of Pulaski; and in the county of Dane, at the town of Allenton.

Sec. 16. The justices of the peace and constables now in office for Sangamon county, who reside in the boundaries of the new counties hereby established, shall continue in office in their respective new counties, so long as they would have done if no division had taken place.

Approved, February 15, 1839.