In force Jan.[January] 31, 1835.
AN ACT to Organize the County of Mercer.
1Election for county officers.
Sec.[Section] 1. Be it enacted by the people of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly, That on the first Monday of April next, between the hours of eight o’clock in the
morning and seven o’clock in the evening, an election shall be held in the town of
New Boston, at the house of Eli Reynolds and the house of George Miller in the county of Mercer, for three county commissioners, one sheriff, and one coroner for said county, who shall continue in office until their successors shall be duly elected and qualified.2
Judges of election.
How conducted.
Sec. 2. That James Irvin, George Piper and Benjamin Vanate, or any two of them, shall be judges of the election to be held at the town of New Boston, and George Miller, David Shouce and Ebenezer Creswell, or any two of them, shall be judges of the election to be held at the house of George Miller. Said judges shall be authorized to appoint two clerks at each precinct, and said
judges and clerks shall be qualified in the same manner as judges and clerks of elections
are now required by law; and said elections shall, in every respect, be conducted in conformity with the election
laws of the State.
Place of holding courts.
Sec. 3. Until the county seat of said county of Mercer shall be located, it shall be the duty of the county commissioners’ court of said county, to procure a suitable house at New Boston, and the several courts shall be held at New Boston until suitable buildings are furnished at the county seat hereinafter to be located;
and the said town of New Boston is hereby declared the temporary seat of said county of Mercer, until the same shall be permanently located by law.
County organized.
Sec. 4. Said county of Mercer is hereby declared to be organized, with such corporate powers as belong to other
counties in this State.
This act to be in force from and after its passage.
Approved, Jan. 31, 1835.
1On January 22, 1835, Peter Butler of the House of Representatives presented the petition of sundry inhabitants of Mercer County requesting passage of an act to organize the county. The House referred the petition
to the Committee on Petitions. The House began consideration of HB 151 on January 22 or January 23, in response to the aforementioned petition. The House
referred the bill to a select committee. The select committee reported back the bill
on January 24 with an amendment, in which the House concurred. The House passed the
bill as amended on January 26. The Senate concurred on January 28. On January 31, the Council of Revision approved the bill and the act became law.
Journal of the House of Representatives of the Ninth General Assembly of the State
of Illinois, at their First Session, Begun and Held in the Town of Vandalia, December
1, 1834 (Vandalia, IL: J. Y. Sawyer, 1835), 346, 369-70, 384, 426, 452, 460, 461; Journal of the Senate, of the Ninth General Assembly of the State of Illinois, at
their First Session, Begun and Held in the Town of Vandalia, December 1, 1834 (Vandalia, IL: J. W. Sawyer, 1835), 332, 347, 362, 383, 390.
Printed Document, 1 page(s), Laws of the State of Illinois, Passed by the Ninth General Assembly, at their First Session (Vandalia, IL:
J. Y. Sawyer, 1835), 156, GA Session: 9-1