Papers Of Abraham Lincoln

1

In force 11th July, 1837.

AN ACT for the relief of Samuel G. Beckley, Administrator of the Estate of Isaac Cook, deceased.

Powers of administrator to make deed.

Sec.[Section] 1. Be it enacted by the people of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly, That Samuel G. Beckley, administrator on the estate of Isaac Cook,2 deceased, of Champaign county, be, and he is hereby authorized and empowered to make an execute a deed to the south half of the west half of the southwest quarter of section five, township nineteen north, of range nine east,3 to Bijamin Byers, as bought of the said Beckley, administrator aforesaid, on the 17th day of December, 1835.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the aforesaid deed, made and executed in manner and form aforesaid, shall be taken and considered as if made, executed, and delivered on the 17th day of December, 1836, and shall be so considered and regarded both in law and equity.

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07/11/1837
Field, Alexander P.

(This bill having been laid before the council of revision, and ten days not having intervened before the adjournment of the General Assembly, and the said bill not having been returned with the objections of the council on the first day of the present special session of the General Assembly, the same has become a law.

Given under my hand, the 11th day of July, 1837.
A. P. FIELD, Secretary of State.

1On December 19, 1836, James H. Lyons in the House of Representatives presented the petition of Samuel G. Beckley, requesting relief. The House referred the petition to a select committee. In response to this petition, Lyons of the select committee introduced HB 21 in the House on December 20. The House passed the bill on January 7, 1837. On January 9, the Senate tabled the bill. On February 27, the Senate took up the bill, passing it on February 28. The House and Senate having laid the bill before the Council of Revision, and ten days not having intervened before the adjournment of the first session, and the Council not having returned the bill with objections, the act became law on July 10, the first day of the special session.
Illinois House Journal. 1836. 10th G. A., 1st sess., 85, 162, 190, 772, 803; Illinois Senate Journal. 1836. 10th G. A., 1st sess., 169, 172, 178, 529-30, 558, 591.

2The House and Senate journals give a couple of different spellings of Cook’s first name--none show Isaac. The Illinois Public Lands Purchase Land Tract Sales Database lists the name as Isham, as do some histories of Champaign County.
Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales, Champaign County, 291:39, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL; J. R. Stewart, ed., A Standard History of Champaign County Illinois (Chicago and New York: Lewis, 1918), 1:130-31.

3Located in central Champaign County, north of Urbana.
“Counties, Townships, and Ranges in Illinois,” Maps, Martha L. Benner and Cullom Davis et al., eds., The Law Practice of Abraham Lincoln: Complete Documentary Edition, 2d edition (Springfield: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, 2009), http://www.lawpracticeofabrahamlincoln.org/Reference.aspx?ref=Reference html files/LandMeasurement.html.