Papers Of Abraham Lincoln

In force, Feb.[February] 20, 1837.

AN ACT to amend an act for the benefit of the widow and heirs of Asa Ledbetter, deceased.
1

Widow authorized to sell land

Sec.[Section] 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly, That Margaret Ledbetter, widow and Admmistratrix of Asa Ledbetter, deceased, be and she is hereby authorized to sell the west half of the north east quarter of section thirty four, township twelve north, range four east, in Shelby county,2 with all the improvements and appurtenances thereon.

Former act repealed in part.

Sec. 2. So much of the act to which this is an amendment as authorized Margaret Ledbetter to sell the west half of the south east quarter of section thirty four, township twelve north, range four east, be and the same is hereby repealed.3

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02/20/1837
Field, Alexander P.

This bill having remained with the council of revision ten days, (Sunday excepted) and the General Assembly being in session, it has become a law, this 20th February 1837.
A. P. FIELD,
Secretary of State.

1On December 30, 1836, Peter Warren introduced SB 31 in the Senate. On January 5, 1837, the Senate passed the bill. On January 26, the House of Representatives referred the bill to the Committee on the Judiciary. On January 31, the committee reported the bill without amendment, recommending its passage. On February 6, the House passed the bill. On February 9, the Senate laid the bill before the Council of Revision. Having remained with the Council ten days (Sundays excluded), and the General Assembly being in session, the act became law on February 20.
Illinois House Journal. 1836. 10th G. A., 1st sess., 180, 189, 395, 436, 487, 530, 544; Illinois Senate Journal. 1836. 10th G. A., 1st sess., 128, 146, 153, 360, 373, 383-84.

2Located in north central Shelby County, northeast of Shelbyville on the Kaskaskia River.
“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.

3Repealed was an act enacted in February 1833. In 1826, Asa Ledbetter purchased this land and constructed a water mill thereon. After his death, the mill fell into disrepair. Margaret Ledbetter had no means for rebuilding or repairing it, and the land was unsuitable for anything other than a mill site. The General Assembly enacted the law believing that it would be advantageous to Margaret and the heirs to sell the land and use the proceeds to invest in lands more suitable for cultivation.
“An Act for the Benefit of the Widow and Heirs of Asa Ledbetter, Deceased,” 20 February 1833, Laws of a Private Nature, State of Illinois (1833), 118-19; Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales, Shelby County, 145:2, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL; Combined History of Shelby and Moultrie Counties, Illinois (Philadelphia: Brinks, McDonough, 1881), 41.