In force 27th Feb.[February], 1837.
AN ACT to incorporate the towns therein named, and for other purposes.
1Towns may be incorporated &c.[etc.]
Powers of president and trustees.
Sec.[Section] 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly, That the inhabitants of the towns of Lynnville in Morgan county, Frankfort in Franklin county, Clayton in Adams county, Warsaw in Hancock county, and Vienna in Johnson county, are hereby authorised to become incorporated upon the same terms, and in the same manner prescribed by
the act entitled “an act to incorporate the inhabitants of such towns as may wish
to be incorporated,” approved February 12, 1831, notwithstanding there may not be
one hundred and fifty inhabitants in said town,2 and upon complying with the provisions of the act aforesaid, the inhabitants of said town and the president and trustees thereof, when elected,
shall have, exercise, and enjoy, all the rights, privileges and
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powers granted and conferred upon incorporated towns of this State; provided, That the trustees shall not have the power of levying and collecting taxes upon
any land not laid out in town lots.
Justice’s district created.
Sec. 2. A justice’s district is hereby created and established, to include the said town
of Lynnville, the boundaries of which shall be one mile square, the centre of the public square in Lynneville to be the centre of the district, and the said district shall elect one justice of the peace, and
one constable, to have and exercise the like jurisdiction and powers as other justices
of the peace and constables.
Justice’s district created.
Sec. 3. A justice’s district is hereby created and established, to include the town of Winchester in the county of Morgan, the boundaries of which shall be one mile square, the centre of the public square in Winchester to be the centre of the district, the said district shall be entitled to two justices of the peace
and two constables, who shall have and exercise the same jurisdiction and powers as
other justices of the peace and constables.
Clerk to give notice for election of justices and constables.
Sec. 4. The clerk of the county commissioners court of Morgan county is hereby required to give notices for the election of one justice of the peace and
one constable in each of said districts, on or before the first Monday in May next,
and on the day of election the electors present shall choose judges, who shall appoint
clerks, and the election shall be conducted in all respects, and returns made as required
by the law regulating the elections of justices of the peace and constables; the persons
elected at said election shall continue in office until superceded by the election
of others at the next general election of justices of the peace and constables.3
Sec. 5. The provisions of the first section of this act, shall be extended in all respects
to the inhabitants of the towns of Warsaw, and Carthage in the county of Hancock.4
Approved 27th Feb., 1837.
1On January 16, 1837, William Thomas in the Senate presented the petition of citizens of Lynnville, requesting an act of incorporation. The Senate referred the petition to a select
committee. In response to this petition, Thomas of the select committee introduced
SB 85, originally titled “A Bill to Incorporate the Town of Lynnville and Creating a Justice's
District,” in the Senate on January 17. On January 19, the Senate amended the bill
by adding an additional section. The Senate passed the bill as amended, amending the
title by striking out the words “Town of Lynnville and Creating a Justice District,”
and inserting in lieu thereof the words, “Towns Therein Named, and for Other Purposes.”
On January 21, the House of Representatives referred the bill to a select committee. The select committee reported back the bill
on January 27 with amendments, in which the House concurred. On February 2, representatives
offered further amendments, and the House referred the bill to a select committee.
The select committee reported back the bill on February 9 with amendments, in which
the House concurred. The House then passed the bill as amended. On February 22, the
Senate concurred in the House amendments. On February 27, the Council of Revision approved the bill, and the act became law.
Illinois House Journal. 1836. 10th G. A., 1st sess., 295, 321, 408, 456, 536, 679, 716, 729; Illinois Senate
Journal. 1836. 10th G. A., 1st sess., 223, 238, 249, 255, 386, 488, 523, 528, 543-44.
2Section one of the general municipal incorporation act specified the presence of 150
inhabitants for a town to become incorporated.
“An Act to Incorporate the Inhabitants of Such Towns as May With to be Incorporated,”
12 February 1831, The Laws of Illinois (1831), 82-87.
3In December 1826, the General Assembly enacted legislation making justices of the peace and constables elective and governing
their election. The General Assembly amended this law in 1829.
“An Act to Provide for the Election of Justices of the Peace and Constables,” 30 December
1826, The Revised Laws of Illinois (1833), 382-85; “An Act to Amend an Act Entitled ‘An Act to Provide for the Election
of Justices of the Peace and Constables,’ Approved, December 30, 1826,” 13 January
1829, The Revised Code of Laws, of Illinois (1829), 93-94.
4On January 19, 1837, the Senate added this section.
Illinois Senate Journal. 1836. 10th G. A., 1st sess., 255.
Printed Document, 2 page(s), Incorporation Laws of the State of Illinois, Passed at a Session of the General Assembly (Vandalia, IL: William Walters, 1837), 107-08, GA Session: 10-1