Section 1. Be it Enacted, &c[etc] that Jonathan S. Colton, Cyrus Bryant, De Grass Salisbury, Justin H. Olds, John H. Bryant, Amos. N. Bacon, Austin Bryant, Arthur Bryant, David Robinson, Asher Doolittle, Joel Doolittle, Elisha Wood, Roland Mosley, Joseph Houghton, George K. Hitchcock, James S. Everett and Rufus Cary together with their associates and all others who may hereafter become associated with them, be, and they hereby are constituted a body politic & corporate to be known by the name of “The First Independent Congregational society of Princeton” and by that name to have perpetual succession and a common seal which may be altered at the pleasure of the society.

Sec[Section] 2. The members of the society shall annually at such time, as they may appoint, elect by ballot an executive committee consisting of not less than three nor more than seven members, also a secretary and a Treasurer all of whom shall continue in office one year and until their successors shall have been elected in their stead

Sec 3. The Executive Committee shall be capable in any court of law or of Equity of suing and being sued, pleading and being impleaded, answering and being answered unto defending and being defended: They shall also render the special direction and subject to the will of the society, be capable of purchasing holding and conveying any estate real or personal and in all lawful ways to use and manage the same in the behalf and for the common benefit of the corporation: They shall have power to appoint their own chairman and regulate their own meetings

. . . society, which last mentioned grounds, not exceeding five acres, together with the buildings and improvements thereon designed especially for the convenience of the society in attending public religious worship, shall be exempted from all taxation so long as they may be so occupied: Provided however, that if donations in land shall at any time or in any manner be made to the corporation, over and above the amount allowed to be held in perpetuity, they may be held for the term of five years from the time when they may be given, and if not disposed of at the end of that time, they shall revert back to the donors or to their heirs: And in all cases in which donations may be made to the society, if they be not applied agreeable to the interest for which they shall be given, they shall likewise revert back to the donors or to their heirs.

Sec. 7 The society shall be established on the most liberal plan on which congregational societies in the United States are founded: They may adopt such constitution and by-laws as shall be deemed necessary to define the duties of their officers, to prescribe the mode of electing their religious teacher; and for the better regulating the affairs of the corporation: They may pass any vote or order at any meeting in conformity with their prescribed rules, Provided in no case they infringe on the constitution and laws of this state, or of the United States

Sec 8. This act to be in force from and after its passage

Your petitioners citizens of the County of Bureau beg leave to represent that it is their wish to obtain a special act of incorporation as a religious to be styled “The first Independent congregational society of Princeton. that the general act for incorporating religious societies is not in conformity with the

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spirit of congregationalism—such societies regulating their own affairs in their own way subject to the will of the majority. “A Bill comprehending the plan under which they desire the corporation to be granted is herewith respectfully submitted