Papers Of Abraham Lincoln

In force, Feb.[February] 12, 1839.

AN ACT appointing an additional Notary Public for the county of Hancock.
1

Notary public to be appointed.

Sec.[Section] 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly, That it shall be the duty of the Governor, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint one notary public in the town of Warsaw, in Hancock county, whose duties and term of service shall be the same as are now prescribed and required by law, any law to the contrary notwithstanding.2

Approved, February 12, 1839.

1Sidney H. Little introduced SB 119 to the Senate on January 22, 1839. The Senate passed the bill on January 25. The House of Representatives passed the bill on February 9. The Council of Revision approved the bill on February 12 and the act became law.
Illinois House Journal. 1838. 11th G.A., 1st sess., 286, 321, 370, 386; Illinois Senate Journal. 1838. 11th G.A., 1st sess., 205, 225-226, 307, 313, 323.

2An 1828 Illinois law provided for a notary public in each county and gave the governor power to appoint notaries in the event of vacancies. In 1839, the legislature passed a new law that allowed any town, village, or township with fifty legal voters to petition the governor to name a notary public to meet their growing local needs.
“An Act for the Appointment of Notaries Public,” approved 30 December 1828,” The Public and General Statute Laws of the State of Illinois (1839), 512; An Act to Provide for the Appointment of Notaries Public .