Papers Of Abraham Lincoln

In force, Feb.[February] 27, 1839.

AN ACT in addition to the several acts authorizing and regulating the sale of school lands.
1

Application of acts.

Sec.[Section] 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois , represented in the General Assembly, That the several acts authorizing the sale of sections numbered sixteen, or such lands as may be granted in lieu thereof to the inhabitants of townships for the use of schools, shall be deemed and taken to apply to all lands granted by the United States to this State, for the use of the inhabitants of any fractional township, for the use of schools.

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Lands may be sold.

Sec. 2. The school lands granted for the use of the inhabitants of any fractional township may be sold on petition as in other cases, although such fractional township shall not contain fifty white inhabitants; but such school lands shall not be sold unless the number of white inhabitants in such fractional township shall bear as large a proportion to the quantity of school land granted for the use of the same as the number fifty bears to an entire section of land.

When patent is lost.

Sec. 3. When any certificate of the purchase of any school land, issued by the school commissioner, or any patent for school land issued by the Governor, Secretary of State, and Auditor, shall be lost, or destroyed, the owner of the same shall be entitled to receive a duplicate copy of such certificate or patent, by filing, with the school commissioner of the county in which the land was sold, an affidavit testifying to the loss or destruction of such certificate or patent, particularly describing the land or lands in question, and stating that the same has not been sold or transferred by him.

Fee of com’r[commissioner] for filing affidavit.

For duplicate patent.

Sec. 4. The school commissioner shall be entitled to a fee of fifty cents for filing the affidavit and issuing a duplicate certificate of purchase, and to a fee of one dollar for obtaining a duplicate copy of a patent, to be paid by the person applying for such duplicate copy.

Approved, February 27, 1839.

1On January 31, 1839, Henry J. Mills introduced SB 162 in the Senate, where it was read twice, and referred to the committee on School Lands and Education. On February 7, the committee reported the bill back with an amendment, to which the Senate concurred and passed the bill. On February 14, the House of Representatives read the bill twice, and referred it to the committee on Education. On February 20, the committee reported the bill back without amendment. On February 25, the House passed the bill. On February 27, the Council of Revision approved the bill, and the act became law.
Journal of the House of Representatives of the Eleventh General Assembly of the State of Illinois, at their First Session, Begun and Held in the Town of Vandalia, December 3, 1838 (Vandalia, IL: William Walters, 1838), 367, 406, 455, 513, 537; Journal of the Senate of the Eleventh General Assembly of the State of Illinois, at their First Session, Begun and Held in the Town of Vandalia, December 3, 1838 (Vandalia, IL: William Walters, 1838), 253, 289, 293, 419, 436-37, 452.