Papers Of Abraham Lincoln

In force, 29th Jan. 1840.

AN ACT for the appointment of an additional notary public in the town of Grafton, in Jersey county, and Pittsfield in Pike county, and Charleston in Coles county.
1

Additional Notary Public in Grafton, Pittsfield and Charleston.

Sec.[Section] 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly, That the Governor shall appoint, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, one additional notary public, in the town of Grafton in the county of Jersey, and Pittsfield in Pike county, and Charleston in Coles county. This act to be in force from and after its passage.2

Approved, January 29, 1840.

1On January 6, 1840, Senator Franklin Witt introduced SB 66 in the Senate. On January 7, the Senate amended the bill. On January 18, the Senate passed the bill. On January 25, the House of Representatives passed the bill. On January 29, the Council of Revision approved the bill and the act became law.
Illinois House Journal. 1839. 11th G.A., special sess., 207, 256; Illinois Senate Journal. 1839. 11th G.A., special sess., 88, 92, 131, 182, 183, 204.

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 .