Whereas it appears by a memorial of the county Commissioners’ Court of Henry county, that during the month of May, 1839, the public buildings erected at the town of Richmond, the county seat of said county, were entirely destroyed by fire and there is now only a temporary building entirely insufficient for the accommodation of the circuit and county commissioners' Courts: And whereas a convention of the citizens of said county was held at Geneseo, in said county, on the ninth day of July, 1839, it was voted that it is expedient to have the county seat removed from its present location and also that the county Commissioners be authorized to remove their place of holding Courts to some place within the county where they could be comfortably accommodated until suitable buildings could be erected at the county seat: And whereas ^according to^ the expressed wish of the people of the county, and for the reasons foregoing, the county Commissioners’ Courts have since the last mentioned period been held at the village of Geneseo, the nearest settlement to the county seat: Therefore;
Sec.[Section] 1. Be it enacted by the people of the State of Illinois represented in the General Assembly, That the official acts of the county Commissioners’ Court of Henry county, be, and the same are hereby legalized and shall to all intents and purposes, be considered as valid as if transacted at the county seat of said county.
Sec. 2. The county Commissioners’ Court and likewise the Circuit Court of said county, are authorized and required to hold their respective terms of Courts at
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the said village of Geneseo until suitable buildings for the transaction of business shall be erected at the county seat now established or hereafter to be established by law in said county, and all their official acts and business transacted at the said village of Geneseo shall be as valid as if transacted at Richmond, the present county seat of said county.
Sec 3 All the official acts of the public officers of said county; which by law were required to be transacted at the county seat thereof, and which have been transacted at the said village of Geneseo or at any other place in said county, which have been ^transacted^ according to law excepting that they have not been transacted at the place required by law, are hereby rendered equally as valid as if transacted at the county seat of said county. The several public officers of said county are here by authorized and permitted to reside at their respective places of residence for the term of one year from the first day of January, 1840, and until suitable buildings for the transaction of the official business, shall be provided at the county seat now established or hereafter to be established by law in said county.
Sec. 4 That Harvey Jennings, of Warren county, and Brainard Orton, of Whiteside county, and Harmon Brown, of Knox county, be, and they are hereby appointed Commissioners’ to relocate and reestablish the seat of Justice of Henry county and give it a name. Said Commissioners, or a majority of them, shall meet at the town of Geneseo, in said county.

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H. R. No 79
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A Bill for an act to legalize the acts of certain officers of Henry county and for other purposes.
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01/22/1840
Stapp
Edmonson
Aldrich
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01/31/1840
To be Enrolled
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16
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ord[ordered] to be Re-Engrossed
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[Townsend?]
[Swan?]
[Levin?]
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4
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15
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passed
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5
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Passed

Handwritten Document, 4 page(s), Folder 58, HB 59, GA Session 11-S, Illinois State Archives (Springfield, IL) ,