An Act for the formation of the county of Piatt.

Sec[Section] 1 Be it enacted by the people of the state of Illinois, represented in General Assembly, that all that part of Macon and Dewitt Counties, included within the following boundaries, to wit;

Beginning where the north line of town fifteen north, intersects the middle of range four east, and running thence, north, through the middle of range four, to the middle of town nineteen; Thence, east, to the west line of range five; Thence, north, to the north west corner of town nineteen north, range five east;—Thence, by a direct line to the south west corner of section seven, town twenty one north, range six; Thence, east, to the East line of range six;—Thence, south, along the east line of range six, to the north line of town fifteen north; Thence, West, along the north line of town fifteen, to the place of beginning;

Shall constitute a new County, to be called the County of Piatt.

Sec 2 Until said County shall be organized, all elections shall be held therein shall be held at John Maddens, and in Monticello; and the present Judges of elections in those precincts, shall hold their offices, until the County commissioners of Piatt County shall appoint others.

Sec 3 An election shall held at the above named places, on the first Monday in April 1841, for the purpose of electing all county officers; and the election shall be conducted, in all respects, as other elections are conducted in this state.

Sec 4 The poll books of said election shall be carried to Monticello, on the Tuesday following the first Monday in April 1841, and John Hughes, Abraham Marquis, John P Tinbrook, and James Reber, four regular, acting, Justices of the peace, in said county, (or so many of them as shall then be present,) shall open said poll books, and count the votes given for each candidate, and cause the result to be proclaimed aloud, naming the persons elected, and the offices to which they were elected; and shall make returns of said election, to the secretary of state; and shall do and perform all other duties, in relation to said election, as are required of Clerks of county commissioners courts, in Similar cases: And the officers so elected, shall continue in office, until the next ensuing regular election for such officers: And as soon as said officers shall have been qualified according to law, the county shall be considered as legally organized.

Sec 5 As soon as the clerk of the county commissioners court shall have given his bond, to the acceptance of the county commissioners, he shall inform the Judge of the Judicial circuit thereof; who shall thereupon appoint a clerk, and hold courts in Monticello, until a county seat shall be permanently established in said county of Piatt.

Provided, that all suits commenced in Macon or Dewitt County, before the County of Piatt is organized as aforesaid, shall be decided in the respective counties in which they were commenced; and,

Provided further, that all Justices of the peace, constables, and other officers within the bounds of Piatt county, shall act in their respective offices until the same shall expire.

Sec 6 As soon as a school commissioners shall be appointed for said county, and given his bond according to law, he shall demand, and receive, from the school commissioners of Macon and Dewitt Counties, all moneys, notes, bonds, mortgages, and other writings, pertaining to said County of Piatt; and likewise its distributive share of all unexpended State and County school funds.

Sec 7 All county business shall be done in Monticello in said county, until a county seat shall be permanently located. and public buildings erected.

Sec 8 An election shall be held in said county on the first Monday in April 1842, for the permanent location of a county seat, and the place receiving the Majority of all the legal votes given, shall be the county seat: But if no one place shall have received a majority of such votes, the county commissioners shall direct the sheriff of the county, to notify the legal voters of said county, to meet again, on the first Monday in May 1842, to vote for one of the two place formerly voted for, and having the two highest numbers of votes formerly given.

---

---

But no other place shall then be voted for: and the place ^then^ having the highest number of votes, shall be the County seat.

Sec 9 Before such county seat shall be so recorded, the owner or owners of the land upon which the same is to be located, shall, within thirty days after the election, execute a good, Warranty Deed for twenty five acres of land, for the benefit of the county; and the county commissioners shall cause the same to be laid off into town lots; in the center of which shall be laid off one entire block for a public Square:—But if the highest number of votes be given for any town already laid off, the proprietor or proprietors shall, within thirty days after the election aforesaid, or at any time thereafter if the county commissioners cannot by that time select to receiving [...?] Make ^make to the County commissioners; ^ a good, warranty deed, to forty lots in said town, at an average value with the rest of the lots in said town, sold and unsold; or in lieu thereof, twenty acres of land adjoining said town, at the option of the proprietor or proprietors aforesaid; Provided that if the county commissioners cannot, within the time herein specified, select the lots so given to the county, they may name any subsequent day, and the aforesaid deed shall be made in accordance thereto.

Sec 10 The county commissioners shall meet on the first Monday in June, and shall perform all the duties required of the County commissioners, and shall levy a tax, which shall be equal on all parts of said county, according to

---

---

the laws of this state.

Sec 11 And “Whereas Macon County is involved in a heavy debt, incurred by the erection of a court house in Decatur,” and have consented, by their petition, to the formation of said county of Piatt, upon certain conditions specified in their petition: Be it therefore further enacted, 1^st, That William Barnes, George A Patterson, and N H Devore, be, and they are hereby appointed, commissioners on the part of Piatt county, at their regular Session in June 1841; at which time, the before named commissioners shall proceed to ascertain what amount of said court house debt remained unpaid “at the close of the year 1840”; and after deducting therefrom the funds on hand at that time, and the debts then owed to Macon County, Viz, “at the close of the year 1840”; they shall afterward apportion “the balance of said court house debt” between the part of Macon county included in Piatt county, and the remaining part of Macon County, “according to the tax list of Macon County in 1840”.

2^d The part of Macon County shall be held bound to pay to ^included in said Piatt county,^ “shall be held bound to pay to Macon County, its said proportion of said court house debt, and the interest thereon, on the same conditions that Macon County is bound.” And the county commissioners of Piatt County, shall order the treasurer of said county,

---

---

county to pay the Treasurer of Macon County, out of the moneys collected from the part of Piatt so taken from Macon County, such sum, or sums of money, as they shall think proper; not less in any one year than the annual dividend due as aforesaid, and the interest thereon.

3^d Provided further, that the commissioners of Piatt County may, at any time, order the whole of the debt due to Macon county as aforesaid, to be paid, whenever the funds arising from that part of Piatt 1 County shall be sufficient therefor; and the same shall be accepted by the commissioners of Macon County, and thenceforth, the county of Macon shall have no further claims, on any part of Piatt county, on account of said court house debt or interest.