Jefferson County, Illinois - Chapter 2: Formative Period - Continued, 1909

Leading up to the Admission of the State of Illinois, and the Formation of Jefferson County and its Permanent Seat of Justice - Mount Vernon.

The establishment of a new empire, state or county, or even a town, a new and legal home for law-abiding people, always has a history peculiar to itself, and creates an abiding interest in the minds of those who read and think, and especially those who follow in the wake of advancing civilization. And so the settlement and civilization of our great Prairie state of Illinois (an empire within itself) and the various counties composing it, have an ever widening army of readers who desire to know the facts connected with the bringing in of the civilization, prosperity and great advancement which we now enjoy as a state and community. To impart and perpetuate this desired information, especially in regard to Jefferson county and Mount Vernon, its permanent seat of justice, is the mission of this book.

Illinois, - even every school boy knows that our state of Illinois was admitted into the Federal Union in 1818, and in the inwall's history of JEFFERSON CO., ILL. 25 tervening ninety years it has grown to be the third state in population and is excelled by none in all that goes to make up good citizenship, - in education, patriotism, the arts and sciences, in commerce, labor, manufactures and agriculture it is unexcelled. No wonder Illinoisans are proud of their great state, and heartily endorse the sentiment of the poet, who says : takes charge of same. 1 680 - Ft. St. Louis erected by LaSalle on Starved Rock. 1687 - LaSalle assassinated in Texas. I 700 - Cahokia Mission established. 1 700 - Kaskaskia Mission moved to Kaskaskia. 1717 - Illinois annexed to Louisiana. 1 7 1 8 - Ft. Chartress built near Prairie de Rocher. 1 720 - Renault introduces African slaves. I 754 - French and Indian war. 1 758 - Ft. Massac erected by French.

1784 - Virginia cedes Northwestern Territory to United States. Illinois under Territorial Government. Massachusetts cedes her claim to Illinois.

1861 - Illinois, thirteen Congressmen - war declared against the Union by the Rebel States - Lincoln calls for volunteers, and four years of war follows. 1872 - Illinois nineteen Congressmen. 1 901 -Illinois twenty-five Congressmen.

Events from 1875 to the present are too familiar with the people to be repeated here. These later years will furnish food for the next historian.

How true, yet we esteem it a pleasure to go back of these men and these days and give honor to men and women who were equally patriotic and brave amid much less encouraging environments - the pioneers of our civilization. And while we hold up the first settlers of Jefferson county as ideals or models in the line of first citizens, or pioneers, we realize that they are but types of other early settlers of other counties of our beloved state of Illinois. Just a few explanatory words will bring us directly to our task. In 1 778 the General Assembly of Virginia passed an act for "establishing the county of Illinois," and for "the more effectual protection and defense thereof." A clause of that act reads: "That all the citizens of this commonwealth, who are already settled or may hereafter settle on the western side of the Ohio or the eastern side of the Mississippi rivers shall be included in a distinct county, which shall be called "Illinois County." By the provisions of the act, the Governor of Virginia appointed John Todd, a soldier and statesman. County Lieutenant or Commander in Chief of Illinois county, or in fact, the first civil governor of Illinois. Todd afterwards fell mortally wounded while fighting in a battle with the Indians. So it will be seen that Illinois was at that time a county of Virginia, a fact that is not generally known, by Illinoisans of today.

Upon the organization of the Northwestern Territory Gen. Arthur St. Clair was appointed Governor. In 1 790, in company with the territorial judges, he went to Cahokia, where, by proclamation he organized the county of St. Clair, the first individual county formed in what is now the great state of Illinois, and its seat of justice was Kaskaskia. Randolph was the next county created in Illinois, 1 795. At the session of the Territorial Legislature, 1811- 12, Madison, Gallatin and Johnson were organized, and in 1814 Edwards was formed; in 1816, White, Jackson, Monroe, Pope and Crawford were organized, and at the session of the next Legislature following, Franklin, Washington, Union, Bond and Wayne came into existence.

At the first session after Illinois was admitted into the Union (1818), Jefferson county was formed, under the following act, entitled "An Act for forming a separate county out of Edwards and White counties, approved," March 18, 1819:

"Be it Enacted, etc., That all that tract of country within the following boundaries to-wit: Beginning where the line between ranges 4 and 5 last intersect the base line; thence west with said line to the third principal meridian, thence south twenty-four miles, thence east twenty-four miles, thence north to the place of beginning, shall constitute a separate county to be called 'Jefferson county,' and for the purpose of fixing the permanent seat of justice therein, the following persons are appointed commissioners: Ambrose Maulding, Lewis Barker, Robert Shipley, James A. Richards and Richard Graham, which said commissioners or a majority of them being duly sworn before some judge or justice of the peace in this state, shall faithfully take into view the convenience of the people, the situation of the settlement, with an eye to the future population and eligibility of the place shall meet on the second Monday of May at the house of William Casey in said county.

and proceed to examine and determine oft the place for the permanent seat of justice and designate the same ; provided the proprietor or proprietors of said land shall give to the county for the purpose of erecting public buildings a quantity of land not less than twenty acres to be laid out in lots and sold for that purpose ; but should the proprietor or proprietors refuse or neglect to make the donation aforesaid, then and in that case it shall be the duty of the said commissioners to fix some other place for the seat of justice as convenient as may be to the inhabitants of said county which place fixed and determined upon, the Commissioners shall certify under their hands and seals and return the same to the next commissioners' court in the county aforesaid, which court shall cause an entry thereof to be made in their books of record, and until the public buildings be erected the courts shall be held at the house of William Casey, in said county.

"Section 3. Be it Enacted, etc.. That the citizens of Jefferson county are hereby declared entitled in all respects to the same rights and privileges as are allowed in general with the other counties of this state.

"Section 4. Ordered that Jefferson county should vote in conjunction with White county for members of the General Assembly and section 5, says Jefferson county shall compose part of the second Judicial Circuit and courts shall be held therein at such time as specified by law."

And a supplemental act said: That all that tract or part of county laying north of the county of Jefferson and west of Wayne, and not included in the limits of said countiesof Jefferson and Wayne established by the act to which this is a supplement, be one and the same, is hereby attached to and becomes a part of the said Jefferson county, and that the inhabitants thereof have and enjoy all the rights and privileges, as far as may be, that inhabitants of Jefferson have and enjoy.

March 30th, an act was passed authorizing Lewis Watkins to administer the required oaths to all officers of the county, and ordering that an election for County Commissioners, Sheriff and Coroner be held on the 4th day of March or April.

In pursuance to this act an election was held at the house of William Casey, which stood where the old Johnson House or brick hotel now stands; forty votes were cast and Zadok Casey, Joseph Jordan and Fleming Greenwood were elected Commissioners, and met at William Casey's June 7th, for the purpose of organizing - being sworn in by Watkins. The court appointed Joel Pace County Clerk, and he gave bond of one thousand dollars with James Kelly and Isaac Casey, as securities, and now the court was ready for business.

The selection of a seat of justice or county seat was first in order and the Commissioners appointed by the act quoted above for that purpose made their report as follows: Having been appointed by act of the General Assembly, to select and fix a seat of justice in and for Jefferson county, we, Lewis Barker, Ambrose Maulding and James A. Richardson, met at the house of William Casey for the purpose aforesaid, and after being duly sworn, proceeded and determined and settled upon the southwest quarter of section 29, range 3, of township 3, on the land owned by William Casey, the town to be laid off in the southwest corner of said quarter, to begin near the timber on a point not far distant from Casey's house, and thence to the foot of the descent on a point on which Casey's house stands, or in such manner as said County Commissioners shall designate.

town lots and sold for the purpose of paying for public buildings in the county of Jefferson, which twenty acres shall be laid off by the County Commissioners on land designated by the commissioners appointed to fix the permanent seat of justice for Jefferson county. N. B. - Provided that such commissioner shall lay off said town so as not to include said Casey's house and farm.