Mount Zion Township (part 1 of 2)

Mount Zion Township

Though until the construction of the P. & D. (now I. M.) Railroad, was without railroad facilities, has been known for a quarter of a centur}' as the location of the Mt. Zion Seminary, which at one time, was a flourishing school. The village is located near the junction of the I. M. and M. S. & D. Railroad, and is in one of the oldest, wealthiest and earliest settled neighborhoods of the county.

Argenta And Oreana Oakley, Sangamon, Wheatuand, Boody

Are villages of local interest to their surrounding neighborhoods, and all have stores, and some of them elevators and other conveniences for shipping.

Source changes here: from History of Macon County, Illinois : with Illustrations Descriptive of Its Scenery, and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers, published 1880; 29,523 words in this source stream.

Mount Zion Township

IS township as organized comprises an area of thirtynine square miles, or twenty-four thousand nine hundred and sixty acres. It is situated south of Long Creek, west of Moultrie county, north of Milam, and east of South Wheatland aud South Macon townships. Mt. Zion is well drained by Finley, Big and Sandy Creeks and their affluents. The streams all run in a northerly aud westerly direction, and through Long Creek their waters flow into the Sangamon river.

Timber. - There are many beautiful natural groves in this township, principally along the water courses, which even to this day are fringed along their banks with elm, maple, oak, hickory, walnut and other forest trees. Originally the surface was covered with about one-third timber, the balance being prairie land of the richest quality.

Productions, etc. - This township is particularly adapted to grazing, and yields large quantities of corn, oats, hay, wheat, rye, flax, and cereals of all kinds grow in abundance. It is also noted for its prolific crops of fruits and vegetables.

Land Entries. - The following ar the first lands entered ; Henry Traughber entered June 4th, 1829, the east half of the north-east quarter of section No. eight, containing eighty acres. Elisha Moore entered same year 80 acres in section No. 9. The following lands are in same Precinct but in Range 4 east. Robert Wilson entered January 8th, 1833, 55.59 acres in section No. 6. William Lacy entered July 15th. 1836, 33 97 acres in same section.

Early Settlers. - James Finley is regarded by most of the old residents as being the first settler in the territory now comprised within what are now the limits of Mt. Zion. In the spring of 1827, he located with his family on section 10, Tp. 15 - 3. He was a Kentuckian by birth. His cabin was built near a little grove of timber of rough unhewn logs. In 1829 Alexander W. Bell settled on section 4 about one mile north-west of Finley's place.

Another early settler was "Benjamin Wilson," who was among the early and prominent citizens of Macon county, and came iiH827 and was one of the county, commissioners who assisted in the county organization. He held the position for a great many years. He was born at Guilford Court House, in North Carolina, and removed thence to Tennessee, and afterward to Illinois. He married Jane Warnick in the state of Tennessee, who was a sister of " Uncle Billy" Warnick, the first sheriff of the county. Their children were, Polly, (see Sanders.) Rachel, (see Hill,) Peggy Smith, (see John Smith,) Robert, Nancy, Hannah, (see Blankenship,) and -

John Wilson was born in Rutherford county, Tennessee, in 1813, came to Illinois in 1828, and was married to Nancy Wilson, March 1, 1832, who was born July 6, 1813, in Greene county, Tennessee, and became a resident of Macon county about 1830. Of their children -

Benjamin T. was born August 19, 1836; died February 5, 1854. Mary A. was born October 23, 1833, and married Joseph M. Dawson, who was born April 5, 1828. Of their children -

Andrew Wilson was born March 3, 1785, and was married to Mary Ann Wilson, who was born January 30, 1788. They removed from East Tennessee to Macon county about 1830. Mr. W. died August 10, '44, and Mrs. W., September 17, '72. Of their children -

John Smith settled on section 9 in 1829, a little west of Finley's residence. He moved from Rutherford county, Tennessee, to this county. In March, 1829, Allen Travis settled on section 3 (Tp. 15 - 3) he was born May 18, 1789, in York district, South Carolina In 1805 his father removed with the family to Livingston county, Ky., where Allen was married, October 5, 1820, to Margaret Campbell, who was born March 5, 1801. The Travis family were early residents of Illinois, having settled in Wayne county in 1821, and came to this county as above stated. Allen came here with his brothers, Finis and Thomas, and James D. Campbell, Andrew and John Davidson.

Thomas Travis was born iii South Carolina, and was married before removing to Illinois, to Sarah Davidson, and settled one mile and a half north-west of Mt. Zion. Finis Travis was born in Kentucky, in 1810, in what is now Crittenden county, and was married in 1840 to Nancy J. Foster, who was then the widow of William Foster ; her maideu name was Bell. She died, and he married Nancy Mahollen ; both are now deceased. Harvey Travis was born in Wayne county, 111. in 1823, and is now a resident of Decatur, but came when a lad to Mt. Zion with the balance of his family. Another prominent family in early times were the Traughbers.

Henry Traughber was born January 9, 1803, in Logan county, Ky.; came to Illinois in November, 1825 ; stayed there until 1829 ; then came to Macon county, and was married to Nancy Smith, who was born in Tennessee and died in August, 1863. Of their children -

RobertS., born September 2, 1830; died February 8, 1863; married Elizabeth Bell. David, born September 2, 1832 ; died in infancy. A. C., born April 3, 1833 ; married V. C. Whitehouse

Rev. Daniel Tratjghber was born in Logan county, Ky., in May, 1800, and came to Illinois in 1837 or '8, and settled on Big Creek, in Mt. Zion township. He married Mary Banks, in Kentucky, by whom he had four children -

Elizabeth married Robert Lansden, Wilson county, Kansas. Gabrella married Robert Foster, Wilson county, Kansas. Henry married in Wilson county, Kansas.

" William Wheeler, Sr., was born in Virginia about 1790, and married Elizabeth Hays, who was born in the same state. Mrs. Wdied about 1836, and Mr. W. in 1866. Their children were - James, Stacy, Henry, William, Jr., Elizabeth, Raleigh, Burton, Larkin, and Nathaniel. Mr. Wheeler and family removed to Illinois, and settled in Macon county in 1828.

"Henry Wheeler was born in 1801, in Teunessee, and Avas married in Tennessee to Mary Y. Braden, who was born January 4th, 1800. Of their five children -

"Elizabeth E. was born May 7th, 1826; married David Brett ; died 1864. Samuel R. was born Aug. 16, 1827 ; married Jemima Abrams, who was born in 1828, in Illinois. Wm. E. was born Oct. 23d, 1868 ; married Ellen Frazee; he died 1875. Nancy J. was born Jan. 8th, 1830 ; married Samuel Woodward, first husband; Mason Packard, second husband ; now resides in California. And. J. was born Jan. 16th, 1832 ; married N. E. Cox, who was born in Scott county, 111., 1837.

" William Wheeler, Jr., was born on the 28th of December, 1809, in Rutherford county, Tennessee; wTas married October 27th, 1831, to Sarah A. Ward (daughter of Jerry Ward), who died in August, 1869. Mr. Wheeler has been prominently connected with the affairs of the county, and has been repeatedly elected sheriff, asssssor and collector. Of their ten children, but two are living.

Mary E., who married Thomas Inscho, now resides in San Jose. Cal. ; and Lewis Cass. Andrew M. died in '69 ; Calvin R. died in '61; Lucinda K. died in '63; Wm.L. died in 1866; Henrietta died in '62 ; Jas. C. died in '51 ; Thos. B. died in infancy, and Alice in 1874. Elizabeth Wheeler was born in 1811, and married Wm. Ward, the father of Franklin and Hiram Ward, well known in the county. Raleigh Wheeler was born in 1813, and died in 1834 ; his first wife was Rebecca Travis, and second Mary Fields. Burton Wheeler was born in 1815, and subsequently moved to Moultrie county. Larkin Wheeler was born in 1815, and died in 1838- Nathaniel Wheeler was born in 1819, and died when young."

James D. Campbell settled in section 5, Tp. 15-3, in 1830. He Avas born in North Carolina, June 26th, 1803, remoA'ed to Caldwell county, Ky., and thence to Wayne county, 111., in 1826, thence to Sangamon county in 1828, and to Macon county in '30. He married in Kentucky Lavina Travis. Mr. Campbell Avas a member of the county commissioners' court, and for many years a justice of the peace - he died in 1864.

Early Marriages. - John C. Foster and Emily Montgomery Avere the first persons married in the toAvnship, the ceremony being performed in 1831.

In 1832 the first school-house erected in the toAvnship Avas built on sec. 4 (Tp. 15-3) ; it Avas a log structure, Avith puncheou floor and benches. James Scott was the first teacher.

The first sermon preached here was in 1828, by Rev David Foster, a Cumberland Presbyterian minister. Among the other early preachers Avho occasionally held service here were Rev. Neill Johnson, and Daniel Traughber, Cumberland Presbyterians, and Rev. J. M. Peck, a Baptist clergyman, Avho became noted in the early history of the state. He resided in St. Clair county. Mr. Peck Avas a scholarly man and published several books and pamphlets treating on the early history of Illinois.

The first Sunday-school Avas organized in 1834 at the school-house above mentioned, and Avas a union school, Avhere the children of all denominations congregated.

First Mill Avas built by Robert LoAve in toAvship 15-3 on sec. 2 in 1835. It was a band mill run by horse-poAver, and served for several years as a great convenience to the early settlers, Avho would come for miles around to get their corn ground.

Among the first physicians who practiced here Avere Dr. Buck- Avorth and Dr. Blaylock. The diseases in the early times were principally chills and fevers.

Improved Stock. - In 1855 John T. Campbell introduced the Hamiltonian breed of horses from Kentucky. Thomas Davis brought into the toAvnship some improved Durham cattle in 1848, and the same year an improved breed of Merino sheep. In 1837 Robert Lowe introduced a small flock of Cottswold sheep, and Poland China hogs Avere brought here, by G. A. Smith, about the year 1860. The stock of the township noAV comprises many of the best breeds, and much attention is paid to stock-raising by the farmers.

Railroads. - Mt. Zion is Avell supplied Avith railroads. The P. D. & E. and Midland enter the toAvnship on section 6, and leave it on section 25. (See outline map.) Both roads run over the same track from Hervey City to Decatur. At Hervey City the Midland changes its course, and goes due east, leaving the toAvnship on sec. 9 (in Tp. 15-4).

In 1860, on the adoption of toAvnship organization, Mt. Zion was erected into a voting precinct, and the folloAving gentlemen have served the township as

The Village of Mt. Zion is situated on the line of the P. D. & E. and Midland railroads on sec. 4, Tp. 15-3, and is quite a thriving little village. It was laid out in 1860 by S. K. Smith, and the first house was erected by Andrew Wilson, and Skillman & Mays kept the first store. The first post-office was kept at the store of Skillman & Mays. The first hotel was erected by Dr. Blaylock, and kept by John McMillen. A blacksmith shop was carried on on the present site of the village, in 1851, by G. W. Riber. Dr. Buckworth was the first practicing physician. Early preachers were A. J. McGlumphy, J. T. A. Henderson, and Robert Cordon. Among the first teachers, A. J. McGlumphy, P. H. Crider, and C. W. Kinsolvin.

Present Business

Mt. Zion is a prosperous and growing village, and is situated in a beautiful district of country, and surrounded by an intelligent and enterprising people.

Hervey City

Is located near the centre of the township at the junction of the P. D. & E. with the Midland railroad. The present business of the village is carried on by -

Biographical Sketches David L. Foster

The subject of the following sketch is " to the manor born." He first saw the light of day in Macon county, July 13th, 1848. He comes from a Scotch-Irish ancestry, and inherits from them the characteristics of that hardy, active and industrious people. His father, John C. Foster, was a native of Wilson county, Tennessee. His father and grandfather of David L. was the first Cumberland Presbyterian minister in the county. His son, John C. came with him here from Tennessee. He went back to his native state in 1847-8, and was married there for the second time ; then returned to Macon county, and remained there until his death, December 20th, 1859. His first wife's name was Montgomery. By this marriage there were two children, named Robert M. and Tabitha, wife of R. P. Wilson, j In the winter of 1847, he married Miss Mary Donnell. She was born and reared in Wilson county, Tennessee. There were two children by this latter marriage, Samuel L., and the subject of this sketch. The latter remained at home at work upon the farm, and attending the public-schools until he attained his majority. On the 3d of February, 1870, he was united in marriage to Miss Matilda A. daughter of Clayborne and Matilda Jones. She was also j born and raised in Macon county. Her parents were natives of Kentucky, and were among the pioneers of this county. Two children have blessed the union, a boy and girl, named Maud and George S. aged eight and four years, respectively. Both he and his wife are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Politically he is a republican. He is an active member of the independent order of Odd Fellows, and belongs to Mt. Zion Lodge, No- 300. He is also an advocate of temperance, and is a member of an organization whose object it is to suppress intemperance and vice in the land. In April, 1879, he was elected justice of the peace, and now fills that position with credit to himself, and honor to those who placed him in that official capacity.

The Brownlee's on both the paternal and maternal side, are of Scotch ancestry. James Brownlee, the father, was born and raised in Washington county, Pa. He removed to Ohio and married there. In 1839 he emigrated to Illinois, and settled in Shelby county, where he still resides. While a resident of Pennsylvania, he followed teaching school. After he came west he adopted the profession of surveying, and also added farming. He was for many years surveyor of Shelby county, Illinois. He has been married four times. His first wife, by whom he had two children, was a Sheridan ; after her death he married Rachael Dye, mother of the subject of this sketch. She was born in New Jersey, but was a resident of Ohio at the time of her marriage; she died in 1849. By the third wife he had three children ; none by the fourth. By the marriage with Rachael Dye there were five children, three sons, and two daughters. The subject of this sketch is the eldest son and second in the family. He was born in Shelby county, Illinois, November 23d, 1840. He spent his boyhood days at work upon the farm, and attending the public schools of his native county. He remained at home until in his nineteenth year, when he married Miss Caroline Payne. She was born in Pickaway county, Ohio.

Her father, Samuel Payne, was a native of Maryland, and her mother of Virginia. They came to Illinois in 1854, and settled in Shelby county, where Mr. Payne still lives. The date of Mr. Brownlee's marriage was January 23d, 1859. After his marriage he engaged in farming until after the war broke out, when he enlisted for three years as a private in Co. " M." 3d Illinois Cavalry. The regiment was attached to the commands under Genl's. Fremont, Hunter and Curtis. He was discharged and mustered out, when he returned home to Shelby county, and re-engaged in farming until 1865, when he removed to Piatt county, remained there three years, then went to Moultrie county, and in 1870 came to Mt. Zion, Macon county, and engaged in the milling business. Prior to this, he was engaged in buying and shipping live stock. During the time he was engaged in milling business in Mt. Zion, he also contracted and built bridges on the Illinois Midland railroad, which was then in process of construction. In 1878, he rented out his mill property, and in the winter of 1879-80, sold it out and invest' ed in a stock of drugs and medicines at Mt. Zion, and at present is engaged in dispensing these to those afflicted with ills that the flesh is heir to. Mr. Brownlee has given considerable time to the study of law, and practices before justices' courts, although he has never been regularly admitted to the practice. When he intended to adopt the profession of law as the business of his life, he was drawn off and prevented by his army life, business complications; etc. He is, by nature, well qualified for the profession of law, and had he brought as much energy and industry to the profession as he has to other business in which he has been engaged, we have no doubt, he would have succeeded admirably. Politically he is an ardent, active and influential democrat. He is a member of the ancient and honorable order of Free Masonry, and belongs to Ionic Lodge, Decatur Ills. He ;is an advocate of temperance and prohibition. Both he and his wife are members of the M. E. Church of Mt. Zion. Mr. Brownlee is a pleasant and affable gentleman, and is much respected for his honesty and strict probity of character.

The subject of this sketch was born in Pike county, Missouri, July 22, 1848. Joseph C. Allison, his father, was a native of Tennessee. He married Maria Jackson, of Kentucky. Both parents died in Missouri. Dr. Allison attended the schools of his native county, and secured the rudimentary principles of an education, which he improved by three years' study in the Academy at Abingdon, Illinois, where he took a general and classical course. He determined to adopt the profession of medicine as the business of his life. With this idea in view, he read the standard text-books upon medicine, in the office and under the direction of Dr. W. C. Duncan of Pike county, Mo. He remained with Dr. Duncan four years, then entered the St. Louis Medical College and remained two years, and graduated from that institution with the degree of M.D., March, 1871. He commenced the practice in his native county, and two years later came to Mt. Zion, Macon county, where he has continued the practice with good success to the present. Dr. Allison belongs to the progressive school of physicians. He is a member of the County Medical Society, and at present is president of that body. Ou the 2d of May, 1876, he was united in marriage to Miss Ellen E., daughter of Prof. William Mariner, formerly of Lincoln University, Lincoln, Illinois. One child, named Ida, is the fruit of this happy uniou. Dr. Allison is a respected member of the order of A. F. & A. M., and I. O. O. F.

Is a native of Macon county, Illinois. He was born in Mt. Zion township, March 17th, 1848. James Wallace, his father, was a native of South Carolina. He was born in 1821. The Wallace family originally came from Scotland, and settled in South Carolina prior to the Revolutionary war. After the war they moved to Nova Scotia, and then back to /the Carolinas. James Wallace, grandfather of 'the present sketch, emigrated to Illinois between the years 1825 and 1828. He first stopped in Sangamon county; after the winter of the deep 'snow came to Macon county, and settled on Long Creek, where he entered land, and there remained until his death, which occurred about the year 1846. His son, James, remained in the county until his death, March 13th, 1863. He was a farmer by occupation, and followed that and stock-raising during his entire life. He married Mary J. Ferry. She was born in Grayson county, Kentucky, a,nd came to Illinois in company with her grandfather. Her parents came here at a later date. She is yet living with her son W. H. in Mt. Zion township. The subject of this sketch is the second in a family of five boys and one girl. His education was received in the public schools of the county, and in the academy of Mt. Zion, where he spent several years improving himself in the higher grades of learning. Since his father's death, which took place while he was in his fifteenth year, he has practically been doing for himself. At present he is engaged in farming and stock-raising, and is one of the enterprising and leading agriculturalists of his township. Politically he is a democrat. He cast his first presidential vote for that purest of patriots aud philosophers, Horace Greeley. He takes an active part in the local elections, and is an ardent and enthusiastic supporter of democratic principles. He has represented his township in the Board of Supervisors for three terms, and while a member of that body earned the reputation of a careful and prudent officer. He is much respected as a man and citizen in the neighborhood where he was born and raised.

ILAM,* is situated in the extreme south-east corner of the county, and comprises the north half of the congressional town 14 north, range 3 east, with one tier of sections on the south from town 15 north, range 3 east.

It contains nineteen square miles, or twelve thousand one hundred and sixty acres of choice prairie land, bounded on the north by Mt. Zion township, on the east by Moultrie county, on the south by Shelby county and on the west by South Macon township. The soil is a rich black loam, averaging about two feet in depth, adapted to the growth of all the cereals usual to the county, but especially to the culture of corn. The surface is generally level, and is much in need of artificial drainage, which is just being understood and introduced.

The name of Milam vTas suggested by J. B. Gleason, from the fact that the Milam apple thrived better in that locality than any other. The township was organized in the spring of 1870, at the instance of J. B. Gleason and others. It was struck off from Mt. Zion. The first settlement began in the year 1851, when James Greenfield and his son, Jesse Greenfield, located in the northern portion of its border, erected a dwelling, and made some improvements. Joel Cloud settled in section twelve in 1 857, and David J. Freeland from Orange county, North Carolina, settled also on section tv?elve in 1858. There were also a family named Hale, that settled here at an early date. Milam is the- newest township in the county, and with the exception of those above mentioned it remained unsettled until after the late civil war. In 1865, J. B. Gleason, located with his family and began the settlement of the south-eastern corner. David Shelton arrived the same year. Also Frederic and Henry Wehrman settled and commenced farming. Richard Cribbett, J. W. Smith, James Kerr, William Meyers, John W. and William Dudley, William Rutledge and a few others arrived within a brief space of time, and assisted in establishing the agricultural and commercial prosperity of the township.

Franklin Cloud, son of Joseph and Nancy Cloud, was the first child born in the township. Silas Rutledge and Oliver Smith were the first couple married. The first death was that of Philo Hale.

The township was resurveyed by special provision of the Legislature and county court, at a cost of some two thousand dollars, corners established and roads laid out. Immediately after its organization and among its first enactments, a stock law was voted, which has worked with entire satisfaction, and has added much to the convenience of all citizens as well, as aiding in a more rapid improvement of the county, as well as the stock.

The first land entries were made by Benjamin Durgin, August 23d, 1852, to wit : the N. E. i of section No. 1, 160.24 acres. Sarah Nash entered on same day 164.18 acres in same section. The next entry was made by Andrew Libby same date, 160 acres in section No. 1. Theodore Brooks entered 160 acres in section No. 1, township No. 14 N. R. 3 east.

The first school district was laid off in 1866. Samuel Gregory taught a winter term of four months. This was named Harmony school, and was located in the center of sections 11 and 14 N., R. 3 E. Since then two school districts have been added, and commodious houses erected.

The inhabitants are divided in nativity, between the eastern, southern and middle states, and a few Americanized Germans. They are all sober, intelligent and enterprising people. There are six hundred and thirty-one inhabitants ; one hundred and fifteen families and dwellings, and four school-houses. There are three school districts and halves of two others. Though having no house especially dedicated to public worship, yet the people almost universally belong to some one of the evangelical denominations, each of whom have houses of worship just outside of the township. There is in fact not an infidel resident in Milam. A noteworthy fact is that in this township there is no preacher, no doctor, no lawyer, no pauper, no drunkard, no empty houses and no_family without a house.

Mr. McReynolds' great-grandfather, John McReynolds, was born in Ireland, where he was married. He became one of the early settlers of Viginia - the native state of another John Mc- Reynolds, Mr. McReynolds' grandfather. He early emigrated to Blount county, Tenn., where he married a Miss Jane McReynolds, a distant relative. There Robert, Mr. McReynolds' father, was born, who married Miss Sarah Wear, of his native county. There also Mr. McReynolds was born, June 21st, 1834. At the age of ten he came with his parents to Illinois, who made a settlement near Ramsey, where his father died in 1855. Being the eldest of the children, the care and support of the family devolved almost exclusively on him. He brought the family to Moultrie county in 1856, and located in the town of Marrowbone, where he continued to provide- for their wants up to the beginning of the late civil war. He enlisted in the United States service in May, 1861, and was honorably discharged July 14th, 1864. His was the Twenty-first Illinois Vol. Infantry - Grant's old and well-known regiment - which went immediately to the front, where it remained till the close of the war, and was employed in some of the heaviest fighting known in military annals - including the battles of Frederickstown, Corinth, Perrysville, Stone River, Liberty Gap, Chickamauga, Resaca, Dallas, Kenesaw, Atlanta, Jonesboro, Franklin, and Nashville.

He was married in 1865, the object of his choice being Mrs. Mary A. Wear, relict of David M. Wear, another Union soldier, who lost his life in the cause of his country, and by whom she had one son, John W., born Sept. 25th, 1862. She was the daughter of Dr. William Morrison and Azella Battersbee, natives of England, who came to this country and were married in Boston, where they both died, leaving only one heir.

Immediately after their marriage Mr. McReynolds bought forty acres of land in Milam town, where he still lives, and where he has made as handsome and as tasteful a home as is to be found in the county. He conducts his business in a scientific manner, and has furnished an illustration of what enlightened husbandry is capable of producing with such a soil as is found in the county of Macon. He has only one hundred and twenty acres, but it is cultivated in such a manner as to yield more than is usually produced from twice the amount, farmed in the careless methods of former times.

Was born near the city of Hartford, Conn., September 25th, 1807, and is the youngest son, save two, of a family of eleven children, of whom nine were sons. All are now dead except himself, Joseph, of Manchester, of his native state, and Mary, the relict of Joseph Kendall, of Hartford county, Conn.

Mr. Gleason's father, Jonah, was a farmer of some note, who occupied the estate near Hartford which his father purchased immediately on his arrival in this country from the shores of " Merry old England."

Mi'. Gleason's mother was formerly Miss Hannah Blodgett, a lady of fair attainments and accomplishments, such as were to be secured by the usual advantages of the age in which she was raised.

At the age of nine, an arrangement was effected by which he went to live in the family of Isaac Gleason, a distant relative, and where he remained, taking part in the usual routine duties of farm work till the age of sixteen was reached, in the mean time receiving such advantages as were to be had at the common district schools. He next learned the bricklayer's trade from an elder brother, Lathrop, with whom he found a home for a period of two years, and then began work at his trade on his own account, making not only a support, but something for future contingencies. At the age of twenty-two he began a course at Amherst Academy, where he made the usual two years' preparation, when he entered Williams College, Mass. After spending two years at that institution, according to a general custom of the times, he changed institutions, completing a course, and graduated with full honors at Union College, Schenectady, in 1835. He then began teaching, and married toward the close of the same year, but finding his health somewhat injured by the too sedentary habits of the schoolroom, he changed his business back to the more active and healthy exercises of his trade, to which by this time a natural mechanical bent of mind had added that of "builder." In 1837 he settled in Summit county, Ohio, where for about nine years he was employed in academic teaching, when failing health again compelled him to abandon the school-room, and he again applied himself to mechanics, building a large factory for the general manufacture of wooden-ware, in which he found profitable employment for a period of five years, meantime teaching a few special terms of school, at the urgent request of friends. His factory having been burned down in 1851, he determined to fulfill a desire to visit the West, and he accordingly moved to Iowa and settled in Buchanan county. There he remained during the late civil war, and entered, bought 'and improved a farm, which he reduced to cultivation. While in that county he was county surveyor two terms - was deputy provost-marshal, enrolling officer, and a part of the time an acting justice of the peace. In all of his official relations he acted with such promptness, efficiency and good judgment, that he won the good-will and esteem of all classes, and earned the reputation of being one of the most useful citizens of the county.

From Iowa he moved to Illinois, and located in the south-eastern corner of this county - Milam township, which has been the place of his residence ever since. Here he bought and improved a nice home, on which he expects to remain the balance of his days, till his Master calls for a change in the mode of existence. Ilis wife, formerly Miss Rebecca Little, is still living, something over seventy years old, and is remarkably energetic for one of her age, and is one of the excellent housewives and model ladies of the day. It has been remarked of some people that they never grow old, and if there is truth in this adage, it never was more applicable than to this venerable old couple, who through all the intervening years have brought with them the freshness and sweetness of youth.

They have raised a family of four children in the highest credit and respectability, all citizens of this county, save Payson E., of Boulder City, Cal. ; and have not only given their offspring all the ordinary advantages of the period, out have conferred on them that higher education which not only prepares men for the duties of the present, but qualifies them for the facts of the life to come. They are both members of the Presbyterian church, and have been for many years followers of Him who descended into this mortal world for the purpose of teaching mortals how to live. In fact, far back in the mystic past, before Mr. Gleason applied his hand to the helm of the craft of active life, he gave his heart to the King of kings ; and to the sustaining strength of his faithful Master he attributes his success in life.

Since becoming a resident of this county he has, as usual with him, been actively employed in the cause of general improvement, education and Christian evangelization. He moved in the organization of the town of Milam, and has had charge, more or less, of all measures having in contemplation its moral, educational and material development. He was the suggester and author of the 'stock-law" that has worked with such advantage and satisfaction to his fellow-townsmen, and took an active part in securing good homes and instructors for the young. His usefulness, however, has not been confined to his own town, but he is favorably known by the people of the county at large as a reliable, active and public-spirited citizen. He was chairman of the court-house committee, and to his influence and action is largely due the securing on favorable terms of the present court-house rooms, and of the sale of the old courthouse. His life has been characterized by punctuality, fidelity to trust, and a degree of self-denial, for the public good, wherever he has lived, and in honor to his memory, it can be truthfully said : " He has been loyal to his family, to his country and to his God."

Geo. A. Bartlett

Hails from the rich and cultivated old county of Madison, where his grandfather, Joseph Bartlett, settled in 1808, being an emigrant from Tenn., in which W. R., Mr. B.'s father, was born, and who was seven years old when the family arrived in Illinois. He married Miss Lucy Thompson, by whom he raised a family of ten children, all now dead but Mr. Bartlett, Wm. R., Jno. W., James P. of Washington territory, Mary A. Hunter, of Portland, Oregon, and Thompson, of Sedalia, Mo.

Mr. Bartlett was born near Edwardsville, Nov. 11th, 1832, was raised as a farmer, and on attaining his majority, leased a half section of land for ten years, which was the means of starting him, financially, in the world. He was married in 1861, to Miss Isabella McNickle, the daughter of George and Jane McCoy. A short time before the expiration of his lease he bought a farm of 100 acres, four miles east of his county-seat, on which he lived till his removal to this county in 1868, and which he disposed of at the round price of $80 per acre. He at once, on his arrival here, purchased the fine farm in Milam township which has since been his

Though in the strictest sense a farmer, and having no taste for official cares and responsibilities, still he has held some of the positions of trust within his township. He was its second supervisor* and held the office for two terms, and for three years was commissioner of highways, and was the first town collector. His public duties were discharged in every respect with ability and integrity, and to his endeavors the people are indebted for the timely and excellent system of grading and drainage imperatively demanded by the topography of the country.

He was bereaved by the death of his amiable companion in 1874, who left behind her six children - all still living save one which followed its mother to the grave in a few days. His second wife was Miss Henriette Naftel, an accomplished lady, by whom his family circle has been enlarged by the birth of three additional children.

From family traditions we gather the following facts in regard to the early history of the Bartlett family. His great-grandfather was a French Quaker, who settled in Va., and afterwards moved into Md., where Mr. B.'s grandfather was born. He was a frontiersman in an eminent sense, first in N. C., then in Tenn., and lastly in Ilis. He was in the Black Hawk and other early Indian wars, and was one of the best informed old settlers of his day, was well known by many of the earlier politicians of the state, and such were the retentive qualities of his memory that he had the histories of the three states in which he had lived almost by heart.

David J. Freeland

Among the names of early settlers and prominent citizens, who have aided in the improvement and development of the rich resources of the county, we include the name of Mr. Freeland as the representative of a family, deserving more than a passing historical notice.

The origin of the family line dates back to the sunny climes of Italy, from whence they found their way to Ireland. In the early colonization of the United States, they left the Emerald Isle and settled in the South ; at least they were citizens of North Carolina when the war of the American revolution threatened to sever the ties which bound the colonies to the mother country. John Freeland, Mr. Freeland's grandfather, with six brothers, aided in the cause of freedom, as soldiers in the continental army. At the time when Cornwallis and Greene measured their military strength, in the battle of Guilford Court-House, he was confined to a bed of sickness, and fell into the hands of the British General, by whom he was subsequently released. After serving his country till the close of the war, he was united in marriage with a Miss Kate Johnson, of Orange county, in which he afterwards settled, and where he finally died. He raised a large and respectable family on his farm, near Chapel Hill, the site of the once renowned University of North Carolina, where graduated some of the first men of the nation, including Benton, Polk and others, of almost equal renown. There, James, Mr. Freeland's father, was born. He received a liberal education at the University. After completing his course at college, he applied his attention to surveying, and for twenty-five years performed the great mass of the work of this character for Orange county, and with an accuracy and skill which evinced the highest degree of efficiency in this branch of science, and at a time and in a locality, when lines were determined by " metes and bounds," and the surveyor had none of the advantages of meridians, base-lines, &c. He was early married to Miss Jane

Strain, daughter of Alexander Strain, a well-known citizen of Orange county. In 1836 he sold out his small farm and directed his course to the then new state of Illinois and settled the same year in that part of Moultrie, which was afterwards set off in the formation of Macon county, near the site where his son, the subject of this notice, now lives ; and where he resided till the time of his death in 1871, in the seventy-seventh year of his age. After settling in Illinois he gave his attention entirely to farming and concomitant interests, and became one of the most successful men of the county, in its earlier history. He entered and bought about eight hundred acres of land, most of which is included in the limits of the county, and which he principally reduced to cultivation. He not only gave his time and thought to the material industries of his settlement and community, but being himself a Christian by profession, he sought by all accessible methods, then in existence, the jn-opagation and establishment of evangelical and literary agencies, which in every community lay the foundation for everything valuable in society.

He was a close calculator, saving, economical, charitable, persevering, industrious, and in his business transactions the very soul of honor. In all good work his wife, an estimable Christian lady, not only seconded but aided, with a woman's delicacy, the undertakings of her husband. They both joined the Presbyterian Church in North Carolina, and after coming to this state, united as a matter of convenience with the Cumberland Presbyterians ; in which fellowship they continued till death put an end to their labors, she preceding him to the grave some three years.

They brought nine children with them to this county. Three of their sons are still living : John, a well-known citizen, and former county official of Moultrie county, now of Sullivan. Samuel, a well-known old settler and well-to-do farmer of the same county, and the subject of this sketch. James, a rising youug minister of the C. P. Church, and a graduate of Cumberland University, Tennessee, died in Sullivan. William died from the effects of wounds, received in the Union service, at the battle of Pittsburg Landing, and another son, Joseph, died when a young man, also

Of Mr. Freeland himself, we design only briefly to speak. Still an epitome of his life and work as a citizen of the county is essential to a general family sketch. He was born April 19th, 1819, in his father's native state. He received a fair education in his earlier school days, completing an ordinary Academic course at Hillsboro, Montgomery county. He taught some six years after attaining his majority, since which time, lie has given his attention entirely to the more congenial and active pursuits of agriculture, in which he has been in a marked degree successful ; now, owning one of the. best farms in the eastern part of the county.

He has been twice married. His first wife was Miss Sarah, the daughter of David Strain, an early settler of Moultrie county, by whom he had one son, Alexander, a well-known citizen of Milam township and also a soldier in the late civil war for the suppression of the rebellion, growing out of the attempted secession of the Southern states. By his second wife, formerly Miss Martha Sawyer, daughter of John Sawyer, an old and well-known settler of Coles county, he has a family of nine surviving children, all being well educated, both in literature and the methods of business, and general usefulness. Mr. Freeland joined the Presbyterian Church in North Carolina, and with his parents united with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church on coming to this state, a fellowship in which he has maintained a consistent standing, all his subsequent life. His former companion lived and died in the same religious communion, and his present wife and nearly all his children, have membership in the same order. In the history of Mr. Freeland we have the general points embraced in most of our old pioneer homes, viz. : industry, honesty, hospitality and a warm-hearted cordiality, fostered under the peculiar conditions of the early days of our history. May those virtues survive and be handed down to the remotest periods of posterity, and may the names, as well as the social virtues of our old settlers, live in the memory of their successors for all time to come.

Business. Nativity

Dentist Tobacconist Proprietor of Saloon Farmer & Stock Raiser Wife of John Carder Insur. & Real Est. Agt Deal, in Farm Imp. & Dentist [Seeds

Preamble

We, the people of the State of Illinois - grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing upon our endeavors to secure and transmit the same unimpaired to succeeding generations - in order to form a more perfect government, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity; do ordain and establish this constitution for the State of Illinois.

Article

the mouth of the Wabash river; thence up the same, and with the line of Indiana, to the northwest corner of said State ; thence east, with the line of the same State, to the middle of Lake Michigan ; thence north, along the middle of said lake, to north latitude 42 degrees and 30 minutes; thence west to the middle of the Mississippi river, and thence down along the middle of that river to its confluence with the Ohio river, and thence up the latter river, along its northwestern shore, to the place of beginning : Provided , that this State shall exercise such jurisdiction upon the Ohio river as she is now entitled to, or such as may hereafter be agreed upon by this State and the State of Kentucky.

Article Ii Bill Of Rights

$ 14. No ex post facto law, or law impairing the obligation of contract', or making anv irrevocable grant of special privileges or immunities, shall be passed.

§ 16. No soldier shall, in lime of peace, be quartered in any house without the consent of the owner ; nor in time of war except in the manner prescribed by law.

§ 17. The people have the right to assemble in a peaceable manner to consult for the common good, to make known their opinions to their representatives, and to apply for redress of grievances.

19. Every person ought to find a certain remedy in the laws for all injuries and wrongs which he may receive in his person, property or reputation; he ought to obtain, 1 y law, right and justice freely, and without being obliged to purchase it, completely and without denial, promptly and without delay.

Article Iii Distribution Of Powers

The cowers of the Government of this State are divided into three distinct departments - the Legislative, Executive and Judicial ; and no person, or collection of persons, being one of these departments, shall exercise any power properly belonging to either of the others, except as hereinafter expressly directed or permitted.

Article Iv

\ 1. All men are by nature free and independent, and have certain inherent and inalienable rights - among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. To secure these rights and the protection of property, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

| 3. The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination, shall forever be guaranteed ; and no person shall be denied any civil or political right, privilege or capacity, on account of his religious opinions; but the liberty of conscience hereby secured shall not be construed to dispense with oaths or affirmations, excuse acts of licentiousness, or justify practices inconsistent with the peace or safety of the State. No person shall be required to attend or support any ministry or place of worship against his consent, nor shall any preference be given by law to any religious denomination or mode of worship.

for the abuse of that liberty; and in all trials for libel, both civil and criminal, the truth, when published with good motives and for justifiable ends, shall be a sufficient defense.

against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated ; and no warrant shall Issue without probable cause, supported by affidavit, particularly describing the place to be searched, and the person or things to be seized.

the proof is evident or the presumption great ; and the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the publ.c safety may require it.

grand jury, except in cases in which the punishment is by fine, or imprisonment otherwise than in the penitentiary, in cases of impeachment, and in cases arising in the army and navy, or in the militia when in actual service in time of war or public danger: Provided, that the grand jury may be abolished by law in all cases.

in person and by counsel; to demand the nature and cause of the accusation, and to have a copy thereof; to meet the witnesses face to face, and to have process to compel the attendance of witnesses in his behalf, and a speedy public trial by an impartial jury of the county or district in which the offense is alleged to have been committed.

\ II. All penalties shall be proportioned to the nature of the offense; and no conviction shall work corruption of blood or forfeiture of estate; nor shall any person be transported out of the State for any offense committed within the same.

2 12. No person shall be imprisoned for debt, unless upon refusal to deliver up his estate for the benefit of his creditors, in such manner as shall be prescribed bylaw; or in cases where there is strong presumption of fraud.

? 13* Private property shall not be taken or damaged for public use without just compensation. Such compensation, when not made by the State, shall lie ascertained by a jury, as shall be prescribed by law. The fee of land taken for railroad tracks, without consent of the owners thereof, shall remain in such owners, subject to the use for which it is taken.

Legislative Department

\ I. The legislative power shall be vested in a General Assembly, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives, both to be elected by the people.

$ 2. An election for members of the General Assembly shall be held on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy, and every two years thereafter, in each county, at such places therein as may be provided by law. When vacancies occur in either house, the governor, or person exercising the powers of governor, shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies.

Eligibility And Oath

3. No person shall be a senator who shall not have attained the age of twenly-fivo years, or a representative who shall not have attained the age of twenty-one years. No person shall be a senator or a representative who shall not be a citizen of the United States, and who shall not have been for five years a resident of this State, and for two years next preceding his election a resident within the territory foiming the district from which he is elected. No judge or clerk of any court, secretary of state, attorney general, state's attorn ey, recorder, sheriff, or collector of public revenue, member of either house of congress, or person holding any lucrative office under the United States or this State, or any foreign government, shall have a seat in the general assembly : Provided, that appointments in the militia, and the offices of notary public and justice of the peace, shall not be considered lucrative. Nor shall any person, holding any office of honor or profit under any foreign government, or under the government of the United States, (except postmasters whose annual compensation does not exceed the sum of $300,) hold any office of honor or profit under the authority of this State.

$ 4. No person who has been, or hereafter shall be, convicted of bribery, peijury or other infamous crime, nor any person who has been or may be a collector or holder of public moneys, who shall not have accounted for and paid over, according to law, all such moneys due from him, shall be eligible to the general assembly, or to any office of profit or trust in this State.

£ 6. Members of the general assembly, before they enter upon their official duties, shall take and subscribe the following oath or affirmation :

" I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support the constitution of the United States, and the constitution of the State of Illinois, and will faithfully discharge the duties of senator for representative) according to the best of my ability; and that I have not, knowingly or intentionally, paid or contributed anything, or made any promise in the nature of a bribe, to directly or indirectly influence any vote at the election at which I was chosen to fill the said office, and have not accepted, nor will I accept or receive, directly or indirectly, any monev or other valuable thing, from any corporation, company or person, for any vote or influence I may give or withhold on any bill, resolution or appropriation, or for any other official act."

This oath shall be administered by a judge of the supreme or circuit court, in the hall of the house to which the member is elected, and the secretary of state shall record and file the oath subscribed by each member. Any member who shall refuse to take the oath herein prescribed, shall forfeit his office, and every member who shall be convicted of having sworn falsely to, or of violating, his said oath, shall forfeit his office, and be disqualified thereafter from holding any office of profit or trust in this State.

I 6. The general assembly shall apportion the State every ten years, beginning with the year 1871, by dividing the population of the State, as ascertained by the federal census, by the number 51, and the quotient shall be the ratio of representation in the senate. The State shall be divided into 51 senatorial districts, each of which shall elect one senator, whose term of office shall be four years. The senators elected in the year of our Lord 1872, in districts hearing odd numbers, shall vacate their offices at the end of two years, and those elected in districts bearing even numbers, at the end of four years ; and vacancies occurring by the expiration of term, shall be filled by the election of senators for the full term. Senatorial districts shall be formed of contiguous and compact territory, bounded by county lines, and contain as nearly as practicable an equal number of inhabitants; but no district shall contain less than four-fifths of the senatorial ratio. Counties containing not less than the ratio and three-fourths, may be divided into separate districts, and shall be entitled to two senators, and to one additional senator for each number of inhabitants equal to the ratio, contained by such counties in excess of twice the number of said ratio.

Note. - By the adoption of minority represen'ation, W 7 and 8, of this article, cease to be a part of the constitution. Under # 12 of the schedule, and the vote of adoption, the following section relating to minority representation is substituted for said sections :

Minority Representation

W'j and 8. The house of representatives shall consist of three limes the number of the members of the senate, and the term of office shall be two years. Three representatives shall be elected in each senatorial district at the general election in the year of our Lord, 1872, and every two years thereafter. In all elections of representatives aforesaid, each qualified voter may cast as many votes for one candidate as there are representatives to be elected, or may distribute the same, or equal parts thereof, among the candidates, as he shall see fit; and the candidates highest in votes shall be declared elected.

Time Of Meeting And General Rules

\ 9. The sessions of the general assembly shall commence at 12 o'clock noon, on the Wednesday next after the first Monday in January, in the year next ensuing the election of members thereof, ami at no other time, unless as provided by this constitution. A majority of the members elected to each house shall constitute a quorum. Each house shall determine the rules of its proceedings, and be the judge of the election returns and qualifications of its members; shall choose its own officers ; and the senate shall choose a temporary president to preside when the lieutenant-governor shall not attend as president or shall act as governor. The secretary of state shall call the house of representatives to order at the opening of each new assembly, and preside over it until a temporary presiding officer thereof shall have been chosen and shall have taken his seat. No member shall be expelled by either house, except by a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to that house, and no member shall be twice expelled for the same offence. Each house may punish by imprisonment any person, not a member, who shall be guilty of disrespect to the house by disorderly or contemptuous behaviour in its presence. But no such imprisonment shall extend beyond two hours at one time, unless the person shall persist in such disorderly or contemptuous behaviour.

\ 10. The doors of each house and of committees of the whole, shall be kept open, except in such cases as. in the opinion of the house, require secrecy. Neither house shall, without the consent of the other, adjourn for more than two days, or to any other place than that in which the two houses shall be sitting. Each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings, which shall be published. In the senate at the request of two members, and in the house at the request of five members, the yeas and nays shall be taken on any question, and entered upon the journal. Any two members of either house shall have liberty to dissent from and protest, in respectful language, against any act or resolution which they think injurious to the public or to any individual, and have the reasons of their dissent entered upon the journals.

Style Of Laws And Passage Of Bills

^ II. The style of the laws of this State shall be : Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois , represented in the General Assembly.

% 12. Bills may originate in either house, but may be altered, amended or rejected by the other ; and on the final passage of all bills, the vote shall be by yeas and nays, upon each bill separately, and shall be entered upon the journal ; and no bill shall become a law without the concurrence of a majority of the members elected to each house.

g 13. Every bill shall be read at large on three different days, in each house; and the bill and all amendments thereto shall be printed before the vote is taken on its final passage; and every bill, having passed both houses, shall be signed by the speakers thereof. No act hereafter passed shall embrace more than one subject, and that shall be expressed in the title. But if any subject shall be embraced in an act which shall not be expressed in the title, such act shall be void only as to so much thereof as shall not be so expressed ; and no law shall be revived or amended by reference to its title only, but the law revived, or the section amended, shall be inserted at length in the new act. And no act of the general assembly shall take effect until the first day of July next after its passage, unless, in ca'-e of emergency, (which emergency shall be expressed in the preamble or body of the act), the general assembly shall, by a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, otherwise direct.

Privileges And Disabilities

$ 14. Senators and representatives shall, in all cases, except treason, felony or breach of the peace, be privileged lrom arrest during the session of the general assembly, and in going to and returning from the same ; and for any speech or debate in either house, they shall not be questioned in any other place.

| 15. No person elected to the general assembly shall receive any civil appointment within this State from the governor, the governor and senate, or from the general assembly, during the term for which he shall have been elected; and all such appointments, and all votes given for any such members for any such office or appointment, shall be void; nor shall any member of the general assembly be interested, either directly or indirectly, in any contract with the state, or any county thereof, authorized by any law passed during the term for which he shall have been elected, or within one year after the expiration thereof.

Public Moneys And Appropriations

\ 16. The general assembly shall make no appropriation of money cut of the treasury in any private law. Bills making appropriations for the pay of members and officers of the general assembly, and for the salaries of the officers of the government, shall contain no provisions on any other subject.

\ 17. No money shall be drawn from the treasury except in pursuance of an appropriation made by law, and on the presentation of a warrant issued by the auditor thereon; and no money shall be diverted from any appropriation made for any purpose, or taken from any fund whatever, either by joint or separate resolution. The auditor shall, within 60 days after the adjournment of each session of the general assembly, prepare and publish a full statement of all money expended at such session, specifying the amount of each ittm and to whom and for what paid.

? 18. Each general assembly shall provide for all the appropriations necessary for the ordinary and contingent expenses of the government until the expiration of the first fiscal quarter after the adjournment of the next regular session, the aggregate amount of which shall not be increased without a vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house, nor exceed the amount of revenue authorized by law to be raised in such time; and all appropriations, general or special, requiring money to be paid out of the State Treasury, from funds belonging to the State, shall end with such fiscal quarters Provided , the State may, to meet casual deficits or failures in revenue, contract debts, never to exceed in the aggregate $250, 000 ; and moneys thus borrowed shall be applied to the purpose for which they were obtained, or to pay the debt thus created, and to no other purpose ; and no other debt, except for the purpose of repelling invasion, suppressing insuriection, or defending the State in war, (for payment of which the faith of the State shall be pledged), shall be contracted, unless the law authorizing the same shall, at a general election, have been submitted to the people, and have received a majority of the voles cast for members of the general assembly at such election. The general assembly shall provide for the publication of said law for three months, at least, before the vote of the people shall be taken upon the same; and provision shall be made, at the time, for the payment of the interest annually, as it shall accrue, by a tax levied for the purpose, or from other sources of revenue; which law, providing for the payment of such interest by such tax, shall be irrepealable until such debt be paid: And provided, further, that the law levying the tax shall be submitted to the people with the law authorizing the debt to be contracted.

3 19. The general assembly shall never grant or authorize extra compensation, fee or allowance to any public officer, agent, servant or contractor, after service has been rendered or a contract made, nor authorize the payment of any claim, or part thereof, hereafter created against the State under any agreement or contract made without express authority of law ; and all such unauthorized agreements or contracts shall be.null and void : Provided, the general assembly may make appropriations for expenditures incurred in suppressing insurrection or repelling invasion.

$ 20. The State shall never pay, assume or become responsible for the debts or liabilities of, or in any manner give, loan or extend its credit to, or in aid of any public or other corporation, association or individual.

Pay Of Members

(1 21. The members of the general assembly shall receive for their services the sum of $$ per day, during the first session held under this constitution, and 10 cents for each mile necessarily traveled in going to and returning from the seat of government, to be computed by the auditor of public accounts; and thereafter such compensation as shall be prescribed by law, and no other allowance or emolument, directly or indirectly, for any purpose whatever ; except the sum of $50 per session to each member, which shall be in full foi postage, stationery, newspapers, and all other incidental expenses and perquisites; but no change shall be made in the compensation of members of the general assembly during the term for which they may have been elected. The pay and mileage allowed to each membev of the general assembly shall be certified by the speaker of their respective houses, and entered on the journals and published at the close of each session.

Special Legislation Prohibited

Creating, increasing, or decreasing fees, percentage or allowances of public officers, during the term for which said officers are elected or appointed ;

Granting to any corporation, association or individual the right to lay down railroad tracks, or amending existing charters for such purpose ;

\ 23. The general assembly shall have no power to release or extinguish, in whole or in part, the indebtedness, liability, or obligation of any corporation or individual to this State or to any municipal corporation therein.

Impeachment

\ 24. The house of representatives shall have the sole power of impeachment ; but a majority of all the members elected must concur therein. All impeachments shall be tried by the senate ; and when sitting for that purpose, the senators shall be upon oath, or affirmation, to do justice according to law and evidence. When the governor of the State is tried, the chief justice shall preside. No person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of the senators elected. But judgment, in such cases, shall not extend further than removal from office, and disqualification to hold any office of honor profit or trust uuder the government of this State. The party, whether convicted or acquitted, shall, nevertheless, be liable to prosecution, trial, judgment and punishment according to law.

Miscellaneous

I 25. The general assembly shall provide, by law, that the fuel, stationery and printingpaper furnished for the use of the State ; the copying, printing, binding and distributing the laws and journals, and all other printing ordered by the general assembly, shall be let by contract to the lowest responsible bidder; but the general assembly shall fix a maximum price ; and no member thercof, or other officer of the State, shall be interested, directly or indirectly, in such contract. But all such contracts shall be subject to the approval of the governor, and if be disapproves the same there shall be a re-lelting of the contract, in such manner as shall be prescribed by law.

I 27. The general assembly shall have no power to authorize lotteries or gift enterprises, for any purpose, and shall pass laws to prohibit the sale of lottery or gift enterprise tickets in this State.

g 29. It shall be the duty of the general assembly to pass such laws as may be necessary for the protection of operative miners, by providing for ventilation, when the same may be required, and the construction of escapement-shafts, or such other appliances as may secure safety in all coal mines, and to provide for the enforcement of said laws by such penalties and punishments as may be deemed proper.

\ 30. The general assembly may provide for establishing and opening roads and cartways, connected with a public road, for private and public use.

(S 31. The general assembly may pass laws permitting the owners and occupants of lands to construct diains and ditches, for agricultural and sanitary purposes, across the lands of others.

jl 33. The general assembly shall not appropriate out of the State treasury, or expend on account of the new capitol grounds, and construction, completion and furnishing of the State house, a sum exceeding, in the aggregrate, $3, 500,000, inclusive of all appropriations heretofore made, without first submitting the proposition for an additional expenditure to the legal voters of the State, at a general election; nor unless a majority of all the votes at such election shall be for the proposed additional expenditure.

Executive Department

(S I. The executive department shall consist of a Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, Secretary of State, Auditor of Public Accounts, Treasurer, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Attorney-General, who shall, each, with the exception of the Treasurer, hold his office for the term of four years from the second Monday of January next after his election, and until his successor is elected and qualified. They shall, except the Lieutenant Governor, reside at the seat of government during their term of office, and keep the public records, books and papers there, and shall perform such duties as may be prescribed by law.

\ 2. The Treasurer shall hold his office for the term of two years, and until his successor is elected and qualified ; and shall be ineligible to said office for two years next after the end of the term for which he was elected. He may be required by the Governor to give reasonable additional security, and in default of so doing his office shall be deemed vacant.

Election

whose offices are established by this constitution, or which may be created by law, and wh : ,e appointment or election is not otherwise provided for; and no such officer shall be appointed or elected by the general assembly.

\ II. In case of a vacancy, during the recess of the senate, in any office which is not elective, the governor shall make a temporary appointment until the next meeting of the senate, when he shall nominate some person to fill such office; and any person so nominated, who is confirmed by the senate (a majority of all the senators elected concurring by yeas and nays), shall hold his office during the remainder of the time, and until his successor shall be appointed and qualified. No person, after being rejected by the senate, shall be again nominated for the same office at the same session, unless at the request of the senate, or be appointed to the same office duiing the recess of the general assembly.

g 12. The governor shall have power to remove any officer whom he may appoint, in case of incompetency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office ; and he may declare his office vacant, and fill the same as is herein provided in other cases of vacancy.

$ 13. The governor shall have power to grant reprieves, commutations and pardons, after conviction, for all offences, subject to such regulations as may be provided by law relative to he manner of applying therefor.

§ 14. The governor shall be commander-in-chief of the military and naval forces of the State (except when they shall be called into the service of the United States) ; and may out the same to execute the laws, suppress insurrection, and repel invasion.

Veto

$ 16. Every bill passed by the general assembly shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the governor. If he approve, he shall sign it, and thereupon it shall become a law ; but if he do not approve, he shall return it, with his objections, to the house in which it shall have originated, which house shall enter the objections at large upon its journal, and proceed to reconsider the bill. If, then, two-thirds of the members elected agree to pass the same, it shall be sent, together wilh the objections, to the other house, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered; and if approved by two-thirds of the members elected to that house, it shall become a law, notwithstanding the objections of the governor. But in all such cases, the vote of each house shall be determined by yeas and nays, to be entered on the journal. Any bill which shall not be returned by the governor within ten days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, shall become a law in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the general assembly shall, by their adjournment, prevent its return; in which case it shall be filed, with his objections, in the office of the secretary of state, within ten days after such adjournment, or become a law.

Lieutenant-Governor

| 17. In case of death, conviction on impeachment, failure to qualify, resignation, absence from the State, or other disability of the governor, the powers, duties, the emoluments of the office for the residue of the term, or until the disability shall be removed, shall devolve upon the lieutenant-governor.

(S 18. The lieutenant-governor shall be president of the senate, and shall vote only when the senate is equally divided. The senate shall ctioose a president, //at tempore, to preside in case of the absence or impeachment of the lieutenant-governor, or when he shall hold the office of governor.

$ 19. If there be no lieutenant-governor, or if the lieutenant-governor shall, for any of the causes specified in ji 17 of this article, become incapable of performing the duties of the office, the president of the senate shall act as governor until the vacancy is filled or the disability removed ; and if the president of the senate, for any of the above named causes, shall become incapable of performing the duties of governor, the same shall devolve upon the speaker of the house of representatives.

Other State Officers

Public Accounts and Attorney-General, shall be held On the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November, in the year of our Lord 1872, and every four years thereafter; for Superintendent of Public instruction, on the Tuesday next after the first Monday of November, in the year 1870, and every four years thereafter; and for Treasurer on the day last above mentioned, and every two years thereafter, at such places and in such manner as may be prescribed by law.

transmitted, by the returning officers, to the Secretary of State, directed to "The Speaker of the House of Representatives," who shall, immediately after the organization of the house, and before proceeding to other business, open and publish the same in the presence of a majority of each house of the general assembly, who shall, for that purpose, assemble in the hall of the house of representatives. The person having the highest number of votes for either of the said offices shall be declared duly elected; but if two or more have an equal and the highest number of votes, the general assembly shall, by joint ballot, choose one of such persons for said office. Contested elections for all of said offices shall be determined by both houses of the general assembly, by joint ballot, in such manner as may be prescribed by law.

Eligibility

jj 5. No person shall be eligible to the office of governor, or lieutenant-governor, who shall not have attained the age of 30 years, and been, for five years next preceding his (.lection, a citizen of the United States and of this State. Neither the governor, lieutenantgovernor, auditor of public accounts, secretary of State, superintendent of public instruction nor attorney general shall be eligible to any other office during the period for which he shall have been elected.

Governor

term of office, give to the general assembly information, by message, of the condition of the State, and shall recommend such measures as he shall deem expedient. He shall account to the general assembly, and accompany his message with a statement of all moneys received and paid out by him from any funds subject to his order, with vouchers, and, at the c immencement of each regidar session, present estimates of the amount of money required to be raised by taxation for all purposes.

\ 8. The governor may, on extraordinary occasions, convene the general assembly, by proclamation, stating therein the purpose for which they are convened ; and the general assembly shall enter upon no business except that for which they were called together.

\ 9. In case of a disagreement between the two houses with respect to the time of adjournment, the governor may, on the same being certified to him, by the house first moving the adjournment, adjourn the general assembly to such time as he thinks proper, not beyond the first day of the next regular session.

\ 10. The governor shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the senate, (a majority of all the senators selected concurring, by yeas and nays,) appoint all officers l 20. If the office of auditor of public accounts, treasurer, secretary of State, attorney general, or superintendent of public instruction shall be vacated by death, resignation or otherwise, it shall be the duty of the governor to fill the same by appointment, and the appointee shall hold his office until his successor shall be elected and qualified in such manner as may be provided by law. An account shall be kept by the officers of the executive department, and of all the public institutions of the State, of all moneys received or disbursed by them, severally, from all sources, and for every service performed, and a semiannual report thereof be made to the governor, under oath ; and any officer who makes a false report shall be guilty of perjury, and punished accordingly.

§ 21. The officers of the executive department, and of all the public institutions of the Stale, shall, at least ten days preceding each regular session of the general assembly, severally report to the governor, who shall transmit such reports to the general assembly, together with the reports of the judges of the supreme court of the defects in the constitution and laws; and the governor may at any time require information, in writing, under oath, from the officers of the executive department, and all officers and managers of state institutions, upon any subject relating to the condition, management and expenses of their respective offices.

The Seal Of State

$ 22. There shall be a seal of the State, which shall be called the '' Great seal of the State of Illinois," which shall be kept by the secretary of State, and used by him, officially, as directed by law.

Fees And Salaries

\ 23. The officers named in this article shall receive for their services a salary, to be established by law, which shall not be increased or diminished during their official terms, and they shall not, after the expiration of the terms of those in office at the adoption of this constitution, receive to their own use any fees, costs, perquisites of office, or other compensation. And all fees that may hereafter be payable by law for any service performed by any officer provided for in this article of the constitution, shall be paid in advance into the State treasury.

Definition And Oath Of Office

jl 24. An office is a public position created by the constitution or law, continuing during the pleasure of the appointing power, or for a fixed time, with a successor elected or appointed. An employment is an agency, for a temporary purpose, which ceases when that purpose is accomplished.

ji 25. All civil officers, except members of the general assembly and such inferior officers as may be by law exempted, shall, before they enter on the duties of their respective offices, take and subscribe the following oath or affirmation :

I do solemnly swear (or affirm, as the case maybe) that I will support the constitution of the Un'ted States, and the Constitution of the State of Illinois, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the olfice of according to the best of my ability.

Judicial Department

$ 1. The judicial powers, except as in this article is otherwise provided, shall be vested in one supreme court, circuit courts, county courts, justices of the peace, police magistrates, and in such courts as may be created by law in and for cities and incorporated towns.

Supreme Court

$ 2. The supreme court shall consist of seven judges, and shall have original jurisdiction in cases relating to the revenue, in mandamus , and habeas corpus , and appellate jurisdiction in all other cases. One of said judges shall be chief justice ; four shall constitute a quorum, and the concurrence of four shall be necessary to every decision.

$ 3. No person shall be eligible to the office of judge of the supreme court unless he shall be at least 30 years of age, and a citizen of the United States, nor unless he shall have resided in the State five years next preceding his election, and be a resident of the district in which he shall be elected.

$ 4. Terms of the supreme court shall continue to be held in the present grand divisions at the several places now provided for holding the same ; and until otherwise provided by law, one or more terms of said court shall be held, for the northern division, in the city of Chicago, each year, at such times as said court may appoint, whenever said city or the county of Cook shall provide appropriate rooms therefor, and the use of a suitable library, without expense to the State. The judicial divisions may be altered, increased or diminished in number, and the limes and places of holding said court may be changed by law.

$ 5. The present grand divisions shall be preserved, and be denominated Southern, Central and Northern, until otherwise provided by law. The State shall be divided into seven districts for the election of judges, and until otherwise provided by law, they shall be as follows :

First District. - The counties of St. Clair, Clinton, Washington, Jefferson, Wayne, Edwards, Wabash, White, Hamilton, Franklin, Perry, Randolph, Monroe, Jackson, Williamson, Saline, Gallatin, Hardin, Pope, Union, Johnson, Alexander, Pulaski and Massac.

Second District. - The counties of Madison, Bond, Marion, Clay, Rich'and, Lawrence, Crawford, Jasper, Effingham, Fayette, Montgomery, Macoupin, Shelby, Cumberland, Clark, Greene, Jersey, Calhoun and Christian.

Third District. - The counties of Sangamon, Macon, Logan, De Witte, Piatt, Douglas, Champaign, Vermilion, McLean, Livingston, Ford, Iroquois, Coles, Edgar, Moultrie, and Tazewell.

Fifth District. - The counties of Knox, Warren, Henderson, Mercer, Henry, Stark, Peoria, Marshall, Putnam, Bureau, Lasalle, Grundy and Woodford.

Sixth District. - The counties of Whiteside, Carroll, Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Winnebago, Boone, McHenry, Kane, Kendall, De Kalb, Lee, Ogle and Rock Island.

The boundaries of the districts may be changed at the session of the general assembly next preceding the election for judges herein, and at no other time ; but whenever such alterations shall be made, the same shall be upon the rule of equality of population, as nearly as county boundaries will allow, and the districts will be composed of contiguous counties, in as nearly compact form as circumstances will permit. The alteration of the districts shall not affect the tenure of office of any judge.

$ 6. At the time of voting on the adoption of this constitution, one judge of the supreme court shall be elected by the electors thereof, in each of said districts numbered two, three, aix, and seven, who shall hold his office for the term of nine years from the first Monday of June, in the year of our Lord 1870. The term of office of judges of the supreme court, elected after the adoption of this constitution, shall be nine years ; and on the first Monday of June of the year in which the term of any of the judges in office at the adoption of this constitution, or of the judges then elected, shall expire, and every nine years thereafter, there shall be an election for the successor or successors of such judges, in the respective districts wherein the term of such judges shall expire. The chief justice shall continue to act as such until the expiration of the term for which he was elected, after which the judges shall choose one of their number chief ju tice.

$ 7. From and after the adoption of this constitution, the judges of the supreme court shall each receive a salary of 84,000 per annum, payable quarterly, until otherwise provided by law. And affer said salaries shall be fixed by law, the. salaries of the judges in office shall not be increased or diminished during the terms for which said judges have been elected.

$ 8. Appeals and writs of error may be taken to the supreme court, held in the grand division in which the case is decided, or, by consent of the parties, to any other grand division.

$ 9. The supreme court shall appoint one reporter of its decisions, who shall hold his office for six years, subject to removal by the court.

$ IO. At the time of the election for representatives in the general assembly, happening next preceding the expiration of the terms of office of the present clerks of said cou t, one clerk of said court for each division shall be elected, whose term of office shall be six years from said election, but who shall not enter upon the duties of his office until the expiration of the term of his predecessor, and every six years thereafter, one clerk of said court for each division shall be elected.

Appellate Courts

$ 11. After the year of our Lord 1874, inferior appellate couits, of uniform organization and jurisdiction, may be created in districts formed for that purpose, to which such appeals and writs of error as the general assembly may provide, may be prosecuted from circuit and other courts, and from which appeals and writs of error shall lie to the supreme court, in all criminal cases, and cases in which a franchise, or freehold, or the validity of a statute is involved, and in such other cases as may be provided by law. Such appellate courts shall be held by such number of judges of the circuit courts, and at such times and places, and in such manner, as may be provided by law; but no judge shall sit in review upon cases decided by him; nor shall said judges receive any additional compensation for such services.

$ 12. The circuit courts shall have original jurisdiction of all causes in law and equity, and such appellate jurisdiction as is or may be provided by law, and shall hold two or more terms each year in every county. The terms of office of judges of circuit courts shall be six years.

3 13. The State, exclusive of the county of Cook and other counties having a population of 100,000, shall be divided into judicial circuits, prior to the expiration of the terms of office of the present judges of the circuit courts. Such circuits sh ill be formed of contiguous counties, in as nearly compact form and as nearly equal as circumstances will permit, having due regard to business, territory and population, and shall not exceed in number one circuit for every 100,000 of population in the State. One judge shall be elected for each of said circuits by the electors thereof. New circuits may be formed and the boundaries of circuits changed by the general assembly, at its session next preceding the election for circuit judges, but at no other time : Provided, that the circuits may be equalized or changed at the first session of the general assembly, after the adoption of this constitution. The creation alteration or change of any circuit shall not affect the tenure of office of any judge. Whenever the business of the circuit court of any one, or of two or more contiguous counties, containing a population exceeding 50,000, shall occupy nine months of the year, the general assembly may make of such county, or counties, a separate circuit. Whenever additional circuits are created, the foregoing limitations shall be observed.

$ 14. The general assembly shall provide for the times of holding courts in each county - which shall not be changed, except by the general assembly next preceding the general election for judges of said courts; but additional terms may be provided for in any county. The election for judges of the circuit courts shall be held on the first Monday of June, in the year of our Lord 1873, and every six years thereafter.

$ 15. The general assembly may divide the State into judicial circuits of greater population and territory, in lieu of the circuits provided for in section 13 of this article, and provide for the election therein, severally, by the electors thereof, by general ticket, of not exceeding four judges, who shall hold the circuit courts in the circuit for which they shall be elected, in such manner as may be provided by law.

$ 16 From and after the adoption of this constitution, judges of the circuit courts shall receive a salary of 83,000 per annum, payable quarterly, until otherwise provided by law. And after their salaries shall be fixed by law, they shall not be increased or diminished during the terms for which said judges shall be, respectively, elected; and from aud after the adoption of this constitution, no judge of the supreme or circuit court shall receive any other compensation, perquisite or benefit, in any form whatsoever, nor perform any othci than judicial duties to which may belong any emoluments.

$ 17. No person shall be eligible to the office of judge of the circuit or any inferior court, or to membership in the "board of county commissioners," unless he shall be at least 25 years of age, and a citizen of the United States, nor unless he shall have resided in this State five years next preceding his election, and be a resident of the circuit, county, city, cities, or incorporated town in which he shall be elected.

County Courts

$ 18. There shall be elected in and for each county, one county judge and one clerk of the county court, whose terms of office shall be four years. But the general assembly may create districts of two or more contiguous counties, in each of which shall be elected one judge, who shall take the place of, and exercise the powers and jurisdiction of county judges in such districts. County courts shall be courts of record, and shall have original jurisdiction in all matters of probate; settlement of estates of deceased persons; appointment of guardians and conservators, and settlements of their accounts; in all matters relating to apprentices ; and in proceedings for the collection of taxes and assessments, and such other jurisdiction as may be provided for by general law.

Probate Courts

$ 20. The general assembly may provide for the establishment of a probate court in each county having a population of over 50,000, and for the election of a judge thereof, whose term of office shall be the same as that of the county judge, and who shall be elected at the same time and in the same manner. Said courts, when established, shall have original jurisdiction of all probate matters, the settlement of estates of deceased persons, the appointment of guardians and conservators, and settlement of their accounts ; in all matters relating to apprentices, and in cases of the sales of real estate of deceased persons for the payment of debts.

Justices Of The Peace And Constables

$21. Justices of the peace, police magistrates, and constables shall be elected in and for such districts as are, or may be, provided by law, and the jurisdiction of such justices of the peace and police magistrates shall be uniform.

$ 22. At the election for members of the general assembly in the year of our Lord 1872. and every four years thereafter, there shall be elected a State's attorney in and for each county, in lieu of the State's attorneys now provided by law, whose term of office shall be four years.

$ 23. The county of Cook shall be one judicial circuit. The circuit court of Cook county shall consist of five judges, until their number shall be increased, as herein provided. The present judge of the recorder's court of the city of Chicago, and the present judge of the circuit court of Cook county, shall be two of said judges, and shall remain in office for the terms for which they were respectively elected, and until their successors shall be elected and qualified. The superior court of Chicago shall be continued, and called the superior court of Cook county. The general assembly may increase the number of said judges by adding one to either of said courts for every additional 50,000 inhabitans in said county, over and above a papulation of 400,000. The terms of office of the judges of said courts hereafter elected, shall be six years.

$ 24. The judge having the shortest unexpired term shall be chief justice of the court of which he is judge. In case there are two or mare whose terms expire at the same time, it may be determined by lot which shall be chief justice. Any judge of either of said courts shall have all the powers of a circuit judge, and may hold the court of which he is a member. Each of them may hold a different branch thereof at the same time.

$ 25. The judges of the superior and circuit courts, and the Slate's attorney, in said bounty, shall receive the same salaries, payable 'out of the State treasury, as is or may be paid from said treasury to the circuit judges and State's attorneys of the State, and such further compensation, to be paid by the county of Cook, as is or may be provided by law ; such compensation shall not be changed during their continuance in offiee.

$ 26. The recorder's court of the c.ty of Chicago shall be continued, and shall be called the ''criminal court of Cook county." It shall have the jurisdiction of a circuit court, in I a;l cases of criminal and quasi criminal nature, arising in the county of Cook, or that may lie brought before said court pursuant to law ; and all recognizances and appeals taken in said county, in criminal and quasi criminal cases shall be returnable and taken to said court. It shall have no jurisdiction in civil cases, except in those on behalf of the people, and incident to such criminal or quasi criminal matters, and to dispose of unfinished business. The terms of said criminal court of Cook county shall be held by one or more of the judges of the circuit or superior court of Cook county, as nearly as may be in alternation, as may be determined by said judges, or provided by law. Said judges shall be ex-offoio judges of said court.