St. Clair County Proclamation, 1790


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April 27th The Governour was pleased to order & direct that the whole of the Lands lying & being within the following Boundaries Viz:

"Beginning at the Mouth of the little Michilmakinack River, running thence Southerly in a direct Line to the Mouth of the little River above Fort Massac upon the Ohio River, thence with the said River Ohio to its Junction with the Mississippi, thence up the Mississippi to the Mouth of the Illinois River & so up the Illinois River to the Place of Beginning—with all the adjacent Islands of the said Rivers Illinois & Mississippi" Should be a County by the Name & Style of the County of St Clair. And on the same Day was issued the following Proclamation.

Whereas the Distance at which the several Villages & Settlements in the County of St Clair, are from each other, & the Danger the Inhabitants are exposed to in passing from one to the other, would very much impede the due Administration of Justice, Should the Sessions of the several Courts be confined to one Place for the whole County;at the same Time none of the Settlements are sufficiently peopled at present, to admit of their being erected into seperate Counties, from whence it becomes necessary to divide the said County of St Clair into Districts, in each of which there may be a Session of the several Courts appointed by Law—that the Administration of Justice & the Repression & Punishment of Crimes may have their due Course whilst the Safety & Conveniency of the Inhabitants are attended to, The said County of St Clair shall be, & is hereby divided into three Districts in Manner & Form following Viz: The first District, to be called & known by the Name of the District of Cahokia shall begin on the Bank of the Mississippi River at a Point opposite to the lower End of the Island of Merimeg & run from thence by a Line at right Angles with the said Bank to the Eastern Boundary of the County, thence with said Boundary to the Mouth of the little Michilmakinack River, thence down the Illinois River to the Mississippi, thence with the Mississippi to the Place of Beginning.

The second District which shall be called & known by the Name of the Prairie du Rochers shall begin at the before mentioned Point on the Bank of the Mississippi & run from thence down the same to the Mouth of a Run below the Prairie du Rochers, over which there is a wooden Bridge, & sometimes called Morgan's Run, thence with the said Run to the Eastern Boundary of the County;but if it shall be found that the said Run does not penetrate the Country so far as to reach the said Eastern Boundary, then a Line shall be drawn from the Head thereof, parallel to that drawn from the Point at the lower End of Merimeg Island, to the said Eastern Boundary, from either of which as the Case may be, it shall run with the Eastern Boundary to the Line before mentioned drawn from the Merimeg Island, thence with that Line to the Mississippi, & with the Mississippi to the Place of Beginning.

The third District which shall be called & known by the Name of the District of Kaskaskias shall begin at the Mouth of the before mentioned Run, sometimes called Morgan's Run & go from thence with the Mississippi to the Entrance of the Ohio River, thence with that River to the small Stream or River above Fort Massac, & from thence with the Eastern Boundary of the County to the Place of Beginning.

Courts of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace;County Courts of Common Pleas & Courts of Probate shall be holden in each of the said Districts, & the Justices of the Court of general Quarter Sessions of the Peace;the Judges of the County Court of common Pleas, & the Judge of Probate for the said County are required & directed to hold the Sessions of the said several Courts in all & every of the said Districts in like Manner as if each of the said Districts was a seperate & distinct County. And the Sheriff of the said County of St Clair is hereby required to provide himself with at least one suitable & sufficient Deputy, for whose Conduct however he shall be responsible, in each of the said Districts where he himself shall not personally reside, for serving all Manner of Process issuing out of the said Courts, & carrying the Judgments of the same into Execution, according as he shall be commanded;saving however to the said Sheriff his full Power and Authority in & over all & every Part of the County: And the Clerk of the Court of general Quarter Sessions of the Peace, & the Prothonotary of the Court of common Pleas shall each of them provide a Deputy and be responsible for the due keeping of the Records of the said Courts of general Quarter Sessions of the Peace, & of the County Courts of common Pleas in each of the said Districts & the issuing of Process within the same agreeable to Law: And the Judge of Probate for the said County shall also, & he is hereby required to provide a good & sufficient Deputy in each of the said Districts where he himself does not reside for whom he shall be answerable, for taking Proof of last Wills & Testaments, granting Letters of Administration & Letters testamentary, recording Wills & receiving & putting on File all Bonds, Inventories & other Documents necessary to be preserved in the Office of the Judge of Probate, as by Law required: And the said Deputies & each of them, before they enter on the Execution of their Offices respectively, shall be sworn to a true & faithful Discharge of the same;the Deputies of the Sheriff, the Clerk of the Court of general Quarter Sessions & of the Prothonotary, before one of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas, and the Deputies of the Judge of Probate before the Judge.

The Justices of the Court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace for the said County of St Clair shall hold their Sessions at the Village of Cahokia for the District of Cahokia on the first Tuesdays in May August October & January;And at the Village of the Prairie du Rochers for the District of the Prairie du Rochers on the second Tuesdays of the said Months;And at the Village of Kaskaskias for the District of Kaskaskias on the third Tuesdays in the said Months yearly & every Year: And the Judges of the County Court of Common Pleas shall hold the Sessions of their Court on the first Wednesdays of May & October at Cahokia for the District of Cahokia;at the Prairie du Rochers for the District of the Prairie du Rochers on the second Wednesdays of the same Month;And at Kaskaskias for the District of that Name on the third Wednesdays of the said Months yearly & every Year until the same shall be altered by Law: And the Judge of Probate shall hold a Session of the Court of Probate in each of the said Districts on the Day appointed for the Meeting of the Courts of common Pleas respectively: And the adjacent Islands in the Mississippi & Illinois Rivers within the aforesaid County are to be considered as appertaining to the several Districts before which they respectively fall.50
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50For controversy arising out of this arrangement, see St. Clair to Turner, Apr. 28 and May 2, 1795, ante, II, 509-510, 513-515.


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