Law


ADVERTISEMENT
  

An Act providing for the Sale of the Lands of the United States, in the territory northwest of the river Ohio, and above the mouth of Kentucky river, 1796

Statute I, CHAP. XXIX—An Act providing for the Sale of the Lands of the United States, in the territory northwest of the river Ohio, and above the mouth of Kentucky river.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That a Surveyor General shall be appointed, whose duty it shall be to engage a sufficient number of skilful surveyors, as his deputies; whom he shall cause, without delay, to survey and mark the unascertained outlines of the lands lying northwest of the river Ohio, and above the mouth of the river Kentucky, in which the titles of the Indian tribes have been extinguished, and to divide the same in the manner herein after directed; he shall have authority to frame regulations and instructions for the government of his deputies;

An act to divide the territory of the United States north-west of the Ohio, into two separate governments, 1800

Statute I, Chap. XLI -- An act to divide the territory of the United States north-west of the Ohio,into two separate governments.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That from and after the fourth day of July next all that part of the territory of the United States, north-west of the Ohio river, which lies to the westward of a line beginning at the Ohio, opposite to the mouth of Kentucky river, and running thence to Fort Recovery, and thence north until it shall intersect the territorial line between the United States and Canada, shall, for the purposes of temporary government, constitute a seperate territory, and be called the Indiana Territory.

Report of Board of Treasury on Western Land Sales, 1787

[LC: CC Papers: no. 139, fol. 467:DS]

[April 4,1787]

The Board of Treasury63 to whom it was referred to Report a Plan for Selling for Public Securities, the Townships Surveyed in the Western Territory.—

Beg leave to Observe,

That agreeably to the Ordinance of the 20th May 1785,64 no Distribution or Sale of Lands can be made until seven Ranges shall have been completely Surveyed, and a Return made of the Surveys.

Connecticut Cession of Western Land Claims, 1786

We William Samuel Johnson and Jonathan Sturges, the underwritten Delegates for the State of Connecticut in the Congress of theUnited States send Greeting—Whereas the General Assembly of the State of Connecticut on the second Thursday of May, in the Year of our Lord One thousand sevenhundred and eighty six, passed an Act in the words following60—viz: "Be it enacted by the Governor, Council and Representatives in General Court Assembled and by the authority of the same, That the Delegates of this State or any two of them who shall be attending the Congress of the United States be and they are hereby directed, authorized and fully empowered in the name and behalf of this State, to make, execute and deliver under their Hands and Seals an ample Deed of Release and Cession of all the Right, Title, Interest,

Massachusetts Cession of Western Land Claims, 1785

To all who shall see these presents, We Samuel Holten and Rufus King the under written Delegates for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the Congress of the United States of America send Greeting:Whereas the General Court of Massachusetts on the thirteenth day of November in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty four passed an Act in titled "An Act empowering the Delegates of this Commonwealth in the United States in Congress assembled to relinquish to the United States certain lands the property of this Commonwealth,"23 a in the words following,

New York Cession of Western Lands, 1781

To all People who shall see these presents, We James Duane, William Floyd and Alexander McDougall the underwritten Delegates for the State of New York in the honorable Congress of the United States of America send Greeting.Whereas by an Act of the Legislature of the said State of New York passed at a Session held at Albany in the Year of our Lord One Thousand seven Hundred and eighty, entitled An Act to facilitate the Completion of the Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union among the United States of America2 it is declared that the People of the State of New York were on all Occasions disposed to

An Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States, North-West of the River Ohio

Be it ordained by the United States in Congress assembled, That the said territory, for the purposes of temporary government, be one district, subject, however, to be divided into two districts, as future circumstances may, in the opinion of Congress, make it expedient.

Be it ordained by the authority aforesaid, That the estates, both of resident and nonresident proprietors in the said territory, dying intestate, shall descent to, and be distributed among their children, and the descendants of a deceased child, in equal parts; the descendants of a deceased child or grandchild to take the share of their deceased parent in equal parts among them: And where there shall be no children or descendants, then in equal parts to the next of kin in equal degree; and among collaterals, the children of a deceased brother

Resolved, that so much of the territory ceded, or to be ceded by individual states, to the United States, as is already purchased, or shall be purchased, of the Indian inhabitants, and offered for sale by Congress..., 1784

The amendment of Mr. [Elbridge] Gerry being adopted, the report as amended was agreed to as follows:

Resolved, That so much of the territory ceded, or to be ceded by individual states, to the United States, as is already purchased, or shall be purchased, of the Indian inhabitants, and offered for sale by Congress, shall be divided into distinct states in the following manner, as nearly as such cessions will admit; that is to say, by parallels of latitude, so that each state shall comprehend from north to south two degrees of latitude, beginning to count from the completion of forty-five degrees north of the equator; and by meridians of longitude, one of which shall pass through the lowest point of the rapids of Ohio, and the other through the western cape of the mouth of the great Kanhaway: but the territory eastward of this last meridian, between the Ohio, lake Erie, and Pennsylvania, shall be one state, whatsoever may be its comprehension of latitude. That which may lie beyond the completion of the forty-fifth degree between the said meridian shall make part of the state adjoining it on the south: and that part of the Ohio, which is between the same meridians coinciding nearly with the parallel of thirty-nine degrees, shall be substituted so far in lieu of that parallel as a boundary line.

An act to authorize the delegates of this state in congress, to convey to the United States, in congress assembled, all the right of this commonwealth to the territory north westward of the river Ohio, 1783

I. Whereas the Congress of the United States did, by their act of the sixth day of September, in the year 1780, recommend to the several states in the Union, having claims to waste and unappropriated lands in the western country, a liberal cession to the United States, of a portion of their respective claims, for the common benefit of the Union.

II. And Whereas this Commonwealth did, on the 2d day of January, in the year 1781, yield to the Congress of the United States, for the benefit of the said states, all right, title and claim which the said Commonwealth had to the territory northwest of the river Ohio, subject to the conditions annexed to the said act of cession.

III. And Whereas the United States in Congress assembled, have, by their act of the 13th of September last, stipulated the terms on which they agree to accept the cession of this State, should the legislature approve thereof, which terms, although they do not come fully up to the propositions of this Commonwealth, are conceived on the whole, to approach so nearly to them, as to induce this State to accept thereof, in full confidence, that Congress will in justice to this State, for the liberal cession she hath made, earnestly press upon the other states claiming large tracts of waste and uncultivated territory, the propriety of making cessions equally liberal, for the common benefit and support of the union. Be it enacted by the General Assembly, that it shall and may be lawful for the delegates of this State, to the Congress of the United States, or such of them as shall be assembled in Congress, and the said delegates, or such of them so assembled, are hereby fully authorized and empowered, for and on behalf of this State, by proper deeds or instrument in writing, under their hands and seals, to convey, transfer, assign and

 

Spacer for Taxonomy