HAYWOOD COUNTY, NC - BIOGRAPHIES - William Williamson, Part 1 ----¤¤¤¤---- WILLIAM WILLIAMSON OF HAYWOOD COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA AND SHELBY COUNTY, ILLINOIS Compilation by Bill Williamson 12649 Mayflower Drive Nevada City, CA 95959 Preface Some of you who read this will perhaps be annoyed with the references and documentation and consider them distractions. I hope you can overlook this practice, as I have found, that many people who “do” genealogy are careless in this matter and have no record or memory of how or where they acquired their “information”. I have chosen to do this because the Journals are often not indexed and others may use this record to find their way through the Journals chronologically. The collection, Laws of Illinois, in the Illinois State Library for various years could add to some of what follows. Given my shortcomings with the computer there are surely errors that need correction, verification and analysis Some of the commentary is speculation on my part but included to remind me what my mind set was-- when/if I am able to return to the record and correlate to other sources. Unfortunately, I did not usually have copies of the laws that were finally adopted as a result of these deliberations, nor have I had extensive interpretive and authoritative history of the legislative process authored by a professional. The purpose of this compilation has been primarily motivated by a desire to learn something of the man, William Williamson and his family. We who have had no oral tradition handed down can only hope this effort will contribute to a reconstruction of who he was, what he was like, what he stood for, what he thought, his motivations, and what molded him into becoming who he was. Given his later years, there is every reason to see him as a man attached to “the southern way of life”. As a person of southern extraction living in the North I hoped to learn to what degree he retained Southern attitudes, attachments and contacts. Some of this can be surmised from his legislative record. I have reached certain “tentative” conclusions, based on these accounts, and I would appreciate the comments and corrections others may offer. For example, I am convinced that he had some benefit of education beyond what can be accounted for in this record but he probably lacked a formal education and lived much of his life in a “frontier” condition. Where or how he acquired the tools to perform as he did is completely obscured from the ages of 15-25 years. I am somewhat disappointed that the Journals obscure far more than they reveal because they focus on procedural questions, rather than substantive ones. It must be remembered that the Journals record votes on bills by title and rarely are we given a glimpse of what peripheral language may have been included. A legislator might vote for or against a titled bill, basing his vote on the terms and conditions of implementation. Even viewing the bill as finally passed does not or cannot verify a singular vote during the debate and vote stage. In any event, the purpose has been to provide a record for family members to follow. Some of the persons identified in the record may or may not be family members but have been included because they were part of his life and the references may later prove useful. Those he served with in the General Assembly during his legislative years reads like a “who’s who” of early Illinois politics and government and Mr. Williamson had contact with many of them. Some who read this may find the comparisons with Abraham Lincoln to be presumptuous but there is no intent to reach so far or so high. Much is known of Lincoln, and very little of Williamson, and I had hoped that a comparison of their service together in the 11th General Assembly, and what they voted for or against, might allow some understanding based on common views. I had hoped to find a record that they had served together on a select or standing committee or exchanged some direct bond. In this I have also been disappointed because the record does not reflect this. The possibility exists that they could have served on conference committees and other Journals of the House might show that. A final word about the “Ledbetter connection”. A child identified as Polly Montgomery was taken into guardianship by Asa and Margaret Ledbetter in Gallatin County in September of 1815. Asa and Margaret moved to Shelby County about the same time William Williamson did. William and Mary Williamson named their first daughter Margaret. Margaret Ledbetter, who survived her husband, was a neighbor of the Williamson’s as were the Scroggins who had signed on as bondsmen for the guardianship in 1815. I have been unable to demonstrate that this is more than coincidence but there is too much of that to “let it go”. This information came to me by letter and the author does not reply to further inquiries. At this writing I believe the best chance to locate/identify Mr. Williamson’s parentage is in the Fines Creek area of North Carolina between the Hurricane Mountains and the Tennessee line. Other family members have contributed to the project. They are: Roger Ash Jeanne Williamson Henson Lillie Smart Howard, now deceased Beulah Livingston Marilyn Molenda Kenneth Norby Ann Cade Phelps Grace Rhoads, now deceased Lorena Yount Smith Arabella Williamson Steward, now deceased Jackie Williamson Kay Wilson Marge Woods, now deceased Since the focus of this file is William Williamson I have sometimes used the pronoun form in reference to him or where it seemed obvious I have not named him at all. The references are from the ILLINOIS SENATE JOURNAL 1832-1833 unless otherwise noted. This Journal is not indexed. William Williamson: Migrated into Fayette County, later to become Shelby County, about 1825. At that time the state’s population was 72,817, an increase from 34,620 in 1818 when Illinois became a state. He purchased from William Wegar a squatter's improvement at the head of Carr’s Creek. All we know of him before that comes from his military service record and his relationship to his brothers who were to stay behind in the North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee areas, HISTORY OF SHELBY AND MOULTRIE COUNTIES, 1881,page 237. It may or may not prove significant but the Ledbetter family also came to the county in that same year, HISTORY OF SHELBY AND MOULTRIE COUNTIES, 1881,page 324. The relationship between William, Martin and George Williamson has been established from a book he owned that was last known to be in the possession of Lillie Smart a foster child of James Daniel Williamson and Nancy DeJarnet. The name of the book: The Rise and Progress of Religion In the Soul is probably not relevant except for the record. In the book are recorded William and Mary’s birth dates, those of his brothers (George and Martin), and those of each of William and Mary’s children. William also recorded, as if in a prayer,” I hope God never turn his face from me”. This and the title may give some indication of his character. Separately, are given the names of Martin Bonaparte Williamson and George Williamson with their birth dates. I have from correspondence received copies but they are of poor quality. Probably, George had moved through the mountains into what is now Cocke County Tennessee. Martin was clearly in Haywood County by 1828 and had signed a petition requesting that, what became Macon County, be severed from Haywood. His birthdate can be obtained from a military record found in the national archives. This document entitled” MILITARY RECORD OF MEN WHO ENLISTED IN THE US ARMY PRIOR TO THE PEACE ESTABLISHED 17 MAY 1815.”Enlisted as a private in Robert Love's Company which was a part of the 43rd Regiment of US Infantry. Present at a muster in Greenfield, NC on May 17,1815. Served in Captains Wilson's Detachment as late as 31 August 1815. The Treaty of Ghent, ending the war, had been signed on 24 December 1814 and the Battle of New Orleans fought after the peace was signed 8 January 1815. Robert Love SR., Robert Love JR. and John B. Love were prominent men in early Haywood County records. For the next ten years we have no documentation for his location or movements. The 1810 Haywood County census (reported alphabetically), where we would expect to find him, was taken under difficult circumstances. Haywood County was a sprawling one, and the census taker admitted to the possibility of errors in his poll. Additionally, the Williamsons were most likely frontier dwellers and could easily have been overlooked; See US Federal Census, Haywood County, N.C., 1810. On page 82,Thomas Love reports that “the settlements on Fines Creek and the East Fork of Pigeon also lye Very remote from the body of the county”. The Census was taken in November and one wonders if the season may have contributed to an incomplete poll. On 7 March 1825 he was named on a juror's list in Fayette County, Illinois. See FAYETTE COURT RECORDS, page 131. Marriage to Mary Montgomery documented in FAYETTE COUNTY RECORDS OLD BOOK A, page 2. They shared these children: Jefferson3 1826-1883 m. Mary Jane Shields Lucinda Angeline 1828 George 1830-1856 m. Nancy Shields Margaret 1832-1917 m. Monroe Minor Thomas Anderson4 1834-1898 m. Martha Ann Goddard Mary Ann 1838 m. John H. Johnson William 1840-1908 m. Sarah Shields Wilson 1841-1863 m. Martha Hewitt John Henry 1844-1909 m. Nancy Tamar Walker Martin 1846-1910 m. Winifred Albertine Gaddis James Daniel 1848-1926 m. Nancy De Jarnet All of the children were born and married (except Jefferson and George who were married in Bond County) in what was, or was to become, Shelby County, Illinois. Mary must have been a remarkable woman. In addition to child bearing she would be challenged by all manner of hardships. Since her husband would be away as a public official she would have had responsibility for the farm properties. In the words of one observer “Words cannot tell of this life. The prairies of Illinois are watered with the tears, and enriched by the graves of her women…for the women—God forgive the men who brought them here “. Another, commenting on the challenges facing pioneer women, “I am sure this land was settled before the Lord was willing”. In December 1826, the State Assembly and State Senate consented to the appointment of William Williamson to the office of County Surveyor in Shelby County. Apparently, the actual appointment was made locally but the approval of the General Assembly was required. The Representative from Fayette County, Mr. McLaughlin submitted the resolution:” Resolved that William Williamson, of the County of Shelby, be and he is hereby recommended to the Senate as a fit person to fill the office of county surveyor for said county”. On the motion of Mr. Berry the resolution was laid on the table, page 309-310. Subsequently, on Mr. Berry’s motion, the resolution was adopted and the Senate asked to concur, Page 437-438. The Senate confirmed the nomination, page 442. HOUSE JOURNAL FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY, 1826, pages 309,437-438,442 and the SENATE JOURNAL FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY, 1826, page 265.On 14 February 1827 he was appointed to the office of County Surveyor and served continuously until 1847. On April 25 the County Commissioners met and issued the following: “ Ordered by the court that William Williamson be appointed to survey and lay out the seat of justice for the county of Shelby, and that the same be laid off according to the plan of the town of Vandalia, and the stakes shall be three inches square, two feet and a half long, one half well drove in the ground; the said Williamson is required to make a return of the same, at the next term of the court, with a good plat with the name of the streets, blocks, number of the lots, etc.”History of Shelby and Moultrie Counties Illinois 1881,page 55. . EXECUTIVE RECORDS.1818-32, page151. ELECTION RETURNS, vol.26, page 24. William Williamson was subsequently paid $30 for his services in surveying the town of Shelbyville. Mr. William Lee D. Ewing, at that time the Clerk of the House, carried the bill from the House to the Senate. After serving as Clerk for the House of Representatives Mr. Ewing became Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives (1830) and the representative for the counties of Shelby, Bond, Macon, Montgomery, Tazewell and Fayette. Mr. Ewing was on the committee that determined the site of Shelbyville to be the county seat of Shelby County and served as one of the early Fayette County Commissioners. There can be little doubt that Williamson’s appointment to these offices came to him, in part, because he became attached to a faction headed by William Lee D. Ewing who was a stalwart Democratic Party loyalist. In the frontier state politics were fluid, revolving about factions with frequent switching of allegiances obscured by attachments to personalities and/or provincial interests. These constituted a plethora of interests/ideas that could each be called “My Friends Party” or “Men not Measures”. Principles were accepted without appreciation for consequences. Jackson, the hero, became an icon and the politics of his supporters came to be: “He who is not with him cannot be with us”. In the broader society respect was based on attainment in the frontier condition rather than accretive culture. A meritocracy, with its promise of efficiency, but threat of exclusion, was discredited if the cost was to be an inclusive society based on the purest of democratic principles. In some respects the kind of society one lived in was more important than how it performed. Because the Democratic Party did provide some chance of mobility, and protection for his interests, Mr. Williamson held fast to it. However, as a legislator, he was at his best when party dogma did not bind him, and he was allowed to cast his vote on the merits of the issue. During the Black Hawk War, Mr. Ewing had commanded a spy battalion. As a leader in the Democratic Party Mr. Ewing held many offices from 1826- 1843. Included in this list of service are: Clerk of the House, Speaker of the House, President of the Senate, Lieutenant Governor (interim), Governor (interim), US Senator and floor leader for his party. At one point the intensity of politics led Mr. Ewing to contemplate challenging Abraham Lincoln, who described Mr. Ewing as a “whole hog Democrat”, to a duel that never transpired. On recorded votes in this session we see Messers Ewing and Williamson often voting together, however, it must not be concluded that William was a “rubber stamp” as his voting record will show. An interesting passage in the Senate Journal for 1835 demonstrates the collaboration between Mr. Ewing and Mr. Williamson who was presiding as chairman of the Committee of the Whole while Mr. Ewing, from the floor, maneuvered amendments to the rules defining the powers of the Speaker and the Sergeant of Arms, SENATE JOURNAL, 1834-1835,pages, 149-150. In the 9th General Assembly on procedural and substantive questions they will often be adversely joined. As a staunch Democrat, one of the mysteries in the record is the degree to which Mr. Williamson tended to vote with the minority although his party held the majority of seats in the General Assembly. In the early years the Illinois constitution reserved to the legislature approval rights for surveyors and other local officials. In a practical sense, appointment required that nomination be acceptable to, and recommended by, the county organization/leadership in order to secure majority support in the legislature. According to a law in force on June 1,1829 which repealed the Act of 1821 the House of Representatives nominated candidates to the Senate whose approval required the Governor to issue a commission to serve on good behavior. The surveyor was then required to take an oath and perform duties specified in law. Some of these included: to make all surveys within the county,” furnish themselves with the field notes of the original survey” and “all surveys made shall be agreeable to the original survey made”. The surveyor was required to keep a book of all survey records he had made and furnish the proprietor copies of these original field notes. His “book” was to be made available to any/all interested parties and this record was acceptable as prima facie evidence in court. His “book” was to be delivered to his successor. He was to be entitled to whatever compensation provided by law. He had the power to deputize assistants and hire chainmen but was to be the responsible party for their acts as well as his own. Prior to 1833 it was the practice that county court commissioners appointed county surveyors to serve as ex officio members of the three person board of Road Commissioners to assist as “viewers” to lay out the route of county roads. The fee schedule for an official county surveyor was set by act of the state legislature. In 1832-33 it was: For establishing one quarter section $2.50 For each half section $2.00 For each town lot over ten-forty .371/2 For each town lot forty-one hundred .25 For each lot aver one hundred .181/4 For laying off land under a writ of ad hoc damnum $2.50 For travel each day while engaged in official duties $2.00 LAWS OF 1833,page,296. There can be no doubt that the office of Shelby County surveyor required some degree of competence as well as political allegiance to the Democratic Party. After the disputed Presidential election of 1824 the adherents of Andrew Jackson began to solidify with the intent to undo a perceived injustice. These “new men” would include men similarly situated to Mr. Williamson. The task of surveyor could be brutal work particularly in the winter months or where there was swamp, brier patch or uneven terrain. The work did provide cash income although some payments were made in kind. Abraham Lincoln worked a compass and chain before he established himself in the law. Mr. Lincoln’s employer in this activity was John Calhoun, the Sangamon County surveyor and later the President of the Kansas Convention that delivered the Lecomption Constitution that provoked the free soil element there. Since Lincoln had had no training he undertook to teach himself, under the tutelage of Mentor Graham, using two books that were useful to the trade: Gibson’s, THEORY AND PRACTICE OF SURVEYING OR HIS TREATISE ON PRACTICAL SURVEYING as well as Flint’s, TREATISE ON GEOMETRY, TRIGONOMETRY AND RECTANGULAR SURVEYING. Part of the job was to settled disputes between property owners and a trusted surveyor was useful in court or as an alternative to court. We cannot know how William Williamson learned this trade but it is probable, like Abraham Lincoln, that he had a sponsor or advocate. The trade required some learning, particularly in mathematics, and it is likely that, among the books listed in his estate were those such as cited above. See Carl Sandburg’s, THE PRAIRIE YEARS, page 36 and David Herbert Donald, LINCOLN, page 51. William Williamson was also appointed constable and sheriff”, HISTORY OF SHELBY AND MOULTRIE COUNTIES, 1881,page 54, SENATE JOURNAL, page 2. Elected sheriff of Shelby County 25 April, 1827 and served until 1833. EXECUTIVE RECORDS, vol.1, page 155,243. ELECTION RETURNS, vol.14, page 70. On 20 July, 1830 "Be it remembered that on this day came in office, William Williamson, the person named in the commission as Sheriff, and took the oath to support the constitution of the United States and the state of Illinois and also the oath respecting dueling. And that he would in all things and to the best of his knowledge, faithfully execute and discharge all the duties required of him by law. In testimony whereof I, Joseph Oliver, Clerk of the County Commissioners Court, do set my and affix my private seal of office provided at Shelbyville this 6th day of September, 1830”. , SHELBY COUNTY ANCESTORS, Vol. 1,page 9-11. The task of discharging all of the “duties required by law” could be an onerous chore for the sheriff of that age, In an infamous case, People vs. John Spalding in 1828 the following judgment was recorded: “This day the prisoner was led to the bar by the sheriff, and having nothing to say why judgment should not be pronounced against him, it is ordered and adjudged by the court now here, that the defendant, John Spalding, receive for the offence aforesaid thirty-nine lashes on his bare back, and the sheriff of Shelby County between the hours of twelve and two o’clock on this day execute the judgment.” Additionally, he was to be fined $2.71 and given three days in jail and stays committed until these costs were paid. The sentence was “faithfully executed and discharged “by William Williamson, sheriff of Shelby County from 1827-1832, HISTORY OF SHELBY AND MOULTRIE COUNTIES, 1881,page, 61. The whipping post and pillory was abolished in Illinois in 1833 although John Snyder in, ADAM SNYDER AND HIS PERIOD IN ILLINOIS HISTORY, 1817-1842, page 78 states that the Fifth General Assembly, on the initiative of John Reynolds, had accomplished this in 1827. . A commission, issued by the governor, for a term of two years followed certification of election as sheriff. In addition to the required previously cited oaths, a bond of $10,000 was required. The duties of sheriff were extensive as was the fee schedule. In a public law made effective June 1,1827,Sections 5-7,9,10 summarized these duties as follows: “execute and return all writs, warrants, serve process orders, decrees….”conserve the peace, suppress all riots, routs, affrays, fightings and all crimes and breaches of the peace” He was to convey prisoners to court and “attend all circuit courts, and courts of county commissioners” as well as “maintain “custody and care of the court house and jail”. “An act concerning Jails and Jailers effective 1 July 1827 required the sheriff to provide meals, medical care and amenities for those in custody if they could not afford bed and board. These costs were added to court costs for the convicted person in custody and made reimbursable to the sheriff or jailor. Because he collected public monies he was required to “make a settlement with the county commissioners court of his county for the taxes and moneys by him collected” and “ settle and account with the auditor of public accounts for all taxes and moneys due the state…” LAWS OF ILLINOIS EIGHT GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1832-1833,pages 366-370, 573-578. As the fee schedule demonstrates, the office was an income producer but probably required too much time away from farm and family for Mr. Williamson to try to hold or recover it. Clearly, he had his sights set on the Senate by the end of his term as sheriff and could not hold a Senate seat while simultaneously holding a county office. For serving a writ or summons per defendant 50 cents Taking a special bail 25 “ Serving witness with subpoena 25 “ Summoning petit jury in each case 50 “ Advertising property for sale 25 “ Returning writ 12 ½“ Mileage each mile on official duty 06 ¼“ Calling in jury in each cause 12 ½“ Levying an execution 50 “ Returning the same 12 ½“ Serving and returning a scire facias to revive a judgment, too Foreclose a mortgage, or against bail 62 ½“ Committing a person to jail 37 ½“ Discharging a person from jail 37 ½“ Dieting each prisoner each day 37 ½“ Attending before a judge with prisoner or on a writ of habeas corpus 1.00 For each mile of travel in the appearance aforesaid .06 1/4 Serving a writ of possession with the aid of a posse comitatus 2.00 Serving the same without aid of a posse comitatus 1.00 Executing a writ of ad quod damnum, attending an inquest, and returning the writ with the verdict of a jury 2.00 For summoning a jury in a case of forcible entry and detainer, and attending the trial 2.00 For attending the circuit and county commissioners courts, to be allowed and paid from the county treasury 1.00 For summoning appraiser to value property 25 cents For swearing each appraiser to value property .0 6 ¼ “ Executing a deed on sale of real estate 1.50 Taking a bond in a criminal case when required by law .50 For executing a capias on a defendant in a criminal cause where the offence is infamous 1.00 For executing a capias on a defendant in a criminal case where the offense is not infamous 50 cents Serving a declaration of ejectment and making affidavit of service .62 1/2 Mileage for each mile for conveying a prisoner from a jail in another county .6 1/4 For each months month’s use of the jail during the confinement of a Prisoner .50 For discharging such prisoner .37 1/2 A commission of 5% allowed for each sale of real and personal Property to a maximum of $200 in commission If monies exceed $200 then 21/2% allowed If the transaction is stopped in these case the maximum commission in the above cases is one half the amounts above For execution of a sentence any fee for punishment not allowed by this act shall be the duty of the county commissioner’ court In all criminal cases where the defendant is discharged as acquitted the Sheriff shall not be allowed any fees Except the commissioners’ court shall annually allow ex-officio Compensation not exceeding $30 as they think proper LAWS OF ILLINOIS 1833,page 289-292. In the 1830 Shelby County Census, page 123,lines 25-42 an unaccountable female is listed with the family. An extraction from a copy by Trella Hall, printed by the Decatur Genealogical Society, page 7 does not show this unexplained person. Males 2-0-0-0-0-1 Females 1-0-0-0-1 There were two separate calls for volunteers during the Black Hawk War. General Whiteside played a prominent role in both the 1831 and the 1832 campaigns but the militiamen who answered one call did not necessarily answer both. The 1831 call came after the planting season and the 1832 muster at the time of planting. During the 1831 campaign Whitesides’ Battalion was a “spy” battalion attached under the command of General Edmund Pendleton Gaines and the Militia Commander, Governor John Reynolds. These men were volunteers and undisciplined combatants. Their pay was minimal and they had to campaign at times that took them from their seasonal duties. They assembled in 1831 at Beardstown and after the Sac Fox retired west of the Mississippi they disbanded. In the 1832 campaign there were three organizationally distinct armies called into voluntary service. The first of these was Whiteside’s Brigade which was composed of five Regiments, one Spy Battalion, one Odd Battalion of Mounted Volunteers and one Odd Infantry Battalion, pages 122-224. William Williamson took no part in the first campaign against the Sauk Fox that resulted in their movement west of the Mississippi River in 1831. On April 5,1832 this band determined to move back east of the Mississippi River and take up their traditional villages in the Rock River drainage, Governor John Reynolds on 17 April, 1832 called for volunteers and it was this call that resulted in Mr. Williamson’s enlistment for sixty days. These volunteers were to assemble at Beardstown where on 24 April, 1832 Mr. Williamson was elected First Lieutenant in Daniels Price’s Company which was a part of an Odd Battalion of Mounted Volunteers under Major Thomas James of Monroe County in General Samuel Whiteside’s Brigade that was designated the First Army. Term of service was to be 60 days. It is possible to reconstruct Lt. Williamson’s participation in this campaign by following the route and movements of Whitesides’s Brigade, Whiting, THE BLACK HAWK WAR, VOL II, PART I, Map # 3. At the time the militia was mustered into service it included three companies commanded by Peter Warren and Daniel Price from Shelby County and Thomas Harrison’s company from Monroe County. The latter company was detached May 18 and sent back to Rock Island. Vol II, part 1, page 332. General Samuel Whiteside detached the infantry volunteers to protect the steamboats at the mouth of Henderson’s River Vol II, part 1, and page 334. On 29 April Governor Reynolds ordered General Whiteside to move his command from Beardstown to the Yellow Banks (Oquawka) on the Mississippi River by the most direct route, Vol II, part 1, page 338. William Headen in a letter to his brother from Beardstown 1 May 1832 wrote: “We have just arrived at headquarters and have been mustered into service. Fifteen hundred men were just equipped and ferried across the Illinois River at this place. We will draw provisions for five days this evening be armed with Harpers Ferry muskets and take up the line of March again in the morning. I believe from every circumstance that we will have fighting to do. The men and horses are all well. We have suffered a great deal with hunger, fatigue and wet since we started”. Vol II part 1,page 341-342. Since Mr. Headon was a resident of Shelbyville, and attached to Peter Warren’s company, in is probable that Daniel Price’s Company traveled the same route in the same time frame. Whitney’s footnote to the letter is interesting on several counts: 1.Mr. Headon had medical training and was a Doctor in Shelbyville where he resided until his death there in 1863. 2.Whitney notes: “It seems likely that the Shelby county companies arrived at Beardstown before May 1st. William Thomas’ Quartermaster Book also shows that both Shelby county Captains (Peter Warren and Daniel Price) drew corn, pork, lead and powder on April 29. On April 29 also, Governor Reynolds ordered those companies to be organized as part of an odd battalion of mounted troops, the officers to be elected immediately. It would have been unusual for a unit to elect officers if part of its members were absent. The May 1 date of the letter may be correct, however, since the Shelby county men could have arrived at Beardstown barely in time for the election of battalion officers but not in time to be fully armed and equipped to leave with the main body of the brigade. Another possibility is that the election of battalion officers was taken later; the muster roll dates their service to April 28,impossible in view of the April 29 order. 3.Governor Reynolds implies in MY OWN TIMES, page 227,that the Shelby County companies were late in joining the army: [‘The evening after we reached the Yellow Banks, in a torrent of rain, Captain Warren of Shelby County, with his company and another company, had swam the streams and joined us. It afforded the army much pleasure to witness the energy of these troops and the volunteers greeted them with loud cheering’] “, MY OWN TIMES, page 342.These reports make the notation that Lt. Williamson was on leave at the time of the muster and election of officers all the more mysterious and provocative. A Letter from John Reynolds to Henry Atkinson reported that the mounted volunteers reached Yellow Banks 3 May 1832. Samuel Whiteside’s General Order of the day for 5 May reports they were encamped at Yellow Banks in Camp# 6. Whitney, Vol II part 1,page 353. John Reynolds relinquished command of the Illinois volunteers and General Henry Atkinson of the Regular Army assumed command on May 8th. At that time Reynolds was at the Old Sac Village and Atkinson was at the mouth of Rock River. Presumably, the volunteers were still with Reynolds, page 355- 356. General Atkinson ordered Whiteside’s brigade to move up Rock River to the Winnebago Prophets Village where Black Hawk’s band was presumed to be in the vicinity of Dixon’s Ferry. Whiteside had authority to engage or wait for the Regulars under Col. Zachary Taylor and the Illinois volunteer infantry that was coming by water, page 360f. General Atkinson’s aide, Albert Sidney Johnston, states in his diary that Whiteside’s Battalion marched the morning of May 10th for Dixon’s Ferry Vol II part II, page 1310. On May 11th the Odd Battalion’s Morning Report shows 4 captains (Harrison, Price, Warren and White) and 4 First Lt.’s present for duty. Captain Price’s company and Peter Warren’s companies included, page 364. The Battalion included 320 officers and enlisted fit for duty, page 364. Samuel Whiteside’s letter to General Atkinson reports the Odd Battalion at Camp # 10 at Dixon’s Ferry on 12 May. The Indians were presumed to have withdrawn up Rock River to Old Man’s Creek that would thereafter be called Stillman’s Creek or Stillman’s Run. At this point an order, given on Whiteside’s authority, but written in Governor Reynolds hand, was issued, for Stillman’s force to move up to Old Man’s Creek and take “ all cautious measures to coerce said Indians into submission”. Whiteside later denied issuing this order, pages 366-367. On the 14th Stillman’s regiment made contact with Indians and a skirmish ensued which led to bloodshed on both sides and subsequent engagements that placed Stillman’s force at a disadvantage. Panic among the militia resulted in a headlong flight back into the Brigade lines at Dixon’s Ferry. Lieutenant Albert Sidney Johnston’s diary report indicates that the Regulars under General Atkinson joined Whiteside’s brigade at Dixon’s Ferry after the volunteers moved up to bury those who were killed on the 14th at Stillman’s Run, Vol II part II, page 1311. (In Eckert’s account, pages 316-318, on 15 May, Whiteside’s force numbering 1400 mounted volunteers, almost without provisions, advanced to the site of Stillman’s defeat and buried the mutilated bodies of the militia men killed on the 14th.) Eckert, without attribution, has it that the Indians were carrying a red flag that the militia took to be a challenge to fight, but instead the Indians had been attempting to signal to negotiate. Without attribution this seems questionable. Lt. Johnston’s account states that on the 19th the Regulars and the Militia, in pursuit of the Sacs, encamped 14 miles above Dixon’s, Vol II part II, page 1311. Following the “run” Whiteside’s Brigade remained at Dixon’s Ferry on Rock River awaiting orders and provisions and for the Regulars under Atkinson to come up. On 18 May General Atkinson ordered that the Illinois volunteers draw ten days rations and General Whiteside’s Brigade be held ready to move on the morning of the 19th. On the 21st the Regulars and the volunteers encamped above and below Sycamore Creek and on the following day the volunteers were ordered to search the Sycamore and Fox Creek drainages, Vol II, part II, page 1312. On May 22, General Atkinson issued special order # 11 that ordered General Whiteside’s brigade to advance up Sycamore Creek. Probably with an eye to the terms of service and the growing disaffection for those under his command this was a final push to engage and drive the Indians from the country before the volunteers would be discharged. On 23, May General Atkinson issued the following order: “Lt. Williamson of Col.James’odd battalion of Illinois state troops will take command of the men at this place, belonging to the several regiments of the State troops now in the field, and remain at Dixon’s Ferry until further orders”, page 413. The Brigade had moved up Rock River to Fox River by the 25th,page 440. On the 27th of May General Whiteside reported to General Atkinson that” The troops under my command having been mustered into service for no particular length of time; and having entered the service on very short notice under the impression that they would be retained only about three or four weeks, have become impatient and anxious to return home”, page 461 Albert Sidney Johnston’s Journal for the 28th records that Whiteside’s force had arrived at Fox River on the 24th and “disbanded the whole and thus put further operation against the Sacs out of the question for the present, these troops were disbanded by the order of Governor Reynolds who was compelled by their clamors to do an act which might have been followed by the most injurious results”, Vol II, Part II, page1312. On the 31st of May General Atkinson reported by letter that the Illinois Volunteers had pursued the Indians up Rock River without result and that the Governor on arrival at Ottawa on Fox River discharged the militia, page 491. Whitney describes the conditions that led to their discharge: “The Illinois militiamen, annoyed at being called from their spring planting, found active military campaigning so distasteful that their commanders recommended their discharge after only a months service, thus necessitating the enrollment of two additional volunteer forces. The first army of about nineteen hundred men was Whiteside’s Brigade”. Vol. 1,page xi. There were many claims arising from the Black Hawk War. Later, as a senator, Mr. Williamson voted against one of these, which would have granted Rachel and Sylvia Hall 80 acres along the right of way of a canal. Their story gained the attention of the state press and generated widespread sympathy for the girls. The measure cleared the Senate without his support, 16- 9, SENATE JOURNAL 1832-1833,and page 479. A mixed force of Potawatomie, Winnebago’s and Sac Foxes took the Hall girls, Sylvia 17 and Rachel 15, on 20 May 1832 when 17 people, including most of their family, were massacred. Toqueme, the leader of the group, was intent upon their deaths but they were ransomed after a compelling offer of horses and money was reluctantly accepted. They were turned over to Henry Dodge on 31 May 1832 after eleven days of captivity, subsequently married and managed to live long lives, Eckert, Allan W., TWILIGHT OF EMPIRE, Bantam, 1988,ISBN#0-553-28059-7,pages 356- 357,415-416,422-427. Unless otherwise indicated all previous references on the Black Hawk were taken from: Whitney, Ellen, Ed. THE BLACK HAWK WAR, 1831-1832,VOL II PART I, LETTERS AND PAPERS APRIL 30,1832- JUNE 23,1832,1973.ISBN# 0-912154-22-5,pages 264-491. All citations that follow are from the SENATE JOURNAL EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1832-1833 unless otherwise indicated. This Journal is not indexed. Mr. Williamson was elected to the 8th GENERAL ASSEMBLY on 6 August 1832,ILLINOIS ELECTION RETURNS, 1832-1833,page 255- 256. The General Assembly convened at Vandalia 3 December, 1832 and adjourned 2 March, l833. The Senate comprised 26 members and the House 28.Of the 31 officers and members of the Senate 18 were veterans of the Black Hawk War and in the House of 60 members and officers 30 were veterans of the War, ILLINOIS FIFTH CAPITOL, pages 225- 226 and The BLACK HAWK WAR, 1831- 1832, Vol. I ILLINOIS VOLUNTEERS, pages 579-682. For this service each senator was paid $3 per day attended and $3 per 20 miles traveled. Temple and Temple: ILLINOIS FIFTH CAPITOL, 1988,page 252. In addition to serving in the 8th General Assembly as a senator he also continued in that office through the 9th General Assembly. Later he was elected to serve in the House of Representatives in the 11th and 15th General Assemblies, ILLINOIS FIFTH CAPITOL , pages 282,316. Conditions of service must have been less than ideal as this excerpt from the Vandalia web site reflects: “Vandalia's second statehouse was built during the summer of 1824 by residents who feared removal of the capitol to another town. Like its predecessor, the building served primarily as a meeting place for the general assembly. State executive offices and the Supreme Court seem to have had no permanent quarters. The building had been constructed hastily, and the defects were soon apparent. By 1834 its floors sagged badly and the walls bulged dangerously. Two years later people refused to enter the building for fear it would collapse. Vandalia residents, frightened by an 1834 referendum to relocate the capitol, constructed a third statehouse, the one that stands today. Work began in the summer of 1836 with efforts to salvage material from the old building. Though workers attempted to finish the building rapidly, much remained to be done when the legislature convened in early December. Plaster in second-story rooms was still damp, and rooms on the first floor were barely begun. This third statehouse was of simple Federal design. Larger than any of its predecessors, the building provided for the first time, space for all three branches of government. The first floor contained offices for the auditor of public accounts, secretary of state, and Treasurer - all members of the executive branch - as well as chambers for the supreme Court. There was no space specifically assigned to the governor, the whole of the second floor was devoted to the needs of the general assembly.” It is worth noting that Mr. Williamson’s service paralleled that of Abraham Lincoln who served in the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th General Assemblies in the House of Representatives. What kind of legislator did Williamson prove to be? Certainly in this initial term he was no mover or shaker but his voting pattern reveals that he made up his own mind and no one person or faction controlled his conscience or vote. If he did have predispositions the only clear one was that he took a protective view for the interests of his district. However, at that time, it was common for representatives to be instructed by their constituencies and it is now impossible to know, in each case, whether he voted his party, his district or his conscience. This General Assembly took up questions/issues on the following subjects: removal of Indians west of the Mississippi River, navigation of rivers, reorganization of county government, the impeachment of Judge Theophillus Smith, sale of public lands, incorporations, judicial jurisdictions, approval of local appointments, election of county officials, construction and extensions of roads, bridges, rails and canals, the state militia, paupers and debtors, estray animals, pre-exemption, public finance, taxation ,the apportionment of taxes, state banking law and, on occasion, petitions to Congress in the form of resolutions. Mr. Williamson represented Macon and Shelby counties. “By the luck of the draw” his term was for four years rather than the usual two years because the terms were staggered so that the Senate would be divided into two classes with half the terms expiring at different times. Senator Ewing, who had the votes, made a motion, that was defeated, to choose the senators in the two classes by ballot of the Senate but the constitution required a drawing, SENATE JOURNAL, page 182. Actually, the General Assembly only met December through February the following year so it is misleading to say the term was for years. Of course, they were subject to call by the governor if the need should arise. On December 5, 1832 he was appointed to the Standing Committee on Elections. SENATE JOURNAL, page 25.He served through 1835 when a neighbor, Peter Warren, replaced him. SENATE JOURNAL, 1832- 34,page 182.ILLINOIS FACT BOOK AND HISTORICAL ALMANAC, 1673- 1968, pages 202f. This session was marked by consideration of the national agenda, which was set, in part, when John C. Calhoun and the South Carolina legislature advanced the doctrine of nullification in which the compact theory of state’s rights was proclaimed. This thesis asserted that an individual state could void/veto an act of the national congress, most specifically in this case, an unpopular and unwise Tariff of 1832. Because the South Carolinians were adherents to the Jeffersonian notion that what the constitution did not permit was prohibited, the nation faced another secession crisis. Since the Proclamation called upon the individual states to petition for a new constitutional convention the state of Illinois in General Assembly took up the question by adoption of the following resolution on the 18th of December, Mr. Williamson voting in the affirmative. “Resolved, by the Senate and House of Representatives, of the state of Illinois, “That the proposition of both houses of the state of South Carolina, having for its object the call of a convention of the states to consider and determine such question of disputed power as have arisen between the states of this confederacy and the general government, which have been transmitted to this general assembly for an expression of its sentiments, having been considered by this body with the respect due to the distinguished member of the Union from which it emanated, is deemed by this assembly to be inexpedient and inadmissible Because, 1st: The constitution of the United States does not recognize any such tribunal as a convention of states, but has expressly provided another mode in which amendments to that instrument, when deemed necessary, shall be made. Because, 2nd: A convention to propose amendments when called by congress must be, in the nature of things, a convention of the people, from which the constitution derives its authority, and not a convention of the states. Because, 3rd: That such a political assemblage as a convention of states, not being recognized by the constitution, could have, if assembled, no legal or constitutional existence or power, and could not have authority to consider and determine questions of disputed power which have arisen between the government and states of the Union. Because, 4th: It is not expedient to call a convention at this time; but that if any amendments to the constitution be necessary, this general assembly, believe they should be proposed in a manner pointed out in the constitution by two thirds of both houses of congress. Because 5th: This general assembly is not aware of any political exigency in the affairs of this nation, which may not be settled by an ordinary exertion of the wisdom of congress, the patriotism and the loyal affections of the people to their country. Because 6th: This constitution has expressly given to the supreme court full power for the settlement of all controversies between the government and individual states, members of the Union.” SENATE JOURNAL, pages 580-582. Earlier in the session, in response to a message from Governor John Reynolds, a resolution was adopted unanimously by the senate that called upon the US Congress to use “speedy and vigorous measures on the part of the general government” on the grounds that “disunion by armed force is treason”, SENATE JOURNAL, December 24,1832, page 130. The general Assembly subsequently passed the original resolution without change, Mr. Williamson voting in the affirmative. Because much of the work of the senate was expedited by dissolving the senate into committee of the whole it is often impossible to know who took what position on specific issues and therefore, the Journal of the Senate leaves us guessing as to opinions and policies of individual senators. Sometimes the recorder includes affirmative and negative votes and more often he did not. A summary of what can be known of Williamson’s service and voting record in the session follows. In the 1832-1833 session Mr. Williamson was appointed to two standing committees and they were the Committee on Elections. With Messers: Evans, Mills, McCreery and Grammar, and the Committee on Military Affairs with Messers: Strode, Raum, Iles, and Davidson, Page 25-26 In response to the governor’s message to the General Assembly several resolutions were proposed in the senate and committees assigned to inquire into the legislative response. Mr. Williamson was assigned to the select committee to propose a response to resolution number six that read: “So much as relates to local and national improvements”, page 27. In December 1832 he voted with the majority to elect James Semple to the office of State Attorney-General. HOUSE JOURNAL, 1832-33,pages 233-235. Earlier that day he voted for James T.B. Stapp for Auditor, HOUSE JOURNAL, page 195 and SENATE JOURNAL, page 183. He voted with the minority for John Ewing to be Warden of the State Penitentiary, HOUSE JOURNAL, page, and 232. John Dement was elected unanimously to be State Treasurer, SENATE JOURNAL, and page 183-184.On December 10, 1832 he voted in a joint session with the House of Representatives for John York Sawyer to be Public Printer to serve a two year term, SENATE JOURNAL, page 53-54 and HOUSE JOURNAL, page 78. The contest for state printer was more significant than might first be seen. Because printing establishments were also publishers of newspapers the friends of the political majority were often rewarded with the state’s business. The printer profited in his business and the politicos profited with editorial endorsements and a platform for attacking or answering their political enemies. An example of this is the 1832-1833 session when Sawyer was given the contract to print the transcript of the Theopholis Smith impeachment proceedings,SENATE JOURNAL, page 309. Published as an appendix in the, SENATE JOURNAL, EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY the transcript extends to 91 pages. On this day in the senate he and Mr. Ewing were appointed to a select committee to report on a House of Representatives “act to repeal an act authorizing the county commissioners court of Shelby County to lay a tax for certain purposes”. This act had been passed in the 7th General Assembly. Ordered to third reading, page 86 and enrolled December 29,1832, page 178- 179, 182. Perhaps the bill was retitled or the Senate chose to initiate its own bill because on February 13 a bill entitled “ An Act to authorize the county commissioners court to levy a tax for certain purposes specified” was up for second reading when Mr. Williamson proposed to insert this language “except in Shelby and Macon counties”. On motion of Mr. Ewing, the bill was sent to the Judiciary Committee, page 420.Presumably, his amendment was retained because he voted for the final bill that passed the Senate, 13-10,page 525. However, on February 27th the House informed the Senate that they had denied the bill a second reading, page 583. On December 8 Messers: Ewing and Williamson represented the senate on a joint committee “to consider the accounts of John R. Taylor for repairs to the state house”. page, 52. On December 10,1832 a resolution was adopted to “take into consideration a report on a bill for repairs of the State House”, Mr.Ewing and Mr.Williamson represented the senate on the joint committee established to make recommendations on this question, page 52. On motion of Mr. Snyder, who supported the move to Springfield, the resolution was laid on the table, page 87. On the 11th he was appointed to a select committee of five to study and report on a bill entitled: “An act for the relief of persons therein named”, page 60. This act was adopted by the Senate, 18-5 without Mr. Williamson’s’ support, page 319. In February, an attempt to tack on a rider to this bill was offered by Mr. Bird to wit: “That the bill entitled an act permanently to locate the seat of government of this state, passed the present session of this legislature, be, and the same is hereby repealed”. This measure was defeated 12-13 with Mr. Williamson voting to support, page 521-522. The relief act was referred to select committee and another attempt to preserve Vandalia as the state capitol had failed. On the 17th he asked leave to introduce a bill entitled “An act to erect certain bridges”, page 85. On the 18th he was appointed to a select committee with Senators Williams and Forquer to report on this issue, page 87. On 4 January the bill was reported back to the senate for second and third reading but on January 5th it failed to pass by a 2-1 margin, page 209, 213. Regardless of the merits of this proposal the number of worthy projects always exceeded the funding capacity of the state budget. In 1832 state expenditures were $284,647 and annual revenue $290.094 leaving a budget surplus of $5447,page 44-45. By comparison the 1837 state budget balanced at $738,325,LAWS OF ILLINOIS 1836-1837,pages, 116-117. On December 18th the House of Representatives proposed that the Senate concur with the following resolution: “that a joint select committee of seven from the House of Representatives and five from the senate, be appointed to take into consideration the subject of of the South Carolina Doctrine of Nullification, and report to both houses “. A motion to lay this proposal on the table was made by Mr. Evans but it was defeated 12-13 with Mr. Williamson voting to table. The Senate then adopted the resolution by an unreported vote, page 92-93. As will be seen Mr. Williamson supported the President’s position on the crisis in South Carolina, so why would he oppose this resolution? The answer probably lies in reluctance on the part of the Senate leadership to accept the 7- 5 House advantage on the committee and a preference for considering the issues in the Senate. On Christmas Eve the Senate met and endorsed a resolution proposed by the House endorsing the position of the President on the nullification crisis in South Carolina, Mr. Williamson voting aye, page 128- 130. Mr. Williamson voted to extend the National Road to Vandalia, Illinois, December 19, page 107. At this time the National road that began in Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia) was little more than a track through central Illinois. On December 21,Mr Williamson voted aye on “an act authorizing a credit on sales of School lands” page 115. The bill was laid on the table, page 120 and passed with the House asked to concur, page 123 There was concern within the Senate that the sale of Section 16 lands might not be constitutional and a resolution directed to the courts requesting an advisory opinion was adopted, pages 159-160. Senator Williamson supported passage of an omnibus bill on internal improvement entitled “An act to incorporate the North Western Company, for manufacturing purposes” after opposing an amendment to the bill which would have reserved to the legislature the right to review the measure after 10 years time, December 24, page 125. The bill subsequently was adopted 18-7 with Mr. Williamson voting aye, and the House was requested to concur, page 126. On December 26 he was appointed to a select committee to consider a bill from the House of Representatives entitled “An act to change a part of the state road leading from Shelbyville to Paris and for other purposes”, page 158. The act passed second reading and, on Mr. Williamson’s motion, was referred to a select committee composed of Messers. Williamson, Archer, and Craig, pages, 158-159.The bill were reported as correctly enrolled, approved by the Council of Revision and ultimately adopted, page 421-422. On December 29 Senator Mills reported from a select committee charged with drafting a memorial to Congress requesting that the sale of public lands in Illinois might early on be subject to taxation. Mr. Williamson moved that these be postponed until July 4 next but this motion was rejected, the committee language was adopted and the House requested to concur, page 182. Since the General Assembly never met on July 4th in any year the adoption of this measure was a parliamentary device to kill any proposal. On January 4,1833 a bill from the House of Representatives entitled “An act to regulate the penitentiary” was taken up with amendments proposed by the Senate Judiciary Committee. A motion was made to strike out sections 5 and 6 of the bill. This vote failed 10-16 with Mr. Williamson voting to strike out, page 210. The subject of section five gave the Inspectors of the Penitentiary the authority to lay off lots east of the penitentiary for sale to the highest bidder on credit and good security for six, twelve and eighteen months. Section six required that the proceeds from the sale of these lots would be used for construction on prison grounds, LAWS OF ILLINOIS, EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY, 1833,pages 477-478. In the second session, January 7,1833 he voted against a pro rata bill apportioning funds from the sale of saline lands. Shelby County was allotted $300 and Macon $150 and since most counties received at least $200 it might be concluded that he voted against the slight to Macon County which he also represented, page 234. A bill taken from the table relative to the establishment of circuit courts was taken up and amendments offered. Mr. Ewing proposed language “four” but this was defeated with Mr. Williamson voting aye. Next an amendment proposing “three” was offered and this was adopted 14-13 with Mr. Williamson voting no. The bill as amended was sent on to third reading, page 251. This issue related to the number of terms of the circuit courts held annually in each of the counties, LAWS OF ILLINOIS, EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY, 1833,page 162. On January 17 the bill came back to the floor for its’ third reading and a motion was made to strike out “three” as the number of judges and inserting “one”. The proposal lost 12- 14 with Mr. Williamson voting no. A second motion proposing that the number of judges be “two” was defeated. A motion was offered to postpone the bill to July 4,next failed with Mr. Williamson voting aye. The bill was then laid back on the table, Page 299-300. On January 17 proponents of the bill asked the Senate to approve a motion to add a sixth judicial district presided over by one judge. The motion was adopted,14- 12 with Mr. Williamson voting aye. He then supported a motion to postpone indefinitely which failed, 12-14. The bill then retiled “An act to establish an additional judicial circuit” was passed without these amendments and without Mr. Williamson’s vote and the House asked to concur, pages 305-306. At some point the bill came back from the Judiciary Committee and passed. Mr. Williamson voting no, page 453. The issue turned on the number of judges as well as the number of sessions per annum but who favored what language in each case is unclear. LAWS OF ILLINOIS 1833 reveals that the number of circuits remained at “five” and the number of sessions per anum “two,” pages 162-163. At issue too, was the need to provide civil government in and for the northwestern section of the state that was beginning to gain population following the settlement of the Black Hawk “disturbance” On January 11, “An Act to compensate Clerks and other persons for services rendered in comparing poll books” that proposed they receive six cents per mile in travel came to the floor. Mr. McCreery proposed five cents and this was discarded, Mr. Ewing proposed ten cents which was also set aside, Mr. Williamson proposed eight cents and this was also rejected and the motion to accept six was finally agreed to, page 261 and LAWS OF ILLINOIS, 1833,PAGE 127. When the School Fund bill came to the floor from the Committee of the Whole Mr. Will proposed several amendments that included these ideas: 1. The School fund commissioners were to pay in all funds they held into the Treasury 2. The State Auditor was to pay out these funds to the County Commissioners according to the apportionment of population at the last census 3.The County Commissioners would be required to loan these funds on good security for the highest rate of interest they could 4.The County Commissioners would be required to use the interest Earned on the loans to establish and maintain schools in their respective counties. This motion to amend was defeated 9-16 with Mr. Williamson voting aye. The bill was then engrossed for third reading, pages, 287- 288. On February 8,1833 the House conveyed to the Senate that this bill had failed to be read by the House a third time and the bill was sent back to the Senate Committee on School Lands and Education which proposed amendments to the House’s objections and the bill was referred back to the floor for third reading, Pages 371 and 380. The Senate passed the revised act from the House “concerning the school fund” February 9,page 388. The school fund was established by the sale of section sixteen lands and, throughout his legislative career, Mr. Williamson’s voting record suggests an unwillingness to “raid” the fund for general government expense. On January 14 he presented a petition on behalf of residents of Macon County “praying the review of the road From Decatur to Paris” be improved between Decatur and Paris, page 269. A bill from committee relating to circuit courts was reported to the floor with amendments and the bill was passed its’ third reading 14-11 with Mr. Williamson voting no, page 283. On this day, January 14, he also voted no on “an act authorizing the Commissioners of the School and Seminary Fund to loan the same to the state”. The bill was adopted and the House was asked to concur, page 294. On the 23 of January he moved an amendment on this bill, which would “ strike out the names of the road commissioners stated in the bill and insert in lieu thereof the names James Johnson, Henry Snyder, and Philip D. Williams”. page, 324. On the 15th of January the bill to relocate the capitol came to the floor and Mr. Williamson moved to postpone the bill indefinitely but the Senate rejected this 15-11,Snyder, John: ADAM SNYDER AND HIS PERIOD IN ILLINOIS HISTORY, 1817-1842,pages 154-155. He voted affirmatively to establish a commission to report on the issue of permanently fixing the seat of state government, page 275. Here his position was to refer the decision on the state capitol to the voters in the next election (1834) where the city receiving the plurality of votes would decide the matter. The voters were to have the choice of Jacksonville (Morgan), Springfield (Sangamon), Alton (Madison), and Vandalia (Fayette), page 291-292. When the bill was considered on the floor he unsuccessfully attempted to have the choice include “Shelbyville in Shelby County and Decatur in Macon County”, pages 291-292. The motion was accepted but in its final markup the bill included only the four choices cited above and Peoria which was accepted by amendment. It read in its final form: “Be it enacted by the people of the state of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly, That at the next election to be held in the several counties of the state for members of the legislature, there shall be opened at such place of voting, a book, in which shall be entered the votes of the qualified voters in favor of the following named places, as their choice for the permanent location of the seat of government of this state, after the expiration of time prescribed by the constitution for it remaining at Vandalia, to wit: The Geographical Centre of the state;Jacksonville,in Morgan County; Springfield in Sangamon County; Alton in Madison County;Vandalia,in Fayette County; and Peoria in Peoria County. The place or point receiving the highest number of votes shall forever hereafter remain the seat of government for the state of Illinois”. Subsequently, the matter was passed back to the legislature to decide. On January 16th the Senate entertained a motion that was defeated, to add Carlyle in Clinton County to the list of eligibles for a state capitol with Mr. Williamson voting no. He voted aye on a motion to table the relocation bill until August 1,1835. The bill to establish a Board of Commissioners to recommend a site passed, 16-10, without Williamson’s support, pages 294-295. Also on the 16th he supported a motion to postpone this election until January 16,1835,Page 294. Inevitably, the relocation of the capitol to Springfield was linked to the internal improvement movement. Because of logrolling, the “long nine” of Sangamon County and other blocs voted for relocation in exchange for votes for their favored projects. Such practices put representatives and senators from single member districts, such as Mr. Williamson’s Shelby County, at a disadvantage in pooling their votes in exchange for local projects. Following the principle “you scratch my back and I will scratch yours” legislators committed the state to far more projects than could be funded and the accumulated costs far exceeded the capacity of the state to pay. The result was fiscal collapse and the failure of almost all the public works that had been chartered. This question continued to be a point of conflict and controversy as several cities wanted this plum in their own district. Finally, by a joint vote in the General Assembly on February 28,1837 an act was adopted that made Springfield the new seat of government, ILLINOIS FIFTH CAPITOL, page 1. The Senate was asked to concur on a House bill entitled “ An act concerning the school fund”, page 353. Mr. Ewing made a motion that a committee of five be established to “enquire into the expediency of establishing a state bank in this state, founded on specie capital”. A select committee for this purpose was appointed composed of Ewing, Davidson, Jones, and Archer and Will, page 354. Mr. Williamson doggedly supported the concept of a state bank founded on specie but the maintenance of this standard was constantly at risk due to economic conditions and broad market forces. A message from the Governor containing a request by the state of South Carolina calling for a convention of the states was sent to a select committee of Ewing, Mather and Strode, page 355. A motion to carry over a resolution calling for a state convention the first Monday in August, 1834 failed adoption with Mr. Williamson voting no, page 469-470.The Senate answered the state of South Carolina’s call for a convention of the states by deeming the call “inexpedient and inadmissible” and gave six objections. A motion to postpone indefinitely was defeated with Mr. Williamson voting no. A motion was made to strike out reasons #4, #5 and # 6. Mr. Williamson voted to strike out number six but retain numbers four and five. The six clauses were retained and the report passed with Mr. Williamson voting aye, page 580-582. Number six read as follows: “The constitution has expressly given to the supreme court full power for the settlement of all controversies between the government and individual states…” page 581. He voted to oppose an amendment to a bill on paupers that added the language “that when any person becomes a pauper from intemperance or other bad conduct they shall not be entitled to support from any relative except parent or child”. Amendment was added and the bill passed, 14-11 without his support, page 362. On February 9-11 the Senate took up a major bill entitled “An Act relative to criminal jurisprudence” and although several recorded votes were taken in this time period Mr. Williamson is listed in none of these and there is no mention in the SENATE JOURNAL that he had leave to be absent, pages, 380-402. He could have been in the chair but that would more likely have been a task assigned to a member of the Judiciary committee. On the 12th of February the Senate took up an engrossed bill entitled “ An Act to raise funds for the construction of a permanent road across Purgatory and the little Wabash bottoms on the Vincennes and St. Louis mail road”. The bill was read a third time and passed, 12-11 with Mr. Williamson voting aye, page 409.The House was asked to concur but the Representatives voted to postpone the measure until July 4th, next which effectively killed the road for this session, page 413. A message from Governor Reynolds suggesting that the General Assembly consider” the propriety to authorize certain companies of mounted gunmen to be organized on the frontier for its protection” resulted in the proposal being referred to the Committee on Military Affairs. The committee reported the bill back in tandem with a bill to organize the militia of Cook County. It was read a second time but referred back to the committee with instructions to make the provisions of the law more general, page 418. On February 13 the committee reported the bill back to the floor with several amendments that were agreed to but, on Mr. Evans motion, the bill was then referred to a select committee, page 421. That portion of the bill related to Cook County was taken up in the afternoon session and language added requiring that bond for use of state weapons include the requirement that they be returned in “good order”. “An Act declaring the Fever River a navigatable stream as high as Ottawa” was introduced and curiously was referred to the Military Affairs Committee, page 438.On February 26 the House asked concurrence on “An Act for the organization and governance of the militia of this state”. The bill was read a second time and sent to the Military Affairs Committee, page 565. The Council of Revision reported that the bill was correctly enrolled and it was therefore adopted into law, page 636. This occasion could have produced a point of conflict between the governor and Senator Williamson who later brought suit against John Reynolds for some unspecified grievance. See, cases cited below. Also, on this day the Senate agreed, 15-9, with Mr. Williamson voting for a bill “relative to the closing of the state bank”, page 423. The bill passed third reading, page 423. The bill was finally adopted by the Senate, page 433. The Bank of Shawneetown, chartered in 1821, went bust after 12 years. Judge Theophilus Smith had written its’ charter and it was the bank of preference for the people of southern Illinois. Its failure contributed to the suspicion that all banks were discredable especially following the Panic of 1819 that, in turn, led to the re-establishment (1816-1836) of the Second Bank of the United States. Andrew Jackson destroyed the 2nd BUS in 1836 by removal of US deposits that were re-directed to state banks. The politization of the banking system and the inability of the leadership of national or state leadership to establish a sound currency remained a handicap for economic stability during Mr. Williamson’s lifetime. On February 14,1833 he asked and obtained leave to introduce a petition praying relief for Sally Scroggins and Joel Reynolds. Sally Scroggins was the widow of John Scroggins and his neighbor in Shelby County. He moved to refer to select committee and Mr. Williamson was named to the committee for markup, page 428,444. Second reading, page 453,engrossed for a third reading, 453 and reported as enrolled, 453,461. On February 18 he introduced a bill “authorizing the sale of the real estate of John Scroggins, deceased and for other purposes”, page 461. The House concurred on the Scroggins bill, page 544. The bill was reported as correctly enrolled, page 570. Note: John Scroggins, like Margaret Ledbetter, was a neighbor of William Williamson and is buried in the Sulphur Springs Cemetery, Windsor TS, in Shelby County. On 6 September, 1815 in Gallatin County, Illinois a John Scroggins and Chattin Scroggins provided security to the court for Asa Ledbetter who was appointed to be the guardian of Polly Montgomery, email from William B. Ledbetter April 26,1999. I have been unable to further document this citation but continue to try. In mid February the Senate was subjected to a blitz of proposals as members hastened to get their bills into the legislative mill before the session ended. Some members attempted to extend the session and on most of these votes Mr. Williamson voted no, pages 439. Messers. Williamson, Ewing and Mills were named to a conference committee relative to” just compensation of the sheriff of Fayette County”. The House agreed and when the senate members supported their conferees recommendations the House withdrew its objections and the senate version prevailed, pages 565, 589,598. This issue may be taken as confirmation of the collaboration that existed between Messers Ewing and Williamson. While they were often on opposite sides of a vote it was not the first time that, when Ewing, as presiding officer, needed a vote, he sometimes managed to have Mr. Williamson appointed to the committee charged with the measure. Senator Williamson moved to second reading a bill from the House relative to the election of justices of the peace in the Shelbyville District. Ewing moved it to 3rd reading by title and the bill passed, page 556. The bill was reported as enrolled, pages 570,576. On the 16th of January the Senate took up the question of the rules to be followed governing the impeachment trial of Judge Theophilus W. Smith of the 2nd circuit (which included Shelby and Macon Counties). Mr. Williamson proposed an amendment to the resolution that would allow, “Ladies who may seem proper to attend”. This language was agreed to, page 318.On February 15 the House formally asked the Senate to concur in the charges contained in the indictment against Judge Smith, page 454-455. Mr. Williamson voted on February 18 against a House of Representatives resolution calling for the removal of Judge Theophilus W. Smith of the 2nd judicial circuit and the House preamble was ordered to be laid on the table, page 459.Subsequently Senator Torque attempted to offer an alternative motion that would condemn Judge Smith but these were ruled out of order by the Speaker and, his ruling being challenged was upheld with Mr. Williamson supporting the ruling of the chair, page 457. A motion to lay over the proposal to the 18th was adopted 14-12 with Mr. Williamson voting no, page 457. On the 18th the Senate voted 8-18 not to accept the Forquer motion and ordered that the House be advised, page 459. The Journal of the Senate for the 8th General Assembly contains an appendix that is a record of the proceedings of the Senate in the matter of the impeachment of Judge Theophilus Smith. Judge Smith was omnipresent in early Illinois politics. He wrote the charter of the first Shawneetown Bank and manipulated for control of the bank. When he failed to get control he ruled it unconstitutional when serving as a Supreme Court Justice. He became an early canal commissioner, no doubt with similar ambitions. His machinations seem to be worthy of a Talleyrand or a Richelieu. A contemporary observer said of Smith, circa 1834: “Smith is universally feared, his ambition and his intriguing spirit alarm friends and foes”. Pease, THE FRONTIER STATE, 1818-1848,page 126.These hearings were held throughout the session from January 7 through February 7,1833,pages 1-91. Mr. Williamson was sworn on January 10. He was called upon to vote on certain interrogatories that were put to the witnesses before the Senate. Mr. Williamson’s pattern of voting on these show him to be skeptical of the charges and supportive of questions (pages 64-65,68) put to hostile witnesses. His partisanship is further apparent when he voted not to extend the courtesy (approved 19-5) to allow the prosecutors for the House to sit within the bar of the court. There were six articles of impeachment. Mr. Williamson voted not guilty on all six. Articles one and two resulted in a vote of 11-11. Articles three and five were adopted, 12-10. The fourth article resulted in a unanimous verdict of not guilty and the last article failed 9-13. All charges were acquitted because a two -thirds vote was required for removal, pages 88- 91. On February 14 Mr. Williamson was appointed to a select committee on trespassing (estray) animals, Page 434,437 and another such committee, page 534. Mr. Williamson must have had an interest or a capacity for such legislation because he was to be appointed to the Committee on Estrays in the next session. On January 25,1833 in the House of Representatives Mr. Beeler of Shelby County gave notice that on Monday next he would ask leave to introduce an act: “to authorize MARGARET LEDBETTER to sell and convey a certain tract of land in Shelby County”. HOUSE JOURNAL, page 404. On 28 January, 1833 “Mr. Beeler in pursuance of notice heretofore given asked and obtained leave to bring a bill entitled: “ An act for the benefit of the widow of ASA LEDBETTER, deceased”; which was read and ordered to a second reading. HOUSE JOURNAL, page 420. On February 19, 1833 the Speaker of the House proclaimed “ I am directed to inform the House of Representatives in the passage of bills of the following titles: “An act for the benefit of the widow and heirs of ASA LEDBETTER, deceased”, and other bills I did not record, HOUSE JOURNAL, page 586. On February 19th the senate took up consideration of the bill from the House after Williamson moved to suspend the rules and the bill moved to second reading, page 476-477,509. The bill appeared as an enrolled bill February 20, pages 4779, 485-486,509. Approval came on 20 February 1833 as a private act, which reads as follows: “Whereas it has been represented to this General Assembly, that Margaret Ledbetter of Shelby County, widow of Asa Ledbetter, deceased and administratrix of the estate of said decedent, that the said Asa Ledbetter, in his life time, purchased the west half of the southest quarter of section thirty four, twelve North, four east of the third principal meridian, and built a mill thereon, which is all the real property belonging to said decedent’s estate; that the said mill is fast going to decay, and no means are possessed of rebuilding or repairing the same; that the said land is not valuable for any other purpose than as a mill seat, and it is believed that it would be greatly to the advantage of the said Margaret and the heirs of the said decedent, that the same should be sold and the proceeds thereof invested in other lands more suitable for cultivation, therefore, Be it enacted by the people of the state of Illinois represented in General Assembly, That Margaret Ledbetter, widow and administratrix of Asa Ledbetter, deceased, be, and she is hereby authorized to sell at public or private sale, the said west half of the southeast quarter of section thirty-four, township twelve north, range four east, in Shelby County, with all the improvements and appurtenances thereon, for the best price, and on such terms, as she may judge most advisable, and when such sale is made, and payments therefore received, to make a good and sufficient deed therfor,to the purchaser, which deed shall convey to such purchaser, all the right and title of the said widow and minor heirs of the said decedent, in and to said tract of land: and when such sale shall have been made, it shall be the duty of the said Margaret Ledbetter to lay out all the proceeds of the same, in the purchase of other lands in the county of Shelby, in the name and for the benefit and use of the said widow and heirs of said decedent.” From James Thompson’s Book: LAWS OF A PRIVATE NATURE, EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY at Vandalia. Call number I328 Illi. , copy 2,1832- 1833,pages 118-119. These bills of a private nature were not generally controversial and certainly not uncommon. This example is included because there are reasons (inconclusive at this time) to suggest a family connection between the Ledbetters and the Williamsons and/or perhaps the Montgomerys. Why a private bill would be necessary to enable Margaret Ledbetter to sell may have been due to the lack of a bill of sale or clear title to the property. The language seems designed to protect any future buyer as much as to grant a property right to the seller. Such bills were not rare but should be especially interesting where the beneficiary of the legislation could be a family connection. For some reason this “private” bill was made public law on February 20,1837 in the Tenth General Assembly session, LAWS OF ILLINOIS TENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1837,page 183. Presiding as chairman of the committee of the whole, and the Speaker resuming the chair, he reported back to the senate that several amendments had been made, which would grant preemption rights to settlers on canal lands. The question was called and the bill was adopted without further debate, page 467 and 469. It should be remembered that Williamson had previously and personally been a beneficiary of these squatters/settlers rights when he purchased an improvement from William Wegar in 1825. The Senate was asked to concur on a House bill relative to a road from Greenville to Hillsboro. Mr.Williamson, Mr. Lynch and Mr. Craig were appointed to the select committee to study the bill, page 473. An act from the House authorizing payment of the state debt was read in the Senate and ordered read a second time on July 4, next. The vote was 17-4 with Mr. Williamson voting with the majority, page 475. Messers: Williamson, Ewing and Bird were appointed to a select committee to locate a permanent seat of government for Tazewell County, page 490. On February 10,1835 again voted for Jesse B. Thomas, Jr. who was elected Attorney General, page 521. Messers Lincoln and Williamson voting together. Jesse Thomas Jr. was the nephew of Jesse B. Thomas who was earlier elected to be the first US Senator from Illinois, Mr. Thomas originated the “Thomas” amendment which was incorporated into the Missouri enabling act that proposed to exclude slavery north of 36-30 in the Louisiana Territory. This became one of the foundations of the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and a rallying point for those seeking to restrict the advance of slavery into western regions. Following the Congress’ NORTHWEST ORDINANCE OF 1787 the Illinois constitution excluded slavery from the state but Mr. Thomas saw no contradiction as a leader of the faction that attempted to amend the constitution to legalize slavery in Illinois in 1823. The measure failed by about two thousand votes. The Senior Thomas had a distinguished political career in Illinois but left the state, in part because he could not accept the grip that the Jacksonians held on Illinois state government after 1824. He came to an unhappy end when he committed suicide in Ohio. Although Mr. Williamson came from a slave state, his origins were in an area of western North Carolina that were conducive to the free labor of the family farm rather than slave labor. He was of voting age and would have been qualified to vote, and presumably, he would have voted no if he had arrived in Illinois by this date. His voting record before 1850 was to oppose the extension of slavery into new territories but maintain it undisturbed where it had become entrenched under state sanction. He voted against a school bill that would have appointed a School Commissioner and given him authority to make discretionary loans from the School Fund, page 523. On February 25 the Senate began consideration of the House bill “relative to the interest upon the fund arising from the sale of public lands” which had been amended in the Senate School Lands and Education Committee. Several amendments were offered to the bill. Mr. Williamson voted no on all of these and supported the bill as it final version, page 535 and LAWS OF ILLINOIS 1833,pages 554-567. The bill was agreed to, passed third reading, and adopted with the House asked to concur in the changes, page 532 and 547. On February 25th in answer to a Senate Resolution Governor Reynolds reported on the stand of state arms at the Ottawa depository and the costs of maintaining them. The number of arms were 400 and the accumulated costs due for maintenance was $150. The Senate referred the message to the Committee on Military Affairs, page 530. The committee combines and House measure on public arms with the Governor’s message and reported these back to the floor. Mr. Forquer wanted to add language to limit the costs to “reasonable compensation” supported by written vouchers, Mr Williamson moved to add the name Henry Eddy to the name of Major Campbell who was the responsible official in Ottawa, and others wanted the amount paid out to be $75 or $50. The dollar amount reductions were rejected and the bill with other amendments was passed, page 532-533. On February 25 the Senate began consideration of a bill that would establish a state university. Mr. Ewing proposed an amendment to strike out Springfield and the word University to add “four schools or seminaries of learning to be denominated Washington, Lafayette, Franklin and Jefferson Colleges” when a motion was made to postpone the bill to July 4 next, was carried, 14- 13, with Mr. Williamson voting to postpone, pages 531 and 538. A bill on the subject of enclosures came from the House asked the Senate to concur. Motions were made to postpone indefinitely and unto July 4, next but both were defeated. Mr. Williamson voting not to postpone. The bill was adopted with amendments and the House asked to concur. Mr. Williamson voted “do pass”, pages 549-550. A conference committee was established to reconcile variations of this bill, page 595. Mr. Williamson voted in the negative to raise the pay of assistant clerks in the House and Senate from $3 to $3.50, page 587.The bill passed and was approved by the Council of Revision, page 545. Working on the principle that “all politics is local” Mr. Williamson was ever alert to an opportunity to advance the interests of his constituents in Shelby and Macon Counties. On February 26,1833 he proposed to attach an amendment to a road bill otherwise unrelated to the interests of his district when he proposed the following: “The auditor of public accounts is hereby directed to issue his warrants in favor of the counties of Macon and Shelby, on the orders of the county commissioners’ court of said counties, for the sum of one hundred dollars each. The commissioners of Shelby County shall expend the money in building a bridge across Robertson’s creek on the Vandalia Road: and the commissioners of Macon County shall expend the money which is appropriated to said county, in building a bridge across Salt Creek on the state road leading from Decatur to Bloomington, thence to Chicago. This act to be in force from and after its passage.” The amendment was decided in the negative, page 551. In this manner he also moved that a House bill relative to the election of justices of the peace in the Shelbyville District be moved forward, page, 556. A House bill relative to a road from Springfield to Shelbyville on Mr. Williamson’s motion was read a second time and ultimately, with amendments, passed, page 561. A House bill reported out of Mr. Ewing’s Judiciary Committee entitled “An act to amend the acts concerning justices of the peace and constables” was passed without amendment, 15-11.Mr. Williamson voted aye and Mr. Ewing voted no, pages, 569-570. A House bill requesting Senate concurrence on an act to regulate interest on money, was taken up and an amendment offered to substitute eighteen percent in lieu of twelve percent as the maximum amount of interest charged on a loan, provided the lender and borrower voluntarily agreed to the higher rate. The amendment was rejected and the bill adopted, 14-10,with Mr. Williamson voting to maintain the legal maxim at twelve percent, page 571. LAWS OF ILLINOIS 1833, pages 348-350. He voted in favor of a bill that would pay a bounty rewarding those who killed wolves, page 621. Also, voted against amendment and for the final version although it was defeated, page, 633. The idea may have been a good one for that time but the amendments offered to the bill seem impractical and perhaps the bill that passed was as well. There is no record in LAWS of ILLINOIS 1833 to suggest that it did, in fact, pass both houses in this session. A bounty was subsequently authorized in the 1836-1837 session, LAWS OF ILLINOIS, page 334-335. The state auditor reported a state expense for the killing of wolves for that fiscal period of $13,page 119. The law was amended in the 1839 session, LAWS OF ILLINOIS, 1839-1840,page 155-156.For the 1839 session the auditors report reflected an expense to the state for killing wolves in the amount of $709,page vi. Voted for William Lee Ewing to be Speaker pro tem, page, 627-628. The Lieutenant Governor, Zadok Casey, who served as ex- officio Speaker of the Senate, had been elected to Congress. On February 26th the Committee of the Whole House asked and was relieved of the responsibility of the House bill relative to the election of county surveyors and recorders and the bill was made to lie on the table, page 566. Mr. Williamson favored postponement to July 4th 1834 of a bill that would provide for the local election of county surveyors and county recorders, page 630. Earlier he had moved to exempt Shelby and Macon counties from the bill, pages, 592 and 630. It should be remembered that Mr. Williamson had earlier been appointed, not elected, to the office of surveyor for Shelby County. This issue continued to plague the next General Assembly. He voted against John Calhoun, like Mr. Williamson a Jacksonian Democrat, to be appointed surveyor of Sangamon County, page 613. Mr. Calhoun had also been opposed by WW to be Secretary of the Senate in 1832. Because of the growth of the county and increasing business Abraham Lincoln became a deputy survey in the employ of County Surveyor John Calhoun of Sangamon County. One wonders if Mr. Calhoun and Mr. Williamson were somehow competitors for business. Clearly, this was a partisan issue with the Whig element favoring election and the Democrats favoring appointment—a contradiction for the party that called itself the Democracy. John Calhoun was a New Englander with considerable standing in the Springfield community. Other votes that he cast were for William Jefferson Gatewood to be Commissioner For the Sale of Saline Lands (Mr. Gatewood resigned and was elected to the Senate and became its Speaker pro tem briefly in 1834); Elijah C. Berry to be President of the Illinois State Bank; James Whitlock, William H. Brown, James Black, AP Field and Senator McConnell to be its directors, pages 591,605-608. On a personal note, this William Jefferson Gatewood was descended from a common maternal ancestor (mine). How odd that they both served in the same legislature at the same time. See Snyder, ADAM SNYDER AND HIS PERIOD IN ILLINOIS HISTORY, 1817-1842 pages, 201-202 Even odder, William Jefferson Gatewood’s father was Williamson Gatewood. Also of interest on the maternal side of the house is Richard J. Ogelsby, Mr. Gatewood’s cousin, who represented Shelby County in the State Senate in 1861, and was later, elected three times governor of Illinois, COMBINED HISTORY OF SHELBY AND MOULTRIE COUNTIES, 1881,pages 64,68,68,69,73,101.104,191 and 1910 op cit. See also http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilmacon/o-bio.html Hereafter, unless otherwise indicated, all citations are from the Senate Journal for 1834-1835. This Journal is not indexed. The 9th General Assembly met in December 1,1834 in Vandalia—William Williamson again represented Shelby and Macon Counties. This General Assembly had grown with the state to include-32 senators and 68 Representatives. Mr. Ewing was reelected Speaker of the Senate after having served as interim governor of Illinois when John Reynolds resigned in November 1834. The Senate elected Edward White who replaced Jesse B. Thomas Jr. as Secretary of the Senate and in this session the Journal takes on a minimalist tone, it being more difficult for the reader to ascertain individual members positions. Probably, there was more attention to proper rules although the senate re- adopted the rules of the 8th General Assembly. Page, 32. The Jacksonian principle of rotation in office seems to have been well practiced, as of 32 senators in this session, seventeen were new. There were more unrecorded/voice votes that obscured member’s views in debate. The committee of the whole device seems to have been widely used and the Journal does not often tell us who was appointed to select committees although select committees were commonly used, as had been the case in the 8th General Assembly. The volume of legislation required the adoption of the following resolution by February 5,1835: “Resolved, that the enrolling and engrossing clerk of the senate by authorized to employ an assistant during the remainder of the present session of the General Assembly”, page 383.Voting solidified along party/faction lines with the emergence of a Whig nucleus opposing the traditional Democratic Party majority. Senator Williamson, whether his vote was affirmative or negative, was able to prevail less than he had in the 8th General Assembly. The issues that predominated were: the establishment of a state bank to compensate for the loss of the functions previously performed by the Second Bank of the United States following Jackson’s actions to bring it down, the construction of a canal from Lake Michigan to the Illinois River, rails to connect strategic shipping centers (there was a significant division between those favoring canals vs. rails), reform of the judiciary by establishment of a network of circuit (intermediate) courts to relieve the appellate load on the state Supreme Court, funding of the public or common schools, improved navigation of the Wabash and other rivers and, above all, ways and means. Anticipating an increased volume of business in this session Mr. Williamson moved that the Senate provide for the election of an assistant secretary to be elected according to senate rules. Motion was tabled and Mr. Ewing moved to make the office appointive with the Secretary of the Senate authorized to choose an assistant. Mr. Ewing’s version passed with Mr. Williamson, in what appears to be a significant break with Mr. Ewing, voting No, pages 30-31and 76. William Jefferson Gatewood submitted his resignation as Canal Commissioner, page 82. He was replaced by Tyler D. Hewitt and Mr. Williamson’s vote went unrecorded, page 90-91. Mr. Maxwell introduced “An act to amend the several acts now in force concerning justices of the peace and constables”, page 83. On December 23rd Mr. Williamson voted aye on an amendment to postpone the bill and amendment until July 4th next before the amendment was adopted, 17-7,Mr Williamson again voting no, page 125. On the main question: “Shall the bill pass?” Mr. Williamson voted no, page 126. On December 13 Mr. McCahey introduced “ An Act repealing an act concerning justices of the peace and constables”, page 88. This bill was passed in the Senate, page 117. A motion to table until July 4,next was offered and defeated with Mr. Williamson voting, aye. The bill was then passed to third reading and passed with Mr. Williamson continuing to vote against the bill each time, page, 124-132.The House concurred, page 136,138-140.On January 6 the bill came back from committee with the negative recommendation, the bill was amended and committed to the Committee of the Whole, pages 188-189.The House concurred with the Senate version, page 195. The Council of Revision approved the bill, page 201. What were his objections to this bill that seems to have been a hermaphrodite before it was finally approved? He could have objected originally on grounds that the officers were to be elected. Since the bill in one form increased the authority of justices and constables to receive monies in the form of credit instruments that may have been too much for him. Perhaps he objected to amendments designed to limit the authority of justices and the rights of litigants appearing before them. The record on this bill, more than most, obscures, the positions taken by individual senators. The bill for “An Act concerning mortgages” was read and laid on the table, page 84. The House adopted a preamble and resolution on section 16 lands, pages 85-86. The House asked concurrence on “ An Act relating to the clerks of the county commissioners’courts, page 86. On the 17th of December the House asked the Senate to concur on “ An Act to provide for the election of county Recorder and Surveyor”, page 107.The House asked that a conference committee be appointed to reconcile conflicting versions of the bill and was laid on the table, pages 118 and 121.It was taken up again on 21 January. Mr. Williamson proposed to strike out the section relating to county recorders and his motion was defeated, 11-15. The bill failed to pass, 13- 14 with Mr. Williamson voting no, page 308-309. This bill came back with objections from the Council of Revision and was laid back on the table. On the question of passing over the Council’s objections, the vote was 17-8 with Mr. Williamson voting no, page 498.If the objections to the bill were for recorder’s fees the amounts provided in the laws of 1833 varied from 12 ½ cents to 37 ½ cents depending on the document in question, LAWS OF ILLINOIS 1833,page 295. In the form of a resolution addressed to the Congress, Mr. Ewing proposed that the franking privilege be extended to members of the states’ executive and legislative branches on the grounds that postage costs for official business were a burden on individual officers. Apparently, at this time, the state did not pay these costs, page 61. The resolution was laid on the table and made the order of the day for the committee of the Whole on the next day, page 86. The House also asked concurrence on a resolution addressed to this subject that read: “Resolved, That our Senators in Congress be instructed and our Representatives be requested to use their best exertions to procure the passage of a law, authorizing the members of the several State Legislatures in the United States, to have the privilege of franking letters and newspapers to and from the county or District they respectfully represent, page 106 and 110. Mr. Williamson voted for the resolution. Because many settlers or squatters had set up and made improvements on public land there were repeated pressures in the legislature to justly determine property rights, as much of the public land had yet to be properly surveyed. Congress was petitioned to give relief to this class of citizens by enacting remedies enabling those who had made “improvements” to realize benefits when the land was later sold to other individuals. The most common relief allowed these settlers was to provide them with first right to buy the land, page 115. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Bill Williamson ___________________________________________________________________