Acts of 1843-44 Chapter 38

SECTION 1. That a new county be, and the same is hereby established, to be composed of fractions taken from the counties of Maury, Lawrence, Wayne and Hickman, and to be known and designated by the name of Lewis County, in honor of Captain Merriwether Lewis, who has rendered distinguished services to his country, and whose remains lie buried and neglected within its limits, and shall be bounded as follows:

SECTION 2. Beginning on the South bank of Duck River, at a point twelve miles on a straight line West from Columbia, and running in a South direction, leaving Columbia twelve miles to the East, to the Turnpike leading from Mount Pleasant to Tennessee river, thence with said turnpike road to the Wayne county line, running thence in a Northerly direction, leaving Waynesboro to the West twelve miles, thence in a North-East direction through Hickman county, leaving Centerville twelve miles to the West to Duck river, thence up said river to the beginning.

SECTION 3. That John Aiken and Albert G. Cooper of the county of Maury, Shadrick Morris and James Voss of the county of Lawrence, James Gullett and David Voorhies of the county of Wayne, Hugh B. Venable and John Clayton of the county of Hickman, shall be, and they are hereby appointed commissioners, with authority to employ a competent surveyor to run out and designate the boundaries of said county, and also to employ a competent surveyor to ascertain by actual survey of the several counties, from which the county of Lewis is to be composed, and if upon such survey there shall be territory and population sufficient to meet the requirements of the constitution, without infringing upon the constitutional territory or population of either of the counties, from which said county of Lewis is to be composed, then said county of Lewis is hereby established upon the following conditions:

SECTION 4. It shall be the duty of said commissioners, as soon as they ascertain that there is territory and population sufficient to constitute a new county under the requirements of the third section of this act, after first giving twenty days notice in two or more public places, of the time and place in each of the fractions proposed to be stricken off from the counties of Maury, Lawrence, Wayne and Hickman, that they will open and hold an election in each of the fractions proposed to be taken off from the counties aforesaid, for the purpose of ascertaining whether a majority of the voters, residing in the several fractions, are in favor of, or opposed to the establishment of said county of Lewis; and all persons qualified to vote for members of the General Assembly, who have resided in the fractions aforesaid six months immediately preceding the day of election, shall be entitled to vote, and each voter who desires to vote for the establishment of the new county, shall have on his ticket the words New County, and those desirous to vote against the new county, shall have on their tickets the words Old County; and if upon counting the ballots, the judges of the several elections in said fractions, shall return that a majority of each of the fractions have voted for the new county, then the county of Lewis shall be, and the same is hereby established, with all the powers, privileges and advantages, and subject to all the liabilities of other counties in this State.

COMPILER'S NOTE: The remaining Sections of this Act involved only Lewis County.

Passed: December 21, 1843.