Acts of 1819 Chapter 19

SECTION 1. That a new county be and the same is hereby established, west of Lawrence county, by the name of Wayne county, which shall be bounded as follows (to wit) beginning at the North West corner of Lawrence county, and running West to the Tennessee River, thence South to the state line; thence East with said line to the corner of Lawrence county; thence North with the boundary line of said county to the beginning. And all that tract of territory included in the above described lines, shall be included in, and compose the county of Wayne.

SECTION 2. That for the due administration of justice, the first court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, and Circuit court and all subsequent courts, until otherwise provided for by law, shall be holden at the house of William Barnett, in said county, under the same rules, regulations and restrictions, and shall have and exercise the same powers and jurisdiction as are or shall be prescribed for the several courts in this state.

SECTION 3. That it shall be the duty of the Sheriff of said county of Wayne to hold an election at the place of holding courts in said county on the first Thursday of April next, and the succeeding day, for the purpose of electing militia field officers to fill all such vacancies as have or may happen before that time by reason of the alteration of the lines of a county heretofore intended to be established by the name of Wayne, or by death, removal, resignation or otherwise.

SECTION 4. That the election for company officers for said county shall be held at such times and places as the commanding officer of said county shall appoint, whose duty it shall be, to issue his order to the sheriff of said county, requiring him to hold such elections, said Sheriff first giving ten days notice of said election, at three or more public places in the bounds of said several election districts. Whereas heretofore, to wit, at Knoxville, on the 24th of November, 1817, an act passed both houses of the Legislature which was intended to become a law, to establish a new county in this state by the name of Wayne, and providing for the due administration of justice in said county, but that act never became a law, in consequence of the Speakers of both houses omitting to sign said act; and whereas the inhabitants of the tract of county designated by the lines, intended for the lines of Wayne county, proceeded to elect militia officers who proceed to the discharge of their several duties; and to organize the several courts in the said intended county, who also have been in the discharge of the several duties assigned them, whose acts, together with the acts of all such other officers of said county both civil and military are found to be without authority and illegal, for remedy whereof;

SECTION 5. That all and every official act of all and every officer of said intended county both civil and military which would have been legal, had the before recited act become a law, are hereby declared valid, and shall have the effect both in law and equity as if the said act had been signed.

Passed: October 8, 1819.