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PDF versionSECTION 1. That a new county be, and the same is hereby established, out of fractions of Madison, Henderson, McNairy and Hardeman counties, to be known as Chester County.
SECTION 2. That the county of Chester shall be bounded as follows: Beginning at a stake on the south bank of the middle fork of the Forked Deer River, where the Henderson and Madison county line crosses said river, at a beech and two hickory pointers, thence east with the meanderings of said river to a stake, hickory, elm and hornbean pointers on the land of Dr. W. E. Tucker; thence with the arc of a circle with the radius of 11 miles; from the town of Lexington 12°93 miles; thence east 1 mile; thence in a southern direction to the northwest corner of Hardin County; thence with said line to the northeast corner of McNairy county; thence south with the McNairy and Hardin county line 1°52 miles; thence west 1°39 miles; thence south to the corner of the old survey of Wisdom County, made under the Act, this to repeal, on the lands of Thomas Wilkerson; thence west 8 miles; thence with the arc of a circle, with the radius of 11 miles, from the town of Purdy 14 miles; thence west 2°53 miles; thence with the arc of a circle with the radius of 11 miles from the town of Bolivar, 8°75 miles; thence north to the Madison county line; thence east with the Madison and Hardeman county line to a stake 10 poles east of the house of Rev. Robert Rainey; thence north 61½ degrees east 9 miles; thence north 26½° east to the Henderson and Madison county line; thence north with said line to the beginning. 278°77 square miles.
SECTION 3. That for the purpose of organizing the said county of Chester, that J. F. Hamlet, Robert Long, B. H. Brown, J. H. Fry, B. I. Young, A. B. Patterson, J. W. Perkins, J. H. Mitchel, J. M. Simmons, John Barham, John M. Sherrell, W. L. Steagall, William Rust, J. M. Reams, M. D. Pare and Able Stewart, shall be, and are hereby appointed Commissioners on the part of the several fractions in which they reside who shall, before entering on the discharge of their duty, take an oath before some Justice of the Peace, to faithfully and impartially discharge all the duties incumbent upon them in this Act, and in all cases of vacancy that may occur among said Commissioners previous to the organization of the County Court of said county of Chester, the remaining Commissioners shall fill by appointment said vacancies -- and vacancies occurring after the organization of such court, shall be filled by said court of the county of Chester. The said Commissioners shall enter into such bond and security as may be required by the said County Court of Chester -- made payable to the Chairman thereof, conditioned for the faithful performance of their duties as required by this Act; a majority of said Commissioners shall constitute a board competent to do all things herein enjoined upon them. They shall keep a record of their proceedings as Commissioners, which shall be returned to the County Court of Chester county, at its first term, and the same shall be recorded by the clerk thereof, on the records of said court, and they shall make such returns after the organization of said court, as shall be directed thereby.
SECTION 4. That it shall be the duty of said Commissioners, first giving thirty days notice in one public place or more, of the time and place to open and hold an election in one or more places in each of the fractions proposed to be stricken off from the counties of Madison, Henderson, McNairy and Hardeman, in order to ascertain whether two-thirds of the voters residing in each of the said fractions are in favor of, or opposed to, the formation of said new county of Chester, and all persons qualified to vote for members of the General Assembly, residing in said fractions, shall be entitled to vote in said elections, and each voter who is in favor of the formation of the new county, shall have on his ticket, "New County," and each voter opposed to the formation of said new county of Chester, shall have on his ticket, "Old County," and after counting the vote cast in said election, if it shall appear that there are two-thirds of the legal voters in each of said fractions in favor of the new county, then in that case, the county of Chester shall be, and is hereby declared a county, with all the privileges and advantages, and subject to all the liabilities and duties with other counties in this State.
SECTION 5. That in order to carry into effect, and make certain and accurate, the provisions in the fourth section of this Act, said Commissioners are hereby empowered and authorized to canvass and take the census of the qualified voting population in the bounds of the several fractions proposed to be stricken off from the counties of Madison, Henderson, McNairy and Hardeman, and if for any cause the election as herein provided shall not be held in any of said fractions, on the day appointed, said Commissioners shall provide for another election as herein provided in such fractions.
Passed: March 1, 1879.
COMPILER'S NOTE: The remaining sections of the act do not apply to Hardeman County are not reprinted here.