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P
roponents of splitting Gallatin County made at least two attempts before 1847 when the Legislature created Saline County. The first proposal would have taken land from the northern part of Gallatin as well as land from the southern part of White County and make a new county with a county seat of New Haven. No proposed name is given though.
The evidence comes from a letter sent to the editors of the Illinois Gazette in Shawneetown. Although I've never seen the legal notice in the newspaper, the original letter remains in the Henry Eddy Collection at the Illinois State Historical Library in Springfield.
This proposed county would have ran 17 miles north to south on its east end. Besides New Haven it would have included the future sites of Cottonwood and Omaha, but would have left New Market, Ridgway and Elba still in Gallatin County. Although there is no date to this letter this attempt probably took place in the late 1810s or 1820s. The diagonal lines for the southern boundary probably represented an attempt to avoid taking the county line across the boundary of the Saline Reservation set aside for the saltworks. The proposal for the creation of Ohio County south of the saltworks also avoided crossing the saline reservation boundary.
Notice
Is hereby given to all those concerned—that the Citizens of Gallatin and White Countys will present Petitions to the Legislater of the State of Illinois, at their next Sission to have a—new County formed out of a part of Gallatin & White Countys—and to have the new County Seat, located at New haven on the little Wabash River. Bounded as follows: Beginning on the Big Wabash at the SE corner of Section No 27 Township 8 Range 10 thence on a direct line to the SE corner of Section No 18 Township 8 Range 9 from thence to intersect the SE corner of Hamilton & White Countys, thence North on the dividing line of Hamilton & White Co 7 miles from thence East on a direct line to the Big Wabash River thence down the Big Wabash to the place of beginning by request of the people
Mr. Tobart [or Foliart] Sr
P Slater
you will please give these 4 insertions in your Gazete and foward your Bill to us at New Haven
P Slater
please give us information wheather you can print it by the return mail
[From the reverse side it shows that P. Slaton, New Haven's postmaster, sent the letter free to the Editors of the Illinois Gazette at Shawneetown, Illinois. Sent on Oct. 2 (no year), from New Haven.]
Source: P. Slaton to Editors, Illinois Gazette. [no date] Henry Eddy Papers. Illinois State Historical Library, Springfield.
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