and establish poor houses within their respective counties, chase land and whenever, in their opinion, such a measure will be proper and erect poor house advantageous; and for that purpose it shall be lawful for the said commissioners, to purchase such lot or tract of land as they may judge necessary for the accommodation of the institution: Provided, That if the commissioners of any county shall Expense to be think proper to purchase land, and erect a county poor house, tax levied un fer the provisions of this act, the expense of such purchase that purpose and erection, shall be defrayed by a tax levied on the obj. cts of county taxation for that express purpose; which tax shall be collected and paid over in the same manner that other taxes are collected. defrayed by a for Commissioners directors, who Sec. 2. That whenever the commissioners of any county shall have completed a poor house for the reception of the to appoint three poor, they shall immediately, on the completion of said house, he' sworn. meet and appoint three judicious persons, residents of such &c. county, who shall form a board of directors, to take charge of, and manage the affairs of such poor house, agreeably to the provisions of this act: and the directors so appointed, shall, previous to their entering on the duties of their appointment, take an oath or affirmation, faithfully to discharge the duties of their office; and shall continue in office one year, and oil their successors are appointed and qualified; and s. id board of directors shall appoint a clerk of their own body, whose dny shall be defined by the board: and if a vacancy suail happen in the board of directors, the county commissioners shall appoint some suitable person or persons to fill such vacancy, and who shall hold his or their office until the next annual meeting. Commissionera to fill vacancies Sec. 3. That the board of directors, or a majority of them, The directors shail form a quorum to transact business; shal: be a body cor- shall be a body porate and politic, with perpetual succession; and shall be corporate known by the name of the Board of Directors of the poor house of To meet quarter · · tendent Sec. 4. That the board of directors shall appoint a super- Directors to ap intendent, who shall reside in some apartment in the poor house, point a superins or other building contiguous thereto; and shall receive such compensation for his services, perform such duties, and give such security for their faithful performance, as the board shall Sudge proper: he shall be governed in all respects by the rules tendent and regulations of the board, and may be removed by them at Duty of superin- pleasure: he may require all persons received into the poor house, to perform such reasonable and moderate labor as may be suited to their ages and bodily strength; the proceeds of which shall be appropriated to the use of the institution, in such manner as the board of directors may point out: the superintendent shall receive into the poor house, any person who shall produce to him such an order or voucher as is hereinafter required; and he shall enter in a book to be provided by him, and kept for that purpose, the name and age, as near as may be, of every person so received into the poor house, together with the day on which such person was received. the directors to house every month Sec. 5. That the board of directors shall cause the poor Committee of house to be visited at least once in every month, by a commit visit the poor tee of their body; which committee shall carefully examine the condition of the paupers, the manner in which they are, fed, clothed and otherwise provided for and treated: they shall ascertain what labor they are required to perform, and shall inspect the books and accounts of the superintendent, and make report thereof at the next meeting of the board. commissioners Sec. 6. That the board of directors skall, yearly, and eveDirectors to Kery year, report to the commissioners of the county, the state of port annually to the institution, with a full and correct account of all their proceedings, contracts and disbursements: and the expense of establishing and supporting the institution, shall be paid on the order of the county auditor, by the direction of the commissioners, out of any money in the county treasury not otherwise appropriated. Directors children of pau pers Sec. 7. That the directors aforesaid, shall have power to may bind out to apprenticeship, all such poor children as may bebind out the long to such poor house; males until the age of twenty-one, and females until the age of eighteen years, in the same manner that trustees of townships are authorized to do, by the provisions of the act, entitled "An act concerning apprentices and servants:" Provided, That whenever any such children shall be incapacitated, by reason of some bodily or mental infirmity, of receiving the instruction contemplated in said act, they shall not bind the master or mistress to furnish the same. Proviso moving paupers how paid Sec. 8. That in every county within which a county poor Expense of rehouse is, or may be erected and established, it shall be the duty to poor house, of the directors of such poor house, to give an order on the auditor of the county, for the payment of such reasonable and necessary expense as may have been incurred by any township in removing any pauper to the poor house, or that may have been incurred immediately preceding such removal, by reason of delay caused by the sickness of such pauper; and the auditor shall draw his order on the county treasurer for such amount, to be paid out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated: Provided, That it shall not be lawful for the directors to give such order, unless they shall previously determine that such pauper is legally a county charge. into the poor Sec. 9. That no person shall be admitted to any such poor Manner of adhouse as a pauper, unless upon the order or warrant of the mitting paupers trustees of the proper township, directed to the board of di- house rectors of the poor house of the proper county; which order or warrant shall be accompanied by a statement of facts signed by said trustees, setting forth the name, age, birth place, length of residence, previous habits and present condition of the person claiming to be a pauper, together with the time or times at which such person or persons, if not a native of the township, has been warned to depart therefrom; and if neglected to be warned or removed, the reason or cause of such neglect: and if, on a full examination of the facts or circumstances touching the right of such pauper to admission into the poor house, which may come to the knowledge of the directors, they shall be of opinion, from the failure or neglect of duty on the part of the overseers of the poor, or from want of the proper legal residence, or from any other cause, such person is not legally chargeable to the county as a pauper, he or she shall not be admitted to the poor house: and the superintendent shall not admit any person into the poor house as a pauper, unless upon the order of a member of the board of directors. be removed to Sec. 10. That in case any person shall be at present, or Directors may may hereafter be, in any poor house, supported as a pauper, cause paupers to whose proper place of residence is in another State or county, their place of reit shall be lawful for the board of directors of such poor house, sidence to cause such pauper to be removed to his or her proper place of residence, in the same manner as overseers of the poor are authorized and required to remove persons not legally chargeable, by virtue of the provisions of the act, entitled "An act for the relief of the poor;" and all the power and authority vested in the overseers of the poor, by and in virtue of said act, necessary to carry into effect the provisions of this section, are hereby conferred upon the directors of poor houses, for the purposes herein mentioned. Paupers when discharged from poor house Sec. 11. That where any person has been, or shall hereaf ter be, received into any poor house as a pauper, on account of restored, may be any infirmity or disease, the directors of such poor house, may, when in their opinion, such person is so far restored to health and bodily strength, as to be able to support himself or herself, direct the superintendent of such poor house to discharge such person there from. may pers out of poor Sec. 12. That if any paupers shall be in a situation that Directors will not admit of their removal to the poor house, or to their provide for pauproper residence, the directors of the poor house shall have house in certain power to provide for the maintenance and support of such cases paupers out of the county treasury, in the same manner as if such paupers were in the poor house, until their condition will admit of their removal to the poor house, or to their proper residence. Sec. 13. That the commissioners of the county shall have may sell part of Commissioners power, whenever they may deem it expedient, to sell and con lands belonging vey any part of the lands belonging to the poor house of their proper county; and the proceeds arising from such sale, shall be paid by the commissioners into the county treasury, for the use of the county. to poor house the support of Sec. 14. That the county commissioners be, and they are Commissioners hereby, authorized and empowered, in case the ordinary revemay levy tax for nue of the county shall prove insufficient for the support of the poor, to levy and collect a poor tax, not exceeding one mill on the dollar of the valuation of the property taxable for State and county purposes, to be entered on the grand list, and collected as other taxes. the poor Compensation of directors Acts repealed Proviso Sec. 15. That the county commissioners may allow the directors for their services, such sum as they may deem reasona ble, not exceeding one doliar and fifty cents each, for every day they may be necessarily employed in the duties of their appointment, to be paid out of the county treasury, upon the order of the auditor. Sec. 16. That the act, entitled "An act to authorize the establishment of poor houses," passed February twenty-sixth. eighteen hundred and sixteen; and "An act to amend an act, entitled 'An act to authorize the establishment of poor houses," passed January twenty-sixth, eighteen hundred and twentyseven; and "An act in addition to the several acts establishing and regulating poor houses," passed January nineteenth, eighteen hundred and twenty nine; be, and the same are hereby repealed: Provided, That no act done, and no obligation or lia bility incurred, under any of the provisions of said acts, shall be in any wise affected by the repeal thereof. This act to take effect and be in force from and after the first day of June next. JAMES M. BELL, Speaker of the House of Representatives. Speaker of the Senate. March 8, 1831. What shall be AN ACT for the relief of the poor. Sec. 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio, That any person or persons, other than those hereinaf considered a le- ter provided.for, residing one year in any township in this State, gal settlement without being warned by the overseers of the poor for said township to depart the same; or three years after being once so warned, without being again warned as aforesaid, shall be considered as having gained a legal settlement in such township: every indented servant or apprentice, legally brought into this State, shall obtain a legal settlement in the township where Sach servant or apprentice first served his master or mistress three years: and every married woman, during coverture, and after her husband's death, shall be considered legally settled in the place where he was last legally settled; but if he shall have, or shall have had, no known legal settlement, then she shall be considered as settled in the place where she was last legally settled before marriage. Sec. 2. That nothing in this act shall be so construed as to Blacks not to enable any black or mulatto person to gain a legal settlement gain a settlement in this State. exclude from Sec. 3. That the provisions of the first section of this act This act not to shall not be so construed, as to exclude any persons from voting at elections, who would otherwise, by the constitution and laws of this State, be entitled to vote. part the town. Sec. 4. The overseers of the poor, upon receiving infor- Persons may be mation that any person has come within the limits of their warned to detownship to reside, who will be likely to become a township ship charge, shall issue their warrant or order to any constable of the township, commanding such constable forthwith to warn such person to depart the township, by reading such warrant or order of the overseers of the poor, in his or her presence and hearing, or by leaving an attested copy thereof at his or her last place of residence: and it shall be the duty of such constable, receiving such warrant or order, to make immediate service thereof, in manner above directed, and to certify on the back of such warrant, that he read the same in the presence or hearing of the person therein named, to depart the township, or lett an attested copy thereof at his or her last place of residence, as the case may be; which warrant the said constable shall immediately lodge with the clerk of said township, who shall record the same, and the certificate of the constable indorsed thereon, within three days thereafter, in the book containing the records of the township. ship trustees in Sec. 5. That upon complaint being made, or information Duty of town given, to the trustees of a township in any county having a counties having county poor house, that any inhabitant of such township, hav- poor houses ing a legal settlement therein, is in a suffering condition, and requires public assistance or support, said trustees shall inquire into the condition and necessities of such person; and if satisfied that such person ought to be relieved at public expense, they shall make out an order to the directors of the poor house, to receive and provide for such person, and shall accompany said order with the statement required by the act to authorize the establishment of poor houses. in counties noj Sec. 6. That when the overseers of the poor of any town- Duty of the oven, ship, in any county having no county poor house, shall be satis- seers of the pont fied that any person having a legal settlement in such town. having poor ship, is in a suffering condition, and ought to be relieved at the hours expense of such township, they may afford such relief at the expense of their township, as in their opinion the necessities of |