SEC. 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Territory of Arkansas, That all that portion of the counties of Hempstead and Clark included within the boundaries following, to wit: beginning at the Antoine bridge, running thence (with) the old road to John Wood's, on the Missouri river, thence up said river to the mouth of Ozan, and thence up the Ozan two miles to a point, thence to the dividing ridge between Missouri and Ozan to the Sevier line, commencing at the above named bridge, thence up the Antoine to its source, thence a north direction to the west fork of the Caddo, thence up said fork to the beginning, be, and the same hereby is, erected into a separate and distinct county, to be called and known by the name of Pike county. SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That, from and after the taking effect of this act, the said county of Pike shall have and possess all the powers, privileges, and immunities, of a separate and distinct county; and that, in all suits and prosecutions, both of a civil and criminal nature, pending in the county and circuit courts, either of the county of Hempstead or Clark, at the time this act takes effect, against any person or persons residing in the county hereby established, it shall be the duty of the plaintiff, in civil, and of the prosecuting attorney, in all criminal or other cases, where the United States is a party, to procure from the clerk of the county and circuit courts of said county of Hempstead or Clark, as the case may be, a faithful transcript of all records and proceedings, and of any and all depositions and other papers on file in his office, and file the same, or cause it to be done, on or before the commencement of the first terms of the county and circuit courts to be holden for the said county of Pike, with the clerk of said courts; and all executions that may be issued at the taking of this act, upon judgements rendered in the county and circuit courts of the county of Hempstead or Clark, against persons residing in the said county of Pike, for any debt, fine, or forfeiture, or other matter, that shall be due under such proceedings, in the hands of, or served by, the sheriff of either of said counties, shall be handed over to the proper office of the county of Pike; and all administrators, executors, and guardians, who shall now live in the county hereby established, and who may have, before the taking effect of this act, administered on any estate, or have taken on him, her, or them, the execution of any last will and testament or guardianship, within that part of either of said counties of Hempstead and Clark, hereby made the county of Pike, such administrator, executor, or guardian, shall be at liberty to obtain a copy of their respective cases, and file the same in the office of the clerk of the county court of the said county of Pike, and make final settlement in said county, as they might, could, or would have done, in the counties of Hempstead and Clark aforesaid. SEC. 3. Be it further enacted, That all persons acting as justices of the peace in that part of the county of Hempstead or Clark, who shall be included within the bounds of the county of Pike, hereby established, shall be and continue justices of the peace for the said county of Pike, and shall possess the same powers, and proceed in all causes in the same manner, both in suits now commenced and those that may be hereafter commenced, as though this law had not been passed, changing only the name in said proceedings and conforming to the limits of the county aforesaid instead of Hempstead and Clark. SEC. 4. Be it further enacted, That the temporary seat of justice for the said county of Pike shall be at the house of Paschal C. Sorrels. The courts to be holden in and for said county shall be holden at the place aforesaid, until permanently located by law, "under the act providing for the permanent location of seats of justice," passed at the session of 1831. SEC. 5. Be it further enacted, That there shall be holden, on the first Monday of January next, at the house of Paschal C. Sorrels, in said county of Pike, a special election for county officers of said county, at which election, to be holden at said place, all the qualified voters residing within the bounds of said county, shall vote; and the sheriff of Clark county is hereby required to give notice of said election, by placing up six advertisements fifteen days previous to said special election, in the most public places of said county. The judges of the former election in the townships heretofore established, shall sit and act as judges of said election. SEC. 6. Be it further enacted, That the county of Pike, hereby established, shall be attached to, and form a part of, the first judicial circuit; and the circuit courts in said county shall be holden by the judge of said circuit, on the third Monday in March and September, in each year after the organization thereof. SEC. 7. And be it further enacted, That this act shall take effect, and be in force, from and after the first day of December next. JOHN WILSON, Speaker of the House of Representatives. JOHN WILLIAMSON, President of the Legislative Council. Approved: November 1, 1833 JOHN POPE. ___________________________________________________________________________ ACTS, PASSED AT THE EIGHTH SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE TERRITORY OF ARKANSAS: which was begun and held at the town of Little Rock, on Monday, the seventh day of October, and ended on Saturday the sixteenth day of November, one thousand eight hundred and thirty-three. LITTLE ROCK: Printed by William E. Woodruff, Printer to the Territory, 1834, page 30-32: An act to erect and establish the county of Pike. ___________________________________________________________________________ David Kelley 2000