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Petitioner(s): Elijah Humphress

Purpose / Short Description: Request for a lost military land grant to be replaced

Text of Petition: 59-1-1803

To the Honorable the General Assembly of the State fo Tennessee —

The Petition of Elijah Humphress an Inhabitant of Wilson County respectuflly Showeth —

That some time in the month of October in the year 1792 your Petitioner had a Military Land warrant of 640 acres Located & Surveyed by Sampson Williams, a Deputy Surveyor, and in pursuance thereto a Grant issued to your Petitioner for the Land as described by said Surveyor — that your Petitioner has frequently made search for his Land in person and has also applied to Said Williams to show it who, also diligently hunted for it but could not find it —

And as your Honorable Body cannot be Ignorant of the Slighty manner in which the surveying business in this County was done owing to the frequent troubles of the Indians your Petitioner thinks that you cannot hesitate to grant or pass a law for him to get a new warrant or warrants as in cases of Land being lost by Pryor Claims — as your Petitioner is willing to surrender his Grant to the State and prays that the same may be filed in the Secretaries office on such a Law being passed —

Your Petitioner as in duty bound shall ever pray &c

Elijah Humphress

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Petitioner(s): John McDonald James Roberson Benjamin Boon ??? Haiser Joseph Evans John Robins Jeremiah {ink spot} Stephen Roberson Wm Sinclare William Evins Thomas Caltahon Jeams Handerson John Robins George Smith William Livingston Thomas Livingston

Purpose / Short Description: A petition to reduce the sizes of Smith and Jackson Counties to their consitutional limits

Text of Petition: 54-1-1803-3

To the Honb'le Speaker and Honb'le House of Representatives of the State of Tennessee — We your Humble petitioners Showeth that whereas there are many Inconveniences and disadvantages arising to us the Inhabitants of this part of the State in consequence of the counties of Smith and Jackson not having been reduced to their consitutional Limits —

We therefore find it highly incumbent on us to pray a regulation of said counties may take place and upon the following plan —

To begin at a certain point on the Kentucky line and run due South thereby dividing the counties of Smith and Sumner extending Said line South far enough to reduce the county of Smith to its consitutional area, {insert?} then the County of Jackson to take its Beginning on the said Kentucky line and be laid off in the same manner as the county of Smith on the Eastern Line thereof to its consitutional limit — and we your petitioners further pray that the county of Jackson may not be entered nor the court house thereof established untill a regulation as above should take place, and as in duty bound we your humble petitioners shall ever pray &c &c —

John McDonald James Roberson Benjamin Boon {} Haiser Joseph Evans John Robins Jeremiah {ink spot} Stephen Roberson Wm Sinclare William Evins Thomas Caltahon Jeams Handerson John Robins George Smith William Livingston Thomas Livingston

Image Condition: Clear

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Date Filed (format: YYYY/MM/DD): 1809

Petitioner(s):

Purpose / Short Description:

Text of Petition: Transcriber's note: Several words and phrases are struck-out in this document. Those words are identified below with an underscore (_) immediately preceding and following the word. Additionally, the use of (?) indicates a word or phrase that is difficult to decipher. --------------------------------------------------

to induce them to be more virtuous, & _that_ they _also_ (?) _major_ (?) _it_ _of_ _them_ _would_ _be_ more stable in their affections, seeing they were protected in their choice, & this stability we believe to be productive of the happiness of the human family, while the ____ many (?) is an inlet to many other vices (?).

We would further beg leave to call your attention to the necessity of making some more effectual prohibitions of the introduction of slaves into this state, not only by negro traders, but also by those who may remove here, & pass through the state, believing that every instance of a slave being brought into this state is adding to the already enormous evil, & that such penal laws might be passed as would effectually prevent any more being brought in under any pretext whatever, and as much further as you may feel your selves authorized (?) to curtail the traffic in human beings will _[illegible]_ meet the approbation of your memorialists.

Signed on behalf of the {signatures}

In Senate 8th Oct 1809 Read and referd to the Commr on Slavery James? Graham Clk

Image Condition: Clear

Primary County: Jefferson

Date Filed (format: YYYY/MM/DD): 1809/08/09

Petitioner(s): Friends Society (Quakers)

Purpose / Short Description: Request for laws to prevent masters from separating married slave couples and children from their parents. Request for laws to prevent people from bringing more slaves into the state.

Text of Petition: Transcriber's note: Several words and phrases are struck-out in this document. Those words are identified below with an underscore (_) immediately preceding and following the word. Additionally, the use of (?) indicates a word or phrase that is difficult to decipher. -------------------------------------------------- 3-1-1809

The memorial of a quarterly meeting of the society of friends held in Jefferson County, the 9th of the 8th month 1809. To the ensuing session of the general assembly of the State of Tennessee, humbly sheweth, that the happiness of mankind still continuing to claim a great portion of our attention & a living concern still remaining amongst us for the removal of every evil which from amongst men in order that all may have an equal opportunity of happiness of enjoying uninterruptedly all those natural rights which we as a people, & the United States as a nation, profess to [scratched-out phrase] believe one derived from the creator, [scratched-out phrase]. And as acknowledged evils do exist, we feel a necessity as accountable beings, to use our influences [scratched-out phrase], with the lawmakers that they may do all that in them lieth to set matters right.

Now the most prominent evil which at this time seems to claim our serious attention, & commiseration, is the subject of slavery. To this subject we beg leave to call your particular attention, desiring that you would exercise your judgment in endeavoring to do away some or all of that innumerable evils interwoven therewith. We would rejoice to hear of all who are injured in their rights be as (?) simply restored. But should you be of opinion that ample justice cannot at this time be done to the slaves, & masters too, we would most earnestly solicit you to seriously take into consideration this one distressing circumstance to which slaves are liable in our state, that of separating husbands wives & _little_ children being separated from each other by their masters, at such a distance as completely to effect a separation of the most ____ & endearing ties. Now as the scriptures implicate (?) the man who separates husband & wife, without any respect to nation or colour, we believe that the civil law ought to stand as a ter___ to such as may be disposed to trample on the divine, as we humbly concieve [sic] this to be the design of _all_ _penal_ law_s_, _&_ _many_ _other_ in general. This one practice of disregarding matrimonial ties, & natural affection, we _conceive_ _to_ _be_ humbly concieve [sic] if acted towards us, _or_ _any_ _of_ _your_ _body_, would be such an infringement of _our_ natural rights _which_ if _the_ _was_ _a_ _place_? _at_ _all_, _but_ _[illegible]_, _as_ _that_ _it_ ought to prevent. And we _humbly_ (?) concieve [sic] the probability of equal sensibility & attachment in many slaves as we possess, & therefore _an_ _infringement_ _of_ _this_ _right_ equally hard to bear. We hope that your body will not feel _[illegible]_ _about_ (?) more _hampered_ embarrassed in protecting this people in this right of nature, than in protecting them from some other abuses which the law had already sat (?) bounds (?) to ~~ Note: The following section has two large X marks, as though the text were meant to be stricken. ~~ _such_ _as_ _their_ _lives_ not to be taken wickedly or wantonly by their master, or others, & that they shall not suffer such corperal [sic] abuse as may be thought unreasonable, & that they shall have a sufficient quantity of sustenance to support life. ~~ End X mark section. ~~ Now as the legislature has discretional power to regulate the conduct of masters towards slaves, & has done it in some respects, we doubt not that power being sufficient to make laws to protect them from that enormous abuse of separating the most endeared connections. We also hope & believe that protecting them in this particular _it_ will have a tendency to