<pre style="white-space: pre-wrap">xt7tb27ppk23 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7tb27ppk23/data/mets.xml Robertson, James Rood, 1864-1932. 1914  books b92-57-27063582 English John P. Morton, : Louisville, Ky. : Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Kentucky History To 1792 Sources. Petitions of the early inhabitants of Kentucky to the General Assembly of Virginia, 1769-1792  / by James Rood Robertson. text Petitions of the early inhabitants of Kentucky to the General Assembly of Virginia, 1769-1792  / by James Rood Robertson. 1914 2002 true xt7tb27ppk23 section xt7tb27ppk23 


JAMES ROOD ROBERTSON, M.A.PI.D.
     Member of the Filson Club.


FILSON CLUB PUBLICATIONS No. 27


PETITIONS OF THE EARLY

       INHABITANTS OF

             KENTUCKY


                  TO THE


   General Assembly of Virginia


                1769 to 1792


                     BY

JAMES ROOD ROBERTSON, M.A.Ph.D.
  Member of the American Historical Association, the Filson Club,
      the Ohio Valley Historical Society, and the Oregon
        Historical Society; Professor of History and
           Political Science in Berea College.


             LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY
        JOHN P. MORTON  COMPANY
                   (-ncorporae4)
             PRINTERS TO THE FILSON CLUB
                    1914


    COPYRIGHT, 1915,
          BY

THE FILSON CLUB


    All Rights Reserved


                DEDICATED TO
      THE PIONEERS OF KENTUCKY

Men and women whose courage, endurance, and integrity
    laid well the foundations of our first common-
      wealth west of the Alleghany Mountains.


This page in the original text is blank.


PREFACE


THE petitions here printed are offered as a contribu-
tion to the early period of Kentucky history. During
a visit of the editor to Richmond, Virginia, in the summer
of i9io, they were found in the archives of that State.
The archivist had recently segregated them from a large
mass of other material and an examination of the contents
showed their value as a source of information on the
beginnings of Kentucky.
   The petitions are printed verbatim, with the thought
that they will be more useful and interesting to the student
of history in the language of the pioneer inhabitants of
our first Commonwealth west of the Alleghany Mountains.
The editor has added foot-notes which may help to explain
the purpose, the subject-matter, and the effect of the
various petitions.
   The names attached to the petitions have been separated
from them and arranged in alphabetical order, with num-
bers referring to the petitions on which they appear. This
saves considerable space, as many of the names are signed
to two or more petitions. It also makes reference to them
more easy.
   The appearance of the original material from which
these petitions were copied may be seen in the facsimile


I v ]


Preface


of a petition from the settlers of Lincoln County. This is,
however, better than the average in form and state of
preservation. Many of the petitions are worn, the writing
faded, and the style not so good as the illustration given.
   The wording of the petitions, though formal, is full of
life and spirit, and in some cases reflects quaintness of
expression. There is always a respectful deference for the
authority of the Commonwealth of Virginia at the same
time that freedom of speech is indulged.
   The petitions are printed in chronological order rather
than topical, with the thought that the development of
community life can best be seen in that way. The first
petition is dated 1769 and the last i831. Only two are
earlier than 1776 and six later than 1792. Thus they are
seen to pertain to the period when Kentucky was a County
of Virginia and those of earlier and later date are logically
connected with that period. Thus the collection presents
a unity that is valuable.
   The collection does not include petitions which were
sent to the National Government at Philadelphia or New
York which have been used extensively in the printed
histories of Kentucky, as they have been more accessible
than the ones here printed. Nor is the collection entirely
complete, as there are some laws, passed by the Assembly
of Virginia, evidently based on petitions which have not
been found. The collection, however, is essentially com-
plete, and is fully representative of the activities of the
pioneer population.


[ Vi I


Preface


   I desire to express appreciation to the following for
assistance rendered me in the preparation of this book:
To William G. Frost, President of Berea College, for encour-
agement and financial aid in gathering the material; to the
late Colonel Reuben T. Durrett, formerly President of the
Filson Club, for use of his extensive library; to R. C. Ballard
Thruston, President of the Sons of the American Revolution,
for his cordial interest and support; to the Filson Club and
its officers for publication; to Doctor H. R. McIlwain,
Librarian of the State Library of Virginia, and Doctor H. J.
Eckenrode, Archivist of State Library of Virginia, for cour-
tesies in use of source material in the Virginia archives.
                            JAMES ROOD ROBERTSON.
Berea College,
   Berea, Kentucky.


[ Vii ]


This page in the original text is blank.


                          CONTENTS
                                                                      PAG E
 INTRODUCTION  .I................................... .......................  I

 PETITION No. 1. Request of the inhabitants east of the Alleghany Moun-
      tains for sixty thousand acres of land in the upper valley of the Cum-
      berland River .  ..................................................... 35

 PETITION No. 2. Request of the inhabitants of Kentucky at Harrodsburg
      to be taken under the jurisdiction of Virginia ........................ 36

PETITION No. 3. Request of the Committee at Harrodsburg to be taken
      under the jurisdiction of Virginia ................. ................. 38

PETITION No. 4. Request of Thomas Slaughter and other inhabitants of
      Kentucky for a method of defense .............................. ... 41

PETITION No. 5. Request of Hugh McGary for compensation for services
      rendered as a messenger to Fort Pitt ................................ 42

PETITION No. 6. Request of the inhabitants of Kentucky for salt manu-
      factories .................. .................4........3... ..... . 43

PETITION No. 7. Request of Nathaniel Henderson for compensation for a
      negro slave killed at Fort Boone ...................... ......... 44

PETITION No. 8. Statement of grievances by inhabitants of Kentucky in
      regard to land laws and request for a remedy ....................... 45

PETITION No. 9. Statement of grievances by the inhabitants of Boone's
      Fort and request for a grant of six hundred and forty acres for town
      site and a board of trustees ............................ ............ 48

PETITION No. 10. Request of Richard Calloway for the right to establish
      a ferry across the Kentucky River at Boonesborough ...............  53

PETITION No. 11. Request of the inhabitants at the Falls of the Ohio
      River for an act to establish a town at that place ...........   53

PETITION No. 12. Request of the inhabitants north of the Kentucky River
      for a division of the County of Kentucky ............................ 55

PETITION No. 13. Request of George Rogers Clark for confirmation of a
      grant of thirty-six thousand acres of land northwest of the Ohio River,
      given to him by the Indians ........................................ 57

PETITION No. 14. Request of the inhabitants of Lexington for a grant of
      land for a town site ....................    ... ................ 60

tETITION No. 15. Statement of grievances by the inhabitants of Kentucky
     and a request either for a better government or independence from
     Virginia ......... .................................................. 62

                                  [ Ix I


Contents


                                                                     PAGE
PETITION No. 16. Request of the inhabitants of the three counties of Ken-
     tucky for the old land law which required cultivation; also for the
     creation of a Superior Court ....................................... 66

PETITION No. 17. Request of inhabitants of Lincoln County for laws to
     secure better military protection, care of orphans, civil marriage, and
     stray stock .................................. .................... 68

PETITION No. 18. Request of the trustees appointed to hold forfeited land,
     used for school purposes, for an extension of powers ........ ......  69

PETITION No. 19. Request of John Campbell that the act creating the
     town of Louisville be repealed ........ _ ............................ 72

PETITION No. 20. Request of John Morton for aid in securing a title to
     land pre-empted in Fayette County ...................... .......... 73

PETITION No. 21. Request of Patrick Doran for a warrant on a tract of
     land pre-empted in Lincoln County ................................. 74

PETITION No. 22. Request of William Lytle for aid in securing the title
     to a tract of land at a place called Dry Run ......................... 74

PETITION No. 23. Request of the inhabitants of the District of Kentucky
     for the establishment of Circuit Courts .......... .................. 76

PETITION No. 24. Request of the inhabitants of Kentucky either for a
     better government by Virginia or a statement of the intentions of that
     Commonwealth ..................... .......... 78

PETITION No. 25. Request of the inhabitants of Jefferson, Fayette, Lin-
     coln, and Nelson Counties for an act acknowledging the independence
     of Kentucky from Virginia..............          ........    ... 79

PETITION No. 26. Request of the Inhabitants of Lincoln County for a
     grant of land for a town site ......   ...... ...................... 82

PETITION No. 27. Request of the inhabitants of Lincoln County for a
     division of the county.....................                       84

PETITION No. 28. Request of the inhabitants of the County of Fayette for
     a division of the county.......... ................................. 85

PETITION No. 29. Request of James Hogan for the right to establish a
     public ferry across the Kentucky River near Hickman's Creek...    87

PETITION No. 30. Request of David Crews for the right to establish a public
     ferry across the Kentucky River near Jack's Creek ................. 88

PETITION No. 31. Request of William Steele for the right to establish a
     public ferry across the Kentucky River at Stone Lick ...... ....... 89

PETITION No. 32. Request of the inhabitants of part of Bourbon County
     at Limestone Settlement for division of the county .................. 89

PETITION No. 33. Protest of the inhabitants of Bourbon County against
     a division of the county ............................................ 91

                                  [ x I


                               Contents

                                                                      PAGE
PETITION No. 34. Request of the inhabitants of Washington, in Limestone
     Settlement of Bourbon County, for the grant of land for a town site. . 91

PETITION No. 35. Request of James Holloway for land in payment of
     services in the Revolutionary War .................................. 92

PETITION No. 36. Request of the inhabitants of Lincoln County for the
     establishment of the town of Stanford.... ......................... 93

PETITION No. 37. Request of Jane Todd for the appointment of trustees
     for an estate left by John Todd of Fayette County .................. 95

PETITION No. 38. Request of Mary Ervin to be allowed to inherit the land
     of John Askins ..................................................... 96

PETITION No. 39. Request of Christopher Greenup, Clerk of Supreme
     Court of Kentucky, for change of procedure in regard to taxes arising
     from legal processes ................................... 97

PETITION No. 40. Request of the inhabitants of Fayette County for the in-
     spection of tobacco at the mouth of Hickman's Creek, on the north side
     of the Kentucky River ...................................       98

PETITION No. 41. Request of Ignatius Mitchell for the establishment of a
     town to be called Charlestown, on his land on the Ohio River near
     Lawrence's Creek ...................................             100

PETITION No. 42. Request of the inhabitants of the District of Kentucky
      for establishment of a Commission to settle pay rations and other
      claims under expeditions of Clark and Logan ........................ 100

PETITION No. 43. Request of the inhabitants of Fayette County for the
     establishment of tobacco inspection on the Kentucky River near the
     mouth of Stone Lick ...................................        102

PETITION No. 44. Request of James Buchanan of Bourbon County that a
     public ferry be established on his lands across Licking Creek.... ... 103

PETITION No. 45. Request of sundry inhabitants of Fayette County for
     the establishment of tobacco inspection on the land of General Scott
     on the Kentucky River near Craig's Creek .......................... 105

PETITION No. 46. Request of the inhabitants of Lexington for an act
      incorporating the town ............................................. 106

PETITION No. 47. Request of sundry inhabitants of Fayette, Bourbon, and
     Madison Counties for a new county to be created from them, with
     courthouse at Boonesborough ....................................... 107

PETITION No. 48. Request of the inhabitants of Limestone Settlement and
     other parts of Bourbon County for a division of Bourbon County.... 108

PETITION No. 49. Protest of the inhabitants of Bourbon County against
      a division of the county ....................... ........... ........ 110

PETITION No. 50. Request of the Trustees of Transylvania Seminary for
     one-sixth of Surveyors' legal fees, for support of the Seminary ...... 112

                                  [ xi ]


                                Contents

                                                                       PIGE
PETITION No. 51. Request of inhabitants of Fayette County for tobacco
      inspection on Kentucky River near the mouth of Stone Lick Creek.... 113

PETITION No. 52. Request of the inhabitants of Fayette County for a
      division of the county ... .......................... ........ ...... 114

PETITION No. 53. Protest of the inhabitants of Fayette County against
      a division of the county ........... . .......................... 6 .... 11

PETITION No. 54. Request of the inhabitants of the Limestone Settlement
      of Bourbon County for a division of the county .117

PETITION No. 55. Protest of the inhabitants of Bourbon County against
      a division of the county. ...................................... 119

PETITION No. 56. Request of the inhabitants of Bourbon County for
      tobacco inspection on Licking Creek .120

PETITION No. 57. Request of the inhabitants of Bourbon County for the
      establishment of a town at Bourbon Courthouse .121

PETITION No. 58. Request of the inhabitants of the District of Kentucky
      for a repeal of the Act of Separation .121

PETITION No. 59. Request of George Muter, Samuel McDowell, Caleb
      Wallace, and Harry Innes that taxes be made payable in specie . 122

PETITION No. 60. Request of the inhabitants of the District of Kentucky
      that Lexington and Bardstown be appointed as places for sittings of
      the Supreme Court ......... .. ............................... 124

PETITION No. 61. Request of Benjamin Stevenson, that he be relieved
      from the penalty of the law against bringing slaves into Kentucky
      without notice .......... ....... .... .. .................. . 125

PETITION No. 62. Request of the inhabitants of Bourbon County for the
      establishment of the town of Hopewell .127

PETITION No. 63. Request of the inhabitants north of the Kentucky River
      for tobacco inspection on the Kentucky River near Tate's Creek . 128

PETITION No. 64. Request of the inhabitants of Kentucky for appointment
     of Commissioners by Supreme or County Courts for locating places
     for tobacco inspection .120

PETITION No. 65. Request of the inhabitants of Fayette and Bourbon
     Counties that a new county be created from parts of the same . 130

PETITION No. 66. Protest of sundry inhabitants of Bourbon County against
     a division of the county .131

PETITION No. 67. Request of the inhabitants of Fayette County for the
     establishment of tobacco inspection on lands of Eli Cleveland on the
     Kentucky River .132

PETITION No. 68. Request of the inhabitants of the town of Louisville for
     the appointment of trustees who live in the town .133

                                  [ xli ]


                               Contents

                                                                     PAGE
PETITION No. 69. Request of the inhabitants of Kentucky that the Supreme
     Court be not removed.................... . ...... ............. ... 134

PETITION No. 70. Request of William McKenzie for value of forfeited lands
     of Robert McKenzie which were taken for a public school ............ 137

PETITION No. 71. Request of Anne Craig that the right of escheat of lands
     of James Douglass may be set aside in the interests of a debt to her. . . 138

PETITION No. 72. Request of some inhabitants of Fayette County for
     tobacco inspection opposite Boonesborough and on Howards Creek .. 139

PETITION No. 73. Memorial of the Convention of the District of Kentucky
     which asks for an amendment to the act separating Kentucky from
     Virginia ............... ............................................ 140

PETITION No. 74. Request of the inhabitants of Lincoln County living oil
     lands reserved for officers and soldiers, for a division of the county.... 141

PETITION No. 75. Request of Jane and Robert Todd, executors, for powers
     in regard to sale and conveyance of estate of John Todd ... I ......... 142

PETITION No. 76. Request of the inhabitants of Lexington for certain
     powers and authorities ............................................. 143

PETITION No. 77. Request of the inhabitants of Bourbon County for the
     right to erect grist mills on the Stoner and Hinkson's forks of the
     Licking River .............................................     144

PETITION No. 78. Request of the inhabitants of Bourbon County to estab-
     lish the navigation of the Licking River and that grist mills be not
     erected ............................................. ............... 145

PETITION No. 79. Request of sundry inhabitants of Bourbon County that
      the navigation of the Licking River and its forks be not impeded by
      grist mills.......................................................... 146

PETITION No. 80. Request of the trustees of the town of Hopewell that
     the land on which the town is located be condemned and vested in the
     trustees, and that the name be changed to Paris ..................... 147

PETITION No. 81. Request of Labaln Shipp that no act be passed in favor
     of navigation on the Licking River and its forks that will cause the
     removal of his mill ................................. ............ 148

PETITION No. 82. Request of the inhabitants of Bourbon County for act
     to allow the erection of grist mills on the Licking River and its forks.. 150

PETITION No. 83. Request of claimants to tracts of land in the Illinois
     grant and others, for an extension of time to give proof before Com-
     missioners ............................................. 151

PETITION No. 84. Request of sundry inhabitants of Bourbon County for
     the establishment of tobacco inspection on land of Lawrence Protzman. 152

PETITION No. 85. Request of William Bruce and John Linn for compensa-
     tion as scouts in 1789 .............................................  153

                                 [ il! ]


                                Contents

PETITION No. 86. Request of James Smith that he be granted the right
     to prove his pre-emption claim to land improved in 1773 .... ....... 154

PETITION No. 87. Request of the inhabitants of the town of Maysville for
     an extension of time, to fulfill the requirements for title to their lots. . 155

PETITION No. 88. Request of some inhabitants of Bourbon County for an
     extension of time for recording deeds, on account of death of the
     sheriff ............ ........................ ..................... 156

PETITION No. 89. Request of William Shannon for the adjustment and
     settlement of his accounts as Commissary and Quartermaster to the
     Illinois Department ................................... ........... 157

PETITIoN No. 90. Request of the Trustees of Transylvania Seminary for
     the right to raise money by a lottery .................. __ ......... 160

PETITION No. 91. Request of the Trustees of Transylvania Seminary for
     a reduction of the number of trustees ..   ................. ....... 161

PETITION No. 92. Request of Henry Banks that the register of land office
     he authorized to accept land warrants on a claim   ......... ...... 162

PETITION No. 93. Request of the inhabitants of the District of Kentucky
     for an extension of time for recording surveys, as required by a new
     land law of 1791 ...............................................  164

PETITION No. 94. Request of John Crow for compensation for keeping
     Indian prisoners.1.6... .............................................. 165

PETITION No. 95. Request of Isaac Ruddle for payment of claims for service
     and horses furnished, thus far unsettled because of charges of dis-
     loyalty .................  ..............................       . 168

PETITION No. 96. Request of Levi Todd, Clerk of Fayette County, for the
     refunding of money paid as tax on clerks ......... . ................. 169

PETITION No. 97. Request of Joseph Martin for the establishment of a
     ferry across the Cumberland River .............. ................... 170

PETITION No. 98. Request of James McAfee for compensation for supplies
     furnished the troops at the Falls of the Ohio in 1780 and 1781 ........ 171

PETITION No. 99. Request of James Wilkinson for the establishment of
     tobacco inspection at Frankfort .......................... ......... 171

PETITION No. 100. Request of George Rogers Clark for the payment of his
     general statement of claims, debts, and arrearages, due for services
     and for advances to the State ....... ............................  172

PETITION No. 101. Request of John Campbell for payment of wages as
     inspector of tobacco at the Falls of the Ohio . .................... . 174

PETITION No. 102. Request of John Stewart for the right to enter and
     survey a tract of land on the Licking River, improved by Henry
     Stewart in 1775 ................................................   176
                                 [ XIv 3


                                Contents

                                                                       PAGE
PETITION No. 103. Request of James Gilmore and Stephen Huston, for
     compensation for service as scouts .................................. 177

PETITION No. 104. Request for delay in the establishment of a ferry across
     Patterson's Creek .................................................. 177

PETITION No. 105. Request of George Rogers Clark for half pay for life or
     full pay for five years........................... ................... 178

PETITION No. 106. Request of Daniel Boone for a land-office treasury
     warrant for six hundred and twenty-eight acres of land .............. 178

PETITION No. 107. Request of James Bullock for duplicate certificate
     issued for a horse impressed into the service of the State ............. 179

PETITION No. 108. Request of William Bledsoe for a warrant on the treas-
     ury in payment for a beast taken into service in 1782 ................ 179

PETITION No. 109. Request of Edmond Southard and his wife Sarah, for a
     land-office treasury warrant for land unlocated thus far because of the
     separation of Kentucky from Virginia and other causes .............. 180

PETITION No. 110. Request of Berry Cawood of Harlan County for a grant
     of land in lieu of land to which he was entitled in the tract set apart
     for Clark and his soldiers ........................................... 186


I xv ]


           LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

The Author ........ Frontispiece
                                                    Opposite Page
Facsimile of Surveyor's Map of Kentucky ........  ............. 6r

Facsimile of Petition of the Inhabitants of Lincoln County ...... 82

Facsimile of Signatures attached to the Petitions ............... 130

Facsimile of Signatures attached to the Petitions ............... i8g


INTRODUCTION


   The value of this collection of legislative petitions of
early Kentucky is general as well as local. Since Ken-
tucky was the first Commonwealth to be established west
of the Alleghany Mountains, anything which illustrates the
formative growth of society is significant of the subsequent
growth of the nation westward. It is believed that these
petitions will prove of interest and value for three main
reasons: First, as an illustration of the process of petitioning;
second, for the subject-matter contained in them, and
third, for the list of names attached to the petitions which
is a large one and representative of the pioneer population.
   The right and the practice of petitioning is an old one,
much prized by our English ancestors. It has occupied
an important place in the development of liberty and govern-
ment by the people. It w as in use in the Colonies and their
records all show to what a large extent it figured. Hence,
it may be said that the early settlers of Kentucky, in
petitioning, were only doing that which they were accus-
tomed to do east of the mountains.
   The petitions here presented are the basis of almost all
the legislation of Virginia for her western settlers. The
editor has followed them through the various steps of
legislation as recorded in the Journal of the House
of Burgesses, the Journal of the Convention, the Journal


[I1 ]


introduction


of the House of Delegates, the Calendar of State papers,
and the Statutes as edited by Hening. In many cases the
preamble of the bill enacted repeats the substance and in
some cases the very phrases of the petition, thus linking
the two together in a most interesting and unique manner.
   A regular process was followed in the matter of petition.
The law required posting for a certain length of time that
all might have an opportunity to be acquainted with the
contents. Certifications of such posting may be seen to
accompany several of the petitions as printed. Then the
petition was taken to Williamsburg or Richmond, either by
Kentucky's representative to the Virginia Assembly or by
a special messenger. Before the outbreak of the Revolu-
tion the petition was addressed to the colonial Governor,
and after that to the legislative body. Only one of our
petitions was thus addressed to the Governor and a second
referred to in the Calendar of State Papers. All the others
are addressed to the Convention, the General Assembly, or
the House of Delegates.
   If a western community was not organized it sent its
petitions to the most westerly county by which it was
forwarded to the capital. Thus the settlers of Kentucky
gained access to the ear of the legislative body through
Fincastle County. The organization of a body of settlers
into a committee to petition was the first step in the forma-
tion of civic life in the westward expansion of population.
   The petitions presented to the legislative body must,
by the law of Virginia, be deposited with the Clerk of the


[ 2 1


Introduction


House of Delegates. The Clerk read the petition and it
was then referred to one of the standing committees, of
which there were five-on religion, on propositions and
grievances, on claims, on courts of justice, and at times on
the state of the country. Special committees were some-
times appointed, and often petitions were considered by
committee of the whole. These committees were appointed
at the beginning of the session and often were composed
of the most prominent men of the Commonwealth. Thus
the affairs of the distant western settlers were sometimes
discussed by such men as Henry Lee, Patrick Henry, James
Madison, and Thomas Jefferson.
   The House ordered the committees to which the matters
were referred to take them under consideration and make
a recommendation. In the original documents the course
through which the petitions passed is endorsed on the back
as they were filed away. These endorsements are given
in the notes to the text of the petitions. If the judgment
of the committee was favorable the word "reasonable" was
written across the back and a bill was generally drawn to
conform to the request. If the judgment was not favorable
the word "rejected" was written across the back, and no
bill was enacted. Sometimes the petitions, if important,
passed through quite a long and devious course, as may be
seen. In some cases the requests were divided and part
were granted and part rejected. The reasons for this
action are not on record, though it may often be inferred
from the action or the language in the Journals.


[ 3 ]


Introducfion


   The statutes which match these petitions are well
known and embody, in general, the substance of the peti-
tions. They consist of a preamble, an enacting clause, and
the provisions of the law. The petitions, however, add
considerable to our knowledge as they give us the settler's
point of view in his own language. Taking the two
together it is possible to have as perfect a picture as may be
of the relations of the old Commonwealth and her remote
inhabitants. That these distant settlers suffered is cer-
tainly true; that they were dissatisfied with their parent
State is evidenced by the petitions they sent to the Govern-
ment at Philadelphia; but one can not make a study of the
petitions and the laws based upon them without being
impressed with the fact that Virginia attended to the
affairs of her "good people" on the "western waters."
The impression is left of a population self-assertive and
resourceful but withal respectful toward constituted
authority.
   In the second place the petitions are of value because
of the light which their subject-matter throws on the early
history of Kentucky and the West. It would be difficult
to find a more graphic picture of the life of a pioneer popu-
lation in all its lines of activity, in the expression of diffi-
culties, hopes, and desires. We have too often been content
to select some typical hero of frontier life and record his
exploits. In these petitions we have set before us the
associated life of the community. Allowance must be
made, it is true, for extravagance of statement, but even


[ 4 ]


Introduction


such phrases are a vivid reminder of the strenuous life
of those early state-builders whose sacrifices and efforts
made possible the conditions that exist to-day.
   The petitions are not all of equal importance. Some
deal only with personal affairs or with matters of small
account. Others throw light on matters that belong to
the field of serious history and are significant. The greatest
good can be derived by taking them as a whole, illustrative
of the beginnings of a community.
   The topics that make up the subject-matter of the
petitions may be summed up as follows: The system of
landholding, the establishment of courts, the organization
of a militia for protection from Indians, the organization
of the community into counties and towns, the establish-
ment of communication by ferries and roads, the inspection
of tobacco, the building of gristmills, the perfecting of a
medium of exchange, the foundation of an educational
system, the status of slavery in the western country, the
effort to secure better social conditions in th</pre>