Transcribed from microfilm and contributed by: Charles A. Sherrill, 1992
A project of the Bradley County Historical Society

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Petition Number 39, Year 1842

[Information from cover sheet: Petition was read in the House on Jan 17th 1842 and referred to the Committee on Claims. Clerk Thomas A. Brown noted that “The committee has authorized me to Report it un Reasonable and aught not to be granted”. The repor t of the Committee was concurred in by the House on Jan. 21, 1842.]

To the General Assembly of the State of Tennessee Now in session.

The Petition of the Commissioners of the Town of Cleveland in the State of Tennessee, together with the citizens of said Town.

Your petitioners hereby represent and show to the General Assembly; That at the session of the General Assembly of said state in the Year 1837 the General Assembly passed a Law authorizing the Commissioners of said Town to build the public buildings, t o wit, a court house and jail for said county and required said Commissioners to pay one thousand dollars for the two quarter sections of land upon which said Town stands, and to pay eight thousand dollars for said public buildings.

Now your Petitioners show to the General Assembly that said Commissioners have paid the one thousand dollars to the State and have built the public buildings which have cost the said Commissioners the sum of Eight thousand dollars. It is impossible to raise the said sum of Eight thousand dollars out of Town lots in equal proportions as those lots were assessed when property was of high value, since which time the price of property has fallen, and the Lots which are unimproved will not bring the assessm ent upon the same, and also several persons having purchased Lots of said Commissioners have become insolvent them and their securities, who were perfectly solvent at the time of purchasing said Lots. And it is wholly impossible to raise said sum by reass essment, except it would be to raise the deficiency, here after shown, exclusively upon the improved lots of said Town, which would be oppressive and unjust and sacrifice the said Lots to the owners thereof.

And whereas the deficiency thus occasioned by the fall of the Value of said lots amounts to the sum of One thousand and twenty nine dollars and thirty cents, which if raised out of individual property of the Commissioners here undersigned who stand ind ividually bound for the same to the builder of said buildings, or collected by reassessment upon the improved Lots as aforesaid will greatly oppress the Commissioners individually or the owners of the Lots improved as aforesaid.

Wherefore your Petitioners humbly pray the General Assembly to donate the State Tax arising in said County untill said sum of One thousand and twenty nine dollars and thirty cents is paid.

The premises considered and your Petitioners will forever pray. Cleveland, December 30th, 1841.