Petition of sundry citizens of Sullivan, Hawkins, Green [sic] and Washington, praying the establishment of a new county.

Important:  This is one of two related petitions submitted to the General Assembly.  Click here to view the other petition.

Note:  The county enacted as a result of these two petitions was called Powell County.  The process for its formation was never completed. One mapmaker, however, drew the proposed county based on the legislative act.  Click the thumbnail to view a larger image.

To the Honorable The Senate & House of Representatives of the State of Tennessee in General assembly met.

The memorial of the Citizens of the counties of Sullivan, Hawkins, Green [sic] and Washington in that part of these counties labouring under the disadvantages hereinafter expressed.

Your memorialists state that they reside from fifteen to thirty miles from the places of holding courts in these counties there in attending to their duties as citizens of these counties they have for many years been exposed to great inconvenience & expense in attending courts as jurors, witnesses, and attending muster and the various other publick [sic] duties to which citizens are exposed and it must be evident to your honorable body that is the fact by a ban [sic] recurrence to the map of the state which will fully show their real local situation.

Your memorialists state that the section of the county in which they live is very populous containing many thousand inhabitants and about (or mostly?) [sic] of the other citizens of these before-mentioned counties and your memorialists consider themselves fully able to bear any expense that
the creation of a new county might expose them to should there be any.

Your memorialists further state that the amended constitution under which your honorable body are convened provides for the creation of establishment of a county within the bounds in which they live, and which provisions of the constitution virtually repeal the Act of Assembly of 1796 on the subject of
the divison of counties but should your honorable body consider it necessary to have information on that subject they can confidently state that a survey has been made of which it is ascertained that the requisite number of square miles are left to those counties before mentioned & that there is the necessary boundary for a new county without infringing on the rights or convenience of the citizens of the before mentioned counties.

Confiding in whatever you may see fit to do in the premises your petitioners will be satisfied and your petitioners will ever pray etc.

205 Signers (table is sortable by given name and surname):

We certify that the above is a true copy of names from the original petition, with the exception of a few illegible names which are omitted.  John Lynn, Jr., Wm. Lynn, Robt. Latton

The survey will be forwarded——with a further list of petitioners if time permits.

Ho. of Reps. 16 Nov. 1835 referred to the Committee on New Counties and County lines.  Mitchell Clk. Netherland

Source:  Transcription of the petition by Betsy West, published in the TN Genealogical Society‘s “Ansearchin’” News, Vol. 2, 1974, pp. 72-73.