submitted by: Edgar D. Byler, III; input by Jerry W. Murphy

The following petition was submitted to the Tennessee State Legislature in 1819 by the people living in the area currently comprising Wayne and Hardin Counties. The original petition is on file at the Tennessee State Library and Archives and is available on microfilm roll number 6, Legislature Petitions. The petition is copied here in its entirety. There are 228 signatures appended to the petition. I have attempted to decipher them as best I could; some are completely unreadable and some have ink blots covering part of the signature. The copy of this petition has been placed in the Wayne County Room at the Wayne County Public Library for further research.

To the Honourable General Assembly of the State of Tennessee Gentlemen (Greetings) the undersigners, Inhabitants residing in part of the lands purchased of the Chickasaw Indians & within the bounds of your State beg leave to report to your honourable body that as citizens of [crossed out] we feel ourselves bound to Obey conform to & abide by the laws of our country & for the want of such, we labour under a considerable inconvenience. Therefore we pray the interference of your body to [this word may be realize or could also be release] the many greviences that may arise for the want of laws both civil and military by making a new county within the following bounds (viz) Beginning at the south west corner of Lawrence County, & to run with the west boundary of said County North Eighteen miles, then a due west course to Tennessee River, then up the meador of said river to the South boundary of the State of Tennessee, then with said boundary East to the beginning we beg leave to represent to your body that the above bounds contain land enough to make a consititional County, we will ever pray &c 1819.

[In the microfilm copy, this page is repeated. Written on the back of the page are comments relating to the work of the Assembly. Only part of these annotations can be read. It appears the petition was received 23 Sept 1819. The remainder is unreadable. The remaining eight pages of the petition are the appended signatures. It is interesting to note that many of the signatures are for people who were in the area which later became Hardin County.]

Petition Signatures

1. Isham CHERRY
2. John WHITE
3. Jas. STEEL
4. Noah LILLY
5. C. McFARLING
6. Jefferson FARRER
7. William BREWTON
8. Benj. C. COCKS
9. Thos. ENGLISH
10. Elijah POLLY
11. Sam’l BREWTON
12. James ENGLISH
13. Henry? MAHAN
14. Jas. PARMERLY
15. Jonathan R. PICKENS
16. Jas. ENGLISH, Sen’r
17. Turner CLIFTON
18. John YOUNT
19. Wm. PIBURN
21. Jacob PIBURN
22. Christopher PIBURN
23. John HOUSE
24. William MILLIGAN
25. Swain WARD
26. N.V. HARRISS (?)
27. John PICKENS
28. Walter WOOD
29. Sam’l WHITE
30. Josiah BOLTON or BUTTON
31. John WELCH
32. Isaac (?) BROOKS
33. William STRICKLIN
34. Jno. H. HOWARD
35. Willie R. JOHNSON
36. Jonathan PICKENS
37. Jeremiah PICKENS
38. Caleb SULLVANT
39. Elkuriah (?) SULLIVANT
40. John MAXWELL
41. Richard FOID
42. Eli CHERRY
43. Noel CHERRY
45. Joseph THESON or HESON
46. John WAGINER
47. Robert THESON or HESON
48. Samuel WILLIAMS
49. Robert STOUT
50. Linder (?) WILLIAMS
51. Andrew STOUT
52. Isiah STOUT
53. I.G. RETHERFOOD
54. Harry CLIFTON
55. Thos. BROOKS
56. Baily BROOKS
57. Bennet BROOKS
58. Samuel HARBOUR
59. Sherwood J. GEORGE
60. Henry RONIELS (DANIELS? or RUNELS?)
61. David KINNAMON??
62. Daniel SMITH
63. Wiley J. DUCKWORTH
64. Aron BRIANT
65. Absalom SMITH
66. William SMITH
67. James (?) KINEANON?
68. James EMERSON
69. John S. INGRAM
70. Jas. BOYD
71. William BEATY
72. W. HUDGING
73. Thos. GILLESPIE
74. Francis RIDEMON ??
75. Finpoles ?? JOHNSON
76. John ROBERTSON
77. Peter RATGOTMON???
78. Wooble?? WHITE
79. Joseph ENGLISH
80. Gabril PICKENS
81. Aachdel? DABS
82. Wm. HUBERT
83. John SILLIVANT
84. John MORTIN
85. John WORLEY
86. Redden BLOUNT
87. Jonathan W. MARTIN?
88. James P.? DILL???
89. Andrew SMITH
90. Abraham WORLEY
91. George WORLEY
92. William MARTIN
93. J. HITCHCOK
94. Chisley PANE
95. Robert STOUT
96. John _______?
97. Thos. GRAY
98. Sam’l GRAY
99. James ANSBACH??
100. unreadable
101. no signature, no number
102. unreadable
103. unreadable
104. unreadable
105. James HILL
106. Jno. CURTIS Senr. ??
107. Stephen MILLER
108. Paul ________[undecipherable]
109. Garsham HILL
110. Jno. CURTIS
111. Jeremiah GRAY
112. unreadable on copy
113. Henry RAYBURN
114. Francis _______?
115. Baker SYPETS
116. Levi McGILL
117. (first name unreadable) OSTEEN
118. Jno. OSTEEN
119. William ________?
120. Jesse CYPERT
121. George SMITH
122. Looks like Christopher COOK
123. Martin COOK
124. Phillop ROOS
125. Hugh A. MARTIN or MARKEN
126. Reddick ROOS
127. John ROOS
128. Eli ROOS
129. James KELLEY
130. Jno. M. ROOS
131. Charley ROOS
132. William ROOS
133. Charles ROLONS
134. James STEEL or STELL
135. Joel THARSTON
136. Richard SMILEY
137. Isiah PICKENS
138. Andrew WHITE
139. John COL
140. Peter COL
141. Jeaimiah HERREFF
142. James COPELAND
143. James ARNETT
144. John COOK
145. John MORRIS Jr.
146. John MORRISS
147. Eleecha? METHAN???
148. Arthur MURRY
149. Zacheriah THOMPSON
150. Leonard MORROW
151. John RAYBURN
152. James GIBSON
153. Jon’ GAGE
154. James ANDERSON
155. John CURTUES
156. Phillip SHULL
157. James DAVIS
158. David SHULL
159. Wm. MORELAND
160. John WORTHER
161. Phillip KENNARD
162. John COOK
163. Fredric HUMACH
164. John MORROW
165. Russell R. COVEY
166. Wm. WISDOM
167. Wm. LASEWELL (TASEWELL)
168. Henry TILLY
169. ______? TILLY
170. ______? RAYBURN
171. ______? CYPERT
172. Wm. MORRIS
173. Hyram BOONE
174. Sanders POOL
175. John CYPERT
176. George DAVIDSON
178. John G. WILLIAMS
179. Robt. LASEWELL (TASEWELL)
180. Jesse LASEWELL (TASEWELL)
181. John COPELAND
numbers repeat from 179
179. Craven BELSHA
180. Ewen BELSHA
181. Jessee BRUMLEY
182. Andrew _________??
183. Wm. BAREL???
184. Jesse HOGE
185. Giddeon HOGG
186. Jepson HOGG
187. Thrien YATS
188. skipped
189. William KURR??
190. David ________?
191. unreadable
192. James FARE??
193. Samuel COOPER
194. Stephen COOPER
195. Edmond GOAR
196. John HUTSON
197. Stokely CHOAT
198. Daniel CUTBRIAD
199. Lewis GARDNER??
200. Christophe CHOAT
201. William WEATHERFORD
202. John WATHERFORD
203. _______? DUREN??
204. Charles ROBANS
204. Green Debar? ROBANS
206. Thomas LOWRY
207. James HOLLIS
208. Thomas HOLLIS
209. Thomas CASEBUR
210. James HOLLIS Juner
211. Richard SMITH
212. Wm. ADDAMS
213. William HOLLIS
214. William SPARKS
215. John CASH
216. William BRAMLE???
217. S. JOHNSON
218. Tho’s LASSON
217. Alexander NORMAN
220. Gorshun HILL
221. Jno. THOMPSON
222. Jno. HILL or KILL
223. Jno. LAMB
224. Jno. THOMPSON
225. William BRUMLEY
226. Charles SMITH
227. William SMITH
228. Samuel MARTIN

At the top of the last page of appended signatures is written the following “By Johnson & T. Erwen for Justice of the Peace by a Majoyaty of the People & Thomas GAY a pointed