To the Honorable the Senate and house of Representatives of the State of Tennessee
The petitions of the Subscribers, Citizens of the County of wayne Respectfully sheweth unto your Honorable body, that under the Existing Laws for the Organization of their County, they are placed in a Situation, disagreeable to them, and such as they Humbly Conceive calls loudly for Legislative interference. It is believed by your Petitions that the Prosperity of a County depends not Intirely upon a fertile Territory but also and in no small degree upon the Situation of its Seat of Justice. So as to Offer inducements to the settlement of men of Interprize and Capital, the County and its town mutually assist and support Each Other. Your Petitioners are Situated in a County including a Very large Proportion of sterile Land totally unfit for Cultivation, believe that they can Only hope to balance the Natural disadvantages of the County by selecting Some Spott within it as the site of a town and seat of Justice. which will Promp Individuals who possess the means and Inclination to carry on Extensive business of Various Kinds to settle themselves in the place. and thus Diffuse throughout the County the produce of their wealth, skill and industry. Restricted to a certain distance from the center, within those bounds to for their courthouse. It is utterly Impossible for them to injoy the Benefits Resulting from circumstances of the above description. Your Petitioners therefore humbly Pray your Honorably body that this county of wayne be arranged better to the advantage of the Citizens at large in the following manner (to wit) Beginning at a point on the South boundary line of Perry county so as to give bounds for a Constitutional County Including a certain Surplus lying between Hickman Lawrence Wayne & Perry and that so much be taken off from Each of the above named Counties as to Compleat a Constitutional County To … [the following line is illegible on copy] [second page] … of said County of wayne Extend Over Tennessee River So far as to Include a Certain bind which points South Eastwardly to the Site of Carrolsville and then to Run South and East &c for a Constitutional bounds and if there should be a Surplus let it be on the South boundary as being a large[?] bounds of Country intirely unfit for Cultivation. We further pray that the Premises considered the law Confining the Commissioners for wayne county to a certain distance from the Centre for the Location of their country Town may be Repealed. and that a law may be Passed authorizing the County Court or a Majority of them to Put in Nomination two or more Places (one on the River) that the Citizens of the County determine by a Majority of Votes amonge themselves which place shall be the [Place-marked through] the Seat of Justice or Such Other relief as to your honorable body may seem meet agreeable to the forgoing suggestions and your Petitioners as in duly bound shall Ever Pray &c. May 29, 1822.
[Editor’s Note: The form drawn up for the petitioners’ signatures has a place for each petitioner’s residence. However, the place of residence is given for the first twelve signatures only.]
Petition Signatures
1. Wm. B. ROSS – Ten. River
2. James[?] BLAIR – ” ”
3. John BLACKBURN – ” ”
4. John JOHNSON – ” ”
5. William STANFIELD – ” ”
6. Abraham MAYBERRY – ” ”
7. Dan’l MAYBERRY – ” ”
8. John STANFIELD – ” ”
9. Isham POWELL – Beech Cr.
10. Woolsey WARRINGTON – ”
11. Elijah WARRINGTON – ”
12. John WARRINGTON – ”
13. John ALLDREDGE
14. John W. NUNNELLY[?]
15. Isaac ROBINSON
16. William GALLOWAY
17. William BATTLE
18. James BOOTH
19. Wes JOHNSON
20. Joel PEOPLES
21. Reuben PEOPLES
22. Tennessee MURCHESON or HUETHSONE
23. Daniel GRIGGS
24. William SHERLY
25. Peter RENTFROW
26. John BENHAM
27. Benjamin HUDELSSON
28. M.[?] JOHNSON
29. Wilson PETTY
30. Isaac PETTY
31. Thos. GES
32. David RICKETT
33. John VAUGHN
34. Bengamin VAUGHN
35. Joel SHELTER[?]
36. William BENHAM
37. Mayes GREGGS
38. Charles RINER[?]
39. Henry MARRS
40. John MORRIS[?]
41. John BUTRAM
42. W.G. HUDDLETTE[??]
43. Hiram SALL
44. George GILL
45. Jonathan ELLIOTT
46. John GILL Sr.[?]
47. Elisha WALKER
48. William ALTOM
49. Isaac BENHAM
50. George O. MARES [?]
51. Elihue ALTOM
52. W.H. GILL
53. Holoman BATTLES
54. Alin NANCE
55. Willie MAGNUM
56. Charley HOLLAND
57. William GRIMES
58. Elijah WARRINTON
59. David LETHERS
60. Daniel HUDDLESTON
61. Jesse BROWN
62. James GILL
63. Elijah McMAHAN
64. Daniel[?] PULLY
65. George GILL, Senr.
66. William ROSE
67. V. ROSE
68. Charles R. WALKER
69. Abraham MONTAGUE
70. Bind[?] JONES[?]
71. James DAVIES
[numbers revert to 9]
9. E. RILEY
10. Granville SIMMONS
11. Ira MITCHELL
12. James RILEY
13. Willis CASEY
14. Grievous RAY
15. James BATTLES
16. Thomas McALROY
17. Jeremiah CASY
18. Ambrus POWEL
19. Hugh TURNBOW
20. Holoway PRATER
21. Jno. POWEL
22. Lewis POWEL
23. Eaeton RAY
24. Wm. BATTLES
25. Jursley[?] LOVEING[?]
26. Isom POWEL
27. Brice PRATER
28. A. HALLFORD
29. Joel CHILDRS
30. Jonathan HALFORD
31. James KNIGHTON
32. Harding POWEL
33. Mical ROBENSON
34. Mays GREGS
35. Duke GRIGS
36. John ROBINSON
37. Enoch JAMES [100 marked beside this name]
38. [skipped]
39. Laucen[?] SHADY[?]
??. James HALLFORD
40. Jonathan COOK
41. Miles MORRISON
42. Fergis SNODDY
43. George H. PRUETT
44. William M. NUNNLEY
45. Lem’l SIMMON
46. Lewis JOHNSON
47. Wm. B. SORRELS
48. John R. HOLLEND
49. John CRINOR
50. John MITCHEL
51. Joshua FLY
52. Ezekial STOW
53. Wm. BLACKBURN
54. Joshua DUREN or DYREN[?]
55. B. HENSLEY
56. Ning RILEY
57. Joshua WHITE [lined through]
[numbering picks up with 72]
72. Elisha [last name unreadable]
73. Edmund W. GEE (H. Cty.) [Hardin County??]
74. Robert SHANNON
74. John BUTRAM
76. Jacob REMAL
77. James ROBINSON
78. William DAVIS
79. John T. McELROY
80. Simon DEVER
81. Geo. H.M. WALKER
82. Thos. J. GRIGGS
83. Samuel BLACKBURN
84. G. ?. KELSEY
85. John RILEY
86. Ninon RILEY
87. John WALKER
88. Ric’d TIDWELL
89. James ROSS
90. W.H. OWEN
90. Sam’l SNODDY [signed on same number]
91. Wm. G. CORNWELL
92. Thomas CROSSNOW
93. George CROSSNOW
94. James DOBSON
95. T.F. EDWARDS
96. James WHITE
97. A.W. LAFFERTY
98. John McCALLISTER[?]
99. Holoway PRATER
100. Jacob REMALL
*There is 150 Signers to this Place
151. John W. GIBBONS
152. Joshua WHITE
153. John WHITE
154. Zachery THOMAS
155. M. FOREHAND
156. J.C. STOBOUGH
157. Leonard BERRY
158. G_____ ROADEN[?]
159. Josiah B. WEBB
160. George HOLOBOUGH
161. John WEBB
162. John M. LANKFORD
163. Josiah SULIVAN or GULIVAN
164. Moses RANDAL
165. Wm. OWEN
166. Willie S. PARKS
167. Henry ARY
168. John NUNN
169. Arther SMITH
170. James CAMEL
171. Mikel CLINE
172. Jacob FRALEY
173. Phillip LOVE
174. Jessee BOWEN
175. Wm. H. NANCE
176. John SHARP
177. David AREEN[?]
178. Adam STRUE
179. Alford WASSEM
180. James BOLAM
181. John CHILDERS
182. A. STOBAUGH
183. Peter LINEBERGER
184. B. McKENNY
185. McKenny BENNETT
186. Thomas SIMMONS
187. Moses RAY
188. J.W. RODGERS
189. Samuel HENSLEY
190. W.M. NEWTON
191. David CARTER
192. John MULRED[?]
193. C. TUCKER
194. B. TUCKER
195. John COLHOONE
196. A. CALHOONE
197. Wm. COLHOONE
198. Wm. GUNTER
199. John PARKS
200. The. PARKS
201. Henry FLOWERS
203. Hardy FLOWERS [202 skipped]
204. Nedom FLOWERS
205. John McELYEA
206. Humphrey McELYEA
207. Allen GUNTER
208. Charles COTTON
209. Ezekial SMITH
210. Henry CLAYTON
211. John HIGHSMITH
212. Elias HIGHSMITH
213. Job JENKENS
214. Willis E. PARKS
215. Phillip W. AUSTIN
216. Jacob RILEY
217. Caleb D. EDWARDS
218. Jesse W. EDWARDS
219. Aron B. EDWARDS
220. Martin DYE
—. John TUCKER
—. David LILES
—. Richard TUCKER
—. Wm. TUCKER
—. Benjamin BAIDSUN
226. Elija COTTOM
[Editor’s Note: Most of the signatures from #173 – #226 appear to be in the same handwriting, as are several other sets throughout the petition. Although there are no personal marks given, it would appear that someone signed for those who could not write. In the left hand margin of the second page of the petition is written the word “unreasonable”. At the end of the list of petitioners is written “Petition of the Citizens of Wayne County praying relief in Certain Caseses. H. Repres. 5 Aug 1822. Ref’d to Com’ee Prop & Grievances, T. HAMPADE, Clk. BURNS.” The last “Burns” is in reference to Representative William BURNS from Wayne County.]