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JUDGE TOULMAN TO JOSEPH B. VARNUM
FORT STODDERT 20th MAY 1809
SIR a committee appointed by the Inhabitants of Washington
county in the Mississippi Territory to promote the objects of the
inclosed [sic] petition having no opportunity of learning the
sentiments of any member of congress with regard to the
propriety of it,--have found themselves under the necessity of
requesting me as one of their body to transmit it directly to the
honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives, and they
trust that you will have the goodness to cause it to be laid before
Congress, in such a manner as may be compatible with the rules
and orders of that body.
I have the honour to be with the most respectful consideration
Sir, your most obed’t ser’t.
Harry Toulman
[Addressed] The Hon’ble the Speaker of the House of
Representatives
[Endorsed] Accompanying a petition of sundry inhabitants of the
district East of Pearl River, in Mississippi territory. lie on ye table.
[Enclosure:DS]
Petition to Congress by Inhabitants East of Pearl River
[May 1809]
To the Honourable the Congress of the United States the humble
petition of the Inhabitants of the District East of the Pearl River in
the Mississippi Territory, respectfully Sheweth.
That your petitioners reside nearly in the centre, but far remote
from the Seat of Government of a Territory exceeding in extent
any one of the United States,--and probably containing upwards
of one hundred thousand squares miles--That although the
leading expences [sic] of the Territorial Government are paid by
the United States, your Petitioners are Subjected to enormous
taxes for the support of the same Government, whilst enjoying
scarcely any advantages from the expenditure of the public
money--that a large preponderance of wealth, of population and
of personal influenc[e] in the Inhabitants of the Mississippi
Settlements, renders your petitioners (though respectable by
numbers,--and yeilding [sic] to none in patriotism, and pure,
Republican principles)--but mere cyphers in the Territory
Government:--that the remoteness of their situation, and the total
dissimilarity of their channels of Trade, give the people of the
Mobile and its adjacent waters, no common interest with those of
the Mississippi,--That a wilderness of from Two to three thousand
miles between the Settlements East and West of the Pearl River,
deprives us of everything but a merely nominal representation in
Congress. --renders it exceedingly inconvenient to the
representatives of the people East of Pearl River to attend the
Territorial assembly, cuts off almost all useful communication
between those representatives and their constituen[ts] renders
the Executive department a Stranger to them,--and deprives
them of the advantages of that union of Judicial talents and
rotation of Judges so necessary to check the aberrations of
feeling, and to insure public confidence in the Administration of
Justice, that our unorganized, detached and insulated situation
renders it necessary in order to prevent our Country from
becoming the Asylum of the abandoned and to cause, life to be
secure, property to be safe and the Laws to be respected, that
the benign influenc[e] of the Government should be fully and
efficaciously seen and felt among us--That the position in which
the settlements in the District East of Pearl River stand, so
important as a barrier to the South Western states, so promising
as a channel of internal trade, makes it an object of national
importance to encourage their respectability and population--
That our present population probably extends to about five
thousand, and that the County of Madison in the great bend of
the Tennessee, more nearly connected with us than any other
part of the Mississippi Territory is said to contain some thousands
of Inhabitants:--Your petitions therefore humbly pray for a
Division of the Mississippi Territory, and that a new Government
be erected, to be bound on the West by the Pearl River, on the
East by the State of Georgia, on the North by the State of
Tennessee, and on the South by the National Boundary, dividing
the Territory of the United States, from the dominions of the King
of Spain. and that such provisions may be made for a speedy
representation of the people thereof in general assembly as may
appear advisable to the wisdom of Congress.
May 1809
Hugh Henry
Lemuel Henry
Alexr. Hollinger
George Brewer
James Powell
William Bates
Buckner S Morris
William Jones
James Jentry
Thomas Bates
Joseph Bates Sr
Howel Dupree
John Erle Dugles
William Webber
Augustin Rochen
Daniel Johnston
James Dean
[William Baldwin] [marked out on manuscript]
C’s Rain
Benjamin Reeves
Joseph Bates Jur
Isam Copelen
Ephraim Barker
Elisha Barker
James Reeves
William R. Bennett
William McGrew
Nathan Beal
Tho’s J Strong
James Denly
Owen Sullivent
Charles Smith
Jeremiah Phillip
John Miller
Tearice Lain
Jacob Pyburn
Archabald Ruals
Charles Woolf
Wm Mithone
Jo’s Stiggins
Ge’o Stiggins
Wm Sims
Jeremiah Holder
John Setton
William Harrison
Samuel Paisley
Eli Hyrick
Phillep Banemon
Hugh Quin
Samuel Slade
Samuel Treadwell
Kalip Bazor
Thos Bassett
Thos J. Strong
John Richardson
Phillip James
Jonathan Dearmond
Wm Moorman
Frances Boykin
Wm Bowling
John Smith
Kintchin Boykin
Silvester Andrey
Cornelius Dunn
Samuel Mims
Laz’s Jno Bryers
Arthur Avera
John M. Knox
Andre F Barnaud
Josiah Fletcher
William Williams
Joshua Gage
John Bates
Benjamin Hooven
Mathew Stedham
Charles W Murrills
Samuel Clark
David Brannan
Rich’d Stone
John Roads
Danl Harris
Dain’l Harris
Sam’l Wallace
David Keith
Jno Dunn
John Waker
William Milsted
Arn Milsted
Thoms Thompson
Jno Milsted
John Hogg
George Foster
Wm Foster J’nr
Holland M. Hogg
Richard Gill
John Myrick
Reuben Pearson
John Pearson
Jno Deane Senr
Jno Deane Jnr
M. P. Sturdivant
Craven P. Moffett
Moses Sewell
William Smith
James Hughes
Thomas Smith
Elias Smith
Jasper Smith
James Myrick
Daniel Jackson
Danl Elliott
James Farr
Hezekiah Carter
James Denley
Benj’a King
Joseph Wesmoreland
Dan’l Westmoreland
John Kendel
Wm Kendel
Joseph Landrey
Thos Keby
Joseph I. Ray
Zac Fumbrey
Lunsford Burrows
John Swiney
Martin Holman
Jacob Dobbs
John Pollard
Richard Furven [or Furver]
Wm Cockrom Senor
BurrellCockrom Junr
George Cockrom Junr
Wm Cockrom Junor
Partrick Mahony
Levi Qualls
Wm Lofton
Harry Toulmin
John Peirce
William Peirce
William Thomas
Hardy R. Jernigan
Stephen M’Donald
----his
David X Mims
----mark
George Denney
William Sith
Mathew Dickison
Tandy Walker
Y Gains
Robert Lewis
John Johnston Senoir
R. S. Bryan
Thomas F. Gray
Thomas Bates Juner
E’dw Everatts
John Denley
Jesse Thompson
John Lewis
Jams Bailly
John Phillips
James Caller
Thomas Adcock
John Adcock
John Mills
Jno McDonald
G. Weekley
Jesse Stiddam
[William H. Buford] [marked out of manuscript]
[John S. Buford] [marked out of manuscript]
[W Buford] [marked out of manuscript]
Wm Withers
Jeremiah Gage
Richard Workman
Will’m McDonald
------mark
John X Powell
James B Farr
Jass Smith
Henry Myrick
James Myrick
Henry Quin
Watson Ellison
Jeremiah Conway
Hezekiah Carter
H. B. Slade
William Griffin
Maximilian Simon
Joseph Westmoreland
Wm Jordan
Martin Crane
John Johnston Junr
William H Hargrave
Romeo Andry
Chastang Jeune
Edouard Chastang
Baptiste Chastang
Trenon Chastang
Auguste Chastang
Buford Weekley
Daniel Gage
Thomas Dunn
Moses Gage
John Farnin
Joseph Mims
Benj. Stedham
Robert Macconell
John Ackridge
George Martin
Jno Caller
David Keath
James Taylor
Joseph Smith
David Stokes
William Stokes
James Stokes
Jeremiah Walker
Daniel Davis
Andrson Hendricks
John Smith
William Price
Jno Herron
John Rogers
Charles Rhodes
J. J. Rhodes
James Gray
Allan Greene
Edward Gatlin
Solomon Wells
Jo’s Wilson
Jno Mcfarling
Obidah Smith
Wm Ellison
Wm Harrison
James Powell
Jno Powell
Wm Sutton
Thomas Gatlin
Levi Walley
Cornelious Dabney
James Offield
Jones Kilgore
Thos Apling
Henry Hils [or Acils]
Tolbert Mooddy
John Long
George Allen
Thos Davis
Goodwin Jiles
Thomas Partrick
James Holaway
Jarred Twigs
Ash Lofton
Burrell Pitman
William Van
Samuel Lofton
[Endorsed] Petition of sundry inhabitants of the District East of
Pearl river, in the Mississippi territory.
12th June, 1809. Ordered to lie on the table.
6th Decem’r 1809. Referred to Mr. Miller, Mr. Bibb, Mr. Quincy,
Mr. Breckenridge, Mr. Lyle, Mr. Nicholson, and Mr. Campbell. Mr.
Miller ref’d selec. Com 7
[Subscribers to copy of the Memorial found in the Senate Files]
[read December 13, 1809]
Harry Toulmin
Benj. S. Smoot
Robert Lewis
George Dennaha
Thomas Sullivant
William Wheat
Jacob Newton
J Malone
James B. Wilkinson
R. Sharks
Edmund P. Gains
W. D. Felps
G. Morgan
D G Canada
Jacob Neeley
Thomas Nelly
Stepehen Ganvel
David Neeley
John Mathin [or Matheny]
Jmaes Neeley
Daniel Wootam
Burrell Perry
Hardy Woten
Amos Reed
Squire Reed
Orville Perry
Bud Perry
Wilkings Neely
Jackson Bilbo
William Bilbo
Cha’l Wheaton
James Bilbo Senr
[manuscript illegible] Durham
John William
Thomas Dukes
Wych Whatley
John Morgan
Joseph Kayton
Tisdal Whatley
J. Chs Whatley
Shirley Williams
[Endorsed] 11 Cong 2 Sess.--L Petition of the inhabitants of the
Mississippi territory east of Pearl river, praying a division of the
territory.
1809 Decem’r 13th read & to lie.
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