Image Condition: Ink Smeared

Primary County: PLEASE SELECT

Date Filed (format: YYYY/MM/DD): 1803/01/33

Petitioner(s):

Purpose / Short Description:

Text of Petition (drag lower right corner to enlarge box): To the honourable the General Assembly of the State
of Tennessee at Knoxville assembled 1803
We your petitioners inhabitants of the County of
Claiborne impartially viewing the many wrongs and
inconveniences the we labour under with [respect?] to our
Publick buildings, humbly request the interposition of your
honourable body to redress our wrongs and to relieve us
from being obliged to travel almost an outside and
remote part of the County to our Courthouse where of at
present is far. The distance from the State line which
is also the County line on the East End of the County to the Court
-house does not exceed twenty miles which comprehends the
part taken off of Hawkins County, which part we pray may
continue [annexed] two Hawkins and may not be considered as
parts of Claiborne County, as we conceive we have a sufficient
boundary of Country to a constitutional County with[stand?]
it the inconveniences is, it is a narrow mountainous
part but few inhabitants yet appears from some partiality
or other to withhold justice from the other part of the
County as they have unjustly drawn our Publick buildings
much above the center that way the distance from the
Courthouse westward to Anderson County line is about
thirty six miles. The distance from the Courthouse South
tot he Grainger line about five or six miles and the
distance from the Courthouse North to the Indian land
from twelve to fourteen miles and much further two the
state line which is the present count line. We verily
believe this statement of facts correct; in addition to which
the west end of the County is much wider than the East
end and vastly superior in numbers. Therefore pray
your honours by your delegated authority to remedy our
districts by directing our Publick buildings to be completely
in the Center of the County or as convenient as possible to