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This collection comprises citizen petitions written to the legislatures of the Wisconsin Territory and later the State of Wisconsin, from 1836 to 1891. At the time, petitions were the only direct means for citizens to communicate with the government.
From requesting dams, roads, and money to build schoolhouses, to recording views on slavery, suffrage, and statehood, these petitions reveal what settlers wished to achieve for their communities, and the ways in which they hoped to connect Wisconsin to the expanding commerce and intellectual life of the United States. These petitions are mostly handwritten in blue and iron gall ink; most petitions comprise a title page, the petition itself, and signature pages.
For more information about this collection, visit its Online Finding Aid and View the Online Collection.
The work of flattening, scanning, and describing these petitions was funded by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) of the National Archives.
Works
All works are fully transcribed.
Petition for allowing railroads to use the same rail lines
Petition for allowing residents of Racine County to select a county seat
Petition for allowing Rock County to tax the ""poor"" property for school purposes
Petition for allowing Sarah Phoenix to own her late husband's mill
Petition for allowing the city treasurer to keep the fees he collects during his term
Petition for allowing the Common Council of Madison to reassess a property tax to pay for improved streets
Petition for allowing the Dane County Register of Deeds to make transcripts of related to land deals recorded elsewhere
Petition for allowing the Dane County Register of Deeds to transcribe records and be compensated
Petition for allowing the Monroe County Agricultural Society to collect monies due them in 1861
