Petition

Petition

to Form Russell County

December 1785

The petition of sundry inhabitants of Clinch River, Moccasin Creek,

Powells Valley, and others, citizens of Washington County humbly represent

that your petitioners are situated from the line of Montgomery as it

crosses near the source of the Clinch River, down the same eight miles;

thence to the extreme settlements of Powells Valley forty more.

The greatest portion of your petitioners have to travel from twenty five

miles and some eighty or an hundred; moreover are generally interrupted by

Clinch Mountain and the north branch of the Holstein River; the former

affording very difficult passes; the latter much danger and difficulty in

crossing it in spring and after considerable rains; continuous to its

southern bank, a chain of hills almost as difficult as Clinch Mountain; so

that great difficulty arises to your Petitioners not only in attending

Courts, but Courts Martial. And from the extent of schism between our

small settlements make it exceedingly difficult to arrange companies

without subjecting some to travel 15 and 20 miles to private mustery.

There are two difficulties in the militia law that principally affect your

Petitioners. There are evils small indeed to the feelings we constantly

undergo when obliged to leave our helpless families exposed at so very

greast distances to obey the laws of our country. And however evident the

danger may appear to us will not certainly on our failure of duty plead

our excuse. Circumstance alone is sufficient to claim the human respect of

the Legislature to remove the grievance. We therefore pray your Honorable

House will take our case into consideration and divide the county. We

further pray a line may be fixed along Clinch Mountain to the Carolina

line; or with the line at present dividing the county into two regiments

to the aforesaid Carolina line; then with the said line to Cumberland

Mountain including taht existing county between Cumberland Mountain and

Montgomery line and Clinch Mountain, or the aforesaid regimental line for

the new county and southeast of the said Clinch Mountain remain Washington

County; and we your Petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray.

Albert, Michael

Alderson, Benjamin

Alley, David

Alley, Hosea

Alley, James Sr.

Alley, James Jr.

Alley, John

Alley, Peter

Alley, Samuel

Asberry, George

Asberry, Henry

Asberry, John

Asberry, William

Baker, John

Barker, Joel

Barnett, Alexander

Bays, -----------

Beavers, Alexander

Belcher, George

Belcher, Thomas

Belcher, Robert

Bickley, Charles

Bird, Thomas

Bird, William

Black, Joseph

Blackmore, James

Blanton, William

Bonem?, John

Bowen, Arthur

Bowen, John

Bowland, Jared

Bowland, William

Bradley, James

Bremley, Archalus

Brewster, Michael

Bristow, Isaac

Brown, James

Browning, Francis

Bush, James

Caar?, Robert

Cain, David

Calhoun, Davis

Campbell, John

Carter, John Jr.

Carter, Joseph

Carter, Norris

Carter, Thomas

Castles, Jacob

Castles, Joseph

Cenduncan, William

Childress, Abraham

Choat, Valentine

Clark, George

Cockrell, Simon

Cole, Jeremiah

Colvilk?, ----------

Colvill, Andrew

Conway, Thomas

Cooper, Christopher

Cowan, Andrew

Cowan, John

Cox, David

Crabtree, William

Craig, James?

Craig?, Robert

Crockett, Alexander

Crockett, Hamilton

Cunningham, Jonathan

Damron, John

Damron, Lazarus

Damron, Moses

Daniel, James

Daniel, Wyat

Davis, Henry

Davidson, James

Davidson, Samuel

Davidson, William

Deskins, John

Dever, Charles

Dickenson, Henry

Dolsberry, Lyles

Duncan, John

Duncan, Townsend

Elam, Isaac

Elam, William

Elkins, Drury

Elkins, James

Elkins, Jesse

English, John

Enyart, John

Enyart, Silas

Evans, William

Faris, Champ

Ferril, Jeremiah

Fields, Richard

Fletcher, Ambrose

Fletcher, Richard

Fowler, John

Frame, William

Frances, Thomas

Friley, Calip

Friley, Frederick

Friley, James

Friley, John

Friley, Martin

Friley, William

Fugate, Coleby

Fugate, James

Fugate, John

Fugate, Josiah

Fugate, Zachariah

Fuller?, John

Gallaher, Joel

Gibson, George

Gibson, James

Gibson, John

Gilmore, William

Givins, Edward

Graves, Bean

Gray, Jesse

Green, John

Haddox, Samuel

Hains, Christopher

Hamblin, Henry

Hamond, ----------

Hargis, ----------

Haris, James

Hatfield, Ephraim

Hatfield, George

Hatfield, John

Hatfield, Joseph

Hays, Charles

Hayter, Abraham

Henderson, Richard

Henderson, William

Hendrix, James

Hendrix, Thomas

Hendrix, Zachariah

Hensley, Joseph

Hensley, Robert

Higgenbothan, Moses

Higgenbothan, Robert

Hildreth?, Jeffrey

Hobbs, Thomas

Horton, William

Huston, William

Jackson, James

Jackson, Jesse

Jackson, John

Jamison, John

Johnson, William

Jones, Benjamin

Jones, Edward

Jones, James

Kelley, Edward

Kendrick, Patrick

Kennday, John

Kincannon, John

Kinkead, John

Kirk, Alexander

Kiser, Joseph

Lang?, Langston?, John

Lash, Adam

Lash, Alexander

Lash, George

Leith, James

Lewis, John

Long, William

Mackintaush, Peter

Martin, Alexander

McCoy, George

McCoy, Robert

McCulloch, John

McDuck, William

McFarland, Alexander

McFarland, Joseph

McFarland, Robert

McFarland, Robert Jr.

McFerran, John

McKinney, James

McMahon, Thomas

McPike, William

Meredith, Joseph

Millard, Abraham

Millard, Charles

Monk, Henry

Monk, Shadrach

Montgomery, James

Montgomery, John

Musick, David

Musick, Elexious

Neill, William

Nelson, Daniel

Nelson, Johnson

Niel, Charles

Nicholson, Benjamin

Nicholson, Petten

Oney, Benjamin

Oney, Richard

Oney, William

Osborne, James

Osbourn, Stephen

Perrin, Joseph

Porter, John

Porter, Patrick

Porter, Richard

Porter, Samuel

Prater, Samuel

Prater, Thomas

Prater, William

Preecs, David

Preecs, James

Price, Anjer

Price, Daniel

Price, James

Price, Richard

Price, Thomas Jr.

Price, William

Puckett, Drury

Puckett, George

Puckett, Jeremiah

Ramey, Matthew

Ramey, John

Ritchie, Alexander

Ritchie, Alexander Jr.

Roberts, George

Robinson, George

Robinson, Samuel

Robtinson, Absalom

Robtinson, Jacob

Robtinson, William

Rogers, James

Rogers, Will

Ryhley, Patrick

Shewmaker, James

Shomaker, John

Short, John

Short, Thomas

Skaggs, David

Skaggs, Henry

Skaggs, John

Skaggs, Solomon

Smith, Edward

Smith, Elijah

Smith, Ericus

Smith, Ericus Jr.

Smith, H.

Smith, James

Smith, John

Smith, William

Smoothe, Edward

Sord, Michael

Stacy, John

Stallard, Samuel

Stapleton, Edward

Stills, Isaiah

Stills, Yeah?

Tate, John

Tate, Robert Sr.

Tate, Robert Jr.

Tate, Thomas

Thompson, John

Thompson, Richard

Thompson, William

Vance, Samuel

Vandyke, John

Vaughan, William

Vermillion, Jesse

Wagg, John

Wallin, Stephen

Wallin, Thomas

Walters, Lewis

Ward, David

Wells, John

White, John

Whitley, Joseph

Whorton, James

Williamson, A?

Willson, Harris

Willson, John

Willson, Richard

Wright, James

Wright, John

Young, Daniel

Young, David

Young, James

Young, Samuel

Belcher Blues Newsletter January 2002