Petition to Congress by Citizens of Clark and Jefferson Counties (7 July 1813)
“. . . we your petitioners Conceive tht at the present period very considerable advantage would result to the Territory from a Liberal encouragment of Manufactures in general—That more especially in this part the citizens labour under great disadvantage for want of the following branches viz. Grist and Saw Mills, Fulling Mills, Carding Machines &c. that there is sets for all the above branches of Manufactures on fraction of the first Section in town one North of the base line Range eight east of the second Maredion on fraction of the thirty sixth section in town two North of the base line Range eight East of the second Maredion, & on a Lot of one hundred acres in the Illenois Grant the Property of William Provine Esquire, a dam on which Materially injures the above named Fractions & these being the only advantageous seats for improvement in the neighbourhood, Your petitioners therefore humbly pray that your Honorable body will take the same into consideration & if Consistent grant a pre-emption right at two dollars per acres (with indulgence to discharge the Amount in yearly payment of one hundred dollars each) to William Provine and Company, who will bind themselves to erect the above named Mills & Machines, & keep them in repair so long as Your Honorable Body shall think proper to grant indulgence for the payment thereof: and at the expiration of said term, on condition the said Provine and Company fulfill their obligation, to issue a general Patent for the same.”
p. 266 – signed Wm Anderson . . . John Telford
p. 267 – Benjamin Reese, Peter Storm, Jacob Storm [together], . . . James Arbuckell, Charles Johnson
p. 267 – petition rejected
