TO THE HONORABLE THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE FREEMEN OF THE CCOMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY MET:
The Petition of a number of the Inhabitants of the County of Bedford Humbly Sheweth that your petitioners have observed a Bill has been published by your Honourable House for public consideration for erecting a part of the County of Bedford into a separate County — your petitioners are led, from a sense of the injury which will arise from such a measure, to suggest to the Honourable House some of the reasons which have determined them against it. The County in General is much broken with Hills, and even a great part of such Land as may be cultivated, is uninhabited with regard to the proposed County, the chief of the Inhabitants within its bounds, are more convenient to the seat of Justice than a much greater number on the west side of the County — but in both these parts, the people are too few in number to support the expence of a County. And altho’ they are subject to some inconvenience, yet it is such as ought to be submitted to until the Country becomes settled — when perhaps a Division will be both proper and necessary. The public buildings of the County are yet far from being finished, and in its present State, the people are but ill able to discharge their proportion of the County Taxes and a considerable part of the same is yet unpaid. By a Division this burden must necessarily be increased. However proper a Division may be at some future period, your Petitioners are fully convinced that were it to take place now, it would be oppressive to the peoples of the County in General, and therefore hope your Honourable House will not pass into a Law the said Bill for dividing the County, and they as in duty bound will pray —
[Numbers added by transcriber.]
- Alexd. McConnell
- Benjamin Stephens
- Abednego Stephens
- Owen Owen
- William Patterson
- Robert Hamill
- John Darby
- John Grey
- Thomas McFarland
- Thos. Paxton
- George Ogle
- Daniel McConnell
- James Smith
- Robert Paxton
- William Gaff
- James Gibson
- John Buckley
- William Sloan
- William Hunter
- John Galway
- David Thositer
- George Galaway
- 23. German
- 24. German
- Euan Jenkens
- George Insloe
- Cristopher Insloe
- John Tate
- Nathaniel Hamell
- Joseph McGinley
- 31. German
- Philip Truax
- Joseph Warford Jun.
- Jesse Morgan
- John Mugg
- Isaac Cowl
- Elias Stillwell
- Benjaman Truax
- Abner Roberts
- William Truex
- Samuel Graves
- Ralph Hunt
- John Mowney
- Abner Hunt
- Israel Hunt
- Christian Taxel
- Timothy Fidler
- John Fidler
- Joakim laman
- Thomas William
- Benjamin Abbott
- John Milluoun
- Henry Lavering
- William Hunt
- Henry Rush Sen.
- Adis Linn
- Moses Grahm
- Joseph Graves
- James Warford
- W. Jacques
- Joseph Warford
- Joseph Hunt
- Henry Rush Jun.
- Christian Coyl
- Peter Rush
- Michal Tonolly
- John Rush