Legislative Petition No. 392

Legislative Petition No. 392
Mecklenburg County, Virginia  May 14, 1777

To the Honorable the Speaker, and Gentlemen of the House of Delegates of Virginia:

The petition of the Inhabitants of the County of Mecklenburg humbly beseech, That your petitioners highly approve of the several Acts and Resolutions of Conventions, and Assembly, but conceive that some amendment might be made to those, relating to the natives of Great Britain, and to the establishment of the paper currency of this Commonwealth.
We conceive that it would tend to unite more firmly, the natives of this State, were the resolution respecting the Factors of British merchants extended to the married as well as the single natives of Great Britain, who were factors for, or partners with, merchants residing in Great Britain, and have not uniformly manifested a friendly disposition to the american cause; and who notwithstanding their connextions in this County by marriage, declare that the paper currency of this state, now in circulation, is of very little, or no value, and absolutely refuse to receive same in  discharges of the debts due to the British merchants with whom they are concerned as factors or partners.
Your petitioners do not mean to be excuplate, many of their own Countrymen who esteem Gold or Silver so much more than paper, as to demand a very considerable advance in exchanging one for the other, notwithstanding the penalty inflicted to prevent the depreciating of the paper currency of these states.
Wherefore your Petitioners pray that all the natives of Great Britain, who have not uniformly shown their friendly disposition to the American cause, may be compelled to leave this State, and that some more severe punishment may be inflicted upon those who depreciate the paper currency of the United States, and this Commonwealth, upon the credit of which depends the support of the American War.
And your Petitioners as in duty bound shall ever pray

Bennett Goode                                   Isaac Gordin                       Buckner Rainey
Thos. Mitchell                                     Buckner Whittemore           Wm. Taylor
John Farrar                                         William Lucas, Jr.               Jordan Bennett
James Bilbo                                         Adam Overbee                  Benj. Malone
Wm. Lawrence                                   Henry Delony, Jr.               Robt. Allen
Frank Lightfoot                                   Richard Hanserd                 Wm. Epps
Sam'l Holmes                                      Thomas Gregory                Isham Nance
Rich'd Crowder                                   Edgcomb Suggitt               Jones Taylor
William Cook                                      Jeremiah Crowder             Edward McDonald
Anthony Evans                                    Isaac Watson                     Thomas Crowder
William Ballard                                    Peyton Skipwith                James Insco
John Hubbard                                      John Daly                          William Mason
Thomas Craig                                     James Holmes                     John Russell
Joshua Gordin                                     Stephen Mabry                  Charles Pistols
Ephraim Gordin                                  David Taylor                      Wm. Crutchfield
Benj. Fergeson                                   Joseph Bennett                   Joel Johnson
James B. Davis                                   Nathaniel Malone              David Tucker
John Waller                                        James Standley                   Leonard Cardin
William More                                     Isham Eppes                      James Cardin
William Insco                                     James Adams                     Phil Poindexter, Jr.
John Cardin                                       Peter Ragsdale                   Will F. Basey
Jeremiah Lucas                                  Newman Bragg                  John Lipford
Joel Traler                                         John Thompson                  Abram Forrest                
Nath. Burnett                                    Edward Bevill                     Gideon Freeman
James Johnson                                  William Weatherford           Thomas Burton
William Hightower                            James Westbrooke             John Wilson
James Cash                                      Charles Clay                       Joseph Goode
Zachariah Johnson                            Richard Epperson               Edw. Colley
John Calthorpe                                 Thomas Pettus, jr.               Thomas Greenwood
John Mackcasie                                Charles Royster                  Joshua Edwards
Rebuben Vaughan                             Samuel Cox                       Thomson Fowkes
Richard Edmondson                          Asa Oliver                          James Tucker
James Willson                                  Thos. Berry                          Edw. Goode, Jr.
Samuel Johnson                                Abram Crowder                  Cuthbert Russell
David Darden                                  James Wilkins                      David Smith
Joseph Powers                                Baxter Davis                        Thomas Vaughan
Ellis Carroll                                     William Oliver                       John Hayes, Junr.
John Willis                                       Samuel Marshall                  Jerry Smith
James Hargrove                               Wm. Drumwright                  Edward Walton
James Gordin                                   Wm. Leigh                           Matthew Tanner, jr.
Wm. Hudson                                    John Bugg                            Thos. Haile
Robert Hicks                                    Wm. Hunt, Jr.                      Jno. Avory
Peter Thomas                                   Benjamin Doggett                 Hugh Lambert
Ephraim Hutson                                James Hester                        Cluverius Colemn
John Webb                                       Wingfield Hayes                   William Mason
Abraham Burton                               Joseph Royster                     John Brame
Carles Burton                                   Moses Overton                     Peter Hutcheson
Edward Tisdale                                Phil Poindexer, Sr.                 James Brame
Caleb Johnson                                  Wm. Hunt                             Elijah Graves
Charles Wells                                   John Bottom                         Frank Moore Neal
Isaiah Turner                                     Joel Chandler                       Zachariah Yancey
John Baskervill                                 Leonard Murray                   Joel Elam
John Evans                                      Thos. Howell                         John Walden                            
George Minor                                  Jesse Taylor                          Alex'r Elam
Thomas Matthews                           Benj. Burton                         Harman Thompson
Hudson Tucker                               Thomas Westbrook               David Adams
Edward Roffe                                 John Kitchen                          Jno. Burton
Peter Burton                                   Feilds Read                            John Goode
Clem Whittemore                           Wm. Bottom                           John Bradley
David Royster                                William hatsel                          Robert Brooke
Peter F. Jefferson                          John Puryear, Jr.                      Roger Gregory, Junr.
Peter Farrar                                  Edward Pennington                  Saml. Brame


Mecklenburg Pet'n 1777
May 14, Ref'd to Prop'r Chairman to move that this Comm. be dischared from proceeding on this Petition, &c May 16th
Ref'd to Com of the whole on State of Commonwealth
Note:  The original petition bearing the signatures of the foregoing citizens of Mecklenburg County is in the Archives Virginia State Library./

Revolutionary war Records  Mecklenburg Cty. Virginia
Compiled by Katherine B. Elliott
South Hill, Virginia
Souther Historical Press,Inc.