Papers of the Low Dutch to the Continental Congress ************************************************************************ USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. Submitted by: Judy Cassidy "Jamescassidy22@cs.com" March 22, 2000 ************************************************************************ US General Services Administration, National Archives and Records Service, Washington, DC. Index to the Papers of the Continental Congress Filed under: Squire Boone 1. Kentucky, American Citizens of, to Congress. Undated 1 page, M247, r 62, i48, pg 245 and 2. Kentucky American Subjects of to Congress May 1780 ( Read August 1780) 3 pages. M247,r62,i48, pg. 247 I will give you the basic premise of the text as it is quite long. Some background first, the Low Dutch had come from Berkley Co VA and Conowago, PA and settled for a time at Beargrass Station and other Stations in Jefferson Co. That summer of 1780, petition to the Continental Congress circulated among the Kentucky Settlements. "The Petition decryed the monopolization of land by Virginia speculators and said the petitioners had but three choices: 1. Stay and become slaves to the laws of Virginia, 2. Remove down the Ohio and become subjects of Spain, 3. settle across the Ohio in enemy territory". "The Petitioners sought the approval of Congress in establishing a settlement across the Ohio" Among the more than 400 signers were: Abraham, Albert, Cornelious, Jacob and John Banta, Cornelius Bogard, Peter Demaree, John Dorland, Cornelius Vorheis and Jacob Westerfield." This Petition was published in A.C. Quisenberry, "Five Hundred Kentucky Pioneers". The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, Vol 10, no. 28, (1912), pp 41-46. I have a photo copy of the original Petitions. John Dorland was my ancestor. He evidently died or was killed shortly after this time as his family were listed among the Poor and Destitute on the Frontier of Ky for in the Jefferson Co. Minute Book and were awarded 400 acres land. His wife Catharine is listed as a widow, here and in the 1783 Petition to Continental Congress. Evidently Bear Grass Station, one of the places where they lived, is near present day St. Matthews north of the creek on the west side of Breckinridge Lane. They also established the Low Dutch Station which was on the South Fork. The Low Dutch Station or New Holland was located about 7 miles from the FAlls near where present day Browns Lane Crosses Beargrass. Vince Akers of Bargersville, Indiana wrote an exceptionly well documented manuscript on this topic called" The Low Dutch Company, A History of the Holland-Dutch Settlements on the Kentucky Frontier. They later moved into Mercer Co and Madison Co, Ky.