Territorial Papers of the United States, Michigan Territory, 1829-1837: Lenawee Co, Michigan Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Mary Teeter ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES 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. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgenwebarchives.org *********************************************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm PETITION TO CONGRESS BY INHABITANTS OF MONROE AND LENAWEE COUNTIES [LC:HF, 22 Cong., 1 sess.:DS] [November 8. 1831] To the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States in Congrass assembled. We the underseigned inhabitants of the southern part of the Temitory of Michigan, within the counties of Monroe and Lenawee, having purchaised of the United States considerable tracts of land (as the records of the Land Office will show) which we are now improving, and our numbers increasing. And we are suffering great inconvenience from the want of a general leading road from east to west-from the western interior to Lake Erie. The sale of lands, and increase of inhabitants retarded from this important deficiency. And the Legislative Authority of the Territory, having seen the great necesity of such a road, have made the necessary location from the Town of Port Lawrence in the county of Monroe, near the mouth of the Miami River, discharging into Lake Erie; to intersect the road from Detroit to Chicago, a distance of about fifty miles. From the inability of the Territory to apropiate any farther funds to this object, we your memorialists must continue to suffer this great inconvenience, unless, Congrass in their wisdom should see fit to appropriate a sum sufficient to make a passable road for us. In the purchase of our lands from the United States, and the removal of ourselves and famillies, we have expended nearly all our means; and are now unable to make this very necessary road. If Congrass should see fit to appropriate a sum sufficient for a part of this road only, at the present time, it would meet our most pressing necesities. viz. From Port Lawrence to Adrian, about thirty two miles. A road to this point, would equally answer the purposes of Tecumsah (the seat of Justice of Lenawee County) as the means of communication with Lake navigation. Under present circumstances, we your memorialists of the most remote interior, are almost intirely excluded from the comforts of foreign supplies, from the difficulties attending transportation: and without looking to a very distant period, we shall be incumbered with surplus products without the means of exchange. November 8 1831 William Wilson Tousaint Nicolas Simeon Parker Leon Gouin. Hiram Parker Louis Moore Ellis G. Parker Ezra Goodell B. F. Stickney Eli Hubbard Joseph Prentice J. Tittsworth Peter Bertholt James Momeny Ebenezer Ward John Jacob Massena Fox Abraham Lewis Roswell Riley Oliver P Stevens Hiram Brown Robert Blair John T Baldwin Alvin Evins T. Stickney John P 60 Lawson T. Baldwin Benjamin Davis Moody Mills Dan B Miller Oliver Richison Philo Bennett Lewis Montain Hiram Bartlett Lewis Roberdo Dexter Fisher Francis Louvitt J. F. D. Sutphen Luther Whitmore A. W. Rimele Luther Whitmore Jr M. T. Whitney H Crane James M. Whitney Joseph Roop Samuel J. Keeler P. T. Phillips Colman J Keeler John Leybourn Joseph C. Worthington Wm Sibley Joel Smith John Holmes Noah A.. Whitney Jr William Lewis Amasa Bishop John Matoon Thos P. Whitney Abel Matoon William R. Merritt John Roop S J. Keeler Jr Andrew Jacobs Cyrus Fisher John Lewis Noah A Whitney Peter Lewis Ezra Braley Milton D. Whitney Isaac Lewis Boziel Dechattey John Philps Pierre Dechatte Augustus Prentice [Endorsed] Michigan Petition for road from Port Laurence to Adrian &c Decr 28th 1831 Refd to the Committee on the Post office & Post roads. 1832 Decr 17th Refd to Comee Post-Office &c Feby 14th 1833 Come deschd to lie 61 Discharge Russell dis & to lie Wing 31, Post on Int. Improvements 14 Wing Memorial for road from Chicago road to mouth of Grand River--Wing 118 Int Imp 60.The reading of the initial is uncertain. 61. House Journal, 22 Cong., 1 sess., p. 116; ibid., 2 sess., pp. 68, 331.