Petition of Mary Cloud, wife of Adam Cloud; Natchez, Adams County, MS, 19th March 1795 Submitted by Houston Tracy, Jr. Papeles Procedente de Isla Cuba Records in the Archives of Seville, Spain relating to U.S. History in the Spanish Provinces of Louisiana, Illinois and Florida Occidental [ West Florida ]. Microfilm Edition. Legajo (Bundle) 211-A, Folios 670-671 Natchez Presented here, in exact context to the original text. Written in English. Petition of Mary Cloud, wife of Adam Cloud; Natchez, 19th March 1795 To his Excellecy Don Manuel Gayoso de Lemos, Governor of the Natchez, etc., etc. The humble Petition & representation of Mary Cloud. Your Petitioner having received your Excellency’s order to make immediate preparation to leave his country, has thrown your Petitioner into great distress, than can be easily be conceived even by your Excellency’s sympathizing mind. ----- A lone woman, unacustomed to difficultys and distress, thrown upon the world with four infants hanging round her, her husband torn from her by designing evil and false accusations. In this situation, and indeed it is but a faint representation, your Petitioner flatters herself she shall have some claim upon your Excellency’s tender feelings, and that you will mitigate those sorrows that can’t be relieved. Your Petitioner must state to your Excellency, that there are a variety of claims upon your Petitioners husband to adjust, settle and pay, and the little property possessed by your Petitioners husband, is far from being compact or easily disposed of. Your Excellency will please to offer your Petitioner to enumerate some of the most material in order to justify the requisition of your Petitioner intends to make in the close of this Petition. Those are to dispose of ----- The Plantation, Negroes, Stock, Horses, Cattle now in the cains, Hogs, Farming Utensils, Household Furniture ----- A Lott & House partly built in the New Town, with materials yet unapply’d, a Quantity of Pickets and planks now upon the bank of the River, intended for the New building, etc., etc. When your Excellency takes a view of these matters, and reflects upon them upon whom the difficulty of making these arrangements devolved, sure I am that your Excellency will consider of impossible for your Petitioner to complete this business in a less time than three months, as hurrying a business of this Nature must in it’s conciousness be ruinous to your Petitioner and her small helpless Family. Wherefore, your Petitioner Prays, that your Excellency will give her three months at the least to prepair for leaving the Country ----- and inform your Petitioner in what manner she is to make titles to this property to be disposed of, which will be a consideration of the first importance to a purchaser. Your Petitioner has a case of very great delicacy to lay before your Excellency and she trusts it will not be unattended to. Sorry indeed your Petitioner is to say, she in pecuniary matters, she considers herself and her family ruined, but that is not all her cruel and barbarous Enemies have in view. They have endeavoured to stigmatise the character of you Petitioners Husband, as a dishonest man and a Traitor to his Country. Suffer your Petitioner therefore to obtain documents from the most respected inhabitants of the Natchez touching the true character of your Petitioners Husband, that he and his Family may leave this Country without that infamous burden so injustly thrown upon them. Your Petitioner prays for your Excellencys decree in full upon this her humble Petition for her guide. ----- And as she is in duty bound she will ever pray, etc. [signed] Mary Cloud -------------------------------------------------------------------------- USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of the file. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, 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. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Houston Tracy, Jr.