Petition to "Remove Free Negroes", 1836 - Gloucester Co. VA GLOUCESTER COUNTY Legislative Petition January 13, 1836 The following documents (a petition by citizens of Gloucester County, and the resultant resolution) are located in the Virginia State Archives at Richmond, Virginia. They are together in a folder, within a fibredex box labeled "Gloucester County Legislative Petitions 1820-1864"; the two identification numbers on the folder are: A6994, 11127. +--------------------+ | A | | petition of Sundry | | Citizens of | | Gloucester County | | asking permission | | to borrow a sum of | | money for the | | purpose of | | removing the free | | Negroes from sd. | | County | | | | Jany 13th 1836 | | | | Thomas Smith | | | | refd. to selt. | | com. | +--------------------+ To the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The petition of the undersigned citizens of the County of Gloucester humbly sheweth: That the County of Gloucester contains a large Slave population upon the good government and correct deportment of which, essentially depend as well the security of the persons as the property of her citizens: That from various causes unnecessary to be here set out, the government of this population has become an object of the deepest concern, and one in which your petitioners through dire necessity feel the most lively interest. A close observation of passing events has convinced your petitioners that the difficulty of keeping their slaves in proper subjection is daily increasing, and that it becomes them, with a due regard to their interests to adopt some efficient means of remedying the evil. It cannot be doubted that upon the wisdom and efficiency of their means, the peace, nay, the very existence of society depends. The principle cause to be assigned for the insubordination existing, at present among the slave population is the residence of the Free people of colour, who not only add nothing to the effective labour of the County, but are dissolute in their morals, and by their example promote sedition and vice of every kind among the slaves. Their idleness, which they seem to regard as the only privilege freedom confers, together with the degraded rank they occupy in society, engenders discontent among themselves, which the liberty they enjoy of roving about at large through the County, gives them every opportunity of sowing the seeds of dissatisfaction among the slaves. They thus become the ready and most dangerous instruments in the hands of those blinded fanaticks, who wish to stir up a spirit of rebellion — a spirit which your petitioners have but too much reason to apprehend is increasing to an alarming extent and which from the vital interests it hazards, if it does not sever the connection between us and our Northern bretheren among whom it principally exists, will at least have the effect of rendering the burthen of slavery it is, prehaps designed to remove the more onerous from the increased vigilance the master will be compelled to observe — Could your petitioners be permitted, in a peacable manner to remove these drones, they believe their situation would be greatly benefited, and the evils under which your petitioners at present labour in a great measure lessened — Impressed with the vital importance of the subject the people of this County have assembled and appointed a Committee to borrow the sum of Fifteen Thousand Dollars to be reimbursed by an annual tax to be levied on the people of the County, with the intent that the sum thus raised should be applied to the removal of the free people of colour. Your petitioners are encouraged in making this application, by the recollection, that the neighbouring County of Northhamption as late as the year 1832 made a similar request of your honourable body, and that the act passed at the instance of that County had a most beneficial effect. With this precedent fresh in their memories your petitioners humbly pray that the provisions of that act may be extended to the County of Gloucester. Your petitioners would avail themselves of this occasion respectfully to suggest the sbsolute necessity in reference to their interests as slave owners of adopting such measures as in the wisdon of your honourable body may seem best to check the efforts of the Northern fanaticks who are advocating the propriety of the immediate abolition of slavery in the South, and who by means of pamphlets and other publications of an incendiary character distributed through the Post Office or by their hired emisaries are endeavoring to disseminate their hateful and dangerous principles among our blacks, and as in duty bound your petitioners will ever pray &c. P. E. Tabb Jos. L. Deans Jas. Dabney Thos. S. Dabney Jno. Hewlett Peter Kemp Wm. Wiatt John D. Minor D. D. Hall Thos. B. Cooke John T. Ranson B. P. Cooke James F. A[??] Em. J. Thurston Anthony T. Dixon Caleb Leigh Geo. W. Billups Thos. E. Catlett Richard D. Leigh Henry S. Pointer John T. Scott John H. Anderson John Stubbs Richard C. Jones Ro. Taylor Lewis Blake Wm. A. Leavit Catesby Jones J. H. Bently Carey Booker George J Sleet James Dutton, Jr. Cary S. Jones J. Rootes R. S. Colissae A. T. Lewis Temple G. Catlett Peyton G. Buckner Thos. Hall John S. Thornton John T. Cooke Carter Coalman George Hibble Meredith P. Muse Robert Baley Wm. W. Ash Peter W. Billups Joel Hayes R. Rootes Samuel D. Duller R. Dunlevy Armstead Smith William R. Stubbs Thomas Hughes Jas. W. Howard Wesley Howard Jno. Bridges Warner Davis Francis Miller William Tomlinson Collin Clark Thomas Smith Wm. Robins George E. Tabb M. W. Kemp Cary W. Kemp William D. Pointer G. B. Taliafero Jno. R. Cary S. H. Burton C. C. Nelson Wm. Andrews Ch. C. Curtis Jno. W. C. Catlett Ptr. R. Nelson Jno. Sinclair Jno. A. B. Thornton Wm. B. Hughes Thos. C. Clapton James Powers James T. Fleming C. S. Morris Absolom Simco Henry W. Pratt Jno. M. Grisset Cornelius Donovan James H. Jones Wm. Y. Massey Seth Pointer Saml. P. Byrd George H. Moughon James H. Oliver Francis Duval Thos. R. Leigh John Bo____en J. H. Bently T. A. Howard Anthony A. Smith John Howard Edwd. Jarvis Wm. R. P_______ Has. Nuttall Ro. C. Curtis Wm. Robins, Jr. John Tabb Stephen D. Puller John T. Seawell Peter Kemp Glebe Sy. G. Slaughter Ro. Yates Thos. J. Banks A. L. Davies Leroy H. Kemp Wm. G. Wiatt J. R. Bryan F. D. Jones Gor. L. Enos Solomon D. Pointer A. W. Robins A. L. Byrd Kemp Dillard James H. Ransone John Cattner Thos. E. Amory L. R. Medlicott C. M. Jones John Bohanon Charles Coffee John H. Cooke Beverly W. Kemp John L. Leavit Francis Thornton John Hall, Sr. William F_______ John Bridges Mann Page Lewis F. Johnston E. B. S. Cary Thos. Ash Wm. R. Roberts Robert C. Braxton Thos. A. Hughes Richard B. R. Lawson Wm. P. Smith Wade Stubblefield Ro. G. Cooke Robert Clements Tho. Rilee James Williams Richard Moore V. D. Edwards P. Watlington A. M. Kevan Kit Proctor Robert Y. Gibbs Joseph D. Gresset William Leavitt,Jr. William H. Fletcher Henry Simcoe William A. Rilee Thomas Sears Thomas West Jasper C. Rowe Washington D. Fletcher George Stubblefield Thos. C. Robins John M. Gayle R. L. Farmholt Thos. Minor, Jr. Henry L. Blassingham Edward Wood Peter D. Kemp Roberson C. Bridges Jefferson B. Sinclair T. M. Stubblefield P. Ponnard Robt. G. Anderson R. Singleton H. Sears Claiborne Coalman Augustine Williams Richard Bridges James B. Taliafero John White Whereas from a Petition made to the General Assembly by a portion of the people of the county of Gloucester, it satisfactorily appears, that it is absolutely necessary, not only to the correct government of their slaves but also to the peace and safety of their society, that the free people of colour should be promptly removed from that county, and also, in order to affect their removal in a manner as humane and as little oppressive as possible, the people of said county assembled in public meeting, have appointed a committee with authority to borrow a sum of money not exceeding fifteen thousand dollars, to be remibursed by an annual tax to be levied on the people thereof —— And whereas a portion of the people of said county have petitioned this jureat general assembly for the passage of such laws as may be necessary to carry into effect the purposes and resolution of said meeting so far as the same may form proper subjects of public legislation. 1. Be it therefore enacted, that the proceedings of the said public meeting and the acts done or to be done by the said committee in pursuance of the authority vested in them as aforesaid shall be, and the same are hereby declared to be valid and obligatory so far as the same may not violate or contravene any laws of the Commonwealth —— 2. And be it further enacted, that all such sums of money as the said committee have borrowed or may hereafter borrow, by virtue of the authority aforesaid, not exceeding fifteen thousand dollars shall be and the same are hereby charged as a debt upon the said county of Gloucester —— 3. And be it further enacted, that the county court of said county shall at the time at which the said court shall pay the county levy, direct the sheriff of the said county, at the time that he collects the revenue tax, in each and every year until the principal and interest of the said debt shall be discharged, to collect and receive from each and every person liable to pay the said revenue tax, a sum to be designated by said court not, exceeding the revenue tax, and the said sheriff shall apply the same under the direction of the said court to the discharge of the principal and interest of the said debt —— 4. And be it further enacted, that in collecting the said sums for the purposes aforesaid, the sheriff shall possess the same rights, authority and powers, and shall proceed in all respects, in the manner which is or shall be directed by law, for the collection of the revenue tax, and shall be subject to the same penalties and forfeitures for refusing or failing to collect or pay the same as are or shall be imposed by law for neglecting or refusing to collect or pay the parish or county levy, to be recovered in the same manner —— Provided, that no higher commission than five per centum shall be allowed for collecting and paying the said money —— 5. This act shall commence and be in force from and after its passage —— Submitted by Edwin B. Washington, Jr. **************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. 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