Cooler Petition for Manumission, 1829 - Gloucester Co. VA

GLOUCESTER COUNTY
	Legislative Petition
	November 24, 1829



To the honourable assembly of Virginia

Your petitioner Phill Cooler humbly sheweth to your honourable 
body, that he is a man now about the age of forty five years 覧 
that he has a wife and a family of children 覧 that his wife is a 
free woman of colour and your petitioner is a slave 覧 that his 
wife has purchased him from his former owner and he in fact is 
her slave 覧 that they by their mutual industry and good conduct 
have accumulated property both real and personal in the county of 
Gloucester that his said wife is very anxious to give him his 
freedom so as to permit him to remain in the state of Virginia 覧
that he has always maintained a good and fair character from his 
youth to this day 覧 that he hopes to conduct himself for the 
balance of his life so as to maintain the character and standing 
of an honest man and to preserve the good opinion of all who know 
him 覧 that he can establish his good standing by his countymen 
and neighbours 覧 that his wife whose name is Eliza Morriss 
unites most heartily in this petition 覧 they therefore jointly 
and most earnestly pray that your honourable body in its humanity 
and goodness will pass an act by which the said Eliza Morriss may 
be authorized to liberate your petitioner Phill Cooler, and so to 
do it, as to permit him to remain in this state to which he is 
much attached and for the defense of which he would if called on 
spend the last drop of his blood and your petitioner will ever 
pray &c.

Given from under our hands and seals this 24th day of November 
1829

We the under signed of the county of Gloucester beg leave to 
state that we are well acquainted with Phill Cooler and his wife 
Eliza Morriss and have been for many years. We have no hesitation 
is saying that the facts stated in the foregoing petition are 
true and that it would be an act of humanity to pass such an act 
as is prayed for 覧


Isaac Anderson
John T. Scott
Wm. A. Backhouse
Peter Kemp glebe
Thos. R. Leigh
W. G. Wiatt
H. Z. Brock
W. N. Page
Wm. Leigh
Henry Wright
Wm. Leavit, Jr.
Ward Stubblefield
Tho. Stubblefield
Ferdinand Leigh
Wm. Andrews
John Leigh
Cary Hall
W. L. Oliver


Submitted by Edwin B. Washington, Jr. <washingtoneb@erols.com>

****************************************************************

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. Files may be printed or copied
for personal use only.

****************************************************************