Petition to Establish Wilson County, Tennessee
The following document is a transcription of the petition drawn to establish Wilson County from Sumner County, Tennessee in the summer of 1799. As best as can be determined, all words, including names, are spelled here just as they appear on the original document. A copy of the original petition was provided by Charles Sherrill at the Tennessee State Library and Archives, and was transcribed by Diane Weathers, Donna G. Ferrell and Linda Granstaff. For an alphabetic listing of the signatures click here.
To the General Assembly of the State of Tennessee
The petition of the Inhabitance of Sumner County living on the South side of Cumberland River humbly sheweth that your petitioners have now a suficiant number of effective men to entitle them to a new County. Your petitioners trust that your Honourable body will grant them a new County bounded on the North by Cumberland River from Davidson County up to the confluance of the Cany Fork then East to the Indian boundary which will have a suficiant bounds for the County of Sumner and a new County to the East of it which will have the South side of said River in the situation that would be proper for a further division which will be necessary in a short time. Your petitioners further pray that if any such attempt should be made that your Honourable body will not suffer the County of Sumner to cross Cumberland River and your petitioners as in duty bound shall ever pray.
July the 25th 1799.
[Page 1]
| John Merritt | Mathew Brown | William Allen |
| James Brimson (Brinsom?) | John Hays | John Hendrick |
| William Cannon |
[Page 2]
| Andrew Steel | James Ross | James Echols |
| John Echols | John Pressly | Hugh Sherood |
| John Parsons | Wm. Loech | Samuel Cross |
| Jackson Brown | William Bloodworth | Frederick Weston |
| Elien Wilson | Alfred Beard | Martin Harpole |
| John Brown | Wm. Baccus | William Payton |
| Martin _______? | David Caldwell | Thos. Moss |
| Samuel Impson | Joel Britton | Nathan Allen |
| Richard Scott | Phillip Koonce | Christopher Koonce |
| Theophlis Allen | Hugh Stewart | John Cavender Junr. |
| John Cavender Snr. | James King | Calep Boazman |
| Richard Marler | Thos. Quesenbury | Solomon Barfield |
| Daniel Lambrett | Philip _______? | Jacob _______? |
| Saml Neal | David Miller | James _______? |
| John _______? | John Jones | John Empson |
| Thomas Impson | Obed. Hendricks | Wm. Marler |
| Frederick Winford | Peter Title |
[Page 3]
| Walter Massey | Alexander Kirkpatrick | Moses Echols |
| John K_______? | John Payton | Joseph Payton |
| John Ray | Elijah Wray | Thos. Wray |
| Thos. Wray | Solomon Wray | James Scott |
| John Wilson | James Sherrill | Henry Butts |
| John Stewart | Thos. Yearwell | John Brown |
| _______ _______? | Henry _______? | Peter Parker or Perkins |
| William Guinn | William Bloodworth | John Moxley |
| Jesse Massey | Joseph Wilson | John Leath |
| Henry Johnson | John Dill | Solomon Johnson |
| William Dills | Samuel Steele | Peter Miller |
| John Miller | Richard Anderson | James Anderson |
| Eleanath Echols | Jesse Hodges | James Hodges |
| William Hodges | Jos. Hodges | James Rings |
| William Bumpass Senr | William Bumpass Jnr. | John Yurey Sr |
| John Yurey Jr | John Wynn Jr | John Wynn Sr |
| George Wynne | Thos. Wynne | William Bab |
[Page 4]
| Jesse Bean | Robert Bean | Joshua Short |
| Roger Critrate ? | Richard Searcy | John Searcy |
| George Koonce | Chas. Forbiss | George Forbiss |
| Benjamin Dillard | Richard Anderson | Jas. Anderson |
| Elkenah Ekles | Peter Miller | Jno. Miller |
| Elias Morrison | Jas. Allison |
[Page 5]
| Phillip Howel | Wm. Miller | John Beard |
| David Berd | Zebulon Berd | Wm. Blackburn |
| Richard Estrige | Lisha Dillard | Philip Koonce |
| Shadrick Coonce | Robt. Coonce | Robert Jarman |
| Shad Jarman | Samuel Koonce | Jesse Koonce |
| Thos. Whitter | Nathaniel Scudder | Jonathan Bard |
| Andrew Bard | Alex Hicks | John Searcy |
| Richard Searcey | Jesse Thompson | Adam Tooley |
| Jno. Bell | James Pinkerton | Blake Rutling (Rutland) |
| Ebeneezar Donelson | Humphrey Donelson | William Donelson |
| William Berel | Jacob Adams | William Adams |
| Nathaniel Perry | Fields Morriss | James Hammerick |
| Ezaeriah Dillard | John Dillard | David Fields |
| Joshua Kelley | Daniel Small | Samion Trigg |
| Robt. Davis | Jno. Davis | J. Fielding Davis |
| Joseph Medley | Blake Medley | Jno. Brownlee |
| Reyford Rutlin | Jas. Richmond | Mathew Richmond |
| Luke Orsburn | Wm. Wheeles (Wheeler?) | James Saunders |
| Wm. Crabtree | Robert Mitchell | Jas. _______? |
| Joseph Wright |
[Page 6]
| Robert Smith | Samuel McKnight | Jas. Chappell |
| Jno. S. Thomas | Wm. S. Thomas | Henry Turner |
| John Carruth | John Herod | David Walker |
| Wm. Walker | Chas. Thomas | Alexander Peyton |
| [torn, bottom of page] | Wm. Donnell | Robert Peyton |
| John Doak | William Donnell | Alexander Braden |
| Samuel Donnell | William Donnell Jr | Robert Donnell |
| Joseph Boyers | Robert Hancock | James Warnick |
| Wm. Smith | John Foster | Wm. McLean |
Alphabetic listing of signatures
Copyright 1999, Diane Weathers
All Rights Reserved.