235
•THE AUSTIN PAPEP.S.
PETITION FOR ENLARGEMENT-OF WASHINGTON COUNTY
[December, 18131] 1 To the Honorable the Legislature of the Territory of Missouri the :Memorial of. the Inhabitants of that part of the late Township of Grand River situated East of said River _Humbly sheweth that where as by the late Law ·establishing the County of Wash- ington the said· Inhabitants east of Grand -River are placed in a situation truly disagreeable and distressing ·in many points of View by beeing divided from the settlement West of the said Grand River and left attached to the·County_of Saint Geneveive, they therefore most humbly pray your Honorable body will cause the line of the said County of Washington to be so altered as to include with in suid •County all the Inhabitants settled on the Wa·ters of the said Grand River and on the Waters of the tarre blue Causing the line of said Washington County to rll}l on the ·dividing ridge between the Waters of the Plattin and the said Grand River and also on the dividing ·ridge between the Waters of the establishment Creek and the said_tarre blue and up said ·ridge, to, James Brya.n• Saw mill on the said tarre blue from thence to the headwaters of flatt Creek to unite with the line of Wnshington County as It now runs J In· Justification of the alteration of said line of Washingto County as above designated, your petitioners state·first that the set- tlements east of said Grand River do not amount to a sufficient Num- ber to form a Township by which means many inconveniences will Result in as much as :Most of the transactions either directly or indi- rectly are connectly [connected] with,the settlers on the West bank of the said Grand Riv.er. Second they do not furnish Numbers sufficient to forme a Com- pany of .l\lli1itia and })y beeing attach'd to the County of Saint Geneveive must be.drawn many miles to do militia Duty. Third because a division of a Settlement so immediately Connected by family and Interests ii:; productive of real disa!lvantages to ~he Inhabitants, that many Other disadvantages will result to said In- habitants from a Continuation of suid County line Wherefore vour Petitioners pray that your Honorable body will take into Co~sid- eration this memorial of the lnhabitants _living on the East bank of Grand River and:grant the prayer thereof nnd your petitioner as in Duty will.Ever. prn,y. . , This document ts In the writing o! Moses Austin. It Is undated. The· act creatln11, Washington County was approved August 21, 1813 (Laws ot Missouri to 1824, I, 283-290, Jefrerson City, 1842). The next session o! the Legislature asseml>led In December o! tbal year. The date supplied !or the document Is arbitrary. Tbe territory concerned wus Included In St. Francis County In 1821.
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