- Collection:
- Southeastern Native American Documents, 1730-1842
- Title:
- Petition of Isaac Levy, 1759 Dec. 15
- Date of Original:
- 1759-12-15
- Subject:
- Creek Indians--Land tenure
Indian land transfers
Bosomworth, Thomas
Creek Indians--Legal status, laws, etc.
Levy, Isaac
Musgrove, Mary, 1700-1765 - Location:
- United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018
- Medium:
- petitions
- Type:
- Text
- Format:
- text/html
image/jpeg - Description:
- This is a petition of Isaac Levy, read on December 15, 1759, concerning his title to certain lands in Georgia. Levy claims that he purchased land that included Ossabaw and Sapelo Islands from Thomas and Mary Bosomworth (a.k.a. Mary Musgrove or Coosaponakeesa). He traces the history of the ownership of the land, citing treaties and agreements, in an attempt to show that the Bosomworths were granted the land by the Creeks and had a right to sell it to him. Alarmed to have seen an advertisement for the sale of the land in the South Carolina Gazette, Levy begs leave to prove to the British government that he is the current rightful owner.
Digital image and encoded transcription of an original manuscript, scanned, transcribed and encoded by the Digital Library of Georgia in 2001, as part of GALILEO, funded in part by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. - Local Identifier:
- krc041
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_krc041
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_krc041#item
- IIIF manifest:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_krc041/presentation/manifest.json
- Language:
- eng
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Cite as: [title of item], Keith Read, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries, presented in the Digital Library of Georgia
- Extent:
- 4 pages/leaves
- Original Collection:
- Manuscript held by the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries, Keith Read, box 02, folder 62, document 01.
- Holding Institution:
- Hargrett Library
- Rights:
-
Page: [1]
To the King's Most Excellent Majority in Council
The petition of Isaac Levy
Most Humbly Sheweth
That for many ages before the settlement of any of his Majestys Subjects upon the Continent of America different Nations & tribes of Indians who inhabited that vast Tract of Land were the [unclear text: first ] & Lawfull [Lawful] owners & proprietors thereof & have been allways [always] so held & Esteemed by the English Nation as may appear from many Treatys of peace & [unclear text: commerce ] entered into with the said Nations by persons from [unclear text: time to time ] duly authorized by yr. [your] most gracious Majestys predecessor Kings & queens of great Britain.
That in the year
1733 Lieutenant General Oglethorpe Entered into a Conditional Treaty with the said Creek Nation on behalf of yr. [your] majestys wch [which] was afterwards [illegible text] by a Subsequent Treaty in [unclear text: ye ] year
1739 concluded by [unclear text: ye ] Said general Oglethorpe on behalf of said Trustees by virtue of full power & authority from yr. [your] Majesty, with the assembled Estates of the Creek Nations in which Treaty it is declared that all the Dominions [Dominion's] Territories & Lands from the river Savannah to the river St. Johns & all the Islands between the said Rivers, & from [unclear text: ye ] river St. Johns to the Bay of Apalachee within what is the Appalache old fields & from the said Bay of Apalachee to [unclear text: ye ] Mountains, do of ancient Right belong to the creek Nations, who have maintained possession of
Page: [2]
their said right against all opposers by War & can shew the heaps of bones of their Enemies slain by them in defence [defense] of the said Lands, & the said Creek Nations did further acknowledge thereby the Grant the [they] had before made to the said Trustees of all the Lands upon the Savannah River as far as [unclear text: ye ] river Ogeche & all the Lands along the Sea coast, as far as the River St. Johns & as high as the tide flows & all the Islands as far as the said River [illegible text] by the Islands of Fredrica, Cumberland & Amelia, but they further declared by the said Treaty that they did & do reserve to themselves the Lands from pipemakers bluff to Savannah, & the Island of St. Catharine, Usoba & Sapala
That Malatchi Opiya Mico Emperor of the upper & Lower Creek Nations on behalf of himself his Subjects & Vassals did by his deed of [illegible text] under his hand & Seal for all [illegible text] consideration therein expressed & to him truly paid Grant, [illegible text] & Confirm unto Thomas Bosomworth & Mary his wife otherwise called Cousaponakesa the princess & natural [deleted text: born ] & lawfull [lawful] heiress of the Upper & Lower Creek Indian [deleted text: Nations ] Countries & to their heirs & assigns forever all that Tract of Land Island [illegible text] Islands known or distinguished by the Names of St. Catherines Sapala & Usaba
Page: [3]
Islands bounded on the North East by Usaba Sound on the South west by Dooby Sound & divided by the [deleted text: Islands ] [added text: Sounds ] of St. Catherine, & Sapala on the South by the Sea, & on the North west by the said Several Islands from the Continent together with their privileges, & appurtenances to hold to them the said Thomas Bosomworth & Mary his wife their heir & assigns as long as the Sun shall Shine or the Waters run on the river forever
That the same day [illegible text] I premised were had & taken by the said Thos. [Thomas] Bosomworth & Mary his wife to hold to them their heirs & assigns forever according to the True intent & meaning of the above mentioned Deed of Feofment [Feoffment] in a Due & Legal manner
That afterwards the
2nd day of August in [unclear text: ye ] year 1750 the aforesaid Islands & premises by a Deed of confirmation duly & Legally Executed were ratified & confirmed by Seven kings of the creek Indian Nation unto the said Thomas Bosomworth & Mary his wife their heirs & assigns forever, according to the True Intent & meaning of the said deed of Feofment [Feoffment]
And at a Conference or Treaty held by the Commissioner for & in behalf of yr. [your] Majesty with the said Upper & Lower creek nations on [unclear text: ye ] 15th, 16th, [document damaged: 17th ] & 18th days of
Decemr [December] 1755 [unclear text: ye ] said Islands & premises were again confirmed to [unclear text: ye ] said Tho. [Thomas] Bosomworth & Mary his wife & their heirs, the Indians did then declare that they might give, sell, or dispose of them as they pleased
Page: [4]
That the said Thomas Bosomworth & Mary his wife being [unclear text: seized ] of the premises as aforesaid in Fee by their Indenture duly executed bearing date the
18th day of October in the year 1754 did Grant & convey unto your petitioner his heir & assigns one undivided Moiety or Equal half part into two Equal parts to be divided of & in the said Islands premises & their appurtenances to hold to your petitioner his heirs & assigns forever
That yr. [your] petitioner hath observed an advertisement in the
South Carolina Gazette
giving notice that on the
10th. day of Decemr. [December] next will be exposed to Sale on the [deleted text: [illegible text] ] Town of Savanah in Georgia, agreeable to yr. [your] Majestys order in Council the said Islands of Usaba & Sapala
Your petitioner therefore in all humble manner begs leave to shew & demonstrate to Your Most gracious Majesty his right & Title aforesaid to one moiety of [unclear text: ye ] Same Islands & to pray that he may be restored to the same
Petitn [Petition] of [unclear text: IL [Isaac Levy] ] setting forth [unclear text: the ] right to a moiety of some Lands in Georgia wch [which] have bin [been] lately [unclear text: directed ] to be sold by ordr. [order] of Council for [unclear text: ye ] benefit of Princess Cousaponakesa & praying to be restored to his share of [illegible text] Lands or to have a recompence [recompense] for [unclear text: ye ] Land
15 Decr. [December] 1759. Read & refed [referred] to a Committee
20. Do. [Ditto] Read at [unclear text: ye ] Committee &referd. [referred] to the Board of Trade