- Collection:
- Southeastern Native American Documents, 1730-1842
- Title:
- Petition of the Tennessee Company to the General Assembly of the State of Georgia, 1791
- Date of Original:
- 1791
- Subject:
- Public lands--Georgia
Tennessee Company
Chickasaw Indians--Land tenure
Indian land transfers
Yazoo Fraud, 1795 - Location:
- United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018
- Medium:
- petitions
- Type:
- Text
- Format:
- text/html
image/jpeg - Description:
- This document is a petition of the part of the Tennessee Company, a group of land speculators, dated 1791 and directed to the Georgia State Assembly. The petition refers to an act passed on December 21, 1789 by the Georgia Assembly in which it was agreed that several hundred thousand acres of land along the Tennessee and Tombigbee Rivers would be sold to the Tennessee Company. The Tennessee Company attempted to pay for the land with devalued currency known as "Rattlesnake" money and the deal collapsed. This petition indicates that the company has been under considerable stress and expense in attempting to extinguish the existing Indian title to the land, particularly among the Chickasaws, and they request immediate action from the Assembly. The petition is signed by Zachariah Cox, Thomas Gilbert, and John Strother, on behalf of the Company.
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:
- tcc935
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_tcc935
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_tcc935#item
- IIIF manifest:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_tcc935/presentation/manifest.json
- Language:
- eng
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Cite as: [title of item], Telamon Cuyler, 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, Telamon Cuyler, box 83, folder 31, document 03.
- Holding Institution:
- Hargrett Library
- Rights:
-
Page: [1]
To the Honorable the General Assembly of the State of Georgia
The memorial & petition of the Tenessee Company, Humbly Sheweth,
That on the [word(s) omitted] day of [word(s) omitted] A.D.
one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine, your memorialists contracted with the Assembly of Georgia, for a certain tract of unappropriated land, lying on the Tenessee & Tom Bigby rivers; which contract, on the part of the State was ratified on the
twenty-first day of December in the Said year, by the concurrence of his Excellency the Governor, to an act entitled "An act for Disposing of certain vacant lands or territory within this State."
That during the progress of the act above mention'd [mentioned], thro' [through] the House of Representatives, that Honorable Body appointed a Committee, to "hear and report Specially, on the merits and propositions of the different Companies, proposing to become purchasers of the Western Territory."
That the Committee above mention'd [mentioned], held
Page: [2]
a conference with the agents of the Said Companies; wherein it was Specially agreed on the part of the petitioners, in behalf of the Said Companies, That they Should not tender, in payment for the territory proposed to be purchas'd [purchased], a certain Species of paper money in this State, commonly call'd [called] Rattle snake money; and on the part of the State it was agreed, that the Several companies Should have the option of paying Specie, paper medium, or any liquidated demands against the State; excepting only the Rattle Snake money, as above mention'd [mentioned] :
That on the Committee's reporting the Said Special agreement, the bill proceeded in the usual channel, 'till [until] it pass'd [passed] into a law, on the day afore-mention'd [aforementioned] :
That by the tenour [tenor] of the Several petitions, by the arguments [added text: adduc'd [adduced] ] on both Sides of the question, and by every other authentic document, it appears to have been clearly and unequivocally understood by every party, that any liquidated claims against the State, ought to be a lawful tender for the consideration which the Several Companies Stipulated to pay
Page: [3]
Your memorialists further Shew [Show] ,
That one part of the act aforesaid, making it incumbent on them to extinguish the Indian claims to the Said land in a peaceable manner, before they Should be entitled to the full enjoyment of it, they have been at considerable trouble, expence [expense] and risk, to do so; and have so far succeeded, that the Chickasaw Indians (to whom one of the treaties of Hopewell assigns the Said land.) have consented to take your memorialists and their associates under their protection, and assign them a part of the [deleted text: same ] [added text: [deleted text: the ] land ] to dwell on.
Your memorialists further Shew [Show] ,
That as the time limited to the purchasers for making payment, is nearly expired, it becomes indispensibly [indispensably] necessary they Shou'd [Should] immediately know the Sense of your Honorable Body on the merits of their propositions.
We therefore pray your Honors to take the premises into your Serious consideration, and pass such order thereon, as to Justice Shall
Page: [4]
appertain.
Your memorialists also pray to be heard at the bar of your respective Houses, on Such further merits of their cause, as to their council [added text: may ] occur, during the debates [added text: which ] may eventually take place; and your memorialists, as in duty bound Shall every pray, &c. [et cetera]
[Signed] Zachr [Zachariah] Cox
[Signed] Thos. [Thomas] Gilbert
[Signed] Jno. [John] Strother
[unclear text: Yr Selves ] & Associates
1791.
Petition of The Tenassee Compy. [Company]
referred to Mr. Stephens Mr. Armstrong & Mr. Fort.
reciting history of law
1789 &c [et cetera]