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MSS
Archives
of Md.
Black
Book 10
No. 46
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those of Germans. The signatures in German script of some of them
are scarcely decipherable. In such cases the names are either omitted
in whole or in part or are queried.
(Petition 1.)
To His Excellency Hor:o Sharpe Esq.r Governour of
Maryland, And the Honour.ble the Upper and Lower Houses
of Assembly, of said Province now Convened.
The Petetion of the Freeholders and Freemen of Allsaints Parish
in Frederick County humbly Sheweth —
That Whereas the afores.d Parish, from its Vast Extent, and great
Number of People residing therein, has rendered it Impracticable, for
any one Clergyman, to discharge his Function in such a manner, as to
Improve and Edify the People, so Amply and fully, as Christianity
and the Nature of the thing requires. We are to Inform your Excel-
lency and Hon.", that the Thirty -p poll of the said Parish, amounts at
present to near Eighty Thousand pounds of Tobacco. And that the
said Parish includes the whole County, Except a small part between
Senecar and Rock-creek; which being abstracted £ rom the other, the
Parish Remains then above a hundred and fifty miles in length, besides
its Extent every way, as it is now peopled at present. From this in-
convenience, the Word of God, and Christian knowledge, is much
Impeded and hindered. Numbers of the Parishioners cannot go to
Church at all: and others, (who otherways being well-wishers to the
Orthodox reformed Religion of the Church of England) have their
Children Baptiz'd, by dissenting Ministers and others again, joyn
themselves in "Worship with others Sectaries, as Quakers &c. Your
Petetioners therefore pray your Excell :cy and Honrs, to take our state
and Circumstances into your most serious Consideration; and grant
that an Act may Pass, for the Dividing the said Parish, which may be
in force, immediately after the Death of the Rev.d Sam.l Hunter, our
present Incumbent, that your Petetioners may have the free Exercise
of the Word of God preached to us, and the Sacraments duly Admin-
ister'd to our Edification and Comfort. We pray for the Dividing
line, to begin at the mouth of Manockacy, and to run up with the said
Creek, 'til it Intersects the Pensilvanian Line. The lower part of
which Division will be a compact Uniform Parish, and wo'd amount
by the Number of Taxables at present, to upwards of Twenty Seven
Thousand pounds of Tob :o, which we pray maybe a distinct Parish by
another name. And your Petetioners as in duty bound will ever
pray—
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