ICAR Research Data Repository for Knowledge Management

Petition subject: Support for individuals

Original: http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL:25455219

Date of creation: 1783-12-04

Petition location: Natick

Legislator, committee, or address that the petition was sent to: Several names from a committee

Selected signatures:

1. Elizabeth Senah

Legislative action: Committed

Total signatures: 1

Legislative action summary: Committed

Females of color signatures: 1

Female only signatures: Yes

Identifications of signatories: Indian widow, [females of color]

Prayer format was printed vs. manuscript: Manuscript

Additional non-petition or unrelated documents available at archive: additional documents available

Additional archivist notes: Natick, of Dudley in the county of Worcester formerly of Natick in the county of Middlesex, Worcester county, Middlesex county, born in Natick, in her younger years left that town and lived in other towns, finally purchased about thirty acres of land in said Dudley, now mostly under improvement, with a dwelling house which is lately burnt, husband died, several children, some of them of age, industrious and frugal and of good morals, decease of her only sister Eunice Spywood of said Natick, lands, poor house and no fire wood, debts, your petitioner was at Natick last summer negotiating some matters relative to said estate and the support of her aged mother in law widow of her father John Brooks of said Natick deceased, dwelling house with her household furniture and provisions in Dudley were consumed by fire, her children that were at home were with great difficulty preserved, her spirits were greatly depressed, destitute of a house clothing and provisions and all to buy, her said sisters debts to pay, and her aged mother to maintain and some small debts of her own to defray, nearly sixty years of age, cannot be expected that in such circumstances she can retain her land at both towns, sale of house and lands, deeds, support, Indian guardians, [includes recommendation of Indian guardians, Josiah Stone, Eleazer Kingsbury, Jonathan Twitchell]

Location of the petition at the Massachusetts Archives of the Commonwealth: Resolves 1784, c.11, passed June 7, 1784

Acknowledgements: Supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-5105612), Massachusetts Archives of the Commonwealth, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, Center for American Political Studies at Harvard University, Institutional Development Initiative at Harvard University, and Harvard University Library.