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Petition from the Inhabitants of St. Stephens Parish, ca. 1783

A request that all proceedings involving the confiscation of Philip Porchers estate be halted pending a new hearing.

To His Excellency John Matthews Esquire, Governor & Commander in chief of the State of South Carolina.

The humble Petition of the Inhabitants of the parish of St Stephen in the said State herewith,

That your Petitioners, well acquainted from their local Circumstances with the Life and Disposition of Mr. Philip Porcher, whose Estate is confiscated by a late Act of the general Assembly, Prompted by the Love of Justice, & by a Sense of Duty as in some Degree officially incumbent on them, beg Leave to State such Matters to your Excellency concerning the said Mr. Porcher as they conceive, must have Weight to save him from the indiscriminate Ruin, in which he will be otherwise involved equally with the ignominious & most culpable.

That his general Character is that of a Man attentive to the Duties of his Station, beloved and respected, that until the Capitulation of Charlestown & the consequent Reduction of the interior Parts, his Conduct always appeared to be that of a firm consciencious [sic] Friend to his Country, that your Petitioners have Reason to think his Acceptance of a British Commission was owing to the Artifices of designing Men, who practiced on his easy Nature, and that they also believe he resigned that Commission as soon as he judged he could do it with Safety.

That Mr. Porcher is now come out of Town & has thrown himself on the Mercy of his Country.

Your Petitioners influenced by the Circumstances as well as by his advanced Stage of Life & his numerous Family, humbly hope that it may not be imputed to him as a Crime what was chiefly his Misfortune, but that your Excellency will permit him and his family to return to his Home, and will also give Directions according to the Power vested in you, to stop all further Proceedings against his Estate until a Rehearing at the next Meeting of the general Assembly.

And your petitioners in duty bound will ever pray.

John Palmer Junr [*] Benjn [Benjamin] Walker Thomas Palmer [*]
Thos [Thomas] Giles Js [James] Sinkler [*] Isaac Watson
James Theus [*] Job Tourney[?] William Airs [*]
Isaac Dubose [*] Peter Palmer [*] John Williams [*]
Keatg [Keating] Simons Thos [Thomas] Greenland [*] John Pamor
W. Mahan Jas [James] Guerry [*] Alexr [Alexander] Findlay
Hopson Pinckney [*] Theod. [Theodore] Guerry Stephen Boisseau
[no first name] McCordle Hen; [Henry] Varnor Francis Samuelsen
Isaac Couturier [*] Thomas Cooper Samuel Dubose
Robt [Robert] McKelvey Peter Sinkler [*] Alexr [Alexander] Howard
John Couturier Francis Villepontoux Alexr [Alexander] Broughton [*]
Richd [Richard] Norman Joseph Palmer Stephen Mazyck [*]
Anthony Murrell [*] Rene Ravenel
Danl [Daniel] Ravenel

[*] = found on the 1790 US Census in Charleston SC

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  • South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Microfilm FIXME. Petitions to the General Assembly. Series S165015, Item 2499.
  • Last modified: 2023-08-01 06:58:47
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