TO THE HONORABLE
THE SENATE
THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
OF THE STATE OF TEXAS
The undersigned resident citizens of the County of Shelby and the State of Texas, having been informed that there is a petition (originating in San Augustine County) circulating in the south portion of this county, praying your Honorable Body to dismember this county by cutting off a strip of the territory of this county on the south side of from 5 to 8 miles in width and annexing the same to San Augustine County.
We therefore make this our remonstrance against said dismemberment of our county for the following reasons:
1st Because this county is now a few miles
less than 90 square miles, and to cut off the proposed
territory would be to make
this less than a constitutional county in size.
2nd Because the citizens of the proposed territory to be
taken off, or a majority of them, as we are
informed are opposed to said
change.
3rd Because as we are informed both the counties of Shelby
and San Augustine or a majority of the
citizens are opposed to such
a change.
4th Because the citizens of Shelby County are opposed to such
a change.
5th Because if the change is made it will throw Shelbyville,
the present County Seat of Shelby in the
south end of the county, and make it necessary to move the County Seat some
10 miles norhtwest to get it in the center with all the expenses of a new courthouse and
public buildings.
6th Because the County of Shelby now has a courthouse and the
most substantial jail in East Texas.
7th ? unable to read – ink splash.
8th Because if this is done the legislature will be setting a
precedent that will ruin the counties in the
state.
We therefore respectfully ask that our remonstrance to protect the dismemberment of "Old Shelby County" be honored.
/s/
| L. PLEASEY | H.G. HALL | G.TAMPLIN |
| WILIAM HEWITT, SR. | T.I. TODD | J.J. SHAW |
| E.B. DYSART | R.M. FRANKS | JOHN T. BOOTH |
| W.C. BARBEE | M.A. YATES | G.R. CHOATE |
| AMOS WORMWOOD | L.T. MANGHRAM | J.B. RUNNELS |
| ? CAROLL | ? HOOPER | L. BOOTH |
| T.M. BAR | W.S. JACKSON | D.M. SHORT |
| Z.F. LISTER | D. M. COTTORE | I.L. MOORE |
| B.B. LEE | M.I. LOGAHES | JOSEPH GOLDEN |
| ABEL BOWLES | S.C. CHOAT | JOHN PRICE |
| JAMES T. BOOTH | R.B. ROBERTS | R.T. BIGGER |
| SAMUEL BUCKNER | W.J. RAYLAND | W.W. LANIER |
| JOHN W. BOLES, JR. | M.M. MILLS | O.L. WEBB |
| T.J. HARRIS | JOHN WARNICAN | J.M. HOOPER |
| R.W. WILLIAMS | G.L. MOORE | B. GIBBS |
| JOHN GIBBS | W. GIBBS | R. GIBBS |
| E. ANTHONY | B.F. HOOPER | B.T. POLK |
| P.H.Y. BRICE | IRA HARRIS | L.C. HOOPER |
| BETHLEHEM ESTES | W.E. ROBERTS | T.J. HOOPER |
| WM. H. LATHAM | HENRY CARROLL | J.J. CRAVENS |
| AMON LINKS | ROBT. A. SMITH | P.W. HARVEY |
| R.J. ALEXANDER | S. MATHEWS | P.L. SOUTHERN |
| E.H. REEVIS | C.D. HARE | R.W. WHEELER |
| J.J. RUNNELS | WM. SCOTT | J.F. COLBURN |
| WILLIAM RAYFORD | E.W. PITTMAN | LEWIS WATKINS |
| L. PINKNEY MATHIS | DAVID WATKINS | M. JOHNSON |
| JOHN LATHAM | ISAAC CHOON | B.F. ADAMS |
| B.E. SMITH | B.F. POWDRILL | L.H. WEAVER |
| JAMES W. BALLARD | THOS. POWDRILL | J.B. SAMPLE |
| J.R. BEAUCHAMP | JAMES ARMOUR | JAMES ARCHER |
| WM. C. CRAWFORD | B.F. BROWN | J.J. HEWITT |
| H.A. HARRIS | GEO. W. BIGGAR | D.R. CANNON |
| J.F. WHITE | J.W. FULLER | S.Q. LISTER |
| D.W. RAGLAND | MILAKAH LINDSEY | WM. E. WATTS |
| RICHARD RATLIFF | CARROL BALLARD | L.A. SINCLAIR |
| GORDON WATKINS |
No Date- (It had to be prior to 1859, because Wm. C. Crawford
signed the petition
and he moved from Shelby County in 1859)