Original Petition for Settlement
To his Excellency Lieutenant Colonel Sir William Maclean George Colebrooke Lieutenant Govenor and Commander in Chief of the Province of New Brunswick
The Petitioners of the undersigned humbly (?) That Your Petitioners are all British Subjects-natives of Ireland-and are desirous of obtaining land for actual settlement-Your Petitioners are thrown out of their ordinary employment by the (?) state of the times and the consequent scarcity of labor and will be compelled to leave the Country unless some encouragement is (?) out to them for sentiment by Your Excellency. That, with the exception of two or three- all Your Petitioners are well acquainted with the mode of clearing land and with some assistance from Your Excellency- Your Petitioners would immediately go upon such lands as may be allotted to them and cut down through the winter preparatory to cropping in the ensuing spring.
Your Petitioners are informed that this is vacant land on a road lately explored by (?) Esq. on the eastern side of the Saint Andrews Road and Your Petitioners pray that this land may be laid out in lots and granted to them under the current favorable conditions which can be imposed by Your Excellency-
Your Petitioners are informed that a part of the said explored Road remains to be cut out-and having had great experience in such work they are willing to open the residue of the said Road immediately by taking out the trees by the roots at two shillings per (?cord)- one half to be paid when the work is stopped and the remainder upon and inspection and approval of the road in the spring- This road Your Petitioners respectfully submit is wanted to be opened immediately and the frost will offer no obstruction for several weeks to come.
Your Petitioners having been encouraged to hope that some assistance will be afforded them by the evacument during the winter-they pray Your Excellency that thirty three lots may be laid off as the Southern extremity of the said explored Road- and that Your Petitioners may be allowed to purchase the same on such terms and conditions as will afford them the greatest amount of encouragement.
And Your Petitioners as in duly bound will ever pray
| Miles O'Leary | Andrew Manohy or Manahy | Simon O'Leary |
| Jerry O'Leary | Mikel Mehoy | |
| Dinnish Reardon | Daniel Sullivan | |
| Daniel O'Conner | Patrick Ryan | |
| James Driscol | David Scanlin | |
| Daniel O'Brian | John Maloney | |
| Michael O'Brian | Timothy Daley | |
| James Killey | Jeremiah Crowley | |
| John Sullivan | John Barry | |
| Michael Sullivan | James Barrett | |
| James Brennan | John Driscoll | |
| Jeremiah Coughlan | John Barry 2nd | |
| John Kingston | Patrick Garvey | |
| Jeremimah Donovan | Timothy Daley2nd | |
| Edward Connors | John McCuddy | |
| Cornelius McDonald | James Crowley |
The last 21 names signed for the petitions by their authority by ?
?
Fredericton 2nd Dec 1841.
The undersigned has consulted the above Petitioners and has much ? in recommending the prayer of their petition to His Excellency’s favorable consideration- The Petitioners have agreed to call this location the “tee-total settlement” and are one and all ? to act upon the principles of total abstinence.
Signed (?)
Source: PANB F4255
RS108 Land Petitions: Original Series
1783-1918
Pages 1372-1375
NOTE: Transcribed by Timothy Driscoll and edited by Colleen Kennedy who also consulted PANB’s transcription of the petitioners’ names on RS108 Land Petitions: Original Series on the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick web site, http://www.gnb.ca/archives/ols/ols.asp?Section=1 for the name Simon O’Leary, county of York. Driscoll and Kennedy then compared notes and agreed upon the transcription shown above.