| Title: | Ralph, Thomas to justices at court, 1753 |
|---|---|
| ID | 6639 |
| Collection | Irish Immigrants in the Land of Canaan. Letters and memoirs from colonial and revolutionary America (1675-1815) [K.A. Miller et al.] |
| File | caanan/47 |
| Year | 1753 |
| Sender | Ralph, Thomas |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | indentured servant |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Chester Co., Penn, USA |
| Destination | Chester Co., Penn, USA |
| Recipient | justices at court |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | not acquainted |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 477 |
| Genre | petition |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Thomas Ralph, 1753 To the honourable Justices of the Court of Gen Quarter Sessions to be held at Chester for the County of Chester the 29th of May 1753. The Petition of Thomas Ralph of the said County – Most humbly Sheweth That Sometime in the Month of April in the Year 1751, Your Petitioner met with one Arthur Kennedy in Cumbortown, in the Kingdom of Ireland, (being the town where your Petitioner’s Father then dwelt), That the said Arthur Kenidy used many Persuasions and fair Promisses, to Entice your Petitioner to leave his Parents, and Go to Pennsylvania with him, Promissing to Learn him the Taylor’s trade and give him two Suits of Cloaths and Money when he was free, By reason of which Promisses, your Petitioner was over Persuaded to leave his Parents (who knew nothing of the agreement, nor that he was going to Come away from them) & He being but 15 Years old at that time; And so after the said Agreement, Your Petitioner was Secreted by the said Kennidy for about a Month, till the Vessell was ready to Set Sail for Pennsylvania, and then he Embarked, on Board the Vessell, with the said Kennidy, and came to this province, and Indented himself to the said Kennidy for the term of Six Years & ahalf; --That the said Kennidy kept your Petitioner a Year and ahalf, at the Taylor’s trade, after his arrival here as aforesaid, after which the said Kennidy threatned to Sell your Petitioner to a Farmer, to work at a Plantation, if he would not Indent him for Seven Years, to him, which your Petitioner, after a Greatt many Persuasions Comply’d with, rather than to go to hard labour, and accordingly Signed an Indenture, to the said Kennidy for the Term of Seven Years from the first day of May in the Year 1752; -- That the said Kennidy Sometime in March last Past, Assigned over your Petitioner to a Certain Ezekiel Moore, of said County Yeoman, for the remainder of the said Term of Seven Years then to come, and unexpired; Who keeps your Petitioner Constantly at hard Labour.— Your Poor Petitioner therefore most humbly Prays that your honours would be pleased to take his Case under Your Wise Consideration, and if it be possible, to Set him, Free from said Moore So that he may work for himself, at his trade, Or if that cant be done, Your Petitioner prays that Your honours would be pleased, to Order that he may be free at the End of the Six Years and ahalf, being the time he was to Serve the said Arthur Kennidy, by the first Indenture.—Or otherwise to do those things which to you, in your Wisdoms Shall Seem most Proper. And your poor Petitioner (as duty bound) Shall Ever pray &c thomas Ralph |
