Fifty-nine citizens of San Augustine County ask that John Bird, his wife, Charity, and their children, along with Bird's son-in-law Edward Smith and Smith's children be permitted to remain in the Republic. The petitioners declare that these free blacks have lived in the county before the Declaration of Independence and are "good citizens supporting a good moral character and some of them have served several campaigns with the army during our struggle for independence." Twenty-one additional citizens attest to John Bird's character and consider him "a truly honest man."
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Repository: Texas State Library-Archives Division, Austin, Texas
