One hundred twenty-seven residents of the county ask the legislature to pass a law requiring free people of color who sell "any produce whatever" to obtain a certificate signed by "two respectable house Keepers." Any free persons of color selling grain or other products without such permission, or any whites who purchase these products without first seeing the certificate, should be penalized. In many instances, the residents assert, free people of color "are not the producers of a single bushell of grain of any kind and it is manifest from their habits and character that the grain which they offer for sale & do sell could not have been honestly obtained." The petitioners contend that much of it comes from slaves who have stolen from their masters. Merchants, country store owners, and shopkeepers, meanwhile, "are in the constant habit of receiving grain" without asking any questions.
Result: Referred to committee for courts of justice.
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Repository: Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia
