Below is the introductory paragraph by the person who originally submitted this item for publication in the February 1996 issue of the Pike County Historical Review, page 22.  The original article follows.

I found this petition in a library at Huntsville, Alabama in 1980.  The title of the book was “Petitions from the State of Kentucky.”  Unfortunately, I do not remember the author.  It seems ironic that the citizens of the area had these same thoughts and problems 30 years before the Hatfield and McCoy Feud.  It is further noted that the majority of these individuals remained loyal to Virginia during the Civil War.  Apparently, the petition was denied since this area is still within the state of Kentucky.  I have no further information on the outcome of the petition.

January 31, 1849 Pike County Kentucky Petition

Residents of Pike County, Kentucky intend petitioning the next legislature of Kentucky for a law ceding to Virginia that portion of the county of Pike including with the following boundaries: At the mouth of Big Creek on the west side of Tug Fork of Sand River . . . to the top of the main dividing ridge between the Tug and Lavica (Levica) . . . to the line between Kentucky and Virginia.  They suffer many inconveniences in consequence of the present dividing line between the states.  Violators of the law can in a moment of time pass from one state to the other and thus elude officers of the law.  The present line divides neighbors, friends and relations.

SIGNATURES

John Ferrell                            John McCoy

Wm. Tiller                                Joseph Murphey

John Coy (McCoy)                 Aly Hatfield

Daniel McCoy                         Richard Furrell

John Murphey                        Andrew Varney

M.G.B. Davis                           Asa McCoy

James Vance                          Richard Maynard

David Maynard                       Andy Murphey

Cummens Music                    John Sanson

Samuel Mounts                      Herndon Murphey

George Hatfield                      Valentine Hatfield

Ferrell Hatfield                        Mitchel Rumpsey

Asa Harmon McCoy              Richard Hatfield

John Hatfield                          Thos. Hatfield

Joseph Hatfield, Jr.               Joseph Hatfield

Ulysses McCoy                      Nathan Pabnett

John Wolford                          Canly Blankenship

Ezekiel Blankinship               Fredrick Wolfred

Isaac New                                William Blackburn

Henry G. Davis                       Peter M. Alley

William T. Cline                      Randolph McCoy

Samuel Canada                      William Davis

Madison Hatfield                    Samuel Farley

Randall Osborne, August 14, 2021