Joshua Reeves, Walton County Grand Jury, August 1819
Thursday 12th August 1819
The following jurors having been drawn and summoned for that purpose attended and were impannelled as a Grand Jury from the present term(Abstract)
1. Jourdan Baker, Foreman
2. Joshua Reeves
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Friday the 13th of August 1819
Georgia
Walton County
We the Grand Jurors of Said County at August term do present William Howel for retailing spirituous liquors without license. Jas. Love & Benj’n McQurt - Witnesses
The Grand Jury earnestly & respectfully solicit the Legislature once more to take into Consideration the expediency of allowing to the Citizenry residing within the limits of the lately acquired territory a participation in the lottery shorty to take place. We would with much defference to your honorable body state that many of the persons within said territory have borne a part in the defence of their Country in the late Conflict with Great Brittain, have honorably & faithfully supported the government in every (illegible) requiring their Service, and in remaining in the territory did not believe they violated any law of the land then in existence they were not without example in other similar occasion for in the distribution of the lands formerly acquired the first settlers were not excluded from a share in the Lotteries. The Grand Jury feel confident that the Settlers have by no means injured the land. On the Contrary they have benefited it in many respects but particularly they have been of great service in affording the facilities necessary to the Surveying & Settling the Territory. But the Grand Jury have much reliance upon the Justice for the Legislature when they come to reflect that it is contrary to the spirit & genius of our government to punish men for an act (illegible) at the time it was committed & that to deprive men of the State within this territory of their equal rights to the public land because they (illegible) Settled thereon in violation of no knowledge is certainly an infringement of the before mentioned principle. Under these Considerations the Grand Jury entertains the hope that your honorable body will repeal the law so far as relates to defining the above named class of our citizenry from a draw in the Contemplated Lottery. We therefore recommend that the above be inserted in the Georgia Journal. We present our thanks to His Honor Judge Dooly for his unremitted attention to the duties of his office during the present term.
| Jordan Baker, Foreman | John Buks |
| Joshua Reevs | Charles Austin |
| Wilson Whatley | Robert M. Echols |
| Isaac Austin | James Hobbs |
| Lewis Bradbury | James Fletcher |
| Nathan Sentell | John F. Piper |
| Etheldroid Gardner | John Whitaker |
| Benjamin Hammond | James J. Bentley |
| Wyatt Heflin | |
| Richard Stanfield | |
| Thomas McClendon | |
| Ephraim Daniel | |
Ordered that the presentments be published according to request.
Source: Walton County Superior Court Minutes, 1819-1834, Minutes of 1819-1822, p. 1 & 7, Microfilm, Georgia Archives