Bolivar County GenWeb
To His Excellency Andrew Johnson,
President of the United States of America
The petition of William Owen, a
citizen of Bolivar County in the State of Mississippi, would respectfully show that
your petitioner is (34) thirty-four years of age, is a married man, has a wife and four children.
Your petitioner is an applicant for
special amnesty provided in the special proclamation of May 29, 1865.
Your petitioner is not included in
any excepted classes therein, unless he is embraced by the 13th exception
relative to parties owning more than twenty thousand dollars of taxable
property. Your petitioner would state
that he owned (1000) one-thousand acres of land in Bolivar County, Mississippi,
which is at present unprotected by a levee and subject to overflow by the
Mississippi River. He also owns several
mules, homes, neat cattle. The stock however being very limited and certainly inadequate to
cultivate the plantation. He has
been living upon his plantation during the entire rebellion and is still living
there. He has not been in the armies of
the Confederate States or held any kind of office under the so-called
Confederate Government. That during the
rebellion he paid taxes, tithes and c to the officers of the Confederate States
as he was required by them to do.
Petitioner has taken the amnesty
oath in good faith and intends without mental reservation of any kind to abide
by and keep the same. He is now and
expects to remain hereafter a respectful and law abiding, orderly and peaceful
citizen of the United States and he respectfully requests full amnesty, pardon
and restoration of all his rights of person and property in as full and ample a
manner as they heretofore existed. No
portion of the property of the petitioner is in the possession of the
authorities of the United States nor have any steps been taken to subject it or
any part of it to confiscation or otherwise.
Very Respectfully
Yours, Obdt. Servant,
/s/ William Owens
THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
I, William Owens, do solemnly swear
(or affirm) in the presence of Almighty God, that I will hereafter faithfully
support, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Union
of the States thereunder; and that I will, in like manner, abide by and
faithfully support all laws and proclamations which have been made during the
existing rebellion with reference to the emancipation of slaves. So help me God.
/s/ Wm. Owens
Sworn to and subscribed before me
this 21st day of July, 1865.
C. T. Heiles (?) Seal
Judge of Probate
I certify that the above is a true
copy of an oath sworn to and subscribed before me this 21st day of July, A.D.
1865.
C. T. Heiles (?) Seal
Judge of Probate