<title type="main">Elizabeth Townsley et al. to Thomas E. Bramlette Edition created from new transcripts of this manuscript. Initial upload of this work's facsimile images and metadata to FromThePage for editing Kentucky Historical Society Digital Collections Administrator of the CWGK Migration transcription project on FromThePage Kentucky Historical Society Digital Collections Kentucky Historical Society Digital Collections made 3 edits between June 21, 2025 and June 21, 2025. Dynamic TEI export from FromThePage (version 22.10)

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 November 11, 2025 Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives Office of the Governor, Thomas E. Bramlette: Governor's official correspondence file, petitions for pardons, remissions, and respites 1863-1867 KYR-0001-004-3139 BR41-323 to BR41-324

Fayette County, Kentucky Fayette County, Kentucky Petition English Version 1 of page "4": Changes to page transcript. Version 0 of page "4": Empty transcript -- probably initial upload of page facsimile. Version 1 of page "2": Changes to page transcript. Version 0 of page "3": Empty transcript -- probably initial upload of page facsimile. Version 1 of page "1": Changes to page transcript. Version 0 of page "2": Empty transcript -- probably initial upload of page facsimile. Version 0 of page "1": Empty transcript -- probably initial upload of page facsimile.
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To his Excellency Thomas E Bramlett Governor of the State of Kentucky Your Petitioner Elizabeth Townsly would respectfully represent that I was the owner of a negro Boy named James Williams who was convicted in the Fayette Circuit Court at its Last Febuary term of stealing a small sum of Money from McVarty & White Merchant doing business at that time in the City of Lexingotn at the time the money was taken McVarty & White were selling off their goods at Auction the Money was taken by an older one than James, and divided between ^them^ the realguilty party made his escape and when James was arrested on suspicion for there was no evidence adduced on the trial he very promptly acknowledged that he had received part of the money and told all he knew about the matter and went immediately and got the portion he received for he had not disposed of any portion of it and handed it over to the right owner and it was upon his own confession alone that he was convicted and sent to the State Prison for three years In view of the Smallness of the offince under the circumstances the previous good character of James his youth not at that time fifteen years old led astray by one more experienced do I present his case to Execitive Clemency and I can truly say that it was his first offence if the part he took made him any thing more than technically guilty I raised him from a Child and can say he was a good boy a faithful servant honest and obedient and did for me during the unsettled state of affairs in Kentucky and uncertain Tenure by which the kind of Property was held remained with me & receiving during a portion of the time all the benefit of his here the ballance of the time up to his arrest he divided his wages with me I am an old woman sixty five years of age a widow alone in the world, and have no means to live upon since his imprisonment but dependent upon others I feel satisfied if he was with me he would not forsake me but continue to devide his earnings with me to help me in my old age for the care took of

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of him during childhood for I took much pains in raising James inculcating right principles into his mind and I feel satisfied that he is not bad naturally is general good conduct during the time he was in Jail the evidence on the trial his behavior before the Court showed that in reality he was no criminal for there were at that time much sympathy elicited in his favor on account of his open & candid confession the part he took on the matter and from the fact of his youth and inexperience I most earnestly pray your Excellency to deal in clemency towards James and my destitute condition and Pardon James let me take him home again for I feel assured if liberated he will become a good orderly and honest member of Society I do not make this application to your Honor of Myself alone but have been solicited by others who are as well acquainted with the facts as myself to make an effort in Person to get the Boy Pardoned but have delayed doing so from the fact that at my time of life a Journey to Frankfort is a great undertaking for one of my age and feebleness grant the request in the name of humanity and I will ever remember the grace bestowed

Elizabeth Townsly

William Williams John H Hardesty D W Maloney H Gelbert W C Goodloe H K Milward E. K. Stevens J H Campbell Saml T Hayes R B Graves David Lowe W S Logwad M G Thompson M C Lee L. P. Young L C Randall T G Randall R McClanahan C. Shryock J. H. VanPelt Thos Hewson Jas T Drake W. H. Hal G. W. Smith Samuel Downing Hugh McDonald Berry M. Williams Jas Redman G. Robertson

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John Moore Wm M Makin B. F. Edrington Jno B Witgas T. G. Calvert P F Maguire George Metcalf Jr R McMichael S. D. McMichael T H McMichael Wm J W Milward H C Randall K Foley H.. R.. Chasteen Charles Gibson John Allen Jackson D. Williams L. Tobin