Petition of Cesar and Moses Gimbee to the Massachusetts General Court
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
To the Honourable, the Senate, and House of Representatives in General Court Assembled
The petition of Cesar Gimbee and Moses Gimbee humbly shewth that your petitioners are entitled to about seventeen acres of land in the Town of Grafton, by heirship in the rights of their mother, who was an Indian Native of said Grafton,1 that as said land is not, of itself, sufficient for a farm, your petitioners conceive it will be most for their interest to make sale of it. And although they consider themselves as inheriting from their father,2 who was not an Indian, all the rights of free citizens among which that of disposing of their property is one. Yet doubts have arisen in the minds of some persons whether your petitioners are competent to give a title of said land that will be valid in law, because the Legislature of this Commonwealth has hitherto exercised the right of guardianship over the property of said Indians: By reason of which doubts your petitioners are apprehensive they cannot dispose of said land for its full value. They, therefore, pray this Honourable Court, if it is still their determination to exercise the right of guardianship over said property in its present situation would be pleased to authorize them, or some other persons on their behalf, to dispose of said land for their benefit and to give a good and valid title to the same.
And as in duty bound will ever pray,
Moses Gimbee
January 19, 1801
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Certification: |
This may certify that the circumstances set forth in the foregoing petition are true, and should the Honourable Court consider the petitioners not competent to dispose of the property therein mentioned, it is our opinion that it would be to their advantage that the prayer of their petition should be granted. Benjamin Heywood, Isaac Harrington, Trustees of the Grafton Indians / Worcester, January 19, 1801 |
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Legislative Action: |
The Petition of Cesar and Moses Gimbee " |
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Mr. Paine / Mr. Hocum / Mr. Jackson |
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Mr. Stearns / Mr. Williams / Report concurrence |
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Endorsement: |
Resolve on the petition of Cesar Gimbee, etc. authorizing the Trustees of the Grafton Indians to make sale of the land mentioned / January 27, 1801 3 |
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Docketing: |
68 |