South Carolina Department of Archives and History, S165015: Petitions to the General Assembly, Inhabitants of York District, Petition Against the Proposed Altering of the State Constitution, 21 Oct 1834

On October 21, 1834, 29 men, presumably all from York County, signed a petition to the SC General Assembly asking them to not change the SC Constitution.  You can find the petition on at the SC Archives:   Inhabitants of York District, Petition Against the Proposed Altering of the State Constitution.

Most signatures appear to be in different handwriting, likely the handwriting of the man signing.  It appears that these men were all written in the same handwriting: John Mooreland, Thomas Martin, Gabriel Martin, Bird Martin, Berry Martin, Posey Martin, William Martin, and Ransom Collins.  I believe most, if not all of those men could write based on other documentation.

The remaining signatures are: John C Smith, William Logan, Joseph Moreland, W H Collins, James D Taylor, N J Taylor, Joseph Logan, Jesse Blanton, Thomas Bridges, Allen White, Amos White, John Dover, A[???] Bird, Henry Carroll, Lawrence W White, Edmund Ellis, Wm Griffin, John Roberts, J W Covet (???), J Martin, W Martin

The top of the petition is printed; I assume this we done in other counties as well.

The SC constitution was changed on December 6, 1834 from:

Original ARTICLE IV

All persons who shall be chosen or appointed to any office of profit or trust, before entering on the execution thereof, shall take the following oath: “I do swear [or affirm] that l am duly qualified, according to the constitution of this State, to exercise the office to which I have been appointed, and will, to the best of my abilities, discharge the duties thereof, and preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of this State and of the United States.”

To:

Every person who shall be chosen or appointed to any office of profit or trust; before entering on the execution thereof, shall take the following oath: “I do solemnly swear, (or affirm), that I will be faithful, and true allegiance bear to the State of South Carolina, so long as I may continue a citizen thereof; and that I am duly qualified, according to the constitution of this State, to exercise the office to which I have been appointed; and that I will, to the best of my abilities, discharge the duties thereof, and preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of this State, and of the United States: So help me God.“