To the honorable the General Assemby of the State of North Carolina in the Year One Thousand Eight hundred & three The petition of the Subscribers inhabitants of Stokes County respectfully sheweth --- That the Owners of a Negroe Man named Aaron have applied to them for assistance to petition your honorable body for the emancipation of said Aaron, if they thought him deserving of freedom --- They do therefore in the first place certify that during a long time, that the said Aaron lived in Salem he conducted in all respects well, and worthy of a better Fate than to be for life a Slave, Submissive, humble, faithful, Industrious, sober and devout was his conduct, and such the Virtues he exercised, by which he proved, that ---are as it is --- yet there are Men of Black colour who deserve to be free --- If therefore your honorable body, ever intend to give Liberty to any human being your memorialists humbly conceive that the said Aaron is an Object deserving it, and such a one who will be an Example to his race; They do therefore freely assist his present owners in praying that the said Aaron may be emancipated from slavery & be called Aaron Moses ---and your petitioners as in duty bound shall pray------------------------- Lewis Meinung Charles Gotthold Reichel Samuel Stols George Biwighauss John Gambole Conrad Krauser Benjamin Vierling Adam Elrod C. S. Bensien John Rights Charles Holder Rudolph Crist

We whose names are hereunto Annexed do certify that the facts set forth in the foregoing petition are to our knowledge true with respect to the manner in which Aaron and Magg Conducted themselves to their late Master whose design in bequeathing them to the petitioners we believe was as they have stated it and we do hope that the prayer of their petition will be granted not doubting but the said Aaron and Magg will each of them if liberated be honest, industrious, peaceable, and useful persons --- Relatives & heirs at Law of James Love Senr deceased James Love John Crook Love John Mecom Ruth Love Martha Love Levi Graham John Linebach Abraham Townsow Saml Schulz Neighbours & Acquantancies William Walker Owen Evans Robert Walker William Dobson B. Smith George Thompson Gabrial Jones Reuben Crews Edward Cooley Thomas Tucker Joseph McPherson Archibald Campbell Mathias Mastin Thomas Crus Christ Fochle John Masten Thomas Yarrell Jacob Fetter Henry Kleissner Christr blum Van N. Zeueler Andrew N.Phillips