The main thrust of the petition was for a courthouse and jail to be built in Baltimore. This is the same type of argument that took place in Delaware in colonial times. The state is about 100 miles long. Folks from Rehoboth Beach had to travel that far to participate in the legislative and legal process. Those people fought to make Dover the center of both of those activities for the state.

There were actually two petitions involved in Baltimore, Maryland. One was from the people in Joppa petitioning to improve the jail and courthouse and keep it there in the center of Baltimore County. Their argument was the same as that posed by the folks of Rehoboth, DE. Why not locate the buildings for both legal and legislative processes in a more central area for those that have to travel to them. The people in Baltimore felt that they should have the court and jailhouse there because after all, people could take care of business both commercial AND legal in the same trip.

I wanted to simply place a hyperlink to these pages, but the appearance of the html pages are at times difficult to read. There are tifs of the pages available but you cannot view them on their site, and for the names to have been legible, I would have had to place several large graphic files on my server. If you'd like to see the pages with the names noted for yourself, you have to download them to your computer.

Below you'll see a portion of the beginning of the "Petitions For Removal of the County Seat". 

A. PETITIONS FOR REMOVAL OF THE COUNTY SEAT

[THE PETITIONS FOR REMOVAL OF THE COUNTY SEAT FROM JOPPA TO BALTIMORE TOWN TOTAL FORTY-ONE IN NUMBER. THEY ARE DISCUSSED AT LENGTH IN THE INTRODUCTION (pp. lxxxvi-xc). THEY ARE ALL IN PRINTED BROADSIDE FORM, THE SIGNATURES FOLLOWING THE PRINTED TEXT, WHICH RECITES THE REASONS WHY REMOVAL WAS URGED. THESE BROADSIDES, PRINTED BY NICHOLAS HASSELBACH OF BALTIMORE, FALL INTO THREE GROUPS-TWO OF THESE GROUPS ARE PRINTED IN ENGLISH ALONE, AND ONE GROUP IN BOTH ENGLISH AND GERMAN.

...THE ENGLISH-GERMAN BROAD SIDE GROUP DESIGNATED BY WROTH AS No: 287 EXIST IN ONLY ONE PRINTED FORM, ARE SEVEN IN NUMBER, AND FOLLOW AS PETITIONS 29-34 AND [38].]

... [The following Advertisement preceding the petition roll is in manuscript form]

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Maryland In Compliance with a Resolve of the Honourable the Lower Historical Society House of Assembly, Publick Notice is hereby given that a Petition will be preferr'd by the Inhabitants of Baltimore County to the next General Assembly of this Province for an Act of Assembly to be passed, for the Removal of the Seat of Justice from the Town of Joppa-Purchasing Land and Erecting a Publick Court House and Prison thereon in Baltimore Town, for the better and more Effectual administration of Justice

Appendix. 521

Maryland Ss.t On the 27th day of January one thousand Seven hundred and Sixty eight came Absolom Butler before me the Subscriber one of his Lordships Justices for Baltimore County and made Oath on the Holy Evangelist of Almighty God that between the eleventh day of January One thousand seven hundred & sixty Eight and the Twenty fifth day [of the] same month and year, he Sat up true Coppies of the above [Advertise]ment at the following places in Baltimore County, viz.t ... "

Johannes Tschudy and Johannes Tschudi, Juner (that's how Junior appears on the petition) signed Petition No. 11. You can find their names on the Archived pages 535 & 536. On page 552 it says, "The next six succeeding Petitions for Removal 29-34, and 38 are on the English-German printed broadside forms." Martin Tschudy signed Petition No. 31, as did Weinbert Tschudi. I'm not sure WHICH Martin this is, whether the one from Dickeyville or our Martin in Baltimore City. Because the petition was posted in Balto. County, my guess is that this Martin was the resident of Dicketville.