We your Petitioners propriators & Residuary Legatees of the Lands lying between Newgate & Great Rocky Run Bridge pray that a Town may be lain off & establishd on the Lands of Mary Lane, Geo Ralls, & Jno Stuart Alexander, making the Turnpike Road, as it at present stands (between the Proprietors) the main Street; & your Petitioners hope & trust, that their prayer will be heard, & granted Accordingly, for the following Reasons, Viz That the same will be situated on the Turnpike Road, leading from the Northwestern Teritory, to the Towns of Alexandria, Colchester, & Dumfries, that it will be central, or nearly so, to the above mentioned places, to Middleburg, George Town, Fauquier Court House, & Leesburg, it being computed five & twenty miles from Alexandria, the same distance from Dumfries, twenty from Colchester, 25 from Fauquier Court House, the same distance from Leesburg, & George Towne. That it will be in a healthy & well waterd Country, & in the midst of a rich & Nourishing Neighbourhood &c; All which considerations time to prove to your Petitioners, that (under proper conduct) it will become in a short time respectable as a manufacturing Town. We beg leave to mention to your Honble House, that James Hardage Lane, decd, leaving Mary his wife & several children, that he devised that tract of Land, wherof apart is proposed to be laid off for the use of the Town, to the said Mary his wife for like then to be sold for the benefit of his Children, most of whom are of Age and have become parties to this our Petition, foreseeing the very great advantage that will result to them by selling out in Lotts &c We wish that the Town may be called Unknown by the name of Almighty & that [left blank] be appointed as Trustees for the same…your Petitioners shall ever pray &c

Jno Stuart Alexander

Mary Lane Executrix

Wm Lane

Mary Lane

Bukah Lane

Deliah Lane

George Lane

Daniel C. Lane

Enoch S. Lane

George Ralls

Virginia Legislative Petitions, 20 Nov 1790, Library of Virginia, Fairfax County Legislative Petitions; Transcript by Debbie Robison from microfilm, Fairfax County Public Library, Virginia Room