1871 Petition, Chicago

I received John Bennet Winters' 1871 petition for a free peddler's license. I knew that my third-great-grandfather had had a difficult life, and this document told me that he had had even more bad luck. His grocery business had failed, and he needed to peddle tea and coffee to earn a living, but could not afford to pay for a license. Fortunately, his petition was granted.