Dennis Brown v. Christopher Neale. Petition for Freedom Jennifer Guiliano Trevor Muñoz William G. Thomas III transcription and encoding Steph N. Camerone Kaci L. Nash Laura K. Weakly University of Nebraska-Lincoln University of Maryland National Endowment for the Humanities 2016 O Say Can You See University of Nebraska-Lincoln Center for Digital Research in the Humanities
319 Love Library University of Nebraska–Lincoln Lincoln, NE 68588-4100 cdrh@unl.edu
oscys.case.0395.001 oscys.caseid.0420 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Derivatives must be credited to O Say Can You See, made available non-commercially, and distributed under the same terms. Requests for permission for commercial publication or other use should be emailed to the project team.

 Petition for Freedom Our transcription is based on a digital image of the original. Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia Local Government Records Collection, Arlington County Court Records Arlington County (Va.) Judgments (Freedom Suits), 1795-1858, Box 1 Case Papers Petition Civil Petition for Freedom November 1822 Bean, Harriet Thornton, William F. Maryland Alexandria (Va.) Washington (D.C.) Judgment for Defendant Brown, Dennis Neale, Christopher Fendall, Philip Ricard, 1794-1868 United States. Circuit Court (District of Columbia) Alexandria (Washington, D.C.) added xml:ids reviewed transcribed, encoded

To the Honorable the Judges of the Circuit Court of the District of Columbia

Humbly complaining shows unto your Honors your petitioner Dennis Brown, a coloured man, that he was born in Maryland, where he remained as the slave of Mrs Harriet Bean till the year 1815 or 1816. That about that time he was sold to one William F. Thornton of the town of Alexandria, and thither removed. That he remained in servitude to the said William F. Thornton till within a few months since, when he was either hired or sold, your petition is not absolutely certain which, to Christoper Neale Esq. in whose service he now is.

Your petitioner respectfully submits these facts to the consideration of your Honors, and conceives that under the Statutes of Virginia now in force within this part of the District of Columbia he is entitled to his freedom, humbly begs permission to sue in forma pauperis the said Christopher Neale in your Honorable Court, for the purpose of recovering the same. Your petitioner further prays that your Honors may make such farther order in the premises as may be necessary to the investigation of his claim And your petitioner was in duty bound will ever pray &c

Dennis Brown.

At the request of the foregoing petitioner Dennis Brown I have inquired into the statement contained in his petition, and have every reason to think it correct and that the said petitioner is entitled to his freedom under the Act of Virginia of 1792.

P. R. Fendall

262 441

Dennis Brown's vs Chris: Neale

Petition for freedom

1821 May Term 2nd Day P. R. Fendall Esqr. is assigned as counsel to examine into this case & reprot to the Court &c Report returned & filed & Process and. returd. to next term issd. Let process issue &c. 1821 Dec: Contd. 1822 Jany: Feby March Cond. April Continued May Continued. June. Contd. 1822 July Contd. August. At issue November 1822 May Term 24 day Not guilty Jd. 1822. Novem. Term 26th day Non Pros.