Filed under the Act of April 16, 1862 and Other Documents from the National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC
The original documents used to compile this book are located in the National Archives and Records Administration. Each Petition in this manuscript begins with the Petitioner's name and city or county of residence. The petition number, the image numbers, and the Court Docket images are below this entry. The first number refers to the Petition, the second number is Ancestry's image number, and the third, in brackets [ ], is the image number from Familysearch. Each petitioner was required to report to the Court. The Court's Docket Book image numbers are the last entry. This will facilitate locating the original documents online.
The emancipated slave's name(s) with his/her approximate age, any children, and how the owner acquired him/her are below the owner's name. Some petitions may include the date of ownership. Many petitions include the owner's family and a Bill of Sale or Will and can encompass several pages. Although the majority of owners lived in Washington, D.C., other counties and states are mentioned.
An example:
Alanson MOREHOUSE of Washington, D.C.
Petition 927/image 631 [643] - Docket image 212 [466]
Mary 16 and her brother Richard Thomas 17; their mother was purchased in Mississippi in 1839 or 1840 and the said persons were born in petitioner's house in KY
Additional documents include: Petitions Filed under the Act of July 12, 1862; Manumission Papers, 1857-1863; Affidavits of Freedom; Fugitive Slave Cases, 1861-1863; Docket under Fugitive Slave Law; Final Report of the Board of Commissioners; Excerpt of case histories; Habeas Corpus Case Records of the United States Circuit Court; Fugitive slave case papers, 1820-1843; Fugitive slave case papers, 1844-1863; Ancestry.com contents; and Familysearch.org contents. A full-name index adds to the value of this work.
Sandra Barlau
2021, 5.5" x 8.5", paper, index, 454 pp.
ISBN: 9780940907386
101-B9038
