Title: Petition of Margaret Gormley, 19 May 1862

Date: May 19, 1862

Source Text: A microfilm reproduction of the original document held at the National Archives and Records Administration, Microcopy 520, Reel 3. The original document is held in the Records of the Accounting Officers of the Department of the Treasury, 1775–1978, National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 217.6.5. Within the National Archives' Archival Description Catalog, see ARC Identifier 4644616 / MLR Number A1 347 (http://arcweb.archives.gov).

Civil War Washington ID: cww.00277

TEI/XML: cww.00277.xml

 

To the Commissioners appointed under the Act of Congress approved April 16, 1862, entitled, "An Act for the release of certain persons held to service or labor in the District of Columbia."

The Petition of Margaret Gormley of Georgetown D. C. respectfully shews​, that she is a person loyal to the United States, who, at the time of the passage of the said Act of Congress, held a claim to service or labor against a person of African descent, named Mary Helena Payne, for her life, who was discharged from said claim by said Act; that at that time she was about twenty five years of age; she is black, short and stout, very healthy and of the value of nine hundred dollars; she was purchased many years ago by the husband of your petitioner and was taken by your petitioner, at the appraisement, when she administered upon her said husband's estate.

Your Petitioner hereby declares that she bears true allegiance to the government of the United States and has not born​ arms against the United States in the present rebellion nor in any way given aid or comfort thereto; that she has not brought said Mary H. Payne into the District of   Columbia, since the passage of said Act of Congress, and she was held to service by virtue of petitioner's claim at the date of the passage of said act and that said claim does not originate in or by virtue of any transfer heretofore made by any person who has in any manner aided or sustained the present rebellion against the government of the United States, and your Petitioner knows of no defects or infirmities, mental, moral or physical, calculated to affect the value of said woman as above stated—

She prays you to investigate and determine the validity of her said claim, to appraise and report the same in pursuance of the Act of Congress &c &c


her X mark Margaret Gormley
Witness
W S. Cox
J. N. Fearson
 

I, Margaret Gormley, being duly sworn, do depose and say, that all the matters & things stated in the aforegoing petition, as of my own knowledge, are true, and that those stated, on information I believe to be true.


her X mark Margaret Gormley
Witness
W S. Cox
J. N. Fearson

Sworn to & subscribed before me this 17th day of May AD 1862


Joseph N. Fearson
Justice of the Peace for the County of Washington D. Columbia
 
277
Margaret Gormley
Application under
Emancipation Act
Filed May 19, 1862
Transcription and encoding: Kathryn Kruger, Nima Najafi Kianfar, Janel Cayer, and Kenneth M. Price.