Title: Petition of Margaret Ann Miller, 23 June 1862
Date: June 23, 1862
Source Text: A microfilm reproduction of the original document held at the National Archives and Records Administration, Microcopy 520, Reel 5. 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.00752
TEI/XML: cww.00752.xml
PETITION.
To the Commissioners under the act of Congress approved the 16th of April, 1862, entitled "An act for the release of certain persons held to service or labor in the District of Columbia."
Your Petitioner, Margaret Ann
Miller of Howard
Co State of Maryland by this
her petition in writing, represents and
states, 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 Charlotte and Brice
Martin persons of African
descent of the name of for and during the lifves of said Charlotte and
Brice respectively and that by said act of
Congress said Charlotte and
Brice being at the time of the passage thereof
residing in the City of Washington were discharged and freed of and
from all claim of your petitioner to such service or labor; that at the time of
said discharge said Charlotte and
Brice were of the ages
of and of the personal description following:(1)
Charlotte was about forty five
years of age, stout, and five feet five or six inches high.
Brice was about twenty three years old, about five
feet Eight inches, medium size
That your petitioner acquired her claim to the aforesaid service or labor of said Slaves in manner following:(2) by the will of her mother Mrs Ann Jenkins duly proved and recorded in the Orphans Court of the County of Washington, and District of Columbia; that by the law of the State of Maryland she has a separate property in the said servants.
That your petitioner's claim to the service or labor of said servants was, at the time of said discharge therefrom, of the value of Two Thousand dollars in money.(3) That Charlotte is a first rate cook, reliable and trusty, but she is lame and that detracts from her value; Brice is esteemed a first rate waiter and your petitioner has been offered and declined to take Sixteen Hundred dollars for him
Your petitioner hereby declares that she bears true and faithful allegiance to the Government of the United States, and that she has not borne arms against the United States in the present rebellion, nor in any way given aid or comfort thereto.
And your petitioner further states and alleges, that she has not brought said servants into
the District of Columbia since the passage of said act of Congress; and that, at
the time of the passage thereof, said servants
were
was held to service or labor therein under and by virtue of your
petitioner's claim to such service or labor.
Your petitioner further states and alleges, that her said claim to the service or labor of said servants 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 prays the said Commissioners to investigate and determine the validity of her said claim to the service or labor of said servants herein above set forth; and if the same be found to be valid, that they appraise and apportion the value of said claim in money, and report the same to the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, in conformity to the provisions of said act of Congress.
Margaret A. Miller
I Denton Miller of Howard County and State of Maryland husband of said Margaret Miller do hereby approve of and [illegible] confirm her claim in the foregoing petition.
D. M.
[Form of the Oath for the Verification of the Petition.]
Washington County, ss.
I, Margaret Ann Miller being duly sworn, do depose and say, that all the several matters and things which are set forth and stated in the foregoing petition, as of my own knowledge, are true in substance and in fact; and that all the several other matters and things therein set forth and stated, as from the information of others, I believe to be true in substance and in fact.
Margaret A. Miller
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 14th day of June A. D. 1862.
O. E. P. Hazard JP
To be sworn to before a Justice of the Peace by Mrs Miller, and afterwards the memorandum on the other side must be signed by Mrs Miller and the paper returned by mail or otherwise to me without delay.
Jos. H. Bradley
Note (1.)-- Here describe the person, so as to identify him or her; and if there be more than one slave, describe each one separately.
Note (2.)-- Here state how the claim was acquired, when, from whom, and for what price or consideration; and, if held under any written evidence of title, make exhibit thereof, or refer to the public record where the same may be found.
Note (3.)-- Here state such facts, if any there be, touching the value of the petitioner's claim to the service or labor of the person, as may enhance the same, and also such facts, if any, touching the moral, mental, and bodily infirmities or defects of said person, as impair the value of the petitioner's claim to such service or labor, and conclude such statement with an averment that the petitioner knows of no other infirmities or defects of said person which impair the value of petitioner's claim to such service or labor, and that he believes none other to exist. If the petitioner specify no such infirmity or defect, then his statement touching the value of his claim should conclude with an averment that he has no knowledge of any such infirmity or defect.
