Civil War Washington

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, Charles E Sherman of Washington D. C. by this his petition in writing, represents and states, that he 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 Nine persons of African descent of the names of Henny Mockabee, Mary Mockabee, and her two Children, Frank and Sarah Mockabee, Rose Mockabee, and her son Henry Mockabee, Ann Mockabee, Lou (or Louise) Mockabee, and Walter Garner, for and during the life of said named persons and that by said act of Congress said persons have all been discharged and freed of and from all claim of your petitioner to such service or labor; that at the time of said discharge said persons were respectively of the ages of and of the personal descriptions following:(1) viz:

• Henny Mockabee, aged 45 years, of dark brown color, large, strong and healthy, a first rate Cook in every branch of the art, and a good washer and ironer, and also a good house servant:
• Mary Mockabee, a daughter of the Said Henny, aged 28 years, light brown color, an Experienced and first rate house servant in Every line of duty, also a very good cook washer and ironer, of medium size strong & healthy:
• Rose Mockabee, another daughter of Said Henny, aged 21 years, rather darker in color than her Mother, a little above medium hight​, strong and healthy, a first rate house servant, and a good Cook washer & ironer.
• Ann Mockabee, another daughter of said Henny, aged 19 years, color nearly the same as her Mothers full sized strong and healthy, and an Experienced house servant, also a good out door and farm servant.
• Lou (or Louisa) Mockabee, another daughter of the said Henny, aged 17 years, same color as her Mother, a good nurse and house servant, medium sized nearly, strong & healthy, & fair seamstress:
• Frank & Sarah Mockabee, children of the said Mary, both light ulattoes​ & the girl Sarah very bright—Frank is between 8 & 9 years of age, very likely and intellisnt​, a very good dining room servant & can read & write & cypher​, & has an unusual capacity for business; Sarah, the girl, is between 3 & 4 years of age, & exceedingly likely and intelligent: Frank will be 9 and Sarah 4 years of age during the present summer; both are strong and healthy:
• Henry Mockabee, a son of the said Rose, aged 3 years, a Mulatto, and a large, intelligent and healthy boy.
• Walter Garner, aged about 47 years, dark Complexioned, tall (over 6 feet) strong and healthy, a good Cook and carriage driver, and a good farm hand, and in all respects and Experienced & reliable man and Servant.
  For this man, I claim only a portion of his value, as he has paid in part for his freedom. The amount due me will be shown by the public records.

 

That your petitioner acquired his claim to the aforesaid service or labor of said persons above named in manner following:(2) viz to the said Henny, Mary, Rose and Ann, by a bill of sale from Samuel T. Stonestreet of Rockville, Montgomery County, Maryland, Trustee, dated the 7th June 1844,—the original of which, duly authenticated, will be laid before the Hon​ Commissioners: That the residue of the said persons Except the said Walter Garner, are the issue of the said Henny, Mary and Rose, born since his said purchase of their Mothers, & while owned & [possessed?] by him. That his claim & title to said Walter Garner is founded on a Bill of sale from Philip King of Prince Georges County, Maryland, 1852 which will also be Exhibited.

That your petitioner's claim to the service or labor of said persons, he fully believes, was, at the time of said discharge therefrom, of the value of some $8,000 dollars in money.,(3)though, owing to the Extraordinary condition of the country a cash demand for them at their real intrinsic value, did not exist at the date of the Emancipation act, yet he views that condition of things as but temporary, & when it shall have been passed, he believes the cash value of an increasing family of healthy, contented, and will trained servants, like that above described, would more than realise the above sum, with interest from the date of the said law of Congress; & he believes that the value of such servants will be much Enhanced when existing disturbances are closed.

Your petitioner hereby declares that he bears true and faithful allegiance to the Government of the United States, and that he 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 he has not brought said above named persons, nor any of them into the District of Columbia since the passage of said act of Congress; and that, at the time of the passage thereof, said persons wasere all 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 his said claim to the service or labor of said persons 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.—the last transfer being in 1852.

And your petitioner prays the said Commissioners to investigate and determine the validity of his said claim to the service or labor of said persons 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. & as in duty bound will ever pray