Title: Petition of Mahlon Falconer, 2 July 1862
Date: July 2, 1862
Source Text: A microfilm reproduction of the original document held at the National Archives and Records Administration, Microcopy 520, Reel 6. 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.00839
TEI/XML: cww.00839.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,
Mahlon Falconer
of
Washington City
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 one female
person of African descent of the name of
Ann Anderson
for and during the life of said
term of years to expire on the 31st day of December 1866, being nearly five years, and
that by said act of Congress said
Ann Anderson was discharged and freed of and from
all claim of your petitioner to such service or labor; that at the time of said
discharge said
Ann Anderson, was
of the age of twenty two years, and of the
personal description following:(1)
about five feet six inches high, medium size, chesnut color, good looking and healthy, with no particular marks
recollected. She is a good cook, and house servant.
That your petitioner acquired his claim to the aforesaid service or labor of said Ann Anderson in manner following:(2) Your Petitioner's Wife, is the Daughter of Mr. Walter Brown of Howard County Maryland, from whom she received the said Ann as a present, in 1842. The evidence of title is presented herewith.
That your petitioner's claim to the service or labor of said Ann Anderson was, at the time of said discharge therefrom, of the value of five hundred dollars in money, (3) for the remainder of the term for which she was held to service. She is a valuable house servant, and your Petitioner knows of no moral, mental, or bodily infirmities to impair her value, and does not believe that any such exist.
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 Ann Anderson into the District of Columbia since the passage of said act of Congress; and that, at the time of the passage thereof, said Ann Anderson 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 his said claim to the service or labor of said Ann Anderson 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 his said claim to the service or labor of said Ann Anderson 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.
from
Mahlon Falconer and wife
to
Negro Ann
Recd to be recorded on the 9th day of June 1851, at 10 o'clock A. M. same day recorded in Liber E.S.N. No. 2. folio 316 &c one of the chattel record Books of Howard District of Anne Arundel County & examined per,
| Stamp | $1.00 | Paid |
| Record | .61 |
To all persons to whom it doth or may concern. Be it known that I Mahlon Falconer and Jane D. Falconer my wife of Howard District of Anne Arundel County and state of Maryland, for divers good causes and considerations [we?] thereunto moving do hereby release from Slavery, liberate, manumit and set free from and after the day and year hereinafter mentioned, one negro girl named Ann Anderson Slave belonging to us and now in our possession after the first day of January, Eighteen hundred and sixty seven, freed manumitted and discharged from all manner of servitude to us our Executors or Administrators and from all manner of claim or right of claim of servitude or service by us our Executors or Administrators forever. And we do hereby declare fix and determined, that the state and condition of the issue that may be born of the said negro, Ann, on or before the first day of January Eighteen hundred and sixty seven, aforesaid shall be the of servants until such issue shall arrive to the age of Twenty Seven years and in case any such issue being females and their female descendants shall have issue during their periods of service, then and in every such case the state and condition of such issue shall be that of Servants until such issue shall arrive to the age of Twenty Seven years
In Testimony whereof, we have hereunto set out hands and seals, this ninth day of June in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred and fifty one
Mahlon Falconer seal
Jane D Falconer seal
Signed Sealed & Delivered in the presence of us—
Thomas Jenkins
Elisha Falconer
Be it Remembered that on this ninth day of June in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred and fifty one personally appeared Mahlon Falconer and Jane D. Falconer his wife parties to the within instrument of writing before me the subscriber a Justice of the Peace of the state of Maryland for the said District and acknowledged the same to be their Act and deed for the purposes within mentioned
Mr [Lane?] Brown
Received on the aforegoing Deed of Manumission when presented for record one dollar in lien of stamp under the Act of 1846, ch 61.
[Form of the Oath for the Verification of the Petition.]
Washington County, ss.
I, Mahlon Falconer 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.
Mahlon Falconer
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 28th day of June, A. D. 1862.
Edw. F. Brown
Notary Public.
for nearly 5 years service.
George Thompson
570 M Street —
Elisha Falconer,
353—7th St—
near N.Y. Avenue
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.
