John W. Williams papers, 1822-1835 and undated

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Summary

Creator:
Williams, John W.
Abstract:
John W. Williams was a Philadelphia lawyer. A small collection of legal papers, correspondence, and clippings chiefly concerning an 1835 lawsuit in which Robert Aitken of Baltimore alleged that a mulatto girl living in Philadelphia was Emily Winder, the daughter of Milly Winder. Milly Winder was Aitken's former slave whom he had freed in 1824, while keeping her daughter as his slave. Aitken claimed that the child had been stolen from him and given to Jacob Gilmore and his wife, free African Americans, to raise as their child. John W. Williams handled Aitken's suit for the girl's return. Includes affidavits, subpoenas, and notes on the testimonies of both black and white witnesses for the defense and the prosecution, including the testimony of Milly Winder, who told of her attempts to locate her daughter after she was freed.
Extent:
0.1 Linear Feet
32 Items
Language:
Material in English
Collection ID:
RL.01389

Background

Scope and content:

Samll collection of legal papers, correspondence, and clippings chiefly concerning an 1835 lawsuit in which Robert Aitken of Baltimore alleged that a mulatto girl living in Philadelphia was Emily Winder, the daughter of Milly Winder. Milly Winder was Aitken's former slave whom he had freed in 1824, keeping her daughter as his slave. Aitken claimed that the child had been stolen from him ten years earlier and given to Jacob Gilmore and his wife, free African Americans, to raise as their child. Gilmore claimed that the defendant could not be the slave Aitken was searching for, in that he claimed that a woman gave the girl to him and his wife several years before Aitken's slave went missing.

Papers include the notes and evidence compiled by John W. Williams, the lawyer for the plaintiff Aitken, to present the case before the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. The lawyer for the defense was David Paul Brown. Witnesses for the defense claim to have known Emily as a little girl in Philadelphia prior to 1825, and believed her to be white, while witnesses for the prosecution claimed Emily was Aitken's missing slave. Includes the testimony of Milly Winder, who told of her attempts to locate her daughter after she was freed and who claimed that the woman in question could not be her daughter that went missing. This case occurred before the passing of the Federal Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which removed the possibility of a court trial prior to the removal of an alleged fugitive slave.

Collection arranged chronologically within one folder.

Acquisition information:
The John W. Williams papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift in 1973.
Processing information:

Processed by Rubenstein Library staff, 1973

Encoded by Jessica Carew, May 2012

Accession(s) described in this finding aid: 1973

Physical location:
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

Using These Materials

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials


Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.

All or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. There may be a 48-hour delay in obtaining these materials.

Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], John W. Williams Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.