Matilda, a free woman of color v. Charles St. Vrain This electronic document is published as part of the St Louis Circuit Court historical records project.

There are no known copyright restrictions on this item. You are free to use this item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. Washington University Libraries does not assert copyright in reproduction scans of public domain materials made openly available on its websites. For more information on policies and procedures governing the use of materials, contact digital@wumail.wustl.edu.

 November 4, 1830

The original document is part of the Missouri State Archives St Louis Circuit Court collection.

 Matilda, a free woman of color v. Charles St. Vrain November 4, 1830 Matilda St. Vrain, Charles Trespass Assault Battery False Imprisonment 58 St. Louis Circuit Court Carr, William C Gamble, Archibald Bird, Gustavus A. KT removed comment tags, added caseTitle, and moved legalFunction tags SS corrected, proofread img_1 and img_2 SS corrected, proofread img_3 to img_5; corrected img_6; yet to proof read img_6 SS proofread img_6 -- completed case GL4 added and cleaned up caseDesc and legalDocDesc tags CM performed final review of legal encoding Affidavit of Sarah, Mother of Plaintiff Order Granting Plaintiff Permission to Sue for Freedom, in Forma Pauperis Petition for Leave to Sue as Poor Person to Establish her Freedom

This electronic document is published as part of the St Louis Circuit Court historical records project.

The original document is part of the Missouri State Archives St Louis Circuit Court collection.

 Affidavit of Sarah, Mother of Plaintiff Sarah Missouri 3rd Circuit Court Order Granting Plaintiff Permission to Sue for Freedom, in Forma Pauperis Carr, William C. St. Louis Circuit Court Petition for Leave to Sue as Poor Person to Establish her Freedom Matilda, a free woman of color St. Louis Circuit Court State of Missouri St. Louis County

Sarah the mother of the within named petilioner being Sworn says thats she has heard the within Petition read & She that the facts in the Said Petition stated are true as regards the birth & residence of said Matilda & She knows thats said Charles holds said Matilda in servitude & beleives that said Matilda is entitled to her freedom Sworn & Subscribed 1830

Sarah x Mark

I William C Carr Judge of the Circuits Court for the third Judicial district and state of Missouri do order that the above named petitioner Matilda be permitted to sue as a poor person to Establish her freedom & I do asign Gustavus a Bird as her counsel to commence & prosecute her said suit for freedom and I do moreover order that the said Matilda shall have reasonable liberty of attending the court and her counsel when occasion may require, and that Said Matilda shall not be taken or removed out of the Jurisdiction of the court nor be subject to any severity because of her application for freedom November 4th 1830

Will : C. Carr judge of 3 Circuits - In the Honorable William C Carr Judge of the Circuits Courts third Judicial Circuits & State of Missouri

Your Petitioner Matilda an Infant under twenty one years represents that She is a person of colour & entitled to her freedom but She is held in Slavery by Mr Charles in the County of St louis your Petitioner was born of a fine woman by the name of Sarah on the 16th day of March A D 1810- about four miles from Edwardsville in the State of Illinois in which State of Illinois your petitioner has resided untill about Ten months past when she was brought to the State of Missouri by Said who now holds your Petitioner in Slavery and in St Louis County your Petitioner prays that she may be permitted to sue as a poor person to Establish her freedom that counsels may be asigned to her that her mother Sarah may be appointed her focussed to commence & prosecute her suit & that such order may be made for her personal Security as her case requires & the Law provides

Matilda x Mark </titleStmt> <publicationStmt> <p>This electronic document is published as part of the St Louis Circuit Court historical records project.</p> </publicationStmt> <sourceDesc> <p>The original document is part of the Missouri State Archives St Louis Circuit Court collection.</p> </sourceDesc> </fileDesc> <profileDesc/> </teiHeader> <text> <body rend="handwritten"> <div1 legalFunction="caption" rend="horizontal"> <pb facs="6732_003.tif" n="003"/> <opener> <abbr>No</abbr> 58 <date when="1831-03">March term 1831</date> </opener> <head rend="bracketed"> <persName> <choice> <orig>Matilda</orig> </choice> </persName> <lb/> <abbr>vs</abbr> <lb/> <unclear rend="written" unit="chars"> <supplied> <persName> <choice> <orig>Charles</orig> </choice> </persName>. <unclear rend="written" unit="chars"/> </supplied> </unclear> </head> <p>Petition</p> </div1> </body> </text> </TEI> <TEI xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0" > <teiHeader> <fileDesc> <titleStmt> <title>Writ and Summons for Charles St. Vrain

This electronic document is published as part of the St Louis Circuit Court historical records project.

The original document is part of the Missouri State Archives St Louis Circuit Court collection.

 Writ and Summons for Charles St. Vrain Gamble, Archibald St. Louis Circuit Court County of St Louis The State of Missouri To the Sheriff of StLouis County Greeting-

We command you to summon Charles St. Vrain that he be and appear before the Judge of our Circuit Court at the next- term thereof to be here at the city of StLouis within and for the county of StLouis on the fourth monday of March instant- then and there to answer unto Matilda a woman of color ( who sues by Sarah a free woman, her next friend.) of a plea of trespap apault & Battery & false imprisonment to the damage of said plaintiff of three hundred dollars. and have you then there this writ--

archibald clerk of our said court at office the 9th day of march 1831 Archibald Gambler

I William C. Carr Judge of the Circuit Court for the third Judi-cial Circuit district and State of Missouri do order that the above named petitioner Matilda be permitted to sue as a poor person to establish her freedom & I do asign Gustavus A Bird as her counsel to commence and prosecute her said Suit for freedom and I do moreover order that the said Matilda shall have reasonable liberty of attending the Court and her counsel when occasion may require and that said Matilda shall not be taken or removed out of the Juris-diction of the court nor be subject to any severity because of her appli-cation for freedom November 4th 1830

Signed - Will .C. Carr Judge of 3rd. Circuit

not executed for want of time 13th March 1831

No. 58. March Term 1831- StLouis Circuit Court Matilda woman of Color by Sarah vs Charles

This is an action of asault & Battery & false Imprisonment for freedom to Damages $300 The Clerk of St. Louis Circuit court summons to

filed 9th. March 1831- Complaint

This electronic document is published as part of the St Louis Circuit Court historical records project.

The original document is part of the Missouri State Archives St Louis Circuit Court collection.

 Complaint Bird, Gustavus A. St. Louis Circuit Court State of Missouri Circuit Court third Judicial March Term 1831

St Louis County fo- Matilda a woman of color who by Sarah her mother & next friend a free woman of color complains of Charles St of a plea of trespap asault & Battery & false imprisonment for that whereas here to on the first day of October in the year of eighteen hundred & Thirty at St. Louis said County the said Defendant the force & arms made an asault upon the said plaintiff & then & there beat bruised wounded & ill-treated the said plaintiff & then & there falsely imprisoned the said plaintiff & kept & detained the said plaintiff in prison there for a long space of time to from the day last aforesaid to the time of the commencement of this said and the said plaintiff that before & at the time of the committing the said grievances She was & still is a free person & the said Defendant kept & detained & still keeps & detains her in slavery wherefrom she says She is greatly injured & hath sustained Damages to to Three hundred Dollars therefore she sues to

GA Bird for