On 16 April 1862, Congress passed an act abolishing slavery in the District of Columbia. Owners were required to file a schedule of slaves with the court, which issued certificates of freedom. On 12 July 1862, another act permitted minor or absentee owners and slaves themselves to file for certificates of freedom. Sarah Ann Beckett, a "Mulatto" female, twenty years of age, states that she is owned by Benjamin Lownds, of Prince George's County, Maryland. She seeks her freedom.
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Repository: National Archives, Washington, D. C.
