Three hundred and thirty-six citizens of Warren County write on behalf of William and his wife, who were "faithful and favorite family servants" in the white Newman family. After the death of the last descendant of the family, the couple was purchased by their present owner for the purpose of emancipating them. They have lived for many years "in a manner free," the petitioners explain. Their intercourse and dealings were "entirely with white people," and they "carefully avoided commingling with or having transactions with Slaves." During three epidemics in Vicksburg, William Newman "faithfully and carefully" distributed supplies to the "suffering and afflicted." The petitioners ask the legislature to emancipate the couple. They "are deserving of it and entitled to it."
Result: Committee report unfavorable.
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Repository: Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Jackson, Mississippi
