John Peck claims that he is a free mulatto illegally held as a slave. According to Peck, he was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to a free mulatto woman named Lidia Peck. In 1813, Dennis Darling of the Mississippi Territory, "pretending” to be his owner, “made a bill of sale of him to Abele & Shambleton of Pensacola," who then sold him to Burton & Gorham of New Orleans. Peck prays for his freedom and asks that Burton & Gorham be condemned to pay him one dollar for every day of his imprisonment. In a related document, a witness testifying for the defense states that he owned a runaway slave by the name of William "answering very much to the description of the person now claiming his freedom." According to the witness, William's parents, named Jim Young and Priscilla, were both slaves; the latter still his property. Since the witness's identification of John Peck as William is in direct contradiction to that of another witness who knew both John and his mother Lidia in Baltimore, this may have been a case of mistaken identify.
Result: Denied.
Or you may view all people.
Repository: New Orleans Public Library, New Orleans, Louisiana
