Zenon Rideau, a free man of color, seeks to emancipate his eighteen-year-old female mulatto slave named Aimé. Rideau represents that Aimé, whom he purchased “for the price and consideration” of $700, is the "wife" of his legitimate son, Jean Baptiste T. Rideau, and he wishes to emancipate her so that she and his son can be “lawfully united in marriage.” Aimé is pregnant and Rideau wishes that emancipation of the unborn child be also considered in case the birth did not occur before judgment. Rideau asserts that Aimé is not “subject to any mortgage or privilege,” that she is “of good character and sober habits,” and that she has not “been convicted of any criminal offences.” Rideau has already given public notice in the Opelousas Courier of his intention to sue for Aimé’s emancipation. He therefore prays that his petition be served on the District Attorney as representative of the State of Louisiana and that Aimé and her unborn child be duly emancipated with permission to remain in the state.
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Repository: St. Landry Parish Courthouse, Opelousas, Louisiana
