James Thornton petition, 1852 January 28 and February 11. - James Thornton petition, 1852 January 28 and February 11.

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Title
James Thornton petition, 1852 January 28 and February 11.
Biographical Information
James Thorton was a slave of John McDonogh who lived at the McDonoghville plantation. In 1852, we petitioned the executors of John McDonogh's estate for his freedom, on account of stipulations in McDonogh's will that bequeathed him and several other enslaved persons their freedom.</br></br>John McDonogh (1779-1850) was a merchant, land speculator, plantation owner, slaveholder, and philanthropist of Baltimore and New Orleans. At his plantation near New Orleans, McDonoghville, he gave his slaves religious and vocational training as well as the ability to purchase their freedom after fifteen years of work. He collaborated with the American Colonization Society to send about 80 of his freed slaves to Liberia in 1842. Born in Baltimore, Maryland to John and Elizabeth Wilkins McDonogh, he lived in New Orleans from 1800 until he died in 1850. In his will, he bequeathed the bulk of his fortune to the cities of Baltimore and New Orleans for the purpose of building public schools for poor white and freed black children.</br></br>Felix Herwig Kuntz (1890-1971) was the son of Rosemonde Elizabeth and Emile Kuntz and the brother of Emile N. Kuntz. He was an avid collector of documents, paintings and furniture during and after the Great Depression. The documents in this collection were items that Kuntz collected for his own personal interest.
Date Created
1852
Description
Petition submitted by E. Rawle, on behalf of James Thornton, to the Fifth District Court of New Orleans; answer of M[aurice] Grivot, representing the executors of John McDonogh, to the Thornton petition. James Thorton, an enslaved person, represented by E. Rawle, stated that John McDonogh, his deceased master, in his will had bequeathed to him and to several other enslaved persons their freedom. Thornton now petitioned the executors of the succession to emancipate him. The executors, represented by Maurice Grivot, responded that they had no objection to manumitting Thornton or the others named in the will, but they had been unable to do so on account of the suits filed by the State of Louisiana and Maryland and the heirs at large and the writ of sequestration issued by the court, which covered both real estate and slaves. The executors asked that the court inform the plaintiffs of the suits of Thornton's petition and their answer thereto, and they pledged that they would abide by the court's decision in the matter.
Type of Resource
text
Size
1 petition.
Language
English
Source
Louisiana Research Collection, Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, Tulane University, New Orleans, La., http://larc.tulane.edu/
Digital Collection
Revealing an Unknown Past: Free People of Color in Louisiana and the Lower Mississippi Valley
Repository Collection
Rosemonde E. and Emile Kuntz Collection, Manuscripts Collection 600, Louisiana Research Collection, Tulane University.
Shelf Location
Manuscripts Number 600, Box 22, Folder 57
Contact Information
To inquire about ordering copies of these images, email larc@tulane.edu.
Rights
Physical rights are retained by the Louisiana Research Collection. Copyright of the original material is retained in accordance with U.S. copyright laws. Permission to reproduce this image must be requested through the repository that holds the original.
Preferred Citation
Rosemonde E. and Emile Kuntz Collection, Manuscripts Number 600, Louisiana Research Collection, Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118.
Related Collections
John McDonogh Papers, Manuscripts Collection 30, Louisiana Research Collection, Tulane University.; John McDonogh Papers, RG 13, Louisiana State Museum Historical Center.; Nicholas Bauer Collection, RG 243, Louisiana State Museum Historical Center.
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