Commonwealth ex rel. Hall v. Cook
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
HABEAS CORPUS case. Ellen M. Williamson, of the District of Columbia, was the owner of Hannah Hall, a slave for life; she removed into Pennsylvania to reside, and brought Hannah with her; after their residence here had commenced, the said Hannah, by and with the advice and consent of her mother, and in consideration of manumission, bound herself by indenture to serve for seven years.
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HABEAS CORPUS case. Ellen M. Williamson, of the District of Columbia, was the owner of Hannah Hall, a slave for life; she removed into Pennsylvania to reside, and brought Hannah with her; after their residence here had commenced, the said Hannah, by and with the advice and consent of her mother, and in consideration of manumission, bound herself by indenture to serve for seven years. The' indenture recited, that it was entered into in pursuance of a parol agreement made before their removal into Pennsylvania; but there was no proof of this fact. The indenture thus made was transferred to…
1Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the Court was delivered by
Rogers, J.
This was a habeas corpus, issued at the instance of Hannah Hall. The respondent returns, that he holds the said Hannah Hall by virtue of a deed of indenture, executed by the said Hannah Hall, by and with the consent of her mother of the one part, and Ellen M. Williamson and B. Williamson of the other, by which said indenture the said Hannah Hall binds herself to serve for the term of seven years, to learn the art and mystery of a servant and waiter; in consideration of manumission from slavery, granted in the District of Columbia, to the said…
2Cases cited2 opinions
- Commonwealth v. EdwardsSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1813
- Commonwealth v. HambrightSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1818
3Cited by4 opinions
- Douglas v. Union Mutual Life Ins.Illinois Supreme Court · 1889
- McDonald v. SimcoxSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1881
- Commonwealth v. GriffithMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · 1823
- Respublica v. KeppeleSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1793