Researching Freedom Suits, 1813-1846
Orleans Parish Court, 1813-1846
During the antebellum period, enslaved people in Louisiana had the ability to sue their enslavers for their freedom. What follows is a database that lists each of the freedom suits tried before the Orleans Parish Court between 1813 and 1846. Additional information is included in the full dataset, available upon request. Also available is a dataset of Redhibition Suits from Parish Court, 1813-1846.
Parish Court cases are available to view on microfilm. Contact the Archives to request an appointment.
Datasets were researched, compiled, and shared with the Archives by Maria R. Montalvo. She is an assistant professor of history at Emory University. Her first book, Enslaved Archives: Slavery, Law, and the Production of the Past, centers on conclusions drawn from these datasets.
| Docket Number | Date | Case | Sex | Mode of Enslavement | Verdict | Arrested |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | 06/15/1813 | Celeste Zenon and Antoine, f.p.c. v. La Bruce | F; M | Born enslaved, illegally enslaved. | For Defendant | ARREST "has taken your petitioners into his custody and possession and claims them as his slaves and has actually confined your petitioner in the jail of said city of New Orleans" PG2 |
| 147 | 10/01/1813 | Henry Howard v. Jacques Martin | M | Born free, illegally enslaved. | N/A | ARREST "?claims your Petitioner as his slave as such detains him in bondage and imprisonment." PG4 |
| 407 | 05/18/1814 | Augustine Gali v. Cailleau Fontaine | M | Born enslaved. | For Defendant | ARREST "...two of your petitioners have been arrested and that the others are searched after to be confined to the jail until they may be sold as the property of the late widow." PG3 |
| 536 | 09/02/1814 | Victoire v. Dussuau | F | Born enslaved | For Defendant | CUSTODY "...in the meanwhile your petitioner pays that your honor be pleased to order that she shall be taken under the custody of the sheriff" PG3 |
| 665 | 05/08/1815 | Adelaide, f.w.c. v. Jacques Monton | F F F M | Born enslaved | For Plaintiff | N |
| 836 | 08/15/1815 | Ruis v. Thomas, f.w.c. | M | Illegally enslaved | N/A | N |
| 897 | 12/04/1815 | Alexis, f.m.c. v. Doliole | M | Born enslaved | For Plaintiff | N |
| 898 | 12/04/1815 | Lucie v. Doliole | F | Born enslaved | For Plaintiff | N |
| 1035 | 05/28/1816 | Adelaide Meteyer, f.w.c. v. Noret | F F F M | Born enslaved | For Plaintiff | ARREST "...Noret did arrest Adelaide and her 3 children (last 9 months old) on 15 May last and confined them to the city jail where she remained until the 18 of said month." PG42 |
| 1182 | 12/26/1816 | Mary Cuffy v. Castillon | F | Born enslaved, illegally enslaved. | For Plaintiff | N |
| 1210 | 02/06/1817 | Joseph Luchal v. Lamothe | M | Born free, illegally enslaved. | Complicated | ARREST "?Francois who pretends to be free, and who was arrested for having committed a theft, is unable to give proof of his freedom. The jailor of the Police Prison is duly required to receive in the said Prison the aforesaid Francois, and therein to keep him until he proves his freedom." PG7 |
| 1324 | 07/05/1817 | Coffy v. Castillon | F | Born enslaved. | For Defendant | N |
| 1330 | 07/10/1817 | Francoise alias Cocotte LaForet v. Widow Dargy | F | Born enslaved. | For Plaintiff | N |
| 1533 | 05/23/1818 | Justine, f.w.c. Habeas Corpus | F | Born enslaved. | N/A | ARREST "...On Sunday last 17 she was at the request of MR. Delarne of this city illegally arrested and detained in the jail of this city where she is now without knowing the cause of her detention." PG3 |
| 1836 | 09/14/1818 | Britain v. Dick and McCoy | M | Born free, illegally enslaved. | For Plaintiff | N |
| 1859 | 10/13/1818 | Peter v. Lamothe | M | Illegally enslaved | For Plaintiff | ARREST "?that in the month of September 1817, your petitioner was arrested under the name of Ben by a certain Mr. Haviland under a pretense that your petitioner was a slave of Mr. John Hutchins of Natchez." PG2 |
| 2033 | 09/26/1818 | Mathias Gilbert, f.m.c. v. John S. Turner | M | Born free, illegally enslaved. | N/A | ARREST "?your petitioner is forcibly and unjustly detained by one John S. Turner of the City of Baltimore as a slave?.he was forcibly arrested and detained by two persons to him unknown, who fixing a false name upon him charged him with being a runaway slave, that by violent and unlawful measures and by keeping your petitioner in close confinement they deprived him the privilege of appealing in a proper manner to the laws of the country and to judicial interference until they succeeded in transporting your petitioner to the city of Baltimore." PG2 |
| 2074 | 03/13/1819 | Catin alias Marie Therese v. Doregny | F | Born enslaved. | For Defendant | N |
| 2092 | 04/05/1819 | Zephyr v. Prival | M | Born enslaved. | For Defendant | N |
| 2129 | 04/24/1819 | Catherine, f.w.c. v. Simon Gallin Prival | F | Born free, illegally enslaved. | N/A | ARREST "?your Petitioner is a free woman of color and is illegally detained in slavery and moreover in jail by Simon Gallien Preval?has resided in the city nine or ten years since enjoying her freedom that she never knew or heard speak of Mr. Preval till the month of October last when she was arrested by order of the said Preval claiming your said petitioner as slave belonging to him..." PG2 |
| 2226 | 06/30/1819 | Betsey alias Rachel vs St. Amand | F | Born free, illegally enslaved. | For Defendant | CUSTODY "?that your petitioner be hired out by the Sheriff." PG2 |
| 2284 | 07/24/1819 | Jeremiah Mason v. John Poultney | M | N/A | N/A | ARREST "?intending to injure your petitioner and deprive him of the privileges of a free man unlawfully and forcibly detains him in the prison of this parish under the pretense that your petitioner is a slave?" PG2 |
| 2525 | 03/28/1820 | Lamite, f.w.c. v. J.B. Lel | F | Born enslaved | N/A | ARREST "?and has enjoyed her freedom before the whole world, yet while attending to her usual occupations, she has been arrested as a runaway slave, upon the oath of Mr. Benoit?" PG2 |
| 2630 | 07/15/1820 | Constance Boyer, f.w.c. v. John Davis | F | Born enslaved, illegally enslaved. | For Plaintiff | N |
| 2893 | 05/23/1820 | Rachel f.w.c. v. Simon Knight | F | Born enslaved, illegally enslaved. | For Plaintiff | ARREST "?has falsely and maliciously advertised your petitioner in the news papers of this city as a runaway?cruelly beaten and ill treated your petitioner and has wickedly and maliciously on the same day caused your petitioner to the city jail of this city as his run away slave..." PG2 |
| 3778 | 11/04/1823 | Jonathan Davis v. Anna alias Aimee, f.w.c. | F | Born enslaved | N/A | N |
| 3971 | 07/28/1824 | Caroline, f.w.c. claiming her freedom v. Rose Hibard, f.w.c. | F | Born enslaved, illegally enslaved. | For Defendant | N |
| 4017 | 12/07/1824 | Dorothee, f.w.c. v. Rodrigue | F | Born enslaved | For Plaintiff | N |
| 4072 | 03/24/1825 | Amos Dunbar, f.m.c. v. Robert Layton | M | Born free, illegally enslaved. | For Plaintiff | N |
| 4106 | 04/28/1825 | Marguerite claiming her freedom v. J.B. Planchez Maillet, Heirs of M. Laveau, deceased | F | Born enslaved | N/A | N |
| 4147 | 06/08/1825 | Marguerite, a slave claiming her freedom v. The Heirs Rodrigue | F | Born enslaved | For Plaintiff | N |
| 4738 | 06/23/1827 | Joe Keese v. Abner Robinson | M | Born enslaved, illegally enslaved. | N/A | CUSTODY "?your petitioner has good reason to believe and does believe said Robinson will cause your petitioner to be transported out of the jurisdiction of your Hon. Court, that your petitioner is entitled to the value of his wages for the last six months....that an order of sequestration be made..." PG5?6 |
| 4750 | 07/6/1826 | Belzuns, f.m.c. v. Victor St. Martin, f.m.c. | M | Born enslaved | For Plaintiff | CUSTODY "?your petitioner further prays that in the meanwhile he may be hired out by the sheroff of the Parish of Orleans, and the proceeds kept subject to do further order of this court?" PG4 "Let the plaintiff be taken into the possession of the Sheriff..." PG10 |
| 4783 | 08/20/1827 | Sarah Nicholson, f.w.c. v. Edward Livinston Thompson | F | Born free, illegally enslaved. | For Plaintiff | CUSTODY "?that the Sheriff be ordered to hold her in his custody until the further order of the ocurt, that said Thompson after trial of this suit be condemned to pay such damagesfor the value of the time of your petitioner and for having cruelly whipped her himself and having her whipped at the police prison for saying "she was free."" PG43?44 |
| 4919 | 04/09/1848 | Dorothee, f.w.c. v. Coquillon | F | Willed freedom | Dismissed | CUSTODY "?let the written mentioned girl x be hired out to the px by the Sheriff of the Parish?" PG7 |
| 4986 | 06/12/1828 | Thomas Diedonne v. Benoit Lalande, f.m.c. | M | Illegally enslaved | N/A | ARREST "?willfully, maliciously, in his malice aforethought, and with the only view of vexing and harassing the petitioner, went to the guard house and there, well knowing that the petitioner is free, he represented to the officer on duty that the petitioner was his runaway slave and got some men to carry him to jail, notwithstanding that th eprisoner had in that very moment the authentic proof of their freedom about him and said he was free and there he, the said Lalande by his false representations, got the petitioner imprisoned...." PG2 |
| 5050 | 09/15/1828 | Rosine, f.w.c. v. Marcelin Bonabel, et al. | F | Born enslaved, illegally enslaved. | For Defendant | CUSTODY "?your petitioner therefore prays that the Sheriff of the Parish of Orleans be ordered to take your petitieonr into custody?" PG58 |
| 5276 | 05/12/1829 | Joseph Mariano v. James W. Breedlove | M | Born free, illegally enslaved. | For Plaintiff | N |
| 5417 | 09/09/1829 | Prudence, f.w.c. v. Marie Bernodi | F | Illegally enslaved | For Defendant | N |
| 6040 | 07/15/1831 | Venus Davenport v. Samuel D. Dixon | F | Born enslaved, illegally enslaved. | For Plaintiff | CUSTODY "...that she may be provisionally sequestered by the sheriff and her wages held subject to order of the court?" PG7 |
| 6051 | 08/05/1831 | Adelaide Jphigenie Jean Francois, f.w.c. v. Widow Chancerel | F | Born free, illegally enslaved. | For Defendant | CUSTODY "?she prays fo such other relief as the nature of the case may require, and to be with her children put under the custody of the Sheriff of the Parish of Orleans; and by him hired out and the proceeds kept until further order of the court?" PG7 |
| 6256 | 02/28/1833 | Genevieve Isabelle, Alias Labelle f.w.c. v. Francois Dauphin et al. | F | Born free, illegally enslaved. | For Plaintiff | N |
| 6339 | 05/08/1832 | Eliza f.w.c v. William T. Thompson | F | Illegally enslaved | N/A | N |
| 6919 | 05/20/1833 | Abraham Rivers v. P.A. Rost | M | Illegally enslaved | N/A | N |
| 7198 | 01/28/1834 | Louisa Davis f.w.c. v. George Shall and Wife and Ephraim Shall and Wife | F | Born free, illegally enslaved. | N/A | ARREST "?ordered your petitioner's brother, who was then sent for to take her away, or elase she Madam George shall should send her to jail?.then whilst her brother was about, George Shall went on board the Memphis and took your petitioner with him on shore by force and brought her to the police jail of this city, entered her on the books of said jail as her slave and ordered her to receive twenty five lashes, on a ladder which cruel treatment was accordingly instituted to her in the severest manner. And then hte said George Shall ordered the jailor to put her in the streets to work with the chain negroes, where she worked..." PG2?3 |
| 7524 | 05/27/1834 | Toussine, f.w.c. v. Marie Zelia, f.w.c. | F | Born free, illegally enslaved. | N/A | N |
| 8357 | 06/09/1835 | Felix, f.m.c. v. Charles Papet | M | Born free, illegally enslaved. | N/A | N |
| 8539 | 11/10/1835 | Marian Tait v. The Mayor, Alderman, and Inhabitants | F | Born free, illegally enslaved. | Dismissed | ARREST "?she was arrested on the 17th July 1830 and put by the CROSSED OUT of the city in the parish Jail. That she was born a free woman in South Carolina. That she accidentally lost the papers which attested her freedom?" PG2 |
| 9096 | 11/09/1836 | Mathis, Louisa, f.w.c. v. Daniel C. Osborn | F | Born enslaved, illegally enslaved. | For Plaintiff | N |
| 9228 | 01/23/1837 | Priscilla Smith, f.w.c. v. Smith | F | Illegally enslaved | For Defendant | N |
| 9235 | 01/28/1837 | William Eagleson v. John T. Quinn | M | Illegally enslaved | N/A | ARREST "?that on the 26th of January instant he was arrested by a police officer, taken to the jail of this city where he was thrown into prison and yet remains there among the slaves and negro criminals of the worst character, deprived of the ordinary conveniences of life. That petitioner has been thus deprived of his liberty and imprisoned in consequence of an affidavit of John F. Quin who resides out of the state of Louisiana, which affidavit was sworn to before the honorable Paul Bertus Recorder of the First Municipality of New Orleans; of which affidavit a copy is hereto annexed..." PG11 |
| 9264 | 02/03/1837 | John L. Grayson v. Philip Lewis | M | Illegally enslaved | N/A | N |
| 9287 | 02/11/1837 | William Davis Habeas Corpus | M | Illegally enslaved | For Plaintiff | ARREST "?he is illegaly imprisoned and deprived of his liberty in the common jail for the imprisonment of slaves by Mr. Ramos, keeper of said jail, without any warrantor commitment?" PG2 |
| 10406 | 02/12/1838 | Patsey alias Julia f.w.c. v. Dr. J.L. Riddell | F | Illegally enslaved | N/A | ARREST "?that in the month of December last past a certain person named Riddell commonly called Dr. Riddell caused your petitioner to be arrested and placed in the jail of the second Municipality in this city alleging that your petitioner was his slave and caused your petitioner to be confined in said jail for 7 or 8 weeks without necessary clothes or sustenance when the weather was very inclement and a while your petitioner was laboring under a long and painful illness..." PG2 |
| 10632 | 03/24/1838 | Henry Jackson v. Heirs of Henry D. Bridges | M | Born free, illegally enslaved. | For Defendant | CUSTODY "?to take the Body of Henry Jackson who declares himself to be a free man of color about 29 years of age and now deposited in the prison of the Second municipality as a slave belonging to the heirs of Dr. Bridges, and to keep the said Henry Jackson in your custody untili further order of this court..." (Order to Sheriff, PDF2) From petition: "by heirs of said Henry D. Bridges decd and by them deposited in the prison of the second municipality of the city that said Bridges and Bridges avow that their intention is to sell your petitioner and he is in danger every moment of being carried away out of the reach of his friends and compelled to live out the remainder of his days in servitude." PG8 |
| 12989 | 06/2/1840 | Marie Joseph Meyer, f.w.c. v. Jean Baptiste Camille, f.m.c. | F | Born free, illegally enslaved. | N/A | ARREST "?that she is free by birth?.That Jean Baptiste Connille a free man of c. has taken possession of her, illegally and contrary to her will, and has lodged in the police jail of this parish as his slave under the name of Lysida, where she is now detained by the keeper of said jail, Cament Ramos, whom she has in vain x to set her free!" PG6 |
| 12997 | 06/04/1840 | Marie Joseph Meyer, f.w.c. v. Jean Baptiste Camille, f.m.c. | F | Born free, illegally enslaved. | For Plaintiff | ARREST "?that J.B. Camille f.w.c. has taken possession of your petitioner illegally and forcibly, and now detains her in the parish jail as a slave." PG2 |
| 13821 | 04/05/1841 | Myrther Bideau alias Marie Isabelle Duclotto v. Frederick Charles, f.m.c. | F | Born free, illegally enslaved. | For Defendant | N |
| 15532 | 02/01/1843 | Spencer, f.m.c. v. Eugenie Macart | M | Born enslaved, illegally enslaved. | For Defendant | ARREST "?petitioner further prays that having been put in jail by the defendant since the filing of his original petition, an order of sequestration be granted him on his filling about of $1500 and that he may be delivered in the hands of the sheriff subject to the order of this court" PG12 |
| 16073 | 12/12/1843 | Gabriel v. Ehno, f.c.m. | F | Illegally enslaved | N/A | N |
| 16954 | 04/06/1846 | Lucien Coby f.m.c. v. Diedrick Miesegaes, Otto G. Miesegaes, and Charles Keck | M | Born free, illegally enslaved. | For Plaintiff | ARREST "?that your petitioner has been kept in prison at the request of Charles Kock about 3 months in 1846; that the value of the labor of your petitioner, during the aforesaid years worth about $1700 and for having been deprived of his freedom it worth about $500." PG2 |