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Manuscripts

Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 material

Description

Material relating to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, particularly to the cases of Thomas Sims and Shadrach Minkins, both enslaved persons who self-emancipated and were later captured in Boston. The material documents efforts by U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts Charles Devens Jr. to recover expenses incurred during the extradition of Sims and during prosecutions against those who were charged with helping Minkins escape from jail.

Items include: Millard Fillmore letter to Elisha Whittlesey, 1853 March 3 (letter signed, 2 pages and docket); Elisha Whittlesey letter to Charles Devens Jr., 1853 March 8 (contemporary copy, 2 pages and docket); two bills for expenses to Charles Devens Jr., received by clerk of District Court of the U.S., Massachusetts District, 1853 January 1 (1 page and docket) and approximately 1853 January (1 page and docket); abstract of compensation to Charles Devens Jr., approximately 1853 January (printed form, filled in, 1 page and docket); Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 printed copy (3 pages, with manuscript notations); Elisha Whittlesey letter to Franklin Pierce, 1854 March 15 (autograph letter signed, two pages and docket, signed by Pierce); abstracts of compensation, payments to guards in October 1850, 1851 April, includes lists of names of guards with payment amounts and signatures (2 items, 1 page each and docket).

Type
Manuscripts(Opens in new tab)
Date
1850-1854
Call number
mssShapiro
Creator
Shapiro, L. Dennis(Opens in new tab)
Provenance
On deposit from L. Dennis and Susan R. Shapiro, December 2019, September 2020, and January 2021.
Gift of Susan R. Shapiro, January 2022.
Gift of Susan R. Shapiro, February 2022.
Gift of Susan R. Shapiro, January 2023.
Gift of Susan R. Shapiro, December 2024.
Restrictions
RESTRICTED. Available with curatorial approval. Requires extended retrieval and delivery time.
Rights
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining permission rests with the researcher.
Find out more
View in the Library catalog(Opens in new tab)

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