Sydney, a woman of color v. William Littleton
Item
Sydney, a Woman of Color V. William Littleton. 1839, St. Louis Circuit Court Historical Records Project, accessed October 9, 2026, https://digitalexhibits.library.washu.edu/s/ccr/item/60867
- Case Title
- Sydney, a woman of color v. William Littleton
- Series
- Freedom Suits
- Plaintiff
- Sydney
- Defendant
- Littleton, William
- Date Filed
- 1839-10-31
- Filing Date
- 1839-10-31
- Plaintiff’s Attorney
- Bird, Gustavus A.
- Court Name
- St. Louis County Court
- Court Term
- 1839-10
- Clerk
- Ruland, John
- Cause of Action
- Trespass
- False Imprisonment
- Assault
- Battery
- Case Notes
- Plaintiff also known as Seyton; owner George Hacker took her to southern Illinois for 3 years; gave to daughter and husband, Littleton; took her to Madison County, Illinois for 6 weeks then St. Louis; includes William and Micajah Littleton's signed $500 recognizance bond.
- Case Number
- 3
- Identifier
- ccr1839.06788.010
- Source
- Missouri State Archives - St. Louis
- Rights
- Public Domain
- PDF Download
- Download PDF of all images
- Transcription
-
**Sydney, a woman of color v. George Hacker**
---
**Page 1** (6788_001.jpg)
> *Legal Function: Petition to Proceed In Forma Pauperis*
Sydney of color vs [illegible]
Petition for freedom
& orders therefore
---
**Page 2** (6788_002.jpg)
To the Honorable [illegible] & [illegible] Judge of
the eighth Judicial Cicuit of the State of Missouri
Your petitioner seytan otherwise sydney a chaman
of color respectfully [illegible] that she is justly
entittled to her freedom, but yet he is held in
slavery by [illegible] at St. Louis
your petitioner state that the grounds of her
right to freedom are as follows she formerly claimed as the slave of held as the [illegible] of George [illegible]
that said George Hacker while claiming of having
your Petitioner as his slave about 14 - years past
took your Petitioner into the [illegible] there part of the
State of illinois where he then resided and was
domicileated[?] of kept of detained your petition there
in the state of Illinois as he then resided for [illegible]
three years after which a daughter of said
[illegible] said [illegible] to
[illegible] said harker[?] delivered your petitioner
[illegible] time said [illegible] ha claimed
your petitioner as his slave your Petitioner
states that about ten years - - last past said
by [illegible] took your Petitioner into the state of
Illinois in madison County where
[illegible] there kept her at [illegible]
as a for about [illegible] 6 weeks when he took
her to the state of missouri & has [illegible]
[illegible] formed and believes that at is the intention of
said by [illegible] to sell your petitioner as a
slave & she fears he will do so that she
[illegible] be sent to a distant place where she will be
unable to [illegible] the [illegible] of her freedom
until he shall be presented by legal mean
she therefore prays that she may be permitted
to sue as a poor person establish her freedom
that unusual may be [illegible] to her
that such orders may be made & such
legal taken as as well secured by personal
safety
*Sydney her x
mark*
---
**Page 3** (6788_003.jpg)
> *Legal Function: Affidavit*
State of missouri
St. Louis County ss
Sydney the within named
petitioner on her oath says that the parts in
the [illegible] petitioner stated are [illegible]
*Sydney herx mark Sworn & subscribed to
before [illegible] a Justice of the
peace [illegible] and [illegible] said
County the 31st day of October A D 1839 [illegible]
justice of peace*
> *Legal Function: Order*
Being of a [illegible] that the within petitioner
contains sufficient matter to are therefor the
commencement of a [illegible] I lake [illegible]
[illegible] of the Sant Louis Circuit
Court do allow the within there
named petitioners sydney to [illegible]
a poor person to establish her right
to freedom and I do assign to her as
[illegible] a bird
and I moreover order that said
petitioner have reasonable liberty of
of attending the court and her counsel
as [illegible] may require; that she be not
removed but of the jurisdictionsaid court
and that she be not subjected to any security
on account of her application for freedom
St. Louis sixth 1839
*[illegible] [illegible]
[illegible]*
---
**Page 4** (6788_004.jpg)
> *Legal Function: Caption*
Sydney of color vs [illegible]
suit for freedom
under the statute
The Clerk which
[illegible]
*[illegible]
for summon*
---
**Page 5** (6788_005.jpg)
> *Legal Function: Complaint*
State of Missouri Saint Louis Circuit
Court March Term 1840
Sydney otherwise Seyton a common
of [illegible] complains of [illegible]
little law of a plea of trespass &
false imprisonment for that on
the first day of January in the year
of grace eighteen hundred & thirty nine
at St Louis in said county the said
defendant with four &arms [illegible]
make upon the said plaintiff
did then & there beat & bruise her
did then & there without any reasonable
[illegible] lawfully
imprisoner her & hath kept & detained
her in prison there from the day
last aforesaid to this day contrary
to the law of the sand & against
the pleace & degnity of this State
and the plaintiff ours that at
& before the committing of the said
grievances greivances she was & still is
a free person & that said Defendant
kept & detained & still holds & detains her
in slavery wherefore she suis
*G A Bird atty
for Plff*
---
**Page 6** (6788_006.jpg)
> *Legal Function: Summons*
County of St. Louis , ss. The State Of Missouri , To the Sheriff of St. Louis County- Greeting:
We command you to Summon Williams [illegible] if he be
formed in your County that he be and appear
before judge of our Circuit Court , on the first day of the next term thereof, to be held
at the City of St.Louis , within and for the County of St. Louis , on the third Monday
of March next, then and there to answer unto Sydney otherwise
Seyton a woman of color of a plead of trespass & false
imprisonment [illegible]
[illegible] you then there this writ.
*Witness, John Ruland , Clerk or our said Court,
with seal thereof hereto affixed, at office, in the
City of St.Louis , this Sixth day of November in the year of our Lord eighteen
hundred and thirty nine. John Ruland Clerk.*
> *Legal Function: Acknowledgement*
I acknowledge myself bound for all const that may accrue in the above cause. Witness my hand and seal, at St. Louis , this day of 18 ([illegible])
---
**Page 7** (6788_007.jpg)
> *Legal Function: Order*
Being of opinion that the within petition contains sufficient
matter to authorize the announcement of a suit I Luke &
Lawless Judge of Saint Louis Circuit Court do allow the
within named petitioner Sydney to sue as a poor person
to establish her right to freedom & I do assign to her as
Counsel [illegible] A .Bird. And I more over order that said
petitioner have reasonable liberty of of attending the court
& her counsel as occasion may requiere that she be not
removed out of the jurisdiction of said Court and that she be not subjected to any [illegible]severity on
account of her application for freedom one
*St Louis November sixth 1839 L.E Lawless Judge Circuit Court [illegible] St Louis*
> *Legal Function: Certificate of Filing*
No 3
St. Louis Circuit Court
March Term 1841
Sydney otherwise Seyton
a woman of color
vs
William Lettleton
Suit for Freedom
*[illegible] p. q Filed Nov 6th 1839 Jn. Ruland Clerk [illegible] Free*
> *Legal Function: Certificate of Execution*
Executed this writ in the County of St Louis
by offering to read it and the declarations &
Petition and order of Court to William Littleton
on the 11th day of November 1839. which
he refused to hear.
*Marshall Brotherton Sheriff By [illegible] Jn [illegible] Service 1.00 Dismissed by left [illegible] BK 12 [illegible]p 262*
---
**Page 8** (6788_008.jpg)
> *Legal Function: Subpoena*
The State of Missouri To the Sheriff of St Louis
County Greeting
You are hereby requested to take the
[illegible] of Sydney a petitioner for freedom
& who is said to be hold as a slave of
william Lettleton at St Louis & bring the
before me my chamber at St. Louis 1839
at nine o clock in the forenoon of that day and Summon suit
william Littleton to appear before me
at the 11th day of november aforesaid Given under my hand at St Louis this
6th day of November A D 1839
*[illegible] Judge [illegible]*
---
**Page 9** (6788_009.jpg)
> *Legal Function: Certificate of Execution*
Executed this warrant
by having the body of the
within named petitioner before
the [illegible] this
11th day of Nov 1839
*Marshall Brotherton
Sheriff Fee \$1.00*
[illegible] for
[illegible] a Chaman
[illegible] & Summons
for [illegible]
---
**Page 10** (6788_010.jpg)
> *Legal Function: Bonding Agreement*
State of Missouri ,
County of St Louis ss
Be it remembered that on
this eleventh day of November in the year of our
Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty nine,
before the undersigned Judge of the Circuit Court
of the County aforesaid, principal and [illegible]
Littletonas security and acknowledge themselves
to owe to the state of Missouri the sum of Five
hundred dollars to be lived of then repective
goods and [illegible] and tenements; upon
condition nevertheless that whereas one Sidney
otherwise called seyton, a woman of color has
instituted a suit for the recovery of her freedom
against said William Littleton , in said Circuit
Court of St Louis County; now if the said
Sidney alais Seyton shall, during the pendency
of said suit, have reasonable liberty of attending
her counsel and the court, and if she shall
not be removed out of the Jurisdiction of said
Court, and if she shall not besubjected to
any severity on account of her application for
freedom, then this recognization shall be null
and void, otherwise shall remains in full
force and virtued[?].
*[illegible] Littleton M.Litteton*
Taken and certified the day and your aforesaid.
*[illegible] [illegible] Circuit Court [illegible]*
Sydney, a Woman of Color V. William Littleton. 1839, St. Louis Circuit Court Historical Records Project, accessed October 9, 2026, https://digitalexhibits.library.washu.edu/s/ccr/item/60867