State of Missouri
County of St. Louis St. Louis Circuit Court
April Term 1852

To the Hon. Circuit Court of St. Louis County and the State
of Missouri , your petitioner George Johnson , humbly complaining,
respectfully represents to your honorable Court that he is a
free man of color, and that he is now claimed and held as a
slave by one Henry Moore , a citizen of Missouri , who has now
your petitioner confined in the trading yard of B. W. Lynch of
this City, and he is not allowed to see his friends or counsel.
Your petitioner further states the following to be the grounds on
which his claim to freedom is founded:

To wit - that he was born of free colored parents in Fayette County
in the State of Pennsylvania , and tht he has remained free
from his birth to the present time, never having owed service, nor
belonged to any person whatever.

Your petitioner further states that, he has resided a free man
of color in the State of Missouri for the last eight years.

Your petitioner further states that by reason of his said free
birth by his free parents, he feels that he is entitled to his
freedom, and prays the Court to permit him to sue, as a
poor person, for his freedom, and, until such suits shall be
decided, to allow him free access to his counsel and the
Court, and to prevent him from being removed beyond the jurisdic
tion of this Court.

James M . Nelson
Atty for Petitioner Isaac Johnson Sworn to by Isaac Johnson
and subscribed to this 16th day
of June 1852
Peter W Johnstone
Justice of the Peace
George his X Johnson
mark
Sworn to & subscribed by George Johnson
before me this 16th day June 1852.
As witness my hand & seal of office
Samuel A Bennett
Notary Public
St. Louis Co.Mo.

It is hereby ordered that the said George Johnson
a man of colour be allowed to sue for the free
dom of himself as a poor person and that he have reasonable
liberty to attend his counsel and the Court as
occasion may require, and that he be not re
moved out of the Jurisdiction of this Court, and
that he be not subject to any severity on account
of his application or suit for freedom.

Filed 16th June 1852

M.S. Cerre Clk 1/2 part 12

In the St. Louis
Circuit Court
April Term 1852

George Johnson the
Plff in the above entitled cause
states that he is a free man of color
and as such entitled in law and
equity to his freedom. That he was born
in the county of Fayette in the
state of Pensylvania of free colored
parents on or about the Eighth day
of January in the year of
our Lord Eighteen hundred and twenty six
which said State of Pensylvania was
on the day and year aforesaid a
free State in which the institution
of slavery did not exist by the laws
of said state or by the laws of the
Federal Government of the United
States of America and at the time
of Plff's birth his parents were free
colored citizens of the state of
Pensylvania - and the Plff further
stats that by reason and virtue of his
said birth and nativity in the state of
Pensylvania he is entitled to his freedom -
Nevertheless the Plff states that on or
about the first day of May, 1841
he came to the State of Missouri and
was on the Twenty sixth day of May
1852 and fifty two in the year Eighteen hundred
and fifty two for a day seized and held in custody and
close confinement by Henry Moore the
defendant, who claims the Plff as his
lawfull slave and that the said deft has since the seizure of the Plff held
him confined in the trading yard of
B W Lynch a negro trader in the
city of St. Louis . The Plff further
states that before and at the time of
the committing of the grievances by the
deft he was and still is a free person
and that the deft held and still holds
him in slavery - he therefore prays
the Court to grant him Judgement of
Liberation and declare him to be a
free man.

George Johnson by
his attys Nelson &
Dedman

George Johnson being duly sworn
states that the foregoing petition and
the matters therein stated are true.
Sworn to & subscribed before me
this 19th of June 1852.

As witness my hand seal of office
Saml A Bennett
Notary Public

Suit for freedom Nelson for Plff
Issue Summons

Filed 16 June 1852
M S Cerre Clk

County Of St.Lious, S . S .The State Of Missouri ,To the Sheriff of St. Louis , Greeting:

We command you to summon Henry Moore
to appear
before the Judge of our Circuit Court , on the first day of the next
term thereof, to be held in the City of St. Louis , within and for the
County of St. Louis , on the third Monday of November
next, then and there to answer the complaint of George Johnson
as set forth in the annexed petition
and have you then there this writ.

Witness, Michael S. Cerre , Clerk of said
Court, with the seal thereof hereto affixed, at office, in
the City of St. Louis , this 16th
day of June in the year of our
Lord eighteen hundred and fifty two.
M. S. Cerre Clerk

I acknowledge myself bound for all costs that may accrue in the above cause.

Witness my hand and seal, at St. Louis , this day of
185

to the

No. 36 Saint Louis Circuit Court
November Term 1852

Summons

Pet for Freedom

It is hereby ordered that
the said George Johnson a man of co
lor be allowed to sue for his freedom
of himself as a poor person and that he have reasonable
liberty to attend his Counsel and the
Court as occasion may require, and
that he be not removed out of the
Jurisdiction of this Court, and that he
be not subjected to any severity on
account of his application or suit
for freedom.

A true copy
attestM S Cerre ClkFiled June 16th 1852M S Cerre Clk$3 Copy Worth 25 cts - due

Executed the within writ in the County of St .
Louis County on the 16th day of June 1852
by delivering a copy of the same and also a
copy of the petition to the within named Henry
Moore .

Henry B Belt Sheriff By J H Gamble
Dep Shff Fee $1.00

Further executed this writ by reading to Henry
Moore the rule of Court endorsed in the petition
with this writ, in the County of St. Louis
on the 17th day of June 1852.

The Clerk will please dismiss this suit.
W. Boudes Thompson
Atty for Plff Dismissed Sept 8th 1852M S Cerre Clk

Belt$1Jury2 Cerre 3.20Paid$6.20

In the St. Louis Circuit Court
To November Term 1852

Suit for Freedom

Henry B Belt Sheriff states
that upon reading the order to the defendant
in above case by his Deputy ( J H Gamble ) the
said defendant stated to him that he
would not obey the order and that
he should take the plaintiff out of the jurisdiction of this Court
, and therefore the said
Gamble Deputy as aforesaid took said
plaintiff into custody and still holds him
and the said Henry B Belt now
asks of the Court to make an order to
him said plaintiff out according to law.

Henry B Belt Shff.

Joseph H Gamble Deputy Sheriff st
makes oath & says that the above
statement is true.

J H Gamble
Sworn to & subscribed
23rd June 1852.
M S Cerre Clk

Return & Petition of
Sheriff

Filed 23rd June 1852
M. S. Cerre Clk

April T 1852. Order to Sheriff to hire out & c22 p 72 - Return
and petition of Shff filed 22 p 92

Know all men by these presents
that I, George Johnson , of St. Louis , Mo, do hereby constitute
my legal Attorney W. Boudes
Thompson , my true and lawful
Attorney, for me and in my
name to do all lawful
acts and things in my case
now pending in St. Louis County
for my freedom - to prosecute
or dismiss the same for the
present as he may deem
advisable, and to attend
to all my interests as I
might or could do if I
were at liberty and
personally present.
And I hereby notify and
confirm all that my said
Attorney may or shall do
in my name in and
about the premises.

Witness my hand and
seal this 7th day of September
1852. George his X Johnson
mark Witness
Michael Castello

Filed 8th Sept 1852

M S Cerre Clk