O Say Can You See

The Petition of Lucy Oakley for herself and her infant child James two years old humbly sets forth that she and her said child are lineally descended entirely in the female line from a certain Margaret Oakley a free white woman, late of Prince George County in the state of Maryland deceased, whereby she and her said child are and always have been entitled to their freedom. Nevertheless they are now and have been for a long time held in servitude as a slaves for live by a certain Asa E Hough of the County of Washington aforesaid contrary to justice, this natural right and the laws of the land

Wherefore she prays for herself and her said child that your honors will grant her an opportunity of bringing this case before your honorable court to [illegible] and that it may be fairly and lawfully decided by a competent tribunal whether she and her said child be entitled to their freed as aforesaid and if it should thereby be determined in favor of your petitioners that they are entitled to their freedom that then your honors will thenceforth discharge them from their present state of slavery. And in the team time that such process of your honorable court as may be usual and lawful in such cases may be issued against the said Asa E Hough to compel him to make his personal appearance in your honourable court to answer this complaint and to enter into the usual recognizance, not to remove your petitioners beyond the jurisdiction of your honorable court and to allow your petitioners reasonable time to attend to the prosecution of this said petition and as in duty bound she will ever pray &c.

Lucy Oakley