Ann Queen v. Sylvester Boarman and David Queen v. Sylvester Boarman. Depositions from Winifred Queen, Charles Queen, & Phillis Queen Petitions for Freedom

 

Winifred Queen
agt
Solomon Sparrow

Petition for Freedom in Anne Arundel County Court

Petitioners Interrogatories

1st. Do you know the parties in this cause & how long have you known them.

2. Do you know the mother of the Petitioner

3. Did you know an Old Woman named Mary or Mary Queen who lived with John Baldwin of Ceicel County, if yea, how long and when did you know her & with whom did she reside when you knew her.

4 Do you know of what country she was a native where she lived before she came to Ceicil County. What language did she speak & was she free or a slave that you know or have heard & from whom and at what time.

5th Have you any further knowledge of the subject that will benefit the Petitioner or the Defendant if you have relate it fully and freely.

G. Duvall for Dep.

Charles Queen
vs
John Ashton.

Petition for Freedom in Anne Arundel County Court

Petitioners interrogatories the same word for Word with the foregoing in the case of Winifred Queen against Solomon Sparrow.

G. Duvall for Petr.

Fredus Ryland Senior of Cecil County aged sixty five years & upwards being sworn on the holy evangely of Almighty god on the annexed and preceeding Interrogatories in the petition of Winifred Queen against Solomon Sparrow and Charles Queen against John Ashton answers & says

To the first interrogatory that he does not know the parties

To the 2d. That he does not know her.

To the 3d. That he knew an old Woman named Mary upwards of fifty years ago who lived with John Baldwin who was called Collo. Baldwin in Ceicel County & that she lived with him from the time the deponant first   knew her which was when he was a small boy for ten or twelve years or thereabouts & afterwards at the priests on Bohemia where she lived he thinks untill she died upwards of twenty years ago.

To the fourth. He answers that he does not know of what Country she was a native. he knew Mary very well for many years & she was a sensible woman & spoke the english language plain and distinct as any body & had nothing of the Guinea or Negro Tongue in her speech & he never heard her speak any other language but the english. He has heard his mother now deceased say that Mary came from the Western Shore & she lived with Col. Baldwin who married the widow Carroll. He lived within a mile or a mile and a half of Mary & has frequently conversed with her and she related to the deponant many circumstances of her life and told him that she was born free and lived in Wyorkill in New Spain & was taken from thence by Capt. Woods Rogers in Queen Anns reign that after she was on board Capt. Rogers took a Spanish Aquapulco Ship & he also releived a Scotchman named Alexander Selkirk from an Island in the South Sea that she was carried in the said ship to London & Capt. Rogers had taken so much money that when he got to england it was landed and carried away in waggons. that they arrived in London in the lifetime of Queen Anne & she continued there untill after Queen Anne died. that the deponant has heard his mother say that the Daughter of Colo. Baldwin by a former wife told her that Mary was brought into this Country as a miss by a Captain of a Vessell whose name he does not recollect to have heard and that she had many fine clothes particularly silk Gowns, but did not hear that she was sold by the said Captain that he knew the aforesaid Daughter of Coll: Baldwin She has been dead some years & was many years older than the Deponant

To the Fifth. He says he knows Ralph (now living within two or three miles of the Deponant) the son of the said Mary as it is said, and he has heard his the Deponants elder Brother say that Mary had related the above as stated by the deponant to him, before she did to this deponant, that when Mary lived at the priests as above related she was employed in taking care of children and further he knows nothing of her freedom or slavery

Fredus Ryland Senr.

 

Taken before the subscriber one of the Justices of Ceicel County this 26th day of February 1796 (Erasure and interlineations in the third page first made) the whole being distinctly read to the witness and subscribed by him.

Lambert Beard

The deposition of Richard Harwood of Ann Arundel County aged fifty seven years who being duly sworn on the holy Evangels of Almighty God respecting the Interogatories, Phillis Queen against John Ashton. Petition for freedom

Answer to the first interrogatory. I know John Ashton the defendant but do not recollect how long I know nothing of the plaintiff

2d. Answers. I know nothing of her

3d. Answers I never knew Capt. Larkin nor do I recollect I ever heard whether he was a land or sea Captain.

4th Answers. I did know Capt. John Ijams late of Ann Arundel County deceased and was well acquainted with him and always understood his general character was a good one.

5th. Answers I know nothing further about it.

Sworn to before me the subscriber one of the Justices of the peace for Ann Arundel County this 6th day of April 1796.

Wm. Stewart.

Thomas Harwood Esqr of the City of Annapolis being in his fifty third year of age being sworn deposeth and saith.

1st That he has known John Ashton for several many years.

2nd. That he did not know Mary the mother of the petitioner

3. That he did not know nor has he heard anything relative to Captn Larkin except that he formerly resided in Ann Arundel County

4. That he knew Captn John Ijams upwards of forty Year ago and as long as he lived that about thirty seven Years ago this deponant came as an apprentice to Mr. Nicholas Maccubbin who was a considerable merchant in the City aforesaid that the said Maccubbin also kept a store at the Land of Ease on South River under the entire Care and management of Captn Ijams where goods were sold to a considerable amount that this deponant at the request of Mr. Maccubbin was frequently at the store as an assistant with the said Ijams for months at different intervals   for the course as well as this deponant recollects of about eighteen months that he never did during that or at any other time hear any thing to the prejudice of said Ijam's character: but always understood that he was esteemed an honest man and did beleive so himself that Mr. Maccubbins with whom the Dep lived about Ten Years often expressed to the Dept. his high opinion of said Ijams and to this Depts knowledge wished him to continue in his service, but said Ijams declined it he being furnished with a cargo of goods from a London Merchant on his own Account in which Cargo he engaged with a relation of his in partnership by which scheme of business the Dept. has understood that said Ijams became much involved and he was assisted by Mr Maccubbin at the time the Dept lived with him with a loan of money after he became involved by the Cargo of goods aforesaid. That the Dept. for some years previous to the death of Captn Ijams saw him but seldom, but never heard his character impeached to the best of his knowledge. Further this Dept. Saith not.

Annapolis Apr 9th 1796. Sworn before John Randall

Phillis Queen
vs.
John Ashton

The Deposition of Humphrey Belt Senior of Prince Georges County being sworn on the holy evangely of Almighty God & being asked if he knew Captn John Ijams late of Anne Arundel County deceased. Answers he did and was well acquainted with him

Being asked what was his General Character. Answers it was always very good as he understood.

Sworn in open Court April 14th 1796.

Test
Jno. R. Margruder Jr. Clk

In Testimony that the aforegoing Exemplification is truly taken from the Record of Proceedings of Prince Georges County Court

I do hereunto (the same being first duly stamped) Subscribe my name and affix the seal of Prince Georges County Court this thirteenth day of March in the year one thousand and eight hundred.

John Read Magruder junior Clk of Prince Georges County Court