O Say Can You See

Eben Paramore of Prince Georges County aged thirty eight years or thereabouts being duly sworn on the holy evangely of Almighty god deposeth and saith, that he has known the petitioner about three years, but does not know Mr Ashton; that he knows nothing of Charles' claim for freedom more than what he heard from Rachel Ratcliffe now deceased, that about six years ago when the Deponent was a single man, he had his washing done at Mrs Ratcliffe's and being there one evening he saw a mulatto man, there, and after he was gone, he the Deponent asked Mrs Ratcliff, who he belonged to, she answered he belonged to John Lane; The Deponent observed that he was neither white nor black, but more white than black; upon which Rachel Ratcliff told the deponent that she knew Ann Joice very well, and that she understood that she came into this Country with Lord Baltimore, That she lived at the Wood Yard, when she the said Rachel Ratcliffe lived close by it, and that she always understood that she was free and that she now was held in bondage until she had a child named Molly who was a very pretty girl, and that Molly had two children named Nelly and Sally: That some time afterwards about eighteen months before Mrs Ratcliffe died, the Deponent having understood that some of the family of Anne Joice had petitioned for their freedom, he mentioned it to Mrs Ratcliffe, and told her he imagined that she would be summoned, upon which she related again what is abovementioned, and said if she were sworn, that she would swear that she always understood that Anne Joice was not held as a slave until after she had Molly and that Molly had two daughters named Nelly & Sally; and that Mrs Ratfliffe informed the Deponent that she was born and lived near the Wood Yard, and when this Deponent knew her she lived in blue shirt neck near Pig Point. The Deponent further saith that he well knew Samuel Shekell late of Anne Arundel County deceased, and about two year ago he mentioned to the said Shekell what Mrs Ratcliffe had told him, & Shekell said it was [strikethrough] true and that he had always understood that Anne Joice came into this Country with Lord Baltimore, & that she was free & not held as a Slave until she had Molly, and the Deponent says that he understood from Mr Shekell that one of the Darnalls at that time owned her but did not mention his christian name That Samuel Shekell lived near Mount Pleasant. Being   asked if he understood from what country Anne Joice came; answers he did understand both from Rachel Ratcliffe and Samuel Shekell, that she came with Lord Baltimore from London.

Sworn to this 12th day of May 1796, before Bullen