The Petition of Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson , a man
of Color aged about thirty years, as represents
to your honor, that he wasborn a slave in the
State of VirginiaState of Virginia, when he resided the year
eighteen hundred and thirty five, that in the spring of
that year, your petition was boughtby his master
one CharlesCharles Drexler to St. LouisSt Louis in the State ofMissouri
MissouriMissouri, when he resided until the spring of the year
eighteen hundred and thirty nine, that in the month of March or April of the year last named his master the
said CharlesCharles Drexler sold your petitioner to one Doctor
SamuelSamuel ProsserProsser , who is a brother of said Drexler wife,
that said said DoctorSamuelSamuel ProsserProsser then resided and
new resides at JacksonvilleJacksonville in the State of IllinoisIllinois,
that said ProsserProsser immediately after becoming the owner
of your petition to wit in the month of April of the year eighteen hundred and thirty nine, took your petitioner
from St. LouisSt Louis in the State of MissouriMissouri, and conveyed him to the
County of MorganCounty of Morgan in the State of IllinoisIllinois, and then held
him to labor and service on his the said ProsserProsser farm
situate within four miles of JacksonvilleJacksonville in the said
County of Morgan State of IllinoisIllinois, from the said
month of April until the month of December in the
same year, being for a period of about eight months
that petition was employed during said time at ordinary
farming labor for the said ProsserProsser that in the month of
December of said year last named there began to be
deal of talk in the neighborhood about said ProsserProsser holding
petitions as a slave in said State of IllinoisIllinois, and said
ProsserProsser framing the information of the authorities there,
came from JacksonvilleJacksonville in a carriage with his father in law
to his farm when your petitioner was at work, put
and drove off and bought petition

to St. LouisSt Louis in the State of MissouriMissouri, and then hired him
out, and now does and was since has received the rewards
of petitioners labor. That petitioner now is and has been
for the last two years and in the possession of one MiltonMilton W Hopkins
W. HopkinsMilton W Hopkins , who holds petitioners in slavery as a
ProsserProsser . Your petitioner believes that he is entitled to his
freedom, and prays your for leave to see as a
poor person, in false imprisonment against said MiltonMilton W Hopkins
W HopkinsMilton W Hopkins , in order to establish his right to freedom, and he
will pray &c.