Gustavus Adolphus Bird Gustavus Adolphus Bird was the lawyer for many plaintiffs who pursued their freedom in court. He also served as the next friend for some plaintiffs of the freedom suits. Bird was one of a few lawyers known to willingly prosecute on the behalf on slaves. While there is little information available about Bird, he clearly played a significant role in the freedom suits as an advocate for slaves.
The Brown Family Jenny Brown sued Frances Sturgis for her freedom in 1844 and won. She served as the next friend for her three children, Jim, Mary, and Stephen and sued William Head for their freedom as well in 1844. The Brown children are an example of the many children who had Freedom Suits filed on their behalf by either their mothers or others who served as next friends for them.
Jean P. Cabanne Jean P. Cabanne was a prominent member of the St. Louis community in the early 1800s. He was sued by a slave, Pelagie, for her freedom, whom he obtained from Antoine Soulard. He was also sued as a part of a group in a freedom suit by Francois LaGrange. Cabanne was one of the founders of the American Fur Company in St. Louis. He was also one of the commissioners of the Bank of St. Louis, and was one of the first members of the St. Louis Public Schools Board. Cabanne married Julia Gratiot, the daughter of Charles Gratiot. The Cabanne House in Forest Park is named after Cabanne, as well as a street in St. Louis.
William Clark William Clark of the famed Lewis and Clark is most well known as a frontier explorer, but also held several other noted positions including Indian Agent, soldier, partner in the Missouri Fur Company, and the fourth governor of the Missouri Territory. Although Clark was himself a slaveholder, he served as a next friend for two brothers, Anson and Michael, the sons of Matilda, so that they could gain their freedom.
Lucy Ann Delaney Lucy Ann Delaney (born Lucy Berry, aka Lucy Ann Britton) was the daughter of Polly Berry (aka Polly Wash). Both Lucy and Polly sued for their freedom and attained it. In 1891, Delaney published a memoir about her and her mother's experiences attempting to gain their freedom. The memoir, titled From the Darkness Cometh the Light, or, Struggles for Freedom, is the only known first-person account from a slave of the freedom suit experience.
The Dutton Family Grace Dutton sued John Paca for her freedom and won it. She also served as the next friend for her three children, Andrew, Abraham, and Lemmon. She sued John Paca on their behalf, and won freedom for all three of her children. Hamilton Gamble served as their lawyer.
Dr. John Emerson Dr. John Emerson was Dred Scott's master, and eventually Harriett Scott's as well. Dr. Emerson was a military doctor and purchased Scott in St. Louis when he received his first assignment to be a doctor at Fort Armstrong, located off of the Mississippi River in northern Illinois. When Fort Armstrong no longer had need for a doctor, Dr. Emerson and Scott transferred to Fort Snelling in Minnesota, where Dr. Emerson and Scott first met Major Taliaferro and Harriett Robinson, who would eventually be married to Scott. Scott was most likely Dr. Emerson's only slave, and when Dr. Emerson was transferred to Louisiana he allowed Scott and Harriett to remain at Fort Snelling. From then on, Dr. Emerson had little impact on their lives, however, once he died, his wife's family, the Sanfords, played a significant role against the Scotts' fight for freedom.
Hamilton Gamble Hamilton Gamble served in the Missouri State Legislature from 1846-1851. He was elected to the Missouri Supreme Court as supreme justice where he presided over the Dred Scott v. Emerson case and dissented his colleagues vote to overturn the case. He believed Scott was free because he had already been free. Although he believed Scott to be free, earlier in 1829 he defended Garland Rucker against Maria Whiten and her son Patrick Henry who were suing Rucker for their freedom. Gamble became the provisional governor of Missouri in 1861.
Dred Scott Dred Scott unsuccessfully sued for his and his family's freedom in the 1857 case Dred Scott v. Sandford, which is known as 'The Dred Scott Decision.' For four decades leading up to this case, slaves could sue for their freedom and win due to the idea that 'once free, always free.' This applied to slaves who had spent some time in a free state, such as Dred Scott and his wife Harriet. It was not until they traveled south to St. Louis that they were faced with the uncertainty of their freedom. When Scott's owner, Dr. Emerson, died, Scott first attempted to purchase his freedom, but Emerson's wife, Irene Sanford, refused. Scott sued and his case eventually ended up in the United States Supreme Court. Scott was never able to gain his freedom in court, but eventually his ownership was transferred back to the Blow Family, his original owners, who granted his freedom.
Harriet Robinson Scott Harriet Robinson Scott was a slave originally owned by Major Lawrence Taliaferro. When she was married to Dred Scott in the mid-1830s, Taliaferro transferred her ownership to Dr. John Emerson. When Dr. Emerson passed, the Scotts' ownership was transferred to Emerson's wife, Irene Emerson. In 1846, Harriet and her husband went to court for their freedom. Eventually the case was tried in the US Supreme Court as Dred Scott v. Sandford. The Scotts never gained their freedom in court. However, after her husband's death, Irene Emerson married Dr. Calvin Chaffee, who was antislavery. When Irene's brother died, Dr. Chaffee convinced her to transfer the Scotts' ownership to Taylor Blow, the son of Peter Blow, Dred Scott's first owner. Blow then freed the family. The Scotts had two daughters, Eliza and Lizzie.
Major Lawrence Taliaferro Lawrence Taliaferro was the first owner of Harriet Scott. He allowed her to marry Dred Scott, and, in fact, served as the officiator of the union. Afterward, he transferred Harriet's ownership to John Emerson, so that she could remain with her husband. He worked at Fort Snelling, Minnesota from 1820-1839 as an Indian Agent who mediated between the American Fur Company traders, Ojibwa and Dakota Indians, and US interests.
Winny Winny successfully sued for her freedom in 1824 against Phebe Whitesides in the Missouri Supreme Court. All seven of Winny's children, including Jenny, Nancy, Lydia, Sarah, Hannah, and Malinda, also successfully sued for their freedom. The case she was involved in, Winny v. Whitesides set the precedent for other freedom suits, and was referenced by Dred and Harriet Scott's case. In this case the judge ruled that if a slave was taken to a free state, they gained their freedom, and remained free even if they returned to a slave state.
