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At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Russell, William Hepburn, 1812-1872 [Emancipation of Hiram, an enslaved man]

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC04128.01 Author/Creator: Russell, William Hepburn, 1812-1872 Place Written: Lafayette County, Missouri Type: Manuscript document signed Date: 7 November 1848 Pagination: 2 p. : Height: 28.5 cm, Width: 23.3 cm Order a Copy

One document dated November 7, 1848. Pertains to the emancipation of Hiram, a 32-year-old enslaved man. His height, weight and facial scar is described. Signatures included Samuel Sawyer, William Morrison, and William H. Russell, James H. Bullard and James H. Graham as witnesses. Louis W. Smallwood, circuit court clerk for Lafayette County, dated the document December 27, 1848. Accompanied by a check, related to William H. Russell (GLC04128.02).

Sawyer, Samuel S., fl. 1848
Morrison, William, fl. 1848
Russell, William Hepburn, 1812-1872
Bullard, James H., fl. 1848
Graham, James H., fl. 1848
Smallwood, Louis W., fl. 1848
Hiram, (Lafayette County, Missouri), 1816-?

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