The William K. Bixby Collection includes a variety of materials, ranging from Bixby's personal correspondence relating to his collecting interests, through his connection with Washington University and the St. Louis Burns Club, and including many items from his manuscript collection. This collection includes enslavement documents dating from the 1830s to the 1850s, several of which are available on this site.
After his retirement in 1905, Bixby avidly collected books, autographs, and paintings. The enslavement records found in Bixby's collection come from his collection of autograph letters and related documents of notable individuals, primarily of significance in American and English literature and history.
The enslavement records within the Bixby Collection offer a unique window into the personal and legal dynamics of slavery, manumission, and freedom in the mid-19th century. They are just a fraction of the broader historical records curated by William K. Bixby, a collector of rare books and manuscripts, who sought to document significant moments in American history. The Bixby Collection includes a variety of materials related to enslavement and interactions with notable historical figures. Although Bixby’s primary interest lay in collecting autographs and significant manuscripts, the inclusion of these documents allows us to explore the nuanced ways in which these records were created, preserved, and later reinterpreted.
This document details the legal proceedings of a fugitive enslavement case in St. Louis, Missouri, dated October 21, 1850. Presided over by Judge Alexander Hamilton, the case involves the escape of an enslaved man named Bill, who fled from the enslaver Andrew G. Gist in the spring of 1850. The record provides a description of Bill and certifies his status as an enslaved man under Missouri law, as well as the legal steps taken by Gist to reclaim him under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.
This document, dated July 14, 1836, records the manumission of two Black enslaved persons, Julienne and Marguerite, by the enslaver Lambert Jacob in St. Louis, Missouri. Julienne, aged thirty-eight, and her six-year-old daughter, Marguerite, were previously adjudicated to Lambert Jacob as part of the succession of Marie Jean Dardenne in Iberville Parish, Louisiana. Jacob granted their freedom with the condition that they would serve him during his lifetime. The deed was formally acknowledged in the St. Louis Circuit Court, marking the legal release of Julienne and Marguerite from slavery, except for the lifetime service clause imposed by Jacob.
This document, dated December 3, 1845, records the emancipation of Samuel, a 38-year-old Black man, by Louis A. LaBeaume, Theodore LaBeaume, Louis T. LaBeaume, Edmund LaBeaume, Laura LaBeaume, and Peter E. Blow—enslavers in St. Louis, Missouri. The deed officially grants Samuel his freedom, declaring him manumitted and released from all servitude to the LaBeaume family and their heirs. The document also mentions a nominal payment of one dollar, symbolizing the legal transaction.
Deed of Emancipation for Peter Ware by Victoire Labadie, widow of Sylvestre Labadie, St. Louis, Missouri, January 19, 1853. Victoire Labadie formally emancipated Peter, a Black man aged about forty-four years, marking him free from enslavement. The document describes Peter's physical features, including a mark on the back of his neck and a mole on the left side of his nose.
Deed of Emancipation for Eliza, a Black woman approximately twenty-nine years old, by John Cavender, St. Louis, Missouri, November 17, 1845. The deed, acknowledged in the St. Louis Circuit Court, formally grants Eliza her freedom, releasing her from all servitude to Cavender and his heirs. Eliza, who is described as being about five feet four or five inches tall, was purchased by Cavender in 1838 from the enslaver William Baf.
