American Historical Ephemera & Photography, including African Americana

One page, 8 x 12 1/2 in. Verso bears official court acknowledgement with St. Louis County Circuit Court seal embossed to center left.

"I, Francis P. Blair Jr of the city of St. Louis and state of Missouri in consideration of faithful services to me rendered and for diverse other good & sufficient causes moving me thereto, do by these presents emancipate and set free my negro woman slave Sarah - wife of Henry Dupee heretofore emancipated by me, said Sarah is about forty two or forty three years of age, light colored and about medium sized. Also negro girl Courtenay daughter of said Sarah, who is about eighteen years of age, also negro girl Caroline daughter of said Sarah about twelve years of age & Sallie, daughter of said Sarah about nine years of age. And I do hereby grant to said Sarah, Courtenay, Caroline & Sallie a perfect freedom as if they had been born free."

Henry Dupee (born c. 1810) is recorded in the 1860 Federal Census as a "Mulatto," living in St. Louis with Sarah, Courtenay, Carolina, and Sallie. He is listed as a porter. He and Sarah are also listed in the 1875 St. Louis city directory, residing on Morgan Street. An article in the St. Louis Palladium dated 13 August 1904 reports that Sallie Dupee of Jefferson City, MO, was elected Secretary of the Heriones of Jericho, an African American fraternal organization for women.

Francis P. Blair Jr. (1821-1875) was a prominent US politician and military leader, serving as a US Representative from Missouri before the Civil War, from 1857-1859, joining the Union Army and ascending to the rank of major general during the war, and returning to Congress to represent Missouri as a US Senator after the war, from 1871-1873.

In his role as a politician, Blair was a strong opponent of slavery and an advocate of free soil politics while at the same time being an enslaver himself. He and his family were stalwart supporters of Abraham Lincoln in his campaign and during his presidency, and as states around Missouri were advocating for secession, Blair led a Unionist movement in the state to prevent it from doing the same, even utilizing his "Home Guard" forces to capture secessionist state militia in May of 1861.

Blair's service in the Union Army included commanding a division during the Vicksburg campaign and commanding the XVII Corps under Sherman prior to his March to the Sea. After the war, Blair notably ran for vice president with presidential candidate Horatio Seymour in 1868. Though the two were unsuccessful, Blair did make his way to the US Senate in 1871.