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. ; 28.5 x 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).
William Hepburn Russell was one founder of the Pony Express. Waddell, Russell, & Co. started as a shipping company in 1854. Through a War Department contract, the firm soon gained a monopoly in the shipping business in western Missouri. In 1860, the firm established the Pony Express to provide weekly mail service between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California.
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