I Warner Mifflin of Kent County on Delaware Merchant fully persuaded in my Conscience that it is a Sin of a deep Dye to make Slaves of my fellow Creatures or to continue them in Slavery, and believing it to be impossible to obtain that Peace my Soul desires, while my Hands are found full of Injustice, as by unjustly detaining in Bondage those that have as just & equitable right to their Freedom and Liberty of their Persons as myself, Therefore, for remedying the same I do hereby declare all the Negroes I have, hereafter particularly named absolutely free, them and their Posterity forever from me my Heirs Executors Administrators and every of them To witt, Hannah an ancient negro Woman;  Ezekiel a Man about twenty five years of Age; Beniah a negro Man about twenty seven years of age; Paul a negro Man about twenty years of Age; Nanny a negro Woman about thirty years of Age; and her Girl Hannah about fourteen years of Age, Daniel her negro Boy about ten years of Age; her Girl Jenny about five years of Age; Girl Nanny about three years of age; Boy Abram about ten Months old; negro Grace a Woman about twenty seven years of age; her Girl Betty about thirteen years of Age; Henny her Girl about eleven years of Age; her Boy Richard about seven years and nine months old; Girl Rebecca about three years old; hereby impowering them & each of them with full & free Liberty to commence Suit in Law against Me my Heirs Executors Administrators or any of us that may attempt to inthral imbondage or deprive of their Liberty in any Respect by Colour or Pretence of Right derived from Me: and I do hereby convey to them ^ and each of them all the Right Power and Authority I have heretofore had to commence an Action against any Person that had heretofore got one of of them out of my Possession & refused the Delivery back again; each one to stand in the Place for him or herself that I have had to stand for them in behalf of my own Interest in the same Case, when they shall be entituled to Recover all such Costs as they may be at in prosecuting the Suit from such of us as may attempt as aforesaid. And I do hereby also lay it as a Charge on the Consciences of the Court or Jury before whom it may be brought that they particularly adhere to this Evidence in behalf of the aforesaid Negroes. But believing it to be my Duty to take upon myself the Power an athority of the young ones to raise & educate them till they arive to lawfull age, do therefore reserve that Perogative over the over the male ‘till they arive to twenty one years of age & the female ‘till they arive to eighteen years of age, which I do hereby direct to be determined by the Ages of each as particularly mentioned ^aforsd calling them the very Age this Day, that they are said to be about such an Age. And whereas a negro Man named Solomon just came to Me (upwards of forty years of Age) being left by my Grandmother Mary Mifflin to serve which of her grand Children he pleased, & by Letter just received from my father Daniel Mifflin one of the Executors in her Will named, informing Me (he the said Solomon) made Choice of Me: I do also therefore hereby declare said Negro Solomon absolutely free from Me & my Heirs forever, and do entitle him to all & every the Priviledges of the others on an attempt to deprive him a afsd And whereas I have heretofore manumitted & set free my negro Man James, Woman Mariah, & her Children Lydia & Nanny, and also negro girl Melissa, Which Manumission or Clemance I deposited in the keeping of the monthly Meeting of the People Called Quakers of Duckcreek in this County which I Apprehend will be admitted to Record by Direction of said Meeting together with this, now my Desire is, that this being produced, or a Copy hereof certifyed by the Clerk for the Time being to said Meeting, or in Case there should be no monthly Meeting of & for duckcreek, a certify’d Copy from the Clerk of the Quarterly Meeting of said People called Quakers, to which Duckcreek monthly Meeting last belonged, certifying that such Record appeared & shall be adjudged taken & accepted as full as I can enforce it, as if I was personally present & acknowledged the whole thereof. And such I desire that may have anything of the Kind before them, that they may particularly attend to & distribute Justice impartially to the poor Negroes and not wrest the Meaning hereof (the Consequence be to them that do otherways) my Intention being to clear them from Slavery to me my heirs or assigns forever; believing Freedom to be their natural & just Right. To which I do hereunto set my hand & affix my Seal this ninth Day of the first Month in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred seventy & five 1775. Warner Mifflin {seal}

Sealed & acknowledged in presence of us Joseph Jenkins Edward Cole

Record Examined – Warner Mifflin

[inserted along left gutter] *The reason of my Grandmothers not freeing this negroe herself was that she was informed she could not do it because of the Laws of Virginia where she lived, it being a concern to her for Several Years Past I believe was somewhat relieved with the prospect she had that it would be accomplished by her descendants, she therefore mentioned none of them in her will except 2 men allowing them to make Choice of such of her Grand Children they pleased, this one choosing me & the other my Brother Daniel, were both immediately set to their liberty, and like wise a woman & Children to be set at Liberty in Maryland confirmed by will sine all are Freed by ???? us Daniel Mifflin

U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935, Delaware, Kent County, Duck Creek Monthly Meeting, Manumissions 1774-1792, Image 4, Page 2.

https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2189/images/31906_275426-00481?pId=2350560

Transcribed 1 Feb 2026 by Nancy Maliwesky