Case Summary
Robin and Polly Holmes, a married slave couple, moved from Missouri to the territory of Oregon (a free territory) with their owner, Nathaniel Ford, in 1844. Ford promised that if the couple helped him move and set up a new home, he would free them and their children. In 1850, the Holmes and Ford came to an agreement that Robin, Polly, and their newly born child would be set free, while the rest of the Holmes children would remain with Ford until they came of age. Robin filed a writ of habeas corpus on behalf of his three children, Mary Jane (Jenny), Roxanna, and James, on April 16th, 1852. Over a year later, the case reached the Oregon Supreme Court in July of 1853. Chief Justice George A. Williams ruled in favor of the Holmes, and the children were ordered to be released. This decision made it clear that slavery was unlawful in the Oregon territory.
Roxanna and James returned to their parents, who moved to Marion County, OR and opened a plant nursery. However, Jenny remained with Ford, likely to earn funds to support the rest of her family. Four years later, Jenny left Ford to marry Ruben Shipley, a freed slave. Despite the Supreme Case ruling that came from this habeas corpus case, Ford demanded Ruben pay $700 for Jenny's freedom, which he did. The two got married, moved to Corvallis, Oregon, and had six kids.
