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GENERAL NOTICE
Whereas, the undersigned being a man of colour, has been threatened by persons of evil intention, to be carried forcibly away, under the pretence of being a slave; and having obtained a regular cirtificate of freedom from the court of Common Pleas, for and in the county of Dearborn, and territory of Indiana, duly certificated and authenticated, and dated the 28th of October 1813 - which said cirtificate of freedom was recorded the 27th of June 1816, at Cincinnati, Ohio, in the office of the clerk of the court of Common Pleas, within and for the county of Hamilton and state of Ohio aforesaid - and having resided in the state of Indiana five years, and five also in the state of Ohio, without being molested, until lately, when some banditti, who follow and pursue the business of kidnapping and forcibly carrying away men of colour, however free and well known to be so, into slave states for the purpose of gain, have threatened and attempted, in like manner to carry the undersigned forcibly away from his residence in Lebanon. Now know all persons to whom these shall come, that I the undersigned MARTIN BARKER, having clear and indisputable evidence of my freedom, as aforesaid, am a man of colour only, and not a black man, about 30 years old, 5 feet six inches high, long headed from the forehead to the back, having a small but plain scar above the right eye across the eyebrow, and also a large and lasting scar on the shin bone of the right leg a little above the ancle, about four inches long, with some teeth out on each side of my upper jaw, between the fore teeth and double teeth, am as aforesaid free and at perfect liberty to do or go wherever I may.
This description is published, that I may be known by all persons to be free wherever I may go, or be forcibly carried, to be free and independent.
MARTIN BARKER.

We whose name are hereunto subscribed residents of Lebanon in the county of Warren, and state of Ohio, do certify that we have seen the above mentioned certificate of freedom, and we have known the said Martin Barker to be a resident of Lebanon, Warren county, and state of Ohio, for some time. Nov. 26, 1818
Matthias Corwin, Junr.
Ignatius Brown,
A. H. Dunlavy,
Jacob D. Lowe,
Benjamin S. Rue,
Phineas Ross,
Matthias Corwin,
Thomas Corwin,
William M'Lean,
Eli Truitt,
James Frazeir,
William Lowry,
Caleb DeCamp,
Joseph Canby,
William Ferguson,
Daniel Voorhis,
Wm. A. Camron,
Francis Dunlavy,
George J. Smith,
S. M. Yaman,
C. Snider,
Bratton Crawford,
Jacob D. Miller,
Abram VanVleet.

(The editors of the Liberty Hall, Cincinnati; Reporter, Lexington, Ky. & the paper published in Madison, Ind. are requested to insert the above 3 times and forward their accounts to the office of the Star Lebanon, where they will be paid by
Martin Barker.)

Source: "General Notice," Western Star (Lebanon, Ohio), Thursday, December 8, 1818, p. 1, col. 3
[copy obtained from microfilm available at the Warren County Genealogical Society]