The house at right was built in Rockville, Maryland by Upton Beall, the man who manumitted Yarrow Mamout. It is common to say that "manumission" was what freed a slave, but that's not quite accurate. A slave could gain freedom by running away or moving off on his or her own, by the owner simply saying "you're free," or by the grant of freedom in a last will and testament. Manumission was the legally recognized grant of freedom that could be proved in several ways. Neighbors or acquaintances could testify someone was free, or the person himself could swear he was free. Still, it was common to give a freed slave a piece of paper, a manumission, to prove he or she was free, and ex-slaves were well advised to record this paper with the county recorder of deeds as permanent proof should the need arise. Brooke Beall, Yarrow's owner, promised freedom to Yarrow in the future, but Brooke died without following through. It was Brooke's widow, Margaret, who told Yarrow he was free. She didn't sign the manumission though. Her son Upton did. He never legally owned Yarrow. He was, however, clerk of the Montgomery County Court in Rockville, which was two blocks away from this house (now known as the Beall-Dawson house), and no one would question a manumission signed by such an important government official.
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