The Notorious Madam Shaw

Dorcas Maria Hampton (1839-1927) was born an illegitimate daughter of Kentucky and raised alongside her biological father's slaves on a pioneer Ralls County, Missouri farm. Whippings ordered by her stepmother persisted until she fled home at the age of 14. On her own in Hannibal, Missouri in 1854, she did her best to find work, but options were slim. After serving for a time as a chambermaid on Mississippi River steamboats, (ironing sheets and table napkins) she settled in pre Civil War St. Louis, and took on the trade of last resort. "Nothing else could be expected," Dorcas Hampton said, "the way I was driven from home, without friends or money. A woman could not be expected to do otherwise, I am sure. I was driven to it; I worked hard, whenever I could get work I did it." Her battle to claim ownership of her birthright was long and arduous. For two and one half years following John A. Hampton's death in 1892, Dorcas Hampton dedicated herself to gathering enough witnesses and evidence to prove her status as his daughter and a legitimate heir to his estate. Sixteen witnesses, including three former family slaves, testified on her behalf. What would ultimately unfold in the courtroom at Hannibal, Missouri, is the story of her life.