|
|
|
|
|
Research into the ancestry of African American families
can be uniquely difficult when the family line includes
slaves. Then search efforts become centered on records
pertaining to the owner or owners. Such inquiries can be
lucrative and provide interesting, but unexpected,
sidelights. A good example is found in Anne Arundel County
Circuit (Equity Papers) OS288 in series C70 [MdHR
40215-254-1/5].
The court case began on October 25, 1860, with the
filing of a bill of complaint by Fielder Suit of Prince
George's County against John T. Drury, his wife Sarah E.
Drury, and their children -- Ellen O. Atwell, Fannie V.
Drury, Josephine Drury, and John T. Drury. Suit had
tried to collect a four year old debt from John T. Drury
through a civil suit. He obtained judgments in April
1860 and executions were issued to the Anne Arundel
County sheriff to seize and sell Drury's slaves. Only
then was it discovered that in January 1860 Drury had
conveyed these slaves and other personal property to his
wife. At the same time he deeded his land, Fox Hall,
consisting of 178 1/2 acres, to his four children. Ellen
O. Atwell was actually the daughter of Sarah E. Drury
from her first marriage. All four children were
minors.
Shortly after signing over all his property, Drury left
Maryland and had not been heard from since. Suit alleged
that the conveyances were executed to fraudulently
deprive creditors payment of their debts. He asked the
court to void both the bill of
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
sale and deed and order the properties sold for the
payment of the judgments, and any other debts of creditors
who joined his law suit.
Exhibits filed with the bill of complaint furnished
family information about the slaves owned by John and
Sarah Drury. The bill of sale listed the slaves by name:
"negro man Bill, negro woman Susan, negro woman Sarah
Ann, negro girl Margaret, negro girl Emma, negro girl
Dinah, negro girl Molly, negro boy Thom, and negro boy
Jim...." The schedules of property to be levied on by
the sheriff included family relationships, ages, and the
man's surname: "One negro woman Susan 35 years old and
her seven children -- namely Sarah Anne 21 years,
Margaret 16 years, Emily 12 years, Mary 8 years, Dinah 6
years, Thomas 4 years, and a boy child 3 months -- &
negro man Bill or William Waters about 40 years old."
Some of the names differed slightly and the baby was
named in only one document. Assuming correctness in
given ages, Susan first gave birth at age fourteen, a
young age at any time.
Other documents filed and created during the course of
this equity case, a span of fourteen years, offered
insights into the income and expenditures of the Drury
family and their personal interactions. The papers
included answers filed by the defendants, petitions of
other creditors to join the suit along with their
accounts and transcripts of judgments, testimony,
decree, and sale report.
(continued on Page 2)
|
|
|
|
|
|
