Captain Berry's Will
Debauchery, Miscegenation, & Family Strife
Among 18th Century Gentry

clapped his hand on Mr. Berry's shoulder & said, “Billy, I like you better than ever I did.” With that Mr. Berry pushed his chair a little back in order to get to his desk and said,”I will show you what I have done.” He went to his desk and brought Dept. a paper. ”There,” said Mr. Berry, ”read that.” Deponent did read it, and it was a paragraph of the will. . . Dept. remembers Letty Marshall's having two or three negroes left her. They were called, as Dept. believes, by their names. Dept. thinks there were 4 or 5 negroes left to Richard Berry. There were 500a of land . . . left to Mr. Chandler, and Mr. Berry told him it lay on the Ohio or thereabouts. And two of the Mr. Berrys - he thinks both Jerry Berrys - had 500a apiece. And he thinks Rich'd Berry had part of the land given him by the paper but is not sure. But thinks there were 2000a of land given.

After Dept. read it over, he laid down the paper and asked Mr. Berry where was the rest of his estate. He said, Every farthing, real and personal besides, I have given to this boy and nodded his head at Wm. Berry Warman, who was present. Dept. asked him how his friends liked that. He said he did not care a farthing how they liked it, for they had all got enough, and what he had was his own, & he would do with it as he pleased, and told Dept. he (Wm. Berry Warman) was a fine boy, spoke much in his praise, and said that he had not a doubt but he would make a very fine man.

Being asked if he had no conversation with Mr. Berry respecting the motives that ought to induce him to provide for the boy on his mother's account, Dept. said he knew that he (Mr. Berry) had taken a great deal of pains to make that boy. He said (Mr. Berry) he knew it that he had used her ill, and Dept. told him that as he had such a feeling for the child he must still have an affection for the mother. He (Wm. Berry) said it was all over now. Dept. says he never heard anything against the character of the boy's mother exclusive of the circumstance of having the child by Mr. Berry.

Dept. says that the preceeding conversation he had with Mr. Berry respecting his will was just about sundown. When Mr. Berry first came out, he appeared as if he had been drinking and a little muddled, but after they had drank a drink or two of the toddy, he appeared not to be at all in liquor and conversed as well as ever he heard him, that they had a good deal of conversation respecting an account that he (Dept.) went to have to settle and to get his money for. Mr. Berry gave him his reason why he could not pay him and begged Dept. to draw his account in the morning and leave it with him, and as Dept. returned, if he would call on him, he sho’d have his money, and told him how he expected to get it. Dept. says he lay that night at Mr. Berry's & in

Source: Prince George’s County Register of Wills (Orphans’ Court Proceedings) 1777-1790, f. 110, MSA C 1275-1