Actions for North Carolina, Supreme Court, Raleigh : Redmond v Coffin (executor of Wight) et al, December 1833

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North Carolina, Supreme Court, Raleigh : Redmond v Coffin (executor of Wight) et al, December 1833

Published
Raleigh, North Carolina : North Carolina Supreme Court, 1833.
Physical Description
1 online resource
Additional Creators
Adam Matthew Digital (Firm)
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Summary
The plaintiff Redmond contended that she was the sole next of kin of Thomas Wright, and that by his will he bequeathed his slaves to the Society of Friends (Quakers) and the rest of his personal property to the slaves themselves. She further contended that the bequest of the slaves constituted a secret trust that they be emancipated, since the religious principles of the Quakers forbade them from holding slaves for their own benefit, and that the bequest of property to the slaves was invalid because slaves could not take by wills. One slave, Jim, had already been sent out of the state to effect his emancipation. The bill prayed that the Society might account with her for the slaves and pay her for the value of Jim. The defendants answered that the Society of Friends had full legal power to receive slaves as a body politic, but affirmed that the money raised from their slaves' labours was put in trust to be put towards the slaves' advancement. They also averred that Willie Wright, a representative of the plaintiff, had had authorisation from the plaintiff to come to a settlement with the Society for all her interest in the testator's estate, which he had done in the county court of Guilford for a consideration of [dollars] 450. The court ruled that the bequest to the Society of Friends was void as it amounted to an illegal emancipation; that the agreement reached with the Society by Wright was invalid as by the form of the document it was not executed in the name of the plaintiff; and the Society anyway knew that the plaintiff had revoked the power of attorney invested in Wright before the agreement was negotiated. The master of the court calculated the value of the slaves at [dollars] 3,621.74; four had been sent out of the state. The defendants were ordered to convey to the plaintiff the slaves still in their possession, and were held liable for the value of the slaves whom they had sent out of the state and for all the slaves' hires.
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Reproduction Note
Electronic reproduction. Marlborough, Wiltshire : Adam Matthew Digital, 2007. Digitized from a copy held by the North Carolina State Archives.
Location of Originals
North Carolina State Archives
Copyright Note
Material sourced from the North Carolina State Archives
View MARC record | catkey: 41990431