Ann H. Lee, petitioning for herself and on behalf of her four minor children, and Bernard M. Carter, trustee, petition the legislature to obtain permission to sell the slaves in the trust estate held by Ann and her children. Ann H. Lee informs the court that she considers slaves "a specie of property extremely inconvenient and disagreeable," because, as a town resident, she does not "possess any farm, whereon such property is usually employed." She finds the ownership of slaves "absolutely precarious, on account of the facility of their Elopement" and the "hiring of said slaves is productive of very disagreable circumstances." Furthermore, the females have not proved to be productive and the males, representing "one half of the whole" are bound to diminish in value in proportion as they advance towards that period when" her children "may reasonably expect to come to" their possession. The trust estate was created by the last will and testament of Ann's sister, Mildred W. Carter. Mildred had inherited the slaves from their father, Charles Carter, Esquire.
Result: Bill drawn.
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Repository: Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia
