| Name | Age | Color or Race | Sex | Role in document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Thomas | Male | trustee of grantor | ||
| Sarah Williford | Female | other | ||
| Joseph W. Williford | Male | grantor | ||
| Tom | Black ("negro") | Male | enslaved | |
| Hetty | Black ("negro") | Female | enslaved |
Deed in Trust. Joseph W. Williford has four outstanding debts, totaling about $1295. To secure payment, he puts in Trust with John Thomas, for $1, “negro man Tom and girl Hetty”, along with animals, buggy, furniture and all his crops for 1844 and 1845. No further info about Tom and Hetty and their relationships. Williford is to remain in possession of the enslaved and the other items in Trust, unless he is unable to pay his debts by December 2, 1845. John Thomas can then sell the assets and pay the debts, and an order of payment is specified. One debt is to Sarah Williford, for $426, and it is to be paid first, and the other three, I think, are to merchants, two of them in Norfolk, VA. Joseph Williford reserves the right to sell some of the listed assets himself, so long as it is to pay Sarah Williford. The document was signed February 2, 1844, presented in Court and registered February 14, 1844.
