| Name | Age | Color or Race | Sex | Role in document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elijah Church | White | Male | owner | |
| Nathaniel Church | White | Male | other | |
| Hugh A. Dobbins | White | Male | other | |
| Mary | Black ("negro") | Female | enslaved | |
| Jim | Black ("negro") | Male | enslaved | |
| Henderson | Black ("negro") | Male | enslaved |
Deed in Trust, including Power of Attorney. Elijah Church of Wilkes County, father of Nathaniel Church of Ashe County is “…very old and has become non compos mentis from the effects of age and has had a guardian appointed…”. “Non Compos Mentis” is an old legal term meaning mentally incompetent or “not of right mind”. Nathaniel Church expects to be one of Elijah’s next of kin, and in this document assigns his interests in anything he might inherit to Hugh A. Dobbins of Wautauga County as Trustee and/or Power of Attorney. Since Elijah Church is still alive, all of Nathaniel Church’s interests and rights to his father’s property are hypothetical, but the assets are listed as “…especially one Negro Woman named Mary one Negro Boy named Jim and one other negro boy named Henderson…”, along with tracts of 50, 75 and 57 acres, furniture and livestock. No further information about Mary, Jim and Henderson’s ages or relationships, and I will assume they are in Wilkes County. The rest of the text sounds like Nathaniel Church expects Hugh Dobbins to sell everything that Nathaniel is entitled to as quickly as possible once Dobbins is allowed to take control of it—including the enslaved. The docum
