Martha Benbow, the widow and executrix of Col. Evan Benbow, seeks to emancipate a thirty-five-year-old enslaved woman named Duley and her seven-year-old son, Rufus. The petitioner avows that Duley is of "unexceptionable moral character" and is able to obtain a livelihood in "an honest & virtuous manner." Benbow therefore prays "that you will permit her to emancipate them." The decedent directed that "if either of them through misfortune become unable to support themselves that they shall be supported themselves out of my estate."
Result: Referred to judiciary committee.
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Repository: South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia, South Carolina
