James Hair, administrator of the estate of Sarah Boyett, charges that Missouri Boyett claims wrongful title to slaves belonging to the estate. Hair notes that Sarah's will, dated 25 November 1841, clearly bequeaths her ten slaves to several of her children. However, on 23 May 1842, Sarah Boyett conveyed the same slaves to Jesse Gibbs who in turn assigned his interest in these slaves to Missouri Boyett. Hair asserts that the conveyance to Gibbs was "nothing more, and nothing else than mortgages of the property ... to secure him in the payment of a large sum of money," which Hair claims was repaid in large part by Boyett before her death. He contends that Sarah Boyett thought that Missouri, her daughter, was acting as her agent in helping her regain ownership of her slaves. But Hair accuses Missouri of "intending, designing and contriving to cheat and defraud the heirs and legatees" and believes that she is planning to carry off said slaves "in a secret and clandestine manner." The petitioner asks that Missouri Boyett be restrained from leaving the state and that the sheriff take the slaves into his possession until the estate is settled.
Result: Dismissed.
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Repository: Sumter County Courthouse, Livingston, Alabama
