James A. Pearson, an elderly slave owner from Lowndes County, writes that in 1844 he "became embarrassed in his pecuniary affairs" and traveled to Tallapoosa County, to ask his son-in-law, Isaac T. Smith, for a loan. His son-in-law's father, also Isaac Smith, agreed to loan him $196, but asked Pearson to put up as collateral three slaves--January, a blacksmith, and "Sillar a Girl and Jack a boy." When asked to sign a bill of sale for his slaves, Pearson balked, but he later agreed when Isaac T. Smith offered him a promissory note for four hundred dollars signed by father and son. During the next few years, Isaac T. Smith, "disregarding the dictates of honesty and fair dealing," conspired and confederated with his father to defraud Pearson of the labor of his slaves, even when Pearson, his wife, and his daughter moved to Isaac T. Smith's farm and lived with the family. In 1849, Pearson asks that the note be revoked, the bill of sale cancelled, and the slaves returned, as their labor has more than compensated the Smiths for the original loan.
Result: Granted.
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Repository: Tallapoosa County Courthouse, Dadeville, Alabama
