R. N. Williams, administrator of the late Jane Craighead, asks that three of her former slaves be expelled from the state. Craighead's will directed that her slaves, Mary, Martha and Martha's son Henry, be emancipated at her death and that they be given "one year of the rent" on her land. As administrator, Williams petitioned for and was granted the slaves' emancipation in 1850. Williams attests that he made it clear to the slaves that their emancipation was contingent upon their leaving the state of Tennessee; he claims that he "particularly and especially" informed them of this clause and that he even "offered to pay their expenses on board of a steamboat to enable them the more easily to leave the state." Nonetheless, he charges, the defendants have continued to reside as free people in Nashville. Williams prays that the defendants either "remove to another state or remain in this state as slaves and in case of their electing to remain as slaves he further prays for an order of your Hon Court to sell them as such." In their answer, Martha and Mary aver that Williams did not inform them that it was necessary for them to leave the state. They further assert that he has not paid them the inheritance due to them from Craighead's will. Martha and Mary also inform the court that they are both married to slaves whose owner allow them to live with their family in Nashville. The owner of one of the men even lives in another state.
Result: Dismissed.
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Repository: Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County Archives
