William L. White and Jesse Walling, administrators of the estate of the late Thomas Roberson, seek to recover an estate slave named Jinny and her six children. The petitioners explain that Roberson "seemed to have a great fancy to set said slaves free" but that he was unwilling to do so unless they could remain in Tennessee. Near the end of his life, Roberson was "of unsound mind ... and unfit to do his own business." The petitioners charge that Edward V. Pollard, who owned Jinny's husband, took advantage of Roberson by convincing him that he could execute a bill of sale to Pollard in order to secure the slaves their freedom at his death. Pollard claims that he paid Roberson $500 on a note of $1000, but the administrators can find no evidence of the money "amongst the effects of Roberson." Shortly after Roberson's death, Pollard took the slaves without the consent of Roberson's heirs and now pretends that he owns them. They ask the court to nullify the bill of sale; to order Pollard to return the slaves to the estate; and to decree a sale of the estate's slaves in order to make a distribution among the heirs. Pollard's answer speculates that Roberson's attachment to Jinny and her family originated from his belief that "said woman Jinny was the daughter of his decd. son Joseph Roberson."
Result: Granted; appealed; affirmed.
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Repository: Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville, Tennessee
