William Todd Jr. petitions the court to force Eli B. Dysart, the administrator of William Todd Sr.'s estate, to return three mulatto slaves loaned by the younger Todd to his father. The petitioner explains that he lent Harriet and her two children to his father in April 1854 for his use until January 1855; however, his father died intestate within a month. Todd claims that, despite repeated requests, Dysart refuses to return the three slaves. He asks that Dysart pay all court costs and ten dollars per month for Harriet's services since 1 January 1855. Interrogatories indicate that confusion over ownership derives from the questionable documentation of an "exchange" of Harriet with another slave Susan in 1844. Amos Clark's deposition notes that Harriet was between twelve and fifteen years old when the swap occurred and that she was then "old & big enough to plow."
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Repository: East Texas Research Center, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas
