Botetourt County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Court.....Minutes, County Court December 1770 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/vafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com March 27, 2007, 4:30 pm Source: Annals Of S W Virginia Written: December 1770 At, a court held for Botetourt County the 11th day of December, 1770. Present: Robert Breckenridge, Israel Christian, Benjamin Hawkins & Stephen Trigg, Gentlemen Justices. Ord. that John Murray, John Cowarden, George Francisco & Richard Matthews or any three of them being first sworn value the improvements on two hundred & twenty five acres of land, the property of George Taylor, on the Short Hill in the Fork of James River and make report thereof to the court. A report of the roads mentioned in an order of this court the 17th day of November last being returned, it is ord. that the alterations therein mentioned be made & that the former Surveyor thereof be continued. John McCoy is appointed Surveyor of the road from Capt. Israel Christian's to Major John Howard's & ord. that he cause the same to be cleared and kept in good repair, and that the tithables in that Precinct attend him. On the complaint of Sarah Miller, a servant, agst. William Bailey, her master, for ill usage, it is ordered that the said William be summoned to appear at the next court to answer the same. Ordered that a licence be granted to John Wills to keep an ordinary at the house of John Wills, Senr., in this County, for a year now next ensuing, he having complied with what the law in this case requires. Ordered that the court be adjd. till the next court in course. The minutes of these proceedings were signed. Robt. Breckenridge At a court held at Botetourt Court House the eleventh day of December, 1770, for the trial of Sawney, Negro man slave belonging to Robert Breckenridge of this County, who stands committed to the Common Goal of this County charged with divers felonies. Present: Israel Christian, Benjamin Hawkins, John Howard and Stephen Trigg, Gentlemen Justices. The said Sawney being led to the barr in custody of the Sheriff, was arraigned of feloniously stealing a gun the property of Alexander Laine, also a gun the property of William King, also a hog the property of Edward Springer, also a rifle gun out of the shop of William Grymes, also a smooth bored gun; also a harpe the property of James Robinson, & acknowledged himself to be guilty of the several crimes aforesaid. And it being demanded of the said Sawney whether he had anything to say for himself why the Court should not pronounce judgment of death against him, answered that he had nothing to say but what he had already said. Therefore it is considered by the Court that the said Sawney be hanged by the neck until he be dead. And it is ordered that the Sheriff cause execution of this judgment to be done on Saturday the twenty-second day of this month, between the hours of line & twelve in the forenoon. Memorandum: That the Court valued the said slave to ninety pounds. And then the Court arose. The minutes of these proceedings were signed. Is. Christian Additional Comments: Extracted from: Annals of Southwest Virginia 1769-1800 BY LEWIS PRESTON SUMMERS Member of American Historical Association, Virginia Historical Society; Alumnus University of Virginia and Tulane University (Louisiana); Member American Bar Association, Virginia State Bar Association Author of HISTORY OF SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA 1740-1786 WASHINGTON COUNTY VIRGINIA 1777-1870 PUBLISHED BY LEWIS PRESTON SUMMERS ABINGDON, VIRGINIA 1929 COPYRIGHT, 1929, BY LEWIS PRESTON SUMMERS MANUFACTURED COMPLETE BY THE KINGSPORT PRESS KINGSPORT, TENNESSEE United States of America File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/botetourt/court/minutes25gwl.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/vafiles/ File size: 4.2 Kb