ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, VA - COURT - Elizabeth PARR et al. by friend vs. Richard PARR et al. Dec 1779 - Jun 1785 Chancery Suit ----¤¤¤---- [Document #1 - Bill of Complaint & Answer full sheet of paper, folded into 4-page booklet, then folded down twice, creating four panels] [p. 1 of booklet] To the worshipful justices of Isle of Wight county sitting in Chancery Humbly complaining shew unto your worships your Oratrix Elizabeth, Peggy & Mary PARR infants by Nevil PARR their next friend; That by one certain deed bearing date the 18 day of April 1739 duly proved & recorded in the Court of this county Richard JORDAN Joseph JORDAN Patience JORDAN & Matthew JORDAN for a valuable consideration did absolutely give grant & make over by & with the Consent of Rebecca their mother to Elizabeth PARR ["to" struck out] their Sister and to the Children of her body and their heirs after the said Elizabeths death one negro Girl named Keter, & her increase for ever Your oratrixes further shew that the said Elizabeth PARR had the following children to wit Thomas /your Oratrixes father/ Richard, William, Mary since married to one Thomas UZZLE, & Hannah now the wife of Thomas CASEY - that the said Negro Keter hath had the following increase at the time of the death of the said Elizabeth to wit ["Kaster" struck through] Amy Tye Dick Cooper Bess Charles Sam Peg Luke Jemima Sarah ["Jacob & several others" inserted] that your oratrixes father departed this life Sometime about the year 17 [sic] leaving your Oratrixes his Children & Coheirs, that the said Richard & William PARR with the said Thomas UZZLE & Mary his wife Tho' CASEY & Hannah his wife ["sometime after the" struck out] who your Oratrixes pray ["may be" inserted] made defendants to this their bill of complaint Some Short time after the death of the said Elizabeth divided the aforesaid Slave Keter & her increase amongst themselves without admitting your Oratrixes who were then infants of very tender years to any part or Share thereof & altho' ["they well knew" inserted] your Oratrixes were the Coheirs & legal representatives of Thomas PARR one of the Children of the said Elizabeth PARR & notwithstanding the frequent [page break] [p. 2 of booklet] application & remonstrances of Your Oratrixes to have a fair & equal division of the said Slave Keter & her increase amongst the Children of the said Elizabeth & their heirs, yet the said defendants obstinately persist in this their unwarrantable proceedings contrary expressly to the true intention & meaning & of the express words of the gift of the donors to the said Elizabeth & her Children & their heirs to which deed of gift they beg leave to refer & pray it may be taken as part of this their bill All which actings & doings of the said defendants are contrary to every rule & maxim of Law & Equity & tends to the ruin and impoverishment of your Oratrixes To the end therefore that the said Richard PARR William PARR Thomas UZZLE & Mary his wife & Thomas CASEY & HAnnah his wife may upon their respective corporal oaths full true & perfect answer make to all & singular the allegations of this bill as fully as if the same were herein again set forth & especially that they may set forth & discover Whether the aforesaid Richard JORDAN & others did not Seal & execute such deed to their Sister Elizabeth PARR & the Children of her body & their heirs? What Children had the said Elizabeth? Was not your Oratrixes father Thomas one of the Children? are not your Oratrixes his daughters ["&" struck] Coheirs & representatives? Have they not made division of the said Slave Keter & all her increase, without allotting any part thereof to your Oratrixes in right of their father Thomas? How many [altered from "may"] Slaves were then divided between them? their names ages & Sexes? What are the Names & Number of each [page break] [p. 3 of booklet] separate defendants parts of the said Slaves that they are now severally in possession of or increase of the s.d Keter? And that your worships will Decree & Order that partition & division of the said Slaves be now made equally between your Oratrixes in right of their father Thomas PARR; & the said defendants. /Children of the said Elizabeth/- to wit the said Keter & all her increase from the time of the gift aforesaid by Some fit & able persons to be appointed by this Court that they make report thereof so that the same may be firm Stable & binding between the said parties - And that your worships will further decree that the said defendants be compelled to Account with your Oratrixes for their proportion of the profits arising from the labor of the said Slaves from the time they have been respectively possessed thereof. and that your worships will make such further or other device in the premises as may effectually relieve your Oratrixes & agreeable to equity & good conscience May it please &c KELLO p Comptes [underlined] [page end] [p. 4 of booklet] [Endorsements, on 2nd panel of four, perpendicular to all other writing] PARR's } v } Bill PARR & al} J. S W _ BRIDGER Jr [?] Sam BUSH Rob: DRIVER [Answer of the Defendants, on 3rd & 4th panels, perpendicular to endorsements] The Answer of Rich.d PARR Will PARR Tho' UZZLE & Mary his wife Tho: CASEY & Hannah his wife Def.s to the bill of Complt of Eliz. PARR & others. These Def.s reserving to themselves all advantages &c for Answer Say, That they Confess the Allegations of the bill & are willing to Submit themselves to the Decree of the Court in the premises & pray to be hence dismissed with their Costs. his Rich.d X PARR mark William PARR Tho.s UZZELL Tho' + CASEY [page end] [Document #2 - Summons; half sheet of paper, folded into four panels] [obverse] The Commonwealth of Virginia To the Sheriff of Isle of Wight County, Greeting We command you that you Summon Richard PARR, William PARR, Thomas UZZELL and Mary his wife and Thomas CASEY and Hannah his wife to appear before our Justices of our Court of our said County in Chancery at the Court house on the first Thursday in December next to Answer a bill in Chancery exhibited against them by Elizabeth PARR, Peggy PARR, and Mary PARR, infants by [blank] PARR their next friend, and this they shall in no wise Omit under penalty of £100._ each, And have then there this Writ: Witness Nathaniel BURWELL, Clerk of our said Court at the Court house the eighth day of November 1779 in the fourth year of the Commonwealth Francis YOUNG DCIWCy. [page end] [reverse] [panel #1 - cyphering] 145.17. 9 111 31.17. 9 [panel #2 - endorsements] PARR's P friend } Sp.a v } in } Chan.cy PARR's & Al: } Ex.d Ja.s WILLS dsf [?; line very difficult to read] December 1779 Bill filed & time - Feb.y 1780. Att.a v. Deft.s CASEY - May 1783~ Cont.d for rept. - July 1783 Cont.d for rept. - June 1785 Dismissed - [page end] [Document #3 - Attachment; half sheet of paper, folded into three panels] [obverse] The Commonwealth of Virginia To the Sheriff of Isle of Wight County, Greeting we command you that you Attach Thomas CASEY so that you have his Body before our Justices of our Court of our said County in Chancery at the Court house on the first thursday in March next to answer us as well of a Certain contempt by him to us offered as it is said as upon those things which to him then and there shall be objected and further to do and receive what our said Court shall in that part consider and this you shall in no wise omit, and have then there this Writ: Witness Nathaniel BURWELL Clerk of our said Court at the said Court house the 4th day of February 1780 in the fourth year of the Commonwealth Francis YOUNG DCIWCy. [page end] [reverse] PARR P Gdn &.c } v. } Att.a CASEY .. } Ex.d Broad Ax[?] M.r Ja.s WILLS dSf. [end] [The deed of gift mentioned above, dated 18 Apr 1739, does not appear in the IoW General Index to Deeds, Vol. 1, 1688-1830.] Isle of Wight Co., VA, Chancery Court Records, Case 1785-006. The Library of Virginia. abstracted by Matt HARRIS [surname capitalization, line breaks & brackets mine] ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Matthew W. Harris Zoobug64@aol.com ___________________________________________________________________