RECORDS OF THE GENERAL COURT CAROLINE (From copies of the originals with some comments) 12 Mar 1773 - to the sherif of Caroline Co .you are commanded to take John Wilkinson if he be found within your bailiwick and keep him so that you have his body before the justices of your county court of Caroline on the 2nd Thursday in next month to answer DD a plea of detinue for 4 negroes Doll, Robert, Myrtilla, & Judith .not an inhabitant May 1773 - abates by return July 1773 - redocketed and James Yarbrough special bail Oct 1773 - non detinue and issue Nov 1773 - not to be tried till March court by consent of parties Mar 1774 - the def. to take Charles Yarbrough and Ann Higgins depositions, plaintiff to take Angela Searles deposition. Mar 1774 - continued. July 1778 -= referred to Edmund Pendleton and John Lewis? for judgment 13 August 1778 - arbitrators this day attended by plt. (DD) and def. (JW) being removed out of this state. Mary Yarbrough adm. of James Yarbrough decd. special bail for def. and John Wilkinson father of def. agreed to indemnify sd. Mary from event of this suit. Having heard the parties and their witnesses. award is plt. to recover 3 of the slaves Doll, Robert & Judy or 100 pounds each .this 30 July 1778 Pendleton and Lewis ..approved by court. 18 Oct 1783 - Caroline Co. court called William and Mary Almond to show cause why they should not be responsible for above decision. Mary Yarbrough, widow of James married William Almond. 25 June 1784 - DD vs. William Almond. DD by attorney and def. failed to appear order of court that DD recover debt and costs from Almond. 26 June 1784 - bond of William and Mary Almond adm, if James Yarbrough dec;d. and Benjamin Tompkins bound to DD for 651 pounds, one shilling and 7 pence Va. three months to pay 325 pounds, etc 18 April 1785 - order to recover above debt. May court 1785 - motion of Almonds to set aside proceedings and to restore money levied by virtue of a writ of firefacias issued by DD agst. estate of JY dec.d , set aside, and they owe less money. June court 1785 - motion of DD by attorney to set aside opinion of last court .it appearing to court that DD was not in County by summons or notice, opinion of court to set aside, and Almond appealed. 19 Sept 1785 - bond of William and Mary Almond and Benjamin Tompkins and John Chiles of Caroline to DD for 305 pounds .because of judgment of court . 12 Mar 1774 - deposition of Robert Smith - age 47, about 1767 in company with DD who was speaking of a law suit that was like to go against him ..Negro now in dispute which he had in possession were his daughter Nannys, made deed to daughter Nanny and had it recorded in Caroline Co. , but he never had any right to sd. negroes. 12 Mar 1774 - Richard Walden Jr. - age 20 yrs. - sometime in 1772 in camp on the road DD asked him if he had seen John Wilkinson, he replied no but believed he was gone home, DD replyed he was not but had stolen 3 negroes from him the night. DD left and a few hours later returned with sd. Wilkinson and accused JW of stealing slaves deed of gift of grandfather of wife . 12 Mar 1774 - Ann Higgin - age 55, frequently in company with plt. (DD) wifes father and often heard him say he never gave the negro for fear sd. plt. would sell her for debt. 12 Mar 1774 - William Higgin, age 57, often in company with ptl wifes father .negro and her increase belonged to his daughter. 12 Mar 1774 - Charles Yarbrough, age 80, sometime after his daughter was married she came to his house and insisted he let her have a negro girl Doll , he agreed negro could go but would not be a gift nor lent any farther then during his pleasure and some time quickly after the death of his daughter he went to where she had lived and asked the plt. mother if she thought the sd. negroes work was sufficient to maintain his grand child or children if not he would take them all home, the grandmother chose to keep them thinking the negroes work sufficient to maintain them . 12 Mar 1774 - William Davenport, age 40, sometime before def. married the sd. plt. daughter he was in company with sd. plt. who said he intended to give to def. a negro girl named Myrtella and a bed as he was to marry his daughter ..often heard plt. say negroes in question were not his but belonged to his daughter 9 Aug 1778 - William Deavenport, no age, soon after the plt. was married to his first wife Jane, daughter of Charles Yarbrough, the plt. brought home with him a negro Doll who remained in plt. possession till sd. plt. married a second wife about 1765 about which time when the plt. was about to move from the place where he then lived, the sd. Y came to the plt. house, sd. girl being grown to a woman and having several children and in this deponents presence applied to the plt. that he always intended Doll for the support and raising of her his granddaughter, the wife of the sd. Wilkinson, that he was not acquainted with the plt. then wife, that his granddaughter and negroes might be ill used and if that happened he Yarbrough would send for them and bring them back .this deponent understood sd. Yarbrough meant his grand daughter and the negroes to which the sd. plt. answered that he had always taken a provident care and should continue to do so. 9 Aug 1778 - Martin Deavenport - sometime before sd. plt. was married to his second wife sd. Yarbrough came to him this deponent who was living at the plantation of the plt. and told him that he was well satisfied with the situation of the child and the negroes in his possession to which this deponent answered Mr. Y if they are yours take them for they are only a charge to me, I have always looked on them as Davids or I would not have kept them to which Y. replied I always intended the negros for my granddaughter to which dep. said if that is the case take them away you can easier raise the negroes that I can. 21 Dec 1774 - Anjelina Searles - age 60 -says she lived at William Durretts and Mr. Charles Yarbrough came over to the sd. Durretts and said he had lost his negro woman and that she had left a child behind her with that his sister Mrs. Durret told him it would be troublesome to raise the child which he made answer that he had given it to his daughter Jane if she could raise it and it was always called hern afterwards. 28 Feb 1785 - Richard Walden in Cumberland Co. that on the road about 5 miles above the long Ordinary in Cumb. Co. in 1773 in the night he saw John Wilkinson with 3 negroes traveling toward Bedford Count, Doll about 30, Robert 4-5 yrs., Judith about 1 yrs. all very likely (in good shape?) and in his presence the same night the sd. slaves were claimed by DD of Cumberland Co. as his property. 28 Feb 1785 - Robert Smith in Cumberland Co. - the negroes claimed by DD of CC which he believed were carried off by John Wilkinson were all likely slaves and nearly the ages as above. 28 Feb 1785 - Moses Arnold in Cumberland Co. - the slaves DD claims in possession of John Wilkinson were all likely and he believes they were at the time of their being carried off of the ages as above. 26 Oct 1785 - Petition of William Almond and Mary his wife to the General Court at Richmond ..Order of court to sheriff of Cumberland Co. We command you have DD at the Courthouse in Richmond on 8 Oct next .to have a recharge of the whole matter 1743 - Slave Doll born on Charles Yarbroughs plantation. Depositions concerning this include Anjelina Searles who says Yarbrough gave the infant to daughter Jane to raise. Charles Yarbrough says after daughter was married she insisted on having the slave Doll. William Davenport says after marriage Jane brought home a negro Doll who at Davids second marriage had grown to be a woman and that Yarbrough had left slave for maintenance of grandaughter. Martin Davenport says before Davids second marriage he told Yarbrough to take the slaves having thought they belonged to David. (Are all these depositions referring to the same events? Did Yarbrough give the infant slave to Jane to raise because she insisted on having it? Doll grew up on Davids plantation and was left by Yarbrough for the maintenance of his granddaughter? If so, then David and Jane were married by 1743 the date of birth of the slave.) 1765 - Yarbrough (after death of daughter) talked to Dorothy Davenport who chose to keep the slaves. (This could have happened at the same time as the above) 1772 - John Wilkinson took the slaves. Nancy was married at least by this date. If she is 18 then she was born by 1754.