(SLAVERY AND ABOLITION) Set of documents relating to a lawsu

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(SLAVERY AND ABOLITION.) Set of documents relating to a lawsuit over a slave named Maria. 4 manuscript documents signed by various parties, each about 6 x 7 inches; moderate wear. Bedford County, VA, 1816-18

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This case begins with a complaint by John Vest against Jeremiah Hylton. Vest "was possessed of a negro girl slave named Maria of the value of one thousand dollars" and "the said slave into the hand & possession of the defendant by finding came. . . . Altho often requested the said slave to the plaintiff, the defendant refused to deliver." A summons and writ were issued to Hylton; the writ was signed by court clerk James "Jemmie" Steptoe (1750-1826), the brother of George Washington's sister-in-law Anne Steptoe Washington. The case was settled in Vest's favor, Hylton paid his court fees, and Maria was returned to him.