Marriage Contract (Ann C. Varnadoe/Joseph Ladson)

On December 9, 1856, Ann Caroline Varnadoe, Liberty County, was named as owner in her own right “of the following named negro slaves to wit Jim, Hetty, and her child Ann, Joe, Frank, Joseph, Abram, Patty and her child Charles, Mary and her child Dick and also of one undivided eleventh portion of the real estate of her father, Nathaniel Varnadoe, late of Liberyt County deceased, together with other estate real and personal and herein particularly enumerated. As part of a marriage contract between her and Joseph H. Ladson, Ladson agreed that, should the marriage take place, he would not have any right or title to any of her estate and that the property she possessed at the time of the marriage, or should become possessed of afterward, would be put in a separate estate, not subject to any liabilities of Ladson. Samuel M. Varnadoe, Leander L. Varnedoe, and Rufus A. Varnedoe were to manage the trust. Conditions for inheritance of the trust were also laid out. Witnessed by John Winn, R.Q. Mallard. In signing her name, Ann Varnedoe listed her name as “Anne C. Varnedoe.” Probated by Rev’d. John Winn before S.A. Fraser, C.S.C.L.C., who recorded the document on 6 February 1857. [Note that spelling of Varnedoe/Varnadoe was variable throughout the document.]