They Had Names

African Americans in Early Records of Liberty County, Georgia

Court Case: Pray vs. Woodruff for Betty (1786-8)

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Georgia
To the Honorable the Chief Justice of the Said State, and the Assistant Justices of Liberty County

The Petition of Job Pray
Humbly Sheweth that Joseph Woodruff Esqr of the County of Liberty is justly indebted to your petitioner in the sum of one hundred & seventy pounds, sixteen shillings and four pence species for a certain Negro Wench named Betty, and one hogshead molasses agreeable to the Annex’d Accounts, which the said Joseph undertook and faithfully promised to pay your petitioner, when thereunto requested yet altho frequently requested, the same hath and still doth refuse to pay your petitioner to his damage two hundred pounds species.

Wherefore your petitioner pray process may issue requiring the said Joseph Woodruff Esqr personally or by his attorney to be & appear before the Justices of the Superior Court to be held in and for the County of Liberty on the third Tuesday in April next there and then to answer your petitioner in an action on the case & so forth.

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[Followed by a warrant directing him to appear before the Superior Court dated at Sunbury on March 10 [or 16], 1788.

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Served 20th Oct 1786
John Dollar S.C.L.

Original
November Court
Liberty County

Job Pray
Vs. Joseph Woodruff

Received 28th Sept. 1786
John Dollar S.C.L.

Georgia
To the Honorable William Steth Esqr Chief Justice of the said State and the Assistant Justices of Liberty County

The Petition of Job Pray humbly sheweth that Joseph Woodruff Esqr of Liberty County is justly indebted to your petitioner in the full & just sum of one hundred & thirty two pounds stg. For a certain Negro Wench named Betty, which Your Petitioner at the reduction of this State, by the British Troops, left in the care of the said Joseph, who did without any instructions whatsoever dispose of said Wench Betty in the absence of your Petitioner, to Edward Davis Esqr. and tho frequently requested to pay your Petitioner, hath & still doth refuse to pay the same to his damage, two hundred & sixty four pounds Sterling.
Whereof your Petitioner prays process may issue requiring the said Joseph Woodruff personally or by his attorney to be & appear before the Justices of the Superior Court to be held in & for the County of Liberty on the second Tuesday in November next, then & there to answer your Petitioner in an action of Trover & Conversion and so forth.
Let process issue.
Samuel Saltus A.?S.J.]
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[Followed by warrant directing him to appear ]

Loose Papers in folders by surname, Liberty County Court of Ordinary; digitized images with typewritten indexes, FamilySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99QM-V997-R : accessed 17 Apr 2024), “Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990 -> Liberty -> Estates 1775-1892 Perry, Abail-Ricks, George,” images 585-6, 614-5 of 1223.