1823 - Taylor to Ben - Powhatan Co, VA

1823 - Taylor to Ben - Powhatan Co, VA

11/28/1823

1

Be it remembered that I Thomas A Taylor of the County of Powhatan, for his past meritorious services, his uniformity, honest, and upright deportment, and for other equally momentous considerations, do hereby, as the laws of the State of Virginia, may in such cases direct, wish to emancipate, liberate, and effectually set free my, at present colored man and slave, named Ben, and I the said Thomas A Taylor accordingly hereby do, should the worshipful Court of Powhatan County not disapprove of the act, by these presents, most fully and effectually emancipate, liberate and set free my said man, and present slave named Ben, and I the said Thomas A Taylor do hereby further declare it to be my most earnest wish, desire and request that he my present slave named Ben may henceforward to be considered and treated as a free man, to all intents and purposes, or as nearly so as the tenor of the said state laws may be found consistently to admit; and it is the further desire and request of him, the said applicant Thomas A Taylor, that he, the said negro man named Ben, after his being emancipated, by permission, may by the said worshipful court, be permitted to reside in the said County of Powhatan, unmolested, so long as his, the said man named Ben’s conduct may be found to be uniformly orderly upright and perfectly consistent with such permission. The said man named Ben is about thirty one years old, is believed to be sound and has been hitherto as free from casual or other sickness as could reasonably be expected. In testimony whereof and every part hereof he Thomas A Taylor aforesaid, hath hereunto subscribed his name and affixed his seal this eighteenth day of November in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and twenty three.
Thomas A Taylor (seal)
At a court of quarterly sessions for the county of Powhatan on the 28th day of November 1823. This deed of emancipation from Thomas A Taylor to a negro man named Ben, late the property of the said Thomas A Taylor, was presented in court and acknowledged by the said Thomas A Taylor to be his act and deed, and thereupon the same was ordered to be recorded.
Teste, Wm S Dance C

DB 8:394

Deed