William Hawthorn seeks to recover slaves that were devised by deed of gift to his late father, Benjamin Hawthorn, by James Hawthorn Sr., his late grandfather. This is William's second petition on the subject. In his first petition, he sought to recover Hannah, the daughter of Dorcas, one of the slaves devised by his grandfather, and Hannah's children. In this petition, he seeks to recover Dorcas and her son Jack, and Nell, another slave devised by James Hawthorn Sr. to Benjamin, and Nell's family. William Hawthorn alleges that his uncle, James Hawthorn Jr., and his aunt, Annis Hawthorn Cameron, procured through a fraudulent deed of gift slaves that rightfully belong to him and his siblings -- the grandchildren and heirs of James Hawthorn Sr. The petitioner claims that James Jr. and Annis "had full and perfect knowledge ... that said negro slaves Dorcas and Nell, of right would be the property of your Orator and his brother and sisters," but "notwithstanding that knowledge," they conspired "with a view to deprive fraudulently your Orator and his co-heirs that little pittance which a generous grandfather had given and a frugal father had preserved to them." The "generous grandfather" and the "frugal father" were both dead by 1824 and William asserts that the rightful heirs should have received the slaves at that time.
Result: Dismissed.
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Repository: Judicial Building, Talladega
