In 1846, slave owner John Goldsmith died, bequeathing his daughter Mary Ann "one Negro woman by the name of Mariah, also one Negro by the name of Ned." In his will, written before Mary Ann's marriage to John W. Spears in 1845, John Goldsmith had specifically stated, although perhaps not in the proper legal terms, that his bequest was for the "sole and separate use" of Mary Ann and her future children, thus protecting them from any debt of a future husband. In 1855, Mary Ann Goldsmith, now married to John W. Spears, complains that her husband's creditors have levied executions against Mariah and her four children--Bailey, a boy about seven, Lija a boy about six, Peter age have been taken by the sheriff and advertised to be sold. Mary Ann informs the court that her husband's financial difficulties makes him unfit to act as trustee for her property, and she requests an injunction to prevent the sale of her slaves.
Result: Granted.
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Repository: County Courthouse, Dadeville, Alabama
