The petitioners claim they are being "holden in slavery by Lewis Allen." They cite four generations of free ancestors: their mother, "a free woman of colour, named Amey;" their grandmother, Sarah Colley; their great grandmother, Frances Evans; and their great great grandmother, Jane Gibson. Fearful that Allen "will sell them, as slaves without the limits of this commonwealth; as he hath already sold several of the family aforesaid in North Carolina," the petitioners seek "a prohibition ... against Allen and all other persons." They note that "the complainant Charles Evan is now tied and confined to be sent from Richmond, and probably out of the country by the order of Lewis Allen." They include court documents from the freedom suit of their cousin, "Thomas Gibson, alias Mingo Jackson," who "recovered his freedom" from a certain David Ross. Depositions from Richard Wills and John Meriwether provide a vivid oral history of the petitioners' ancestors; a genealogical chart traces the family back to the petitioners' great great great great grandmother, adding two more generations that are not referenced by the petitioners in their petition.
Result: Granted pro confesso.
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Repository: Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia
