James Norris, master of the Charleston work house, requests court intervention in a slave title dispute. In 1845, George Shrewsbury, a free man of color, placed three slaves in the work house, ordering Norris not to surrender them to anyone but himself or his guardian. Shortly thereafter, James Hanscome, another free man of color, claimed the slaves and ordered Norris to surrender them only to him. Shrewsbury holds a bill of sale from Hanscome, but Hanscome argues that it is void, because "the consideration thereof was a gambling transaction." Norris has refused to deliver the slaves to either party, since he does not know who legally owns them, and he would be legally liable for delivering them to the wrong person. Norris asks the court to determine the ownership of the slaves. Since Shrewsbury has sued Norris, and Hanscome is threatening to sue, Norris also asks the court to enjoin all other legal proceedings until the title dispute is settled.
Or you may view all people.
Repository: South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia, South Carolina
