Elizabeth Nall, administratrix of the estate of her husband, John P. Nall, who died intestate in 1863, asks to keep the slaves on the plantation during the coming year. The estate consists of fertile lands, a plantation house, and sixty-two slaves, "many of them children and young negroes." Nall believes "that under the existing state of the country, being engaged in a gigantic war, it has become very necessary and profitable to produce mostly grain crops, Hogs, cattle, &c., and expensive to raise much cotton, on account of the prices of bagging and rope &c. -- in fact, it is a patriotic duty to do so." She therefore contends that it is “profitable to keep the said slaves on the plantation of Decedent, and make crops, than to hire them out," as "field hands hire but for nominal prices, especially women and children, the difficulty of providing clothing, shoes, and blankets, &c. being so great; further, should the enemy get possession of this section of country, it would be far more in the power of Petitioner to keep the slaves out of the enemies' way, than if they were hired out." Nall therefore prays that she be allowed "to keep all the personal property on the plantation."
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Repository: Lowndes County Courthouse, Hayneville, Alabama
