In this ad from the Alexandria Gazette, vol. 51, no. 258; 30 October 1850 (kindly provided by Wendy Wheatcraft, historian with the Fauquier County Virginia government) we see some detail on the auction of Baldwin Lunsford's estate that took place on November 4, 1850. This was placed by his son, Benjamin, acting as sole Executor. I have copies of his will, estate inventory and sale ledger that can be found on line as a result of the Library of Virginia's Chancery Records Index project. The LVA has been systematically scanning chancery files to pdf, and they can be a treasure trove of genealogical information.
Shortly after 1785 when the General Assembly abolished the feudal English property rule of "primogeniture" whereby an estate was passed down directly to the first born (non bastard) son in the family, there was an explosion of chancery suits by family members who for various reasons may have felt they were left out or unfairly treated in some way.
Chancery cases began with a bill of complaint. This was followed by an answer to the complaint from the party being sued. Court appointed commissioners would decide a fair and equitable settlement of the case based on all the evidence. After reporting their findings to the court, a judge would make a final decree. We will explore the chancery suit involving Baldwin in a future post. But for now, what continues to amaze me was Baldwin's ownership of up to twelve slaves. As an amateur historian and genealogist, I refuse to judge past practices by the moral standards of today. To do otherwise is pure lunacy. But think of those times. Baldwin was a dirt farmer unable to sign his name. And yet he had to run a farm that would provide for both his family and up to twelve chattels. While more wealthy landed gentry in Fauquier County at that time may have had upwards of 100 slaves, I still find this amazing.
So stay tuned for a future post where we will examine Baldwin's will, estate inventory and sale ledger describing his kitchen plate, chattels and farm implements.
