Revolutionary War soldier Moses Woosley died in Halifax County, Virginia in 1844. His children ended up in the chancery court fighting over the division of his estate as they could not come to an equitable solution that made everyone happy.

Included in the court file are receipts signed by Moses’s children and/or their spouses for advances they received during his lifetime and for their legacies. Moses owned a number of slaves; all but one list includes their names. The list with no name given provides the child who assumed ownership, but it is not easy to read as the names were scribbled out.

Here are transcriptions of pages that mention slaves in this 87-page unpaged probate packet.

agreeable to a decree of the county court of
Halifax County, we the undersigned Commission-
ers have this day sold the Land and Slaves
belonging to the Estate of Mosly (sic) Woosley Dec
as following
H.H. Woosley 1 woman and child $300.00
H.H. Woosley 1 girl 177.00
H.H. Woosley 1 Do. 100.00
H.H. Woosley 411 Acres Land & 3/-(??) 205.50
D.G. Tribble 1 Man 386.00
D.G. Tribble 1 Boy 435.00
B.E. ul si 1 Boy 429.00
H.H. Woosly 1 old Negro woman (Less?) 45.00

Given under our hand this 7 day of
November 1844
Richd. Thomas
James Adams
RHolland
John L. Jennings

Next:

Recieved of Moses woosley one Negro woman
Named keziah wich negro is valed this day to
fore hundred and seventy five dollars given
from under my hand this 13 day of
January 1835

Samuel S. Woosley for
Elizabeth (X) woosley
her mark
Witness? (Mast?)  was James Adams

Next

1835 Jany 3 to David Tribble & Nancy his wife formerly Woosly
2 Negroes Fanny & Hiram            600
$ Cash                                                         70

(Total) = $670

Next

Received of Moses woosley one Negro man named
Isham valued to Six hundred dollars which
given from under my hand this 3th January
eighteen hundred and thirty Five
Test
Mesheck Street                        James T. Woosley

Next

Received of Moses woosley one Negro woman and
2 Children Namd Judith and Leigh & (harvict?)
Given from under my hand this 3th
day of January 1835 which Negros is
This day valued to six hundred dollars

(wit?)
James Adams                        John (X) Purkins
his mark

Next

Account of Advancements made By Moses Woosley to his Children in his life time
1846 Act To William Keeling & Sally his wife formerly Woosley
1 Carryall 45
1830 June 14 Cash for receipt 100 (Total=145)

To John Purkins & wife Rhody W. formerly Woosley
1828 May 11 Cash for receipt 100
1835 Jany 8 Cash $30 & 1 horse 35 65
” ” 3 1 Negroe Woman Judith & 2 Children, Lee & Har? 600
(Total = 765)

Holman H. Woosley
1835 Jany 3 To two Negroes Morgan & John 750
” ” 8 ” Cash 100 (Total = 850)

To Samuel S. Woosley
1835 Jany 3 2 Negroes Joshua & Isaac 535
8 Cash 47
Act (Oct?) 21 Cash 200 (Total = 782)

To James T. Woosley
1829 Sept 18 ” Cash 97
1835 Jany 3 ” 1 Negroe Man Isham 600
8 ” Cash 33 (Total = 730)

To Johnson M. Hancock & Elizabeth his wife formerly Woosley
1835 Jany 3 ” 1 Negroe Woman Keziah 475
1837 Dec 1 ” Cash 50
1839 Dec 9 ” Cash 50 (Total = 575)

I purchased copies of the pages in this probate packet directly from the county clerk in the early 1990s, but no book, box or file number was provided.