Accomack County's sixteenth book of court orders begins with the court held on 7 September 1731, and ends on 3 February 1736/37. During this period the justices determined the fates of fornicators, thieves, orphans and murderers. And the clerk, for the first time in more than thirty years, recorded depositions; in them witnesses described the birth of a fair-skinned slave girl and the death of a violent slave man. The majority of cases were far more mundane, however. In a typical court session, four to six justices dealt mainly with debts and debtors who, likely as not, failed to appear. The introduction spotlights the more interesting, revealing or unfortunate incidents found among the court orders issued during those years. These pages comprise a fascinating collection of accounts of the jail; church; assault; fatal accidents and murder; fornication and bastardy; health issues; orphans; property crimes; roads, bridges and land; scandalous words; servants and slaves; taxes and the economy. Much can be learned about the justice system, incarceration, orphans and servants, old age and sickness, religion, household items, and more. This chronological collection of court orders is attractively presented and includes a fullname plus subject index.
JoAnn Riley McKey
2007, 5.5" x 8.5", paper, index, 426 pp.
ISBN: 9780788442902
101-M4290
