| Legal | 27 May 1767 | was identified As being the son of Kate Butler by William Simson in his deposition At the Provincial Court on 27 May 1767. The 69 year old Simson said that he & Ned Butler, one of William Neale's slaves, had played together As children & were About the same Age [Provincial Court Judgments 1770-1, 241-2]. Edward was A slave who belonged to Francis Hamersley on 13 JUN 1738 when he was convicted by the Charles Co. court of stealing A large quantity of cloth valued At 2,080 pounds of tobacco from the storehouse of Richard Gildart. The court ordered that he sit in the pillory for one hour & receive 39 lashes. (Since this was A capital offense, he could have received the death penalty). In AUG 1749 he petitioned the Charles Co. court for his freedom from William Neale. The court ordered that Richard Edelen, Mary Ruthorn, Mary Jameson, & Thomas Osborn be deposed for the next session of the court in NOV 1749, but the outcome of the case was not recorded [Court Record 1734-9, 474; 1748-50, 414]. (Perhaps the case was held in Adjoining St. Mary's Co. whose colonial court records have not survived.) Edward was sentenced to death for robbing Trinity Parish Church but was pardoned by the Governor on 13 May 1754 [Archives of MD 31:32]. He may have been the husband of Susannah (Proctor?) Butler, A free woman, who was sued by William Neale (Edward Butler's master) for A debt of 1,631 pounds of tobacco in NOV 1753. She was Also sued for A debt of 1,662 pounds of tobacco by William Parker in Charles Co. court on 9 MAR 1756. Most of the debt was for 1,500 pounds of tobacco which Parker paid for her to Thomas Clark, Esquire. She was identified As A "Molatto" in Parker's Accounts, called A spinster in the court document, & called A widow on 14 MAR 1758 when she had A counter suit Against Parker. He sold her security which consisted of 3 cows & 2 calves, 2 steers, 7 shoats, A bed, dishes, & other household items for 3,113 pounds of tobacco [Court Record 1753-4, 186; 1755-6, 423-4; 1756-7, 161, 404; 1757-8, 149] | | | |
