Loretta Kelldorf wrote, "I find it very interesting that people today are 
having difficulty believing that it was possible  for some slave owners to 
love their slaves as fellow human beings!  They weren't pets. The love I 
have read about was nothing like loving one's pet."
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You are referring to the relatively few wills in which the owner recognized 
the humanity of his slaves and manumitted them. If that had been widespread, 
we would not be having this discussion.

Before 1782 manumission was almost impossible, but a great man named Joseph 
Mayo, hoping a bill would be passed allowing manumission, freed hundreds of 
slaves by his 1780 will. Others like the Pleasants family, Randolph family, 
and Robert Carter freed hundreds of slaves. But where in American history 
books do we call them heroes? What local culture in Virginia considers them 
great men?

Someone should do their thesis on the wills as they are in most cases the 
only surviving record we have of how most masters regarded their slaves. I 
did not take notes since it was not the subject I was researching when I 
read the wills. (I read nearly every colonial and many early state Virginia 
wills looking for mention of free African Americans or wills by free African 
Americans). Years ago a fellow on the Afrigeneas list (Louis Diggs) told me 
he researched his slave ancestors back to slavery times but got so sick when 
he read the wills and inventories of the person who owned his ancestors that 
he had to leave the archives, thinking he would throw up.

Anyone interested in the subject can choose any time period or any county 
and get the wills on interlibrary loan from the Library of Virginia 
delivered to the nearest library to you which has a microfilm reader. 
http://www.lva.lib.va.us/whatwehave/local/local_rec/county_city/index.htm
Take my word for it. They will make you sick.

Paul