Vanessa, 

I just looked at the case (Powhatan County Chancery Cause 1861-001, William C. Netherland vs EXRS of Isham Ball) and the slave division was exactly as I wrote you earlier; in fact, it is a textbook case.  Since the estate had plenty of cash money, the adjustment were made at the time of the distribution rather than someone having to pay out of pocket. 

Two FYI's in case you don't know:  Just because it was a Chancery suit does not mean it was litigious.  This suit involved "infants" (minors) and the suit was initiated to protect their interests since they were not specifically named in their grandfather's will-- everyone seemed very agreeable.  Also, "infant" meant any child under the age of 21, even one aged 20 years and 364 days.  In this case, at least some of the infants are described as "of tender years," so they really were children.

Kathy in Charlotte County

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