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." --------------- 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