It was a suit to enforce the Wills. The wills probably violated the rule against perpetuities and should have been declared void, but the VA Court in 1799 danced around that issue and upheld the wills, and freed the slaves. ---- Paul Finkelman President William McKinley Distinguished Professor of Law Albany Law School 80 New Scotland Avenue Albany, NY 12208 518-445-3386 (p) 518-445-3363 (f) [log in to unmask] www.paulfinkelman.com ________________________________ From: John Philip Adams <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] Sent: Wednesday, August 1, 2012 9:44 AM Subject: Re: [VA-HIST] Pleasants v. Logan This sounds like a really great case. FREEING of slaves by a Va. Court. What was the cause of action to initiate this case. Thanks JP Adams Texas -----Original Message----- From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Michael Nicholls Sent: Tuesday, July 31, 2012 2:14 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Pleasants v. Logan The case of Pleasants v. Logan in the High Court of Chancery at the end of the 18th century that forced the heirs of John and Jonathan Pleasants to free slaves they had inherited is well known. Can any one direct me to any work that has been done on the individuals who were freed as a result of that case. Thank you--Mick Nicholls Michael L. Nicholls Professor of History, Emeritus Dept. of History Utah State University Logan, UT 84322-0710 [log in to unmask] ______________________________________ To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html ______________________________________ To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html ______________________________________ To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html