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Virginia Pleas before the Circuit Superior Court of Law and chancery for the town of Petersburg on Wednesday the first day of November in the year of our Lord one thousand Eight Hundred and Thirty seven
Be it remembered that heretofore, to Wit: at a Circuit Superior Court of Law and chancery held at the Court House in the town of Petersburg on Friday the fourteenth day of November in the year one thousand and Eight Hundred and thirty four. Came William A. Johnson administrator of all and singular the goods and chattels etc. of Adelia H. Johnson and_ and filed his claim Bill in chancery again [St. or Sir ???] Marcus A. Armistead Advisor of John C. Armistead and, rather in the following words. To Wit:
Bill
To the Honorable Judge of the Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery for the Town of Petersburg: Humbly complaining show unto your Honor your orator William R. Johnson Administrator of all and singular the goods and Chattels, rights and Circuits of Adelia H. Johnson (formerly Adelia H. Armistead) and John Evans Johnson an infant under the age of Twenty one years who sues by the said William R. Johnson his next friend_ The said William R. Johnson being also his guardian, duly appointed and qualified by the County Court of Chesterfield. That the said Adelia H. deceased was the daughter and one of the legal heirs and distributes of John Armistead deceased who died a few years ago, intestate, leaving a widow, and three children, namely the said Adelia H., John R. Armistead, and William H. Armistead and leaving also a large Estate real and personal, of which
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John Armistead died sometime prior to 1834. Armistead's large estate included lands in Virginia and Florida, homes, tools, commodities, and slaves. His will divided the estate between his widow and their three children, including Adelia H. Johnson. Before the estate was settled, Adelia died intestate (without a will). The court determined that her share of the estate would revert to her young son, John Evans Johnson. Her husband, William A. Johnson, represented John, referred to as an infant under 21 years of age throughout the case documents.
In order to account for young John's portion of the estate, it had to be determined with exact details what property remained in the estate. The majority of the documents in this case file consist of an accounting of lands, debts, credits, and various economic activities related to the estate of John Armistead. The value of this case for researchers is in the details contained in the list of property attributed to the estate of John Armistead, a wealthy Virginia planter.
Marcus Armistead administered the estate of John Armistead and agreed to ensure the timely and proper transfer of inheritance to the young John Evans Johnson. Like many other landed elites, the Virginians Latimus and Marcus Armistead came to Florida in search of economic opportunity. They established a trading firm on the Lower Chattahoochee River and later conducted substantial business in Jackson County, Florida. Other members of the Armistead family, including John Armistead, had acquired lands in Jefferson County, Florida by the time of this trial. It is possible that the Armisteads living in Florida requested copies of this document for their own legal purposes, and that the documents later ended up in the files of the Florida Supreme Court.
This case serves to illustrate the economic connections between Florida and other southern states in the 1830s. It also provides a glimpse into the operation of an antebellum Virginia plantation.
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Chicago Manual of Style
Florida Supreme Court. Johnson v. Armistead. 1834. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. <https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/260669>, accessed 28 December 2024.
MLA
Florida Supreme Court. Johnson v. Armistead. 1834. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. Accessed 28 Dec. 2024.<https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/260669>
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(State Archives of Florida/Florida Supreme Court)