"Ordinary Court at Chambers
October 10th 1868
State of Georgia To the Court of Ordinary of
Johnson County said County
Petition of The petition of G W Tapley
G W Tapley of said County respectfully represents
that Jim and Bose Tay colored of said county
are both minors and without any care and protection
stroling {sic} about the country to the great detriment
of the community and in violatin of law
Wherefore your petitioner prays this Honorable
Court to bind and apprentice the aforesaid
minors Jim and Bose Tay colored to your
said petitioner until they become twenty one
years of age and in duty bounds your
petitioner will ever pray ???
Oct 10th 1868 Erastus O Bostick
ptr atty
Upon hearing the petition of G W Tapley
Order of by his attorney E O Bostick
the Court It is hereby ordered by
the court that above named minors Bose and
Jim Tay colored be bound as apprentices
to the said G W Tapley in terms of law
be the said G W Tapley giving bond and
Security in terms of law in such cases
made and provided.
J R L Allen
Ordinary"
(I am not positive that my transcription of Jim and Bose's last name is correct. It could Tay, as I transcribed, or it could be Say or Jay.)
G. W. (George Washington) Tapley was my great-great grandfather. He was the father of James Madison Tapley.
I located the above petition in the court records in Johnson County, Georgia. I do not know the intent behind the petition: Was he genuinely concerned about the boys or, based on the time period, was it a way to keep them bound to slavery?
Based on my research, "Wash" (as he was called) did not have a large number of slaves. In the 1850 Slave Schedule, he is listed as owning one slave: a 14-year-old Mulatto Female. So, again, I do not know his motive for filing the above petition.
Any thoughts or ideas?
No comments:
Post a Comment