The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-07-20
AN OLD SLAVES PROPERTY.
ANTHONY JONEs's RACE FOR Lib
ERTY THIRTY YEARS 400.

ERTY THIRTY YEARS 400,
HE Marriages In the south and In New
York-An Accumulation Of Wealth that
Attracted Lons-Forsottcn Relatives.
Surrogate Calvin decided yesterday the
long pending question Of beirship to the 10000
left by old black Anthony Jones, long time a
servant in the BloomnRd Deaf and Dumb
Asylum. He died three years ago last April
Anthony Jones was born In Virginia. the
slave OF Mr.. william Jones, who lived at " The
Wilderness" Spottsylvania county. Anthony
worked for his master as farm iaborer and In
gold mines. until We ran away. On bis recapture
he was sold to John Ellis, from whom he ran
away and gained his liberty. He arrived in New
York city thirty years ago, and lived here until
his death, a steady. industrious, saving servant.
He left real and personal property, the realty
having so risen In value that 1t was said two or
three wears ago that his estate amounted to
about 10000. He had In the Harlem Savings
Bank t1O6s ~ In the Seamen's Bank for Saw
ings, t2.l00; in money, s2,9i2.70; and held a
mortgage Of $4,000 on uptown property.
Nothing was then known Of old Anthonys
took Preservation session ' Of tho estate. Thereupon sp-
peared a Mr.. Horace Lucy OF Virginia, rs at
torney for black man In Virginia, Isaac Smith,
and black woman in Louisiana. Mrs. Elizabeth
Keaton. They claimed to be brother auu sister
OF the intestate, and urged an immediate allow
moment had the opportunity Of buying lands
advantagsously OF Mr. Lacy and wanted to
secure It and put IN their crops that year !;
that they were In great poverty, had
large families, and were industrious aud
frugal farm laborers. Their attorney remained
here until he wearied OF the tedious delays In
legal DECISIONS and then went baog to virginia
without the money for the land. Meanwhile
black man OF Yazoo CITY, Miss, urgod that he
was a son OF Anthony Jones, and that he bore
the same name, although be had dropped the
n md la IA All am nf har ata
Another claimant was an old black woman liv-
Ing somewhere up the Mississippi river, her
vreinia. slave, and her young missus," Lu-
cinda Gordon, became the wife OF William
Jones, the master OF Anthony. Patsy was
Joness property until she was liberated by the
war.
Long before Lucinda Gordon married Jones,
Anthony had woOed Patsy.,and IL was shown to
the Court that for ak or seven years he paid
her considerable attention, and repeatedly asked
her to marry him, and she at length consented"
They obtained permission to marry, and they
lived In all the copJueality that slavery knew /;
wife, and were faithful TO each other for 10
years. when Anthony ned for freedom. An
thony and Patsy had several children. all of
after mis- fathers nisnt to the North. Anthony
wrote from New York city TO Patsy, inquirinR
portant item In showing the recognition re-
quired to substantiate Anthony. Jr.. as AN heir
Cont Heating the claim Of Patsy as the wife OF
Anthony Jones, we're her other IN Marriages one
before and one after the thirteen years with An
thony. Her hrst martial relation was with =
slave named James Willis, who wss sent South
by hts master. This terminated their relation.
Whether II had been regarded as slave mar
rlage Is not known. Eight or nine years after
Anthonys letter from New York, Patsy beiev-
ing him to be dead was married to Gabriel Mi
nor. her present husband.
Anthony, after arriving In New York, began to
live with another woman as his wife she died
before him, leaving no children. The Surrogate
bad thus four marriage relations to contempt tie.
When n.bony and Patsy were living together
the laws THIS safe held that the marriages OF
slaves we're as valid those OF free persons, and
that their children were legitimate.
The lonR-pendng question. decided by Surrof
gate Calvin, was whether Patsy Is entitled to an
Inheritance as Anthon,'s widow. aud whether
Anthony Smith Is a legitimate son and heir.
The marriage OF Anthony and Patsy, although
respected IN Virginia, was not recognized as
lawful by the statul Of Virginia. but the new
constitution OF virginia iesitimated Ichildren
born as Anthony Smith was.
Surrogate Calvin concluded that Patsy Minor
10 the lawf ui widow Of Anthony Jones, and Is
entitled to one-third Of the personal estate and
"a dover interest 10 the realty; that her sub
seQuent marriage to Gabriel Minor could not
affect the validity Of the marriage relation be-
tween her and the intcstate, particularly as IL
was eight or nine years after. aud she believed
him.dead; also,t Anthony smith IL the lawful
son aud heir OF the intestate, more especially so
under the laws OF virginia Of 1885, which Dro-
and wife and ceased to cohabit before the pas
sage OF that act, all the children Of tho WON an
recognized by TIE man to be his shall bs-dseIn ed
legitimate This recognition being evidenced
by the letter to the wife making inquiry for
their child. II Anthony Jones mad died In Viz
stnia inste-d OF in New York. Virginia's laws
would nave recognized the Anthony, Jr.. as An
thony Jones's child and IL Virginia would have
recognized him. tue courts Of New York GER
tainly ought to. As the result Of this decision,
Isaac Smith and Elizabeth KeatoD, alleged sur.
wing brother and sister OF the interstate, are
not tho next OF kin or entitled to any Of the
estate"