NameSarah F. Rowzee
Birthabt 1782
Death17 Feb 1802, Essex County, Virginia
Documentation
Know all men by these presents that we William Webb and James Webb are held and firmly bound unto Apphia Rowzee & John Rowzee in the just & full sum of three Thousand pounds, to be paid to the said Apphia Rowzee & John Rowzee, their heirs or assigns: to which payment, well & truly to be made, we bind ourselves, our heirs, exors & admors joinly [sic] & Severally firmly by these presents Witness our hands & seals this 25th of March 1809. The Condition of the above obligation is such that whereas in a suit depending in the chancery District court held in Williamsburg in which Wm Webb in his own right and as admr. of Sarah F. Webb his late wife is plaintiff against Apphia Rowzee widow and executrix of Richard Rowzee decd and John Rowzee & Harriott Rowzee his wife and Apphia B. Rowzee, (the said John & Harriott having intermarried since the institution of the said suit) Defts. the said Harriott & Apphia B. Rowzee having been infants & as such Styled in the said Suit by Apphia Rowzee their guardian, in which said Suit a decree was made by the said court at a court held in Williamsburg the 10th day of April 1807 wherein among other things it was provided that the Slaves of Richard Rowzee decd Should be divided in manner therein mentioned, of whom the said Wm Webb was entitled to a certain portion, but that he was not to be put in possession thereof until the further order of the said Court and was therein decreed that the Deft. Apphia Rowzee should render before master commissioner Coleman an acct. of her administration of the estate of Richard Rowzee decd. to be by him examined stated settled and to the Court reported with any matters specially stated thought pertinent by himself or required by the parties and thereafter on octo: 22d 1808 it was decreed by the said court in the said Suit, among other things, that upon the Plt. the said Wm Webb executing & filing in the office of that court, on or before the first day of January then next, for the use of the deft Apphia Rowzee, a bond to the said Deft in the penalty of two thousand dollars, with Security, and an affidavit verifying the Sufficiency of the said Security, to refund his due proportion of all debts or demands which may appear against the said estate of the said Richard Rowzee and the costs attending the recovery of such debts, the slaves Richmond, Frederick, Sukey & child Henrietta, Simon, Rachel & Child Sukey, William Urusla junr. Phobe, Mortimor Horace & Hoe allotted to the Plt. by the report of the commissioners in the county of Essex, and Alexander, Billy Judah, & children Peter & Lucinda,Winney, Nanny and old man Phil allotted to the Plt. by the report of the commissioners in the County of Culpepper, be on the first day of Jany then next delivered by the deft Apphia Rowzee to the Plt. to be by him held in fee simple and in pursuance of the said decree the said Wm Webb did file the said bond with security as required thereby, and whereas on the said division aforementioned certain slaves of the Richd. Rowzee decd. were allotted to the said Apphia Rowzee for her proportion of the slaves of the said Richd. Rowzee decd. according to his will & testament in which Slaves the said Wm Webb contends he is interested & entitled to a part thereof after the said Apphia Rowzee’s death & in consideration hereafter mentioned the said Wm Webb doth hereby grant & transfer to the said Apphia Rowzee and her assigns all his right & title to the said Slaves & every one of them & the future increase of such of them as are females, the names of the said Slaves will appear among the records and proceedings aforementioned, and in consideration thereof the said Apphia Rowzee binds herself & her heirs to pay to the said Wm Webb & his assigns the sum of one thousand dollars on or before the 25th day of July next for the said Wm Webb’s said right in the said slaves and it is agreed hereby that the said Apphia Rowzee shall on or before on or before [sic] the 1st day of April next deliver to the said William Webb the aforementioned named Richmond, Frederick, Sukey & child Henrietta, Simon, Rachel & child Sukey, William, Ursula junr. Phobe, Mortimer, Horace & Joe allotted to Wm Webb the commissioners in the county of Essex to be held by the said Wm Webb according to the said decree and that the said Apphia Rowzee will on or before the 1st day of april next by deed executed by her to the said Wm Webb assign & fully transfer to the said Wm Webb & his assigns the absolute right & title to the aforementioned Slaves Alexander, Billy, Judah & children Peter & Lucinda, Winny Nanny & old man Phil allotted to him by the report of the Commissions in the county Culpepper, but as the sd Slaves in Culpepper have been hired out by the said Apphia Rowzee for the present year the said Wm Webb or his assigns shall be restrained from exerting any right to take the said Slaves in Culpepper into his possession for the year 1809 until the expiration thereof and in lieu thereof the said Apphia Rowzee agrees to Transfer & assign to the said Wm Webb or his assigns on or before the 1st day of April next the bond taken for the hires of the said Slaves last mentioned, and instead of the said Apphia Rowzee rendering an acct of her administration of Richard Rowzee’s estate before Master commissioner Coleman as directed by the said decree it is hereby agreed between the parties hereto to refer the Settlement of the said accts of the said Apphia Rowzee’s administration of Richard Rowzee’s estate and any advances to the said Wm Webb on that acct to John Jones & John P. Lee, of the County of Essex, Esquires, and in case of their disagreement the said referees to choose an umpire and such awards as shall be made by the said Referees, or by them & the said umprire to be chosen by them, to be binding between the parties, and it is agreed that the said Referees shall meet in the Town of Tappahannock to make such Settlement & award and that the same shall be made and concluded & the awarded be reduced to waiting on or before the first day of January next — and it is also agreed that the said Apphia Rowee shall pay the legal costs incurred in the suit aforementioned, and it is also agreed that neither the Plt or deft shall appeal from any device of the said Court of Chancery heretofore made or hereafter to be made in the said suit or from the award or settlement to be made by the said referees or the said referees & umpire or prosecute any exception thereto: now in case the said Wm Well shall well & truly fulfill & comply with the said agreements herein contained on his part, the the obligation aforementioned to be void, else to continue in force
Signed William Webb, James Webb
Ordered recorded on 19 May 1813.
[Essex County, Virginia, Will Book 17, pages 454–456.]
The estate of Richard Rowzee from 1798 to 1810 in account with Apphia Rowzee, executrix, includes resolution of a legal dispute with William Webb. Mentions slaves in Essex, Culpeper and Orange Counties. “In pursuance of an agreement bearing date the 25th day of March 1809, and hereto annexed between Apphia Rowzee Executrix of Richard Rowzee decd and John Rowzee, who married a daughter of the said Richard, and Dr. William Webb, who also married a daughter of the said Richard … we consider Apphia Rouzee the Executrix indebted to the said Richard Rowzee Estate on the first day of january 1801 (about which time it may be marked that Dr. Webb intermarried with Sally F. Rowzee … The buildings in which the Testator resided at the time of his death & in which he left his widow, and children, were destroyed by fire not long afterwards. They were rebuilt and charged by the widow in her a/c of administration of the Estate — the charge was objected to by William Webb upon the ground that the widow took the Estate until her children were married or arrived at eighteen years of age under the incumbrances imposed by the testator to wit, the education and maintenance of his three daughters, and supported by Mr. John Rouzee on the part of the widow on the ground that the rebuilding of of [sic] the House was not only for the accommodation of herself and children but for the childrens perminent benefit, as the children would take the Estate real as well as personal at her death. We are of opinion that in the settlement of the administration account Dr Webbs objection must be sustained, and have rejected the debit for the buildings …” Settled on 16 November 1811 by Laurence Muse, John Jones, and John P. Lee. [Essex County, Virginia, Will Book 17, pages 457–463.]