Accounting of Estate; Including Amounts For Hire of Negro Slaves

Wilcox County, AL, 1859. Folio, 15.5" x 12.5" folded horizontally through the center. Completely in manuscript with ink on blue paper with lined columns. A full accounting: credits on the left side of the ledger sheet, debits on the right. Docketed on verso; "Estate of Levi H. Seltzer, Dec'd Acct. Current Partial Settlement, 1859. Two small holes along the center fold, possibly where staples were removed, loss of a few numbers, else Very Good.<br /> <br /> The account includes funds for hiring out Negro slaves: "Negro hire for 1857... 452.50... Negro hire for 1857... 76.90. The accounting concludes:State of Alabama, Wilcox County, Personally appeared before me Zo. S. Cook Judge of Probate in and for said county and state, Mary C. Abbott ADMX and J.S. Abbot as Admr of the estate of Levi H. Seltzer decd. /s/ 14 July 1859, Zo. S. Cook, Judge.<br /> <br /> Levi H. Seltzer [1833 - 1853] was the first husband of Administratrix Mary Calloway Parks [Seltzer] Abbot [1834 - 1905]. He died in Wilcox County at age 20. Mary then married James S. Abbott [1825-1893], the Administrator, a Wicox County Baptist preacher, in 1858. Sometime between 1860-1862 they moved to Texas. Judge Zo[roaster] S[elman] Cook was a veteran of the Mexican War an served as Judge of Probate for Wilcox County for about sixteen years. H received a military pension due to his war-related disabilities. See 50th Cong. 2d Session, HR Rep 3747 [1888] reporting on a pension increase for Cook.