In 1855, William Franklin Shackelford's uncle Caleb and aunt Frances filed a bill of complaint against another aunt, Sarah, and a man named Benjamin Matthews over land that had been left to William's great-aunts Nancy, Polly, and Caty in 1810. This complicated case reveals a great deal about the Shackelford family in Culpeper County, Virginia in the late 1700s and early 1800s that would otherwise be unknown.

Next episode: William Franklin Shackelford

Support the show