Conditions Governing Use

Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from the Curator of Manuscripts and Rare Books, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Custodial History

This collection was formerly identified as Mss. Acc. 2012.068.

Preferred Citation

Elizabeth Thomas Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.

Scope and Contents

Court documents relating to Elizabeth Thomas of Montgomery County, Maryland. Documents concern a court case about Thomas's will, in which she attempted to free persons she had enslaved, which was contested by members of her family. Includes the proceedings of the case as well as letters written into the record from members of the community.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Maryland--History--19th century--Sources
• Slavery--Maryland
• United States--Slavery