Who Was Rilla?

A cousin recently sent me some probate records from Lunenburg County, Virginia.  Included among them were some wills and inventories.  One was the inventory of the personal property of my third-greatgrandfather, Jeremiah Gee who died 8 December 1857.

“Inventory, [illegible] & appraisement of the personal property & Estate of Jeremiah Gee decd made this the 28th day of December 1857:

Paul                                                                                                800.00                                         
Charles                                                                                          850.00
George                                                                                        1,000.00
Richmond                                                                                      850.00          $3500.00
Ann & child Henry                                                                        900.00
Liza & child Louisa                                                                        850.00
Claiborn                                                                                          850.00
Will                                                                                                  750.00          $3350.00
Rosella                                                                                            850.00
Miranda & child John                                                                   800.00
Elvira                                                                                               500.00
Mary Jane                                                                                      300.00
Mary                                                                                                250.00
Rilla worth nothing more than a maintenance                       000.00         $2700.00”[i]
 
Who was Rilla?  According to this inventory she was worth nothing.  Less than an ox cart, valued at $8.  Less than one of his sheep valued at $1.50 each.  Less even than one of the 27 hogs valued at $1 each.           
 
I know nothing about Rilla, other than her name from this inventory.  Did she have children and grandchildren?  When she held them in her lap, when she sang to them, when she touched them - did they see her as worth nothing?  I hope to do some more research to find out more about Rilla.  
 
I struggle with the history of my family and the history of a culture that saw human beings as items of property worth $1,000 or $850 or $250.  I struggle even more with the idea that one of them was worth nothing.
 
I can only strive to do my part to make the world a more equal and just place.   I do this in the name of Rilla.
                                                                                                                


[i] “Inventory of Jeremiah Gee,”  Virginia Circuit Court, Lunenburg County, Virginia.  Inventories book F2, page 315