Title:Counterfeit Justice: The Judicial Odyssey of Texas Freedwoman Azeline Hearne

For many of the forty years of her life as a slave, Azeline Hearne cohabitated with her wealthy, unmarried master, Samuel R. Hearne. When Sam died shortly after the Civil War ended, he publicly acknowledged his relationship with Azeline and bequeathed his entire estate to their twenty-year-old mulatto son, with the provision that he take care of his mother. When their son died early in 1868, Azeline inherited one of the most profitable cotton plantations in Texas and became one of the wealthiest ex-slaves in the former Confederacy. Baum traces Azeline’s remarkable story, detailing her ongoing legal battles to claim and maintain her legacy.

Louisiana State University Press (2009)

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