Azeline Hearne (c. 1825-1890?), was an American

slave Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

who was freed while she was in her 30s of her life, and became famous for the numerous lawsuits brought against her during the

Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in History of the United States, US history that followed the American Civil War (1861-65) and was dominated by the legal, social, and political challenges of the Abolitionism in the United States, abol ...

. Hearne was briefly one of the wealthiest landowners in Texas before being reduced to poverty through civil lawsuits considered by modern-day historians as unfair.

Biography

During her time in

slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

, she cohabited with her white slave owner, Samuel R. Hearne, for whom she bore four children. In 1853, the Hearnes moved to

Robertson County, Texas Robertson County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 16,757. Its county seat is Franklin. The county was created in 1837 and organized the following year. It is named for Sterling C. Robertson, ...

. Upon his death in 1866, Sam Hearne bequeathed his estate to their twenty-year-old son with the provision he take care of Azeline. When the son subsequently died during the yellow fever epidemic in 1868, Azeline, as the sole legate, inherited his estate. Her inheritance made her one of the "wealthiest landowners in the county." In addition, Benjamin Brown, when he was supposed to help protect her holdings, committed fraud against Hearne, opening her up as an "easy target for predatory whites. The white members of Hearne's family filed a claim to the land immediately after Sam Hearne died in 1866. In the years that followed, Azeline Hearne was sued numerous times over the estate, including once by her own lawyer, and became the first freedwoman to be party to three separate civil suits that were appealed all the way to the

Texas Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Texas (SCOTX) is the court of last resort for civil matters (including juvenile delinquency cases, which are categorized as civil under the Texas Family Code) in the U.S. state of Texas. A different court, the Texas Court o ...

, as well as the first freed slave in

to be indicted on charges of

perjury Perjury (also known as forswearing) is the intentional act of swearing a false oath or falsifying an affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to an official proceeding."Perjury The act or an insta ...

. Hearne's case has been cited as a typical example of the unfair treatment received by former slaves in the post-Civil War south. By the end of her life, she was forced to live in poverty and survived through help from her neighbors. Her last court case was lost in 1884, taking the rest of the land she had.

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Biography

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