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

Counterfeit Justice: The Judicial Odyssey of Texas Freedwoman Azeline Hearne by Dale Baum
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a very thorough look at the life of Azeline Hearne. Hearne was a freedwoman in Texas who, during the Reconstruction era endured years of lawsuits contesting the will and estate of her former slave owner, Samuel Hearne. Sam Hearne was not only Azeline's owner but her lover as well. They cohabitated during a time when miscegenation was highly frowned upon. They had several children but only one son lived to adulthood. Sam left his estate to his son Dock Hearne with the stipulation that he would support and care for his mother, Azeline, and should Dock precede Azeline in death, the estate would then be left to her.

That is indeed what happened as Dock died in his 30s from smallpox. In the years following the deaths of both men, Azeline was sued by Hearne's extended family and multiple men who all had designs on the Hearne estate, a prosperous cotton plantation in the Brazos River Valley of Texas. These suits were appealed all the way to the Texas Supreme Court. At one time, there were three suits pending with the higher court. The suits would sometimes end in Azeline's favor often being overturned against her. Her final effort was to sue her own lawyer who failed to make sure she was cared for and who also failed to file proper tax documents throughout the years.

Azeline's story is a sad one but one that shows the gumption that she had to persevere for what was intended to be hers and for the human rights of freedwomen in the Reconstruction era.

View all my reviews