"Richmond County Court 7th of March 1715/1716
"Fredro sett free
"Cornelius Edmunds this day brought before this Court one Peter Fredro, a Portuguese, whom he bought as a Servant for the custom of the Country of one Samuell Brown, merchant, to have the opinion of the Court whether the said Brown had power to sell the said Fredro for a Servant, the said Fredro alledging that he came into the County in the quality of a freeman; And the said Samuell Brown who sold the said Fredro, appearing this Court upon full hearing the arguments on both sides, doe adjudge that the said Fredro is a freeman, it being unanimously the opinion of the Court that the said Fredro was fraudulently brought out of his own Country, And it is ordered by this Court that the sd Fredro doe repair to the Hon[ora]ble the Governor for his Honour's Judgment which said Brown shall be oblidged to carry or cause him to be conveyed back to ?Teriadra from whence he was brought or that he shall remain as a freeman in this Colony." (1)
(1) Ruth Sparacio and Sam Sparacio, Richmond County, Virginia Orders 1714-1715 (McLean, Virginia: The Antient Press, 1998), 93, citing Richmond County, Virginia Order Book 6:388.