Andy, Margaret, and Charlotte were enslaved under the estate of which Josephine and M.G. Barnett inherited, and that David Shanks managed as guardian. Plans were made to hire out Charlotte to J.M. Thomas, Margaret to A.M. Lanz, Andy to William L. Walton. However, by order of the Roanoke County Court, these three enslaved people were to be given to Ann R. Earnest (formerly Ann Barnett), as part of her dowry following the death of Charles L. Barnett.
In Common Law Book F, Ann was charged with larceny. She was refused bail and her trial was delayed until the next term. Her trial was later deferred again, and her bail was set at $100.00. She was eventually found guilty of petit larceny, and she was sentenced to two months in jail.
Ann was listed in the register as having a "yellow complexion" and two burn marks on her right arm. She was 5 feet 4.5 inches tall. In Common Law Book E, her appearance was described in the same manner.