In November 1906, Samuel H. Vick sued Henry E. Hagans of Goldsboro, North Carolina, for a $210 debt — two personal loans Vick had made to Hagans earlier in the year. Hagans did not file an answer to the complaint, and a judge entered a default judgment.

Eight years earlier, Vick’s parents Daniel and Fannie Vick had borrowed money from Hagans, a debt their son repaid.