Return of Slaves 1845

Recently I came across the flollowing document and thought it might be of interest to others. It was found in Livingston County Deed Book HH, page 95, and is dated February 1845.

"Mrs. Ellender Burgess widdow of Dempsey Burgess dec'd under the Act of Assembly of the Kentucky Legislature approved March 2d 1844 relative to the rights of [illegible] would here return to the Livingston County Court Clerk's Office, the county in which I reside, That I hold a life estate on the following Slaves and have them in possession, Towit:

"Esther, a woman, aged thirty four years yellow complexion, Mary, a woman aged Thirty Two years, rather dark Complexion, Warren, a man aged Twenty Nine years, very dark skin, Lewis, a Boy aged fourteen years, yellow, Isabel, a Girl aged fourteen years, yellow, Peter a boy aged Thirteen years Black, Joe a Boy aged Twelve years Black, Rachel a Girl aged Eleven years black, Henry a Boy aged Nine years light, Mary Elizabeth a Girl aged Seven years dark, George a Boy aged Seven years black, Dempsey a Boy aged Two years Yellow, Abram a Boy aged one year light - all belonging to the Estate of said Dempsey Burgess dec'd. Witness my hand this [blank} day of February 1845. [signed] Ellender (X her mark) Burgess. Witness Test: J.E. Smullen, Test: Sharrad Barron.

James L. Dallam, Clerk of Livingston County Court, certifies that the foregoing Return of Slaves by Mrs. Ellender Burgess was on this day filed in his office and ordered to be recorded. 20 March 1845 [signed] James L. Dallam."

Published 15 March 2023, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog, http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/

Dunn - Boyd Marriage Contract

 

A marriage contract was often signed by parties planning to marry in order to protect assets from a previous marriage. These marriage contracts are usually recorded in the deed books in Kentucky. The following marriage contract between Mr. M.F. Dunn and Mrs. Susan E. Boyd is recorded in Livingston County, Kentucky Deed Book 7, page 93.  The contracting couple did marry on the 27^th day of September 1868.[1]

Article of Agreement made and entered into this 23^rd day  of September 1868 between M.F. Dunn and Susan E. Boyd, both of Livingston County, Kentucky as a marriage contract …  Witnesseth, that whereas sd. parties have entered into an agreement to become joined in the bans of matrimony, Now for the purpose of Securing to the sd. Mrs. Susan E. Boyd her property both Real and personal, It is hereby agreed and understood between the properties, that when sd. Marriage is consummated, that all  her property both real and Personal Shall be  hers, as though she was a feme-sole [sic] and the Marriage shall not invest the sd. M.F. Dunn in any manner, or give any interest in any of her property that she may now own or may hereafter acquire whatever.   Given under our hands … [signed] M.F. (X his mark) Dunn, Susan E. Boyd.  Attest: Randolph Noe, M.P. Dunn.

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[1] Livingston County, Kentucky Marriage Register 1839-1877, p. 263.

Published 28 Feb 2023, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog, http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/

News Around Town 1920

 The fastest way to get a peek into the lives of our ancestors, take a look at community news in the local newspaper.  You may learn who was visiting and where, who had a new baby plus find many other clues in identifying the family of your ancestors. The following items can be found in the 9 July 1920 issue of the Crittenden Press.

 Mr. and Mrs. Kerby Butler of Salem passed through town Monday enroute to Denver, Colo., where they have gone to spend the summer, having gone on account of his health.

 Mr. and Mrs. Fred Crayne, of Ridgeway, Illinois are the proud  parents of a 10 pound boy. Mrs. Crayne was formerly Miss Lillian Gass, of this city.

 Mr. and Mrs. I. Gass have just returned from a visit to Ridgeway, Illinois.

 William and John Akin Wilson of Boonesville, Ark. Have been the guests of their cousin, Mrs. Gus Taylor.

 Mrs. W.L. Hunter and children left Friday for Akron, Ohio where they will join Mr. Hunter who is at work there.

 Mrs. J.T. Birchfield and daughter, Miss Ruby, left Friday for Akron, Ohio, where they will visit Mrs. Joe Hunter.

 Mr. L.M. Sisco, who has been on a prospecting trip in West Virginia for some weeks, is expected home in the next few days.

Mrs. Ettie Moore and daughter, Anna, and son, William, spent last week in Carterville, Illinois, guests of Clarence Moore and family.

Published 14 Feb 2023, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog, http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/

Fact or Fiction?

 In my family, my great-grandfather, James Pinkney Joyce (born 1835 Lawrence County, Tennessee – died 1881 Hardin County, Illinois) served in the Union Army during the Civil War. He left Tennessee with his family, traveled to New Madrid, Missouri, where he enlisted in the 2^nd Illinois Cavalry. 

Here is where there is a crimp in the data.  Every relative who knows of James P. Joyce, “knows” he traveled at night and when he stopped, he turned his wagon around, facing south as if indicating the family was going in that direction. He was facing conscription and should not, by military rules, have been going North toward the federal army. I first heard this account from my father, who seemed to be the “keeper of stories” in my Joyce family.  The same story was repeated to me by other family members through the years.

My question to you is do traditions ever truly go from just traditions to fact and, at what point does that happen?  Is it when the majority of people decide it must be fact or is it not until you find documentation indicating it truly happened?

Just to mix things up, how do you reconcile that it may be only partially true?  For example, I found an account of another family that states James P. Joyce’s family apparently traveled to New Madrid County with him, but from there they were under the protection of another family as they traveled on to Hardin County, Illinois.    Does this throw us back to square one?   Remember the goal is to find the truth.

Originally published here 12 March 2020, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog, http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/

Thou Shall Not Labour on Sunday ...

 In the 1800s performing work and labor on the Sabbath was frowned upon and usually resulted in being brought before the court and fined. The following cases are found in Crittenden County Circuit Court case files, Accession #A1994-267, Box 4, Bundle 21, Dept for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort, Kentucky.

 Presentments against William Walker and Jeremiah Dunning are listed in Crittenden County Circuit Court Order Book A, page 307, 26 May 1847, but the details of the case are found only in the case file. Rarely did anyone get away with laboring on Sunday as there was always a nearby neighbor willing to report the offenders.

 The Grand Jurors … at the May term of the Crittenden Circuit Court in 1847 present that William Walker, yeoman, on the 9^th day of March 1847 did … violate and break the Sabbath by performing work and labour on the Sabbath, in his usual avocation: taking coal from the pit and transporting it to a place of deposit for sale; labour not being the ordinary household business or labour of necessity, or charity.

Information given by T.S. Phillips and John W. Phillips.

The Grand Jurors … at the May term of the Crittenden Circuit Court in 1847 present that Jeremiah Dunning, yeoman, on the 9^th day of May 1847 … did violate and break the Sabbath day by … labouring at his usual business: packing timber for making staves, the work or labour not being the usual or ordinary household and domestic business nor work of necessity or charity.

Information given by Bennett Crouch, yeoman.

Originally published 1 July 2021, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog, http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/

Land Patenting Process in Kentucky

Originally published 15 Feb 2017 and re-published 9 Jan 2023.

Acquiring land through the patenting process in Kentucky consists of the following steps:

1.  The Warrant - authorizes a survey. There are four types of warrants: Military Warrants, Pre-emption Warrants, Treasury Warrants and Exchange Warrants.  Warrants could be traded, sold or assigned.

2.  The Entry - signals the intention of filing for a patent and contains the name of the person wanting to patent the land, the type of warrant authorizing the survey and the date of the entry. The date can be very important, especially when there were conflicting claims on the same land.

3.  The Survey - describes the metes and bounds of the land and names the closest watercourse. The only exception to this surveying method is in the Jackson Purchase, which uses sections, townships, ranges in their surveys. The survey includes the names of the surveying party (chain carriers and markers).

4.  The Grant (Patent) - final step in the patenting process. The grant lists the name of the recipient of the land, date of the survey,  type of warrant, description of the land and date of the grant was issued. The grant could not be assigned.

Sources:

"Land Distribution in Kentucky," Kentucky Dept. for Libraries and Archives leaflet, Dec. 1995.

"The Kentucky Land Grant System," Saddlebag Notes, Technical Leaflet, The Circuit Rider, Historical Confederation of Kentucky, Vol. 13, No. 3: May/June 1990.

"Non-Military Registers and Land Records," Kentucky Secretary of State Website , accessed 17 Jan 2017.

Written In Stone Doesn't Make It Right

William Shewmaker and Mary "Polly" Adams were my 3rd great-grandparents. They married 29 Aug 1809 in Caldwell County, Kentucky and sometime between 1820 and 1830 they migrated across the Ohio River and settled in the part of Pope County, Illinois that is today Hardin County, Illinois.

William and Polly had several children, including my 2nd great-grandmother, Elizabeth Shewmaker, who was born about 1810 Kentucky. Elizabeth married Abraham Womack 26 Nov 1831 in Pope County and died after 1870. Elizabeth is buried in Good Hope Cemetery in Hardin County, while her parents and other relatives are buried in Lavender #1 Cemetery in Hardin County.

Buried next to William and Polly Shewmaker in Lavender #1 Cemetery  is a daughter, Mary.  Very little is known about Mary except she never married and lived with her parents all her life. According to her tombstone,  Mary, age 66,  died 8 Nov 1882, just slightly more than a month before the death of her mother, who died 27 Dec 1882.

 

Mary Shewmaker

Died Nov. 8, 1882, 

Age 66 yrs

Because the death dates  of Mary and her mother, Polly, were so close, I had wondered if there was an epidemic of some disease in the area, but I found nothing to indicate that to be true. Nevertheless, I kept on looking and just recently while reading old issues of the Hardin County newspaper guess what was found -   a death notice for Mary Shewmaker, who died 8 November 1881, age 67 years, 7 months and 7 days. [1] The death date on her tombstone was off by a year!  The death notice would have been generated shortly after Mary's death and carries more validity that a tombstone that may have been created long after her death. 

Hardin County, Illinois Independent 18 Nov 1881, p. 5

I think it is safe to say that just because a date is written in stone, it is not necessarily true. I am happy to have verification of her date of death.

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[1] Death notice of Mary Shewmaker, Hardin County, Illinois Independent, Fri., 18 Nov 1881, p. 5.

Published 15 Aug 2019 and re-published 4 Jan 2023, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog