Family Friday: Christopher Colbert "Col" Chappell & Wife Cornelia Josephine "Puss" Stanley Chappell

This double portrait of Col Chappell and his wife was posted to her tree by a distant Freeman cousin who's an Ancestry DNA match.* Since my family tree has quite a few Chappells in it, including my 3X great grandmother Sarah Heath Chappell, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Col is also related to me through his father's line.**

Col was born in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, in 1849 and that's where he and Puss were married. They remained in Alabama (where five of their eventual twelve children were born) until about 1882 when they removed to Texas where they lived out their days.

Puss died on 1934 and Col survived her by three and a half years. They are both buried in Lakeview Cemetery in Hall County.

[Posted by their descendant KathyWhitaker51 to her Ancestry family tree]

Here's how we're related:

[Ancestry.com]

*As a 5th - 8th cousin
**I'll have to research his lineage to find out.


© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Family Friday: Augusta Ewing Haugh Hardy & Her Sons

Augusta married James Daniel Hardy* in 1928. The couple had two children, James Daniel Hardy Jr. and George Frederick Hardy.

[Augusta Hardy & Sons, New York, Fall 1938. George Hardy (age 1 1/2), Augusta Hardy, James Hardy Jr. (age 4 1/2).

Posted to the Hardy Family Tree  on Ancestry.com by Charles Hardy]

I just realized that today isn't actually Friday--for some reason I've been a day ahead all this week.



*Who is one of my paternal second cousins, twice removed, and someone whose career merited a biographical memoir published by the National Academy of Sciences. (We'll look at him in a later post.)


© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Happy Wedding Anniversary (15 November 1798) to My 5th Great Grandparents, Elizabeth Ward and John H. Hardy

I got a little carried away tonight and goofed around with Social Explorer (which is free if you just use the Federal Census Data, 1790-abt 1940).  The map shows the move that my 5th great grandparents made after their marriage in Bertie County, North Carolina to (then) frontier Lincoln County, Georgia (this map was used with 1800 Census state and county information)

I finally buckled down and used the Social Explorer site to make custom historical maps for my ancestors - 5th Great Grandparents Elizabeth Ward and John H. Hardy.  There is a learning curve but it is pretty intuitive overall, and they give you a lot of control on making custom maps.

The following is the pricing for this service.  I think if you belong to an institution of higher learning, government, or business you may already have the ability to access this.  In San Diego, for instance, it looks like UCSD has it available at any time by a limited number of students.

I use the free service.  If you pay more of course you get more functionality but even the limited functions are powerful.

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Family Friday: Amanda J. (Hardy), George Bartley & Family - 1895

Amanda is one of my paternal second cousins, three times removed. Our common ancestor is John H. Hardy.*

[Mandy (Hardy) Bartley is standing. Her husband George Bartley is seated holding their daughter, Hazel. The boys, left to right, are Willie and Chester Bartley.   The photo was taken at the Brady and Medaris Studio in Monticello, Illinois, in early 1895. Posted by lorenandkathy on a public Ancestry.com family tree]

This branch of the Hardys left North Carolina for Illinois and that's where Amanda was born in 1869. She married George Bartley in 1887 and together they had four children, one of whom died soon after birth.

Amanda died in Piatt County, Illinois, in 1960, having survived George by 38 years. They are buried in Bement Cemetery in Piatt County.


*Here's our relationship:

[Ancestry.com]

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Family Friday: Anna & Eli Lockhart

This double portrait of siblings Anna Pherebe Lockhart (1840-1897) and her brother Elial Lockhart (1832-1861) was added to their Ancestry.com profiles by "debbiemcl" who is one of my paternal DNA matches.*

[Anna and Eli Lockhart, found on the Ancestry.com tree of debbiemcl]

Anna married Abdy Park Hampton (1836-1902) in Russell County, Alabama, shortly after the start of the Civil War. She and her husband moved to Florida** shortly after the wedding and went on the have six children. They both died in Tampa.

Eli, who never married, died in Tampa in 1861.




*The common ancestors we share are John H Hardy/Elizabeth Ward

[Ancestry.com]

Eli and Anna (using her middle name) were named in an 1857 list of the heirs of John H. Hardy.

["Alabama Estate Files, 1830-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9RGV-32B?cc=1978117&wc=MX5T-7N1%3A314239401%2C315421601 : 24 August 2018), Russell > Hardy, John H (1854) > image 42 of 51;

county courthouses, Alabama.]

**This branch of the Lockhart clan appear to have relocated to Florida as early as 1850.


© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Fantastic Find: "The prehistoric shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico is so fertile you can see it from space"

The Washington Post published a piece about the region of Mississippi and Alabama known as the Black Belt and used this satellite image to illustrate their point:

It is subtle, and it blends in well with the surroundings, and if you are not looking for it there is a good chance you will scan right over it. But once someone points it out on a true-color map, it is impossible to unsee: a crescent of off-hue land in Mississippi and Alabama that is so perfectly-arced it looks unnatural.

[NASA via The Washington Post]

More from the Post's article:

In reality, this arc is super-fertile, cultivated land surrounded by dense forest. It is the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico as it existed 145 million years ago.

[NASA via The Washington Post]

As you can see, Macon County is one of the Alabama counties in the Black Belt and that's where my Warren, Hardy and Freeman ancestors moved as soon as the land was forcibly taken from the Creek Indians. They settled in an area called Cotton Valley which is located in the southern part of Macon County.

[The University of Alabama Department of Geography via TrueSouth.com]

Before intensive agriculture changed the land forever, the Black Belt comprised at least 356,000 acres of open prairie of which only a small fragment remains. Here's more information (with photos) about some of the plants and insects found there.

Cotton Valley proved to be a stopping point on my ancestors' way west as younger generations all moved on to Texas in the 1850s.


© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Warren/Hardy Wedding Announcement in The Tuskegee (Alabama) Republican - 1849

We already knew about the marriage of this pair of paternal great great grandparents but the second paragraph elicited a chuckle from me.

[13 Dec 1849, Page 2 - Tuskegee Republican at Newspapers.com]

Remember the Printer!


© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

From the Probate Files: John H. Hardy - Russell County, Alabama - 1857

In 1857 John Hardy's son-in-law and the executor of his will David Lockhart listed the estate's heirs for the probate court:

["Alabama Estate Files, 1830-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9RGV-32B?cc=1978117&wc=MX5T-7N1%3A314239401%2C315421601 : 19 May 2014), Russell > Hardy, John H (1854) > image 42 of 51;

county courthouses, Alabama.]

The State of Alabama Russell County.
     Personally came David Lockhart Exr
of John Hardy dec'd who being duly sworn doth
depose & say that the within is a true account
of his acts as Executor to the best of his knowl-
edge & belief and that the heirs of the estate are
1  Fereby Lockhart wife of the affiant.
2  Elizabeth Kennon wife of Herry J M Kennon
3  William Hardy of full age
4  The children of Charles Hardy deceased ^all of^ whose names
    and ages are unknown to affiant,
5  The children of Alfred Hardy dec'd viz 1 John Hardy, 2 Martha 
    Warren wife of Jesse Warren, 3 George Hardy, who are
     full age to the best of his knowledge, 4 Sarah Hardy
     minor, 5 the children of Martha Ann Baker de'd viz 1 Cobb Craw-
     ford, by a former marriage & some children by her hus-
     band Baker whose names are unknown.
6  Eliel Lockhart, Elizabeth Lockhart, James Lockhart
     Jane Lockhart. Fereby Lockhart; Eliel & Elizabeth
     being of ull age, the others minors, Jane being
     married to one Bell.
7  The children of Mary Park de'd unknown
8  The children of James W Hardy ^dec'd^ whose names
     and ages are unknown
9  The children of John P Heardy ^dec'd^ whose names ^& ages^ are
     unknown
10 Sarah Guire wife of Lewis Guire
11 William Bennett & Lizabeth Whiteman
     wife of ----- Whiteman of full age
Sworn to & subscribed 31  }
January 1857                      }      David Lockhart
     John A Lewis                }
    Judge of Probate            }

I have bolded my direct ancestors in the above transcription. 

[Ancestry.com]

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

From the Probate Files: John H. Hardy - Russell County, Alabama - 1855

The probate file for John H. Hardy's estate on FamilySearch contains 51 images* among which is this 1855 receipt for $12.50, the cost of making his coffin (and case) on September 25, 1854.

["Alabama, Estate Files, 1830-1976," index and images, FamilySearch.

(https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-23178-3398-77?cc=1978117 : accessed 01 Jul 2014),

Russell - Hardy, John H (1854) - image 16 of 51.]

                                             Opelika Ala

The Estate of 
          John Hardy dec
                   For
1854             Morris Hoggans [??}
Sept 25 For Making Coffin & Case           $12.50

                Rec'd payment by the hands of
          David Lockhart Esq
               Dec 18th 1855
                                         Morris Hoggans**
                                        per H W Rogers





*One of which is deliberately duplicated because the original scan cut off the bottom of the page.
**This is my best guess for the surname--I haven't been able to locate this man in census records.

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Gone for Soldiers: Charles Russell Durfee (1918 - 1944) Marine

Charles Durfee is a fourth cousin, once removed, from my great great grandmother Martha Heath Hardy's line. The common ancestor we both share is John H. Hardy whose 1854 Alabama will I covered last week.

The Hardy clan moved from Alabama to Texas after the Civil War and most stayed there but somehow his mother Anna found her way to South Dakota where she married Aaron B. Durfee in 1916. Charles, their second child, was born two years later.

Charles was listed as a midshipman at the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, appointed on June 11, 1938, from North Dakota.

[Ancestry.com. U.S., Select Military Registers, 1862-1985 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors.

Original data: United States Military Registers, 1902–1985. Salem, Oregon: Oregon State Library.]

He entered the Marine Corps as a 2nd Lieutenant in January of 1942 and was raised to the temporary rank of Captain a year later, serving in the Pacific Theater where he distinguished himself at the Battle of Tarawa, winning the Navy Cross.

[13 Mar 1944, Page 4 - Rapid City Journal at Newspapers.com]

Three months later he was killed during the invasion of Saipan and was awarded the Silver Star posthumously.

[12 Jul 1944, Page 4 - Rapid City Journal at Newspapers.com]

Here's a U.S. Army film about the assault on Saipan.

[Battle of Saipan, Marianas Islands 1944 (1949) US Army; Pacific Island Hopping, World War II]

Here are the details of his actions as given in the citations for the medals:

[Found on the website The Military Times Hall of Valor Project]

He's buried in the Black Hills National Cemetery in Sturgis, South Dakota.

[Ancestry.com. U.S. National Cemetery Interment Control Forms, 1928-1962 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Original data: Interment Control Forms, 1928–1962. Interment Control Forms, A1 2110-B. Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774–1985, Record Group 92. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.]

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Monday Is for Mothers: Frances Johnson (1681 - 1747)

Frances Johnson, one of my paternal seventh great grandmothers,* lived in the same part of North Carolina her whole life.** She survived two husbands*** and so, unusually for the time, was able to make her own will in 1747.

[State Archives of North Carolina MARS, Records of Probate]

In the name of god amen, I Frances Rasorr of Bertie County and Province of North Carolina Widdow Being Sick and
Weak in Body but of Sound and perfect Memory thanks to God almighty for the Same, and Calling to mind the
frailty of human nature and that it is appointed for all men to die I doe therefore make Constitute appoint and ordain
this to Be my Last will and testament in manner and form following first my South, I Recommend my Soul into the hand
of Almighty God that gave it hopeing throughthe Merrits of my Blessed redemer to Receive a Joyfull Resurrection at the
Last Day my Body to be buried in Such Christian like manner, As to my Executors hereafter named Shal Seme meet and
touching Such worldly Estate as it hath pleased Almighty God to Bestow on me in the Transitory world I dispose of thSame in Manner and form following~~
Imprimis  I give and bequeath to ^my Dear & Loving Daughter Elizabeth Hardy the Land & plantation lying on the west Side of the easternmost Swamp of Salmon Creek and on the South Side of the Cross Branch which I give with all the appertenances thereunto belonging to her & to her Disposal forever,
Item  I Likewise give and Bequeath to my Gandaughter frances hardy my great Spining wheel which I give ^to her And to her Disposal
Item  I give to my Son Edward Rasor my Sypress Chest with Lock & key which I give to him & to his Disposal.
Item  I give & Bequeath to my Daughter in Law Elisabeth Rasor one sute of head Cloths hankercheif and Apron which I give to her proper use & Benifit
Item  I ^give to my Son Edward Rasor one Shilling Sterling because he has had his portion already.
Item  I give & Bequeath unto my Daughter Christina Bert[?] my Gold ring If She comes here to fetch it to her own use.
Item  I give & Bequeath the Remaind part of My Estate to my Dear Daughter Elizabeth hardy Which I give her to own proper use
   Lastly I Constitute and Appoint my ^(Son in Law) lamb hardy to be my Executor of this My Last will and testament uterly revoking And Makeing Void all former will or wills by me formerly made Ratifiing and Confirming this & no Other to be my Last will & testament in Witness whereof I have hereunto Sett my hand & fixed my Seal this 20th of April one thousand
Seven hundred & forty Seven  1747

Signed Sealed published
Pronounced and Declared
by the Said Frances Rasor
to be her last will and
testament in the presents 
William W Hardy****
Thomas Todd
Charity Todd

Reading through the bequests, it's clear that my ancestor Elizabeth Hardy was definitely her favorite.

I wonder what was behind the bequest of a "sute of Cloths" to her step daughter-in-law Elisabeth? Perhaps this was a hint that Frances didn't approve of Elisabeth's attire? Also, making the bequest to her daughter Christina (Rasor) Bert[?] of a gold ring conditional on her coming in person to collect it leads me to think there might have been some estrangement.

The exact date of Frances' death is unknown as is her place of burial.


*Here's my descent from her through the Hardys
:

[Ancestry.com]

**Originally Chowan County which Bertie County, North Carolina was divided from in 1722.
***Her first was my ancestor Francis Parrott and secondly Martin Frederick Rasor, whose son Edward isn't hers.
****Because the ink is so badly faded I have had to depend on Ancestry.com's North Carolina Will Abstracts database for the names of the witnesses and the paragraph to the right of the signatures which gives the probate date of December 18, 1748.

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

From the Probate Files: John H. Hardy - Russell County, Alabama - 1854

When this paternal fourth great grandfather John Hardy* made his will in April of 1854 he was 81 and had outlived two wives and a number of his children including my direct ancestor Alfred Ward Hardy.

["Alabama Probate Records, 1809-1985." Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 14 June 2016. County courthouses, Alabama.]

         Will of John Hardy
Russell County
  State of Alabama } I, John Hardy of the State
and County aforesaid being of sound mind
and memory do make and ordain this my last
will and testament as follows. First I direct
that all my just debts shall be paid. Second
I wish and it is my will that my daughter Fer-
aby Lockhurt shall have my horse and buggy
  Third. I wish and is my will that my negro woman
Rachel shall be permitted to live with my children as
she may desire. David Lockhart my son in law is
hereby appointed her Guardian to whose direction
and control I commit her that my will herein ex-
pressed may be performed as the laws of the State
may allow.
 Fifth. After the above special bequests have been made
it is my will that all my property be equally divided a-
mong all my children, the living children of those that
are dead receiving that portion that would belong to the
parents were they living.
  Sixth. I hereby appoint my son Wm Hardy to 
that portion of my property which I have bequeath
ed to the children of my daughter Elenor Lockhart 
deceased. I also direct said Trustee to hold said
property until the youngest living child of the
aforesaid Elenor Lockhart shall be twenty one years
of age or shall marry when I desire that the mon-
ey with the accruing interest to be equally divided
among the legal heirs of my daughter aforesaid
  Seventh I hereby appoint my son in law David
Lockhart trustee for the children of my son James
W Hardy deceased the money to be managed as directed
for the funds of the children of my daughter Elenor Lockhart
  Eighth. I hereby appoint my grandson James W Hardy
trustee for the children of my son John P Hardy deceased
Gabriel Parks trustee for the children of my daughter
mary G Parks deceased, Abram Chappel Trustee for the
children of my son Alfred Hardy deceased, William Bennett
Trustee for the children of my daughter Louisa Bennett
deceased and Mr. Wesson, the present husband of their
mother trustee for the children of my son Charles Har-
dy deceased and these trustees thus appointed are
requested to receive the property of the respective
legatees and to dispose of the same according
to the laws of the State of Alabama. I hereby
/
appoint David Lockhart & John H Lockhart
his son executors to this my last will nad
testament. In witness whereof I hereunto
set my hand and seal April 12th 1854
Test.  David Watson                  }
         Nashe Sledge                   } John Hardy {Seal}
         A B Bennett                     }

The State of Alabama Russell County
   Be it remembered that on this 18th day of
November AD 1854 in the probate Court of said
County personally came David Watson & Abijah B Bennett
two of the subscribing witnesses to the foregoing will of
John Hardy deceased who being duly sworn do depose
and say that they each saw the said John Hardy sign
seal publish and declare the same to be and contain
his last will and testament on the 12th April 1854;
that they each signed the same as witnesses in the pres-
ence of the said John Hardy and that they saw the
other witness sign the same as a witness in the pres-
ence of the said John Hardy and that the said John
Hardy at the time of signing said will was of sound
mind and that he executed the same without any
fears threats or compulsion so far as they know
or believe
   Sworn to 18th November 1854   } David Watson
          Thomas S Tate                     } A B Bennett
                 Judge of Probate

The first thing I noticed while doing the transcription of John's will is that whoever copied the original will into the probate record seems to have left out a section as it jumps from third to fifth.

There are lots more probate records available on FamilySearch so I'll see what else I can find. We know that John owned at least one enslaved person, Rachel. If I can locate the inventory of his estate we'll know more about his other possessions.


*Here's my descent from John H. Hardy.

[Ancestry.com]

© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Gone for Soldiers: Valley Forge Anniversary

It's now 240 years since my paternal great grandfather Abraham Heath (c. 1740-c. 1807) went into winter quarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania) with the rest of George Washington's Continental Army.

[March to Valley Forge - William Trego, Philadelphia, 1883. This painting is now in the collection of The Museum of the American Revolution]

My ancestor's term of enlistment in the Virginia Line of the Continental Army ended in February so he didn't spend the entire winter in Valley Forge. You can read about his life after he went home here and learn the terms of his 1807 Warren County, Georgia, will here.

And here's a reminder of how I'm descended from Abraham Heath:

[Ancestry.com]

© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

From the Probate Files: Susanah* Mrs. Johnson - Chowan County, North Carolina, 1718

We know almost nothing about this paternal eighth great grandmother** but when she made her will on August 13, 1717, she was living in Chowan Precinct in Albermarle County, North Carolina, and had survived her husband William by five years.

[A new & accurate map of the provinces of North & South Carolina, Georgia &c. Drawn from the late surveys and regulated by astronl. observatns. By Eman. Bowen. (London: Printed for William Innys, Richard Ware, Aaron Ward, J. and P. Knapton, John Clarke, T. Longman and T. Shewell, Thomas Osborne, Henry Whitridge ... M.DCC.XLVII). David Rumsey Historical Map Collection]

[Detail of above map showing the location of Chowan]

The first information we found about Susanah's will was through an abstract, but fortunately the North Carolina State Archives has an image of her will which I have transcribed below.

[Abstract of North Carolina Wills [1663-1760] [database on-line]. Ancestry.com]

[Johnson, Susanah, 1718. Office of Secretary of State: Call Number: SS 839 - SS 861

MARS Id: 12.96.13.48 (Folder). North Carolina State Archives]

In the name of God Amen

I Susanah Johnson of the precinct of Chowan In the Collony

of North Carolina Semtress: Being Infirm in body: Butt of

a perfect health of Mind and memory: Prayse be therefore given

to Almighty God - - - -

I do make and ordaine This my last Will and Testament, In

manor and form as followeth - - - -

First I commend my soule Into the hands of Almighty God -

hoping through the merritts and death and passion of my Saviour

Jesus Christ to have full and free pardon and forgiveness of all my

Sins: And to Inherit Everlasting life - - - -

And my body I committ to the Earth to be decently Interred

At the Descretion of my Executrix hereafter named - - - -

And as touching the Dispossall of all Such Temperiall Estates as

itt hath pleased Almightly God to bestow upon me I give and dispose

As followeth - - - -

First I will all my Just debts And funeral Charges be paid and disch-

arged -

Item   I give unto my son William Johnson one Shilling

Item   I give and bequeath unto my grandson Jacob parrott one two year

          heifer - - - -

Item   I give and bequeath unto my granddaughter Susanah parrott*** one two year

          old heifer and one small deale box

Item   I give and bequeath unto my granddaughter Elizabeth Parrott one two year

          old heifer and one popalar box

Item   I give and bequeath unto my beloved friend Mr John Hardy one gold

          ring of Twenty Shillings Value

Item   I give unto my godson Edward Frederick Rasor one two year old heifer

Item   I give and bequeath unto my Daughter Frances Rasor all this my

          my plantation where I now dwell containing Six hundred and forty acers

          unto her the said Frances Rasor And her disposall for Ever

Item   I give and bequeath unto my said daughter frances Rasor all my other

          Potales[?] both personall and reall

Item   I give and bequeath unto my son William Johnson one hundred acers of land

          upon the upper line of my said tract and plantation And two cows & calves

          and two sows and piggs and one deale chest This last Legacy to my son William

          is wholly depending In consideration of the said William coming with his

          wife and children and settling upon the said one hundred acers of land within one

          year after the proving this will, otherwise this Legacy is no ways Intended or given

Lastly  I appoint my beloved daughter Frances Rasor sole Executrix of this my last

             will and testament Utterly Revoking and disanolling all wills heretofore

             by me made. In witness hereof I have hereunto my hand and fixed ring

             seale this 13 of August Anno:Dom 1717

                                         Susanah Johnson

Signed and Sealed

In presence of -

Laurence Sarson

E_____ Z_____ Can?

Patrick Canadas

William Waters

It's clear than daughter Frances is Susanah's favorite; I wonder if William moved his family so he could claim his legacy?

Note: Deal is another name for pine wood; poplar is another kind of wood.

*Although some sources claim that her maiden name is Monteigne, I don't know where that comes from.
**The content of this post is "recycled" from one I wrote on October 15, 2015.

***Granddaughter Elizabeth Parrott, who was about 15 when Susanah died, married Lemuel "Lamb" Hardy, the grandson of "my beloved friend John Hardy" and their great great granddaughter Martha Heath Hardy married my great great grandfather Jesse Thomas Simeon Warren in Macon County, Alabama in 1849.

[Ancestry.com]

© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

From the Probate Files: Feriby/Pheraby Sowell - Bertie County, North Carolina, 1814

Feriby survived her husband Thomas Ward by 17 years.* Although Thomas left his "beloved wife" several bequests outright thereby empowering her "to dispose of as she shall or may think proper" it doesn't appear that she made her own will because the following administration bond for "five hundred Pounds"** executed on February 14, 1814, named her son James Ward the administrator of her estate.

As administrator James was charged with the task of making an inventory of his mother's estate which he had apparently done the previous month, although no values were assigned to the items on the list.

An inventory of the personal proper

ty of Pheraby Ward decd. January 10, 1814

1 Negro woman Sophia,          20 Gals Honey -----

1 Feather bed & furniture,       3 Hives of bees

1 Chest of Cloathes, ----         A quantity of bees wax

6 Shotes, 2 Sows & pigs,

2 Cows and yearlings,            A quantity of Cloth & Thread

3 Heifers, 1 Ewe & lamb,        1 Pair of fire dogs

1 Lot crocre ware,                  1 Bofait [Buffet?] 2 old chests

1 Ax, 2 Tables                       1 Pot and scillet

1/2 dozen chairs ----              Stove [?] ---------    

Cash $7 --------

                                         Jas Ward

This comprehensive list of the items of Feriby's possessions sold on March 4th gives us a better idea of what she owned. (Note that the prices are still given in British currency.)

An Account of the Sale of the Estate of Feriby Ward Decd

Sold March the 4th 1814                                                             

                                                                                £       S      D

5 chears_________________To | James Ward_____|  " |  12 |    6

1 Pewter dish with Bacon___"  |   do       do______|  "   |  15 |   ~

7 Earthen plates___________"  |   do       do_____|      |  12 |   3 

3 Bowl__________________"  |   do       do_____|      |  11 |   ~

1 Pitcher_________________"  |   do       do_____|      |   4 |   6

1 Tureen & Dish___________ | Benjamin Hardy_____|     |    6 |   ~ ***

1 Sugar Dish______________  |   do       do_____|     |   2 |   6

13 Yds Striped Cloth @ 6/3___ | James Ward______|   3 |    1 |  3

4¾ lbs @ 12/lb_____________ |    do     do_____|  2   | 10 |  4½

1 book____________________ |    do     do_____|      |   10|  0

1 bed & furniture___________ | Benjamin Hardy____| 21  |   ~ |   ~

1 glass tumbler____________  | James Ward_____|     |   2 |  0

2 Stocks bees______________ |    do     do_____|     |  15 |  6

3   do     do________________ |    do     do_____|  1 |   12 |  6

5 Gall. Honey _____________ |    do     do_____|  2  |   10 |  0

5 gall. do _________________ |    do     do_____|  2  |   10 |  

5  do  do _________________ |    do     do_____|  2  |  10 |  

5  do balance______________ |    do     do_____|  2  |  10 | 

1 Black cow & yearling______ |   do     do_____|  5  |   15 | 

1 Heifer___________________ |  do      do_____|  5  |   0 |  0

1 do_______________________ |  do      do_____|  4   |   0 |  0

1 cow & calf________________ |  do      do_____|  4   | 12 |  6

1 Bull_____________________ |  do      do_____ |  1  |  10 |  0

1 Ewe & Lamb______________ |  do      do_____|  1  |  10 |  0

2 Sows & 8 pigs_____________ |  do      do_____|  5  |   0 |  0

6 Hogs_____________________ |  do      do_____| 3  |   0 |  0

18 lb Beeswax_______________ | William Jones_____|  1  |  10 |  0

1 Pr. fire Irons_______________ | James Ward_____|  1  |  5 |  0

1 Chest_____________________ | James Ward_____|  "   |    1 |  3

1  do_______________________ |    do     do_____|    |   10 |  0

1 table______________________ |   do     do_____| ~   |  ~ |  6

1½ bushel Wheat_____________ |   do     do_____|     |  15 |  

1 pine Beaufat_______________ |   do     do_____| 2  |   0 |  6

1 Linnen Wheel______________ |   do     do_____|     |  7 |  0

1 Woolen  do________________ |   do     do_____|     |    |  6

1 pot Trammel & hook________ |    do     do_____|     |    |  6

1 Stove_____________________ |  do     do_____|     |     |  6

1 Chest with clothes__________ | Benj. Hardy_____|  1  |  0 |  0

1 Iron pot__________________ | James Ward_____|    |   7 |  6

3 pewter & 1 Silver tea spoons__ |   do      do_____| ~ |  5 |  1

You may recall from last week's post about Thomas Ward's will that his bequest to his wife included an enslaved woman named Sophia. The next page refers to her and since it states that James Ward is paying £4 to "the lowest undertaker" for her maintenance until January 1, 1815, it's clear that Sophia not considered able to be hired out as a worker.

[All documents are from Wills and Estate Papers (Bertie County), 1663-1978; Author: North Carolina. Division of Archives and History (Raleigh, North Carolina); Probate Place: Bertie, North Carolina. Ancestry.com]

Next week I'll take a look at the final accounting James Ward filed with the probate court.

*And her father John Sowell by 58 years.
**The amount of the bond usually was matched to the estimated value of the deceased estate.
***Benjamin Hardy (who is a 5th great uncle of mine) was the husband of Eleanor (Elendar) Ward, the Feriby's youngest child. By the terms of Thomas Ward's will, Eleanor was to eventually inherit the house he had "loaned" to her mother during her widowhood.

© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.