From the Probate Files: The Watts Surname in Morgan County, Georgia - Part 2, Littleberry Watts

In last week's first dip into the Watts family in Morgan County in my attempt to discover who were the parents of Timney P. Watts Warren Phillips we were able to cross Conrad and Mary Watts off the list but a second look at the probate records turned up a name I'd missed before because the ink was badly faded: Little Berry Watts. And there are quite a few records for us to examine.

["Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G93L-5SFG?cc=1999178&wc=9SYY-MNY%3A267727201%2C267727202 : 20 May 2014), Morgan > image 18 of 441;

county probate courthouses, Georgia.]

Let's start at the beginning with the Administration Bond that required by the Probate Court in January/February 1818 because no will had been found.* The amount of the bond ($15,000) reflects the estimated value of the estate.

["Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L93L-59JG?cc=1999178&wc=9SYY-MNY%3A267727201%2C267727202 : 20 May 2014), Morgan > image 52 of 441;

county probate courthouses, Georgia.]

Georgia                    } Know all men by these presents that we
   Morgan County    } Archibald Watts & John Baliley & 
Thomas M Carton are held & firmly bound unto the Judges of the
Court of ordinary of Morgan County in the Sum of Fifteen
Thousand Dollars which payment well and truly to be paid maid
We bind our selves our heirs Do firmly by these presents Sealed
by our Seals and dated this 26 day of January 1818
Conditioned that the whereas the above bound Archibald
Watts & John Bailey have this day obtained letters of 
Administration [..?..] and the estate of Littleberry
Watts late of Said County Dec'd Now if the Said 
Archibald Wats & John Bailey Shal faith fully
discharge the Trust reposed in them as afore Said then
this obligation to be Void else to remain in full force
Leave
   Tert[?]                                  Archibald Watts  {Seal}
   John Nisbet Clk                   John Bailey  {Seal}
                                                Thomas M Carton  {Seal}

      Recorded the 26 January 1818
          John Nesbit Clk

Everything must have seemed in order after that and Littleberry's probate might have been expected to proceed but unfortunately Archibald Watts** died a few month later and another person had to post a bond before replacing him. That man was Pleasant Watts who later posted another bond as guardian of two orphan children of Littleberry Watts, Mahaley Ann and Emily Watts.

["Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-893L-5SS4?cc=1999178&wc=9SYY-MNY%3A267727201%2C267727202 : 20 May 2014), Morgan > image 73 of 441;

county probate courthouses, Georgia.]

I haven't seen any mention of any other minor children of Littleberry and since Timney would have been 15 in 1818 her name would have appeared in the probate files. Later records list annual expenses paid by Pleasant Watts on behalf of Mahaley and Emily only. On the basis of that I think we can add (this) Littleberry Watts to the list of people who aren't in my direct line.

As to the identity of the two other men who joined Archibald in the original Administration--there are several John Baileys to choose from in Morgan County and Watts men seemed to have a habit of choosing Bailey wives; I didn't locate a Thomas M. Carton.



*Much of the same wording is used today in the current bond form from the Georgia Probate Court.
**Possibly one of his Littleberry's sons or a brother but further research would be needed to confirm the relationship.



© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

From the Probate Files: The Watts Surname in Morgan County, Georgia - Part 1, Conrad Watts

According to her obituary in the Southern Christian Advocate, my great great great grandmother Timney P. Watts Warren Phillips was born in Morgan County, Georgia, in 1803. Since Morgan County wasn't carved out of Baldwin County* until 1807** that's not historically correct but in any case her family would have been living on what was then Georgia's western boundary facing what were still Creek Indian lands.

[Indian land cessions in the United States, comp. by Charles C. Royce, with introduction by Cyrus Thomas.

Library of Congress Geography and Map Division Washington, D.C.]

[Madison became the county seat of Morgan County in 1809.Detail of above map.]

The first U.S. Census in 1790 lists a number of Watts households in Georgia in several different counties (which may be helpful when and if we have a better idea of who we're looking for). There are no known records from Georgia for the 1810 U.S. Census.

I decided to look at Morgan County probate records to see if I could sort out the various Watts households.

There's a probate record for a Conrad Watts--an 1821 inventory and sale of his goods and property-- whose widow's name was Mary/Polly. I think this 1820 census record for Captain Pace's District in Morgan County probably refers to her.

[1820 U S Census; Census Place: Capt Paces District, Morgan, Georgia; Page: 148; NARA Roll: M33_10; Image: 85. Ancestry.com. 1820 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Original data: Fourth Census of the United States, 1820. (NARA microfilm publication M33, 142 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.]

Because Mary Watts is named as the head of household, Conrad must have died before the date of the enumeration.*** And here's how Ancestry.com transcribes the members of her household by age. Timney would have been almost 17 at this point, a year or two older than the girls living with Mary so I think we can cross Conrad and Mary off the list of her potential parents.

[Ancestry.com]

When I began this post Conrad Watts was the first and only Watts I saw on the index to this set of probate records. But on closer inspection you can see there's another Watts near the top of the page which I overlooked because the ink recording his name is very faded: L[ittle] Berry Watts.

["Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-893G-79RL?cc=1999178&wc=9SYB-MNL%3A267727201%2C267750401 : 20 May 2014), Morgan > image 17 of 501;

county probate courthouses, Georgia.]

And there are a lot of probate records relating to Little Berry Watts' estate. Come back next week and we'll give him a closer look.




*Baldwin County was formed May 11, 1803, out of Creek Indian land that had been ceded in the 1802 Treaty of Fort Wilkinson.
**Along with Jones, Putnam and Randolph (later changed to Jasper) Counties.
***The "Free White Person - Males - 45 and over:' is probably an older relative who doesn't qualify as the household's head.


© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Monday Is for Mothers: Timney P. Watts (1805 - 1863) - Who Were Her Parents?

There was a time when we thought they were Jacoby Watts and Elizabeth Harrison but we never found any evidence of it except for the surname. So that proposed relationship went from "speculative" to "doubtful" and was duly purged from our family tree.

Now we think there's a possibility that a man named Thomas Watts, a Morgan County* neighbor of Timney and Jesse Warren Jr., who was appointed administrator of Jesse Jr.'s estate, could be a relative of Timney, perhaps even her father or brother.

Here are the probate records setting a bond of $12,500 and naming Thomas Watts as administrator.

Georgia              }
Morgan County }

     Know all men by these presents that we Thomas
Watts William Stocks & Benjamin S ogletree are
held and firmly bound by their honors the Justices of
the Inferior Court sitting in a Court of ordinary for
Said County and their Successors in Office in the just
and full Sum of Ten thousand Dollars five hundred
Dollars for the payment of which sum to the said parties
and their successors we bind ourselves our heirs executors administrators
In the whole and for the whole ^sum^ Jointly and severally and formaly
by these presents Sealed with our Seals and dated this third
day of July 1826 This condition of the above obligation
Is Suck That if the above named Thomas Watts administrator
of the goods chattles and credits of Jesse Warren late of
this County deceased do make a just and true ^& perfect^  inventory

["Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G93L-59PL?cc=1999178&wc=9SYY-MNY%3A267727201%2C267727202 : 20 May 2014), Morgan > image 174 of 441;

county probate courthouses, Georgia.]

of all  ^Singular^ the goods chattles and credits of Said deceased
which have or shall come to the hands possession or knowledge of
Said administrator or into the hands or possession of any
other person or persons for him, and the same so made to
exhibit into the Said Court of Ordinary when he shall
be thereunto required and such goods chattles and credits do
well administer according to law and to make a true and 
just account of his actings and doings therein when he shall
there unto be required by the Superior Court or the Court of ordinary
for Said County and all the rest of the goods chattles and credits
which shall be found remaining uppon the account of the Said administra
tion the Same being first allowed by the Court shall deliver
and pay to such person or persons respectfully as are entitled to the sum
by law and If Shall hereafter appear that any last will and 
testament was made by the said deceased, and the same 
be proved before the Court, and the executors affirm 
a certificate of the probate thereof and the Said Thomas Watts
do in Such case, if required, render and deliver up said letter
of administration then the obligation to be void or remain in
full force.
     Signed Sealed and acknowledged                  Thomas Watts [Seal]
           in Open Court                                           Wm Stocks [Seal]
                                                                             Benjamin S Ogletree
                               
                                  Recorded this 7th October 1826
                                     John W Porter C.C.O.

Thomas Watts was one of a number of men with the Watts surname in Morgan County. There are several other probates naming Thomas Watts as either an administrator or a guardian of an orphan and I'll be examining them in hopes of teasing out the relationships of the Watts family members in future posts.

In the meantime, here's the signatures to an 1823 bond and letters of administration issued to Pleasant Watts for the estate of a man named John Bailey. As you can see, three out of the four are named Watts.

["Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G93L-59YL?cc=1999178&wc=9SYY-MNY%3A267727201%2C267727202 : 20 May 2014), Morgan > image 126 of 441;

county probate courthouses, Georgia.]

*Morgan County, Georgia, was where Timney P. Watts and Jesse Warren were married. Since we know that Jesse Jr.'s family ties were in Hancock County, it seems likely that Timney's were in Morgan.

© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Monday Is for Mothers: Timney P. Watts & Jesse Warren Jr.

My paternal fifth great grandparents Jesse Warren Jr. and Timney P. Watts were married on December 24, 1824* in Morgan County, Georgia.

[Morgan County Marriage Book, 1821 - 1835. Marriage Books, Morgan County Ordinary Court, Georgia Archives.]

Jesse Jr. died on January 6, 1826, just over two years after their marriage leaving his widow Timney and their 3½ month old son, my ancestor Jesse Thomas Simeon (J.T.S.) Warren.

*Although it may seem strange to us to have a wedding on Christmas Eve, we have to remember that the Christmas customs we're familiar with date from the mid-19th century and later.



© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

New Ancestor Discoveries Notes: How Are We Related to Linnie Brantley? Some Clues...

Mom's current "New Ancestor Discoveries" on AncestryDNA.  I haven't figured out how/if we are related to any of them, but did find some interesting clues with location and DNA matches.

I am having a hard time figuring out how I'm related to these New Ancestor Discoveries.  Since Linnie Brantley was a hint for both my mother and me, it seemed like a good fairly confident guess on Ancestry's part and worth pursuing.

Linnie also makes it into my New Ancestor Discoveries (I only have 3).

I blurred the DNA matches, but I didn't recognize them enough to see a direction to go in.  It does seem that Mom is part of this group in some way.  Maybe it is the Morgan man that Linnie married?

Linnie's cumulative "life story" location trajectory (Raleigh/Orange, NC to Blount/Jefferson/Walker, AL) isn't ringing any bells.

Melinda "Linnie" Brantley (1802-1884) was married to Ezekiel Morgan (1797-1881).

Since I could find no commonality between Linnie and her husband specifically, I decided to just cast a wide net search in the AncestryDNA matches for my mom, starting with Brantley.  Finally, out of 50 name matches to "Brantley" this yielded a few familiar places.

At least one of the Brantley's matches with either my mother's biological father T. S. Warren's grandson who has tested on AncestryDNA, and to many other cousin matches with this close relative with various confidence level matches to T. S. Warren's uplines in the South.  So I'm pretty sure this is on my mother's paternal grandfather's line somewhere.

Brantley's also seemed to have been in the following areas:

Isle of Wight/Southampton, Virginia
Nash County, North Carolina
Warren County, Georgia
Hancock County, Georgia

Several of mom's Brantley matches are matches to John Brantley (1716-1782) who married Hannah Harper (1713-1790) of Virginia and North Carolina.  I have several more matches to John's father Edward Brantley m Elizabeth Clay and HIS father, Phillip Brantley m Joyce Lewis in Isle of Wight, VA.

We also have several matches to John Brantley/Hannah Harper's grandson Phillip Brantley of Warren County, GA (married Rebecca Harbuck).


My Abraham Heath and Jesse Warren lines were in Warren and Hancock counties, so maybe this is all pointing to a brick wall female ancestor within those family groups (and we have many female brick walls in those lines).

Abraham Heath, his wife Winnie and their daughter Sarah "Sallie" P Heath were residents of Warren County, Georgia at one point.

Jesse Warren Sr (1747-1827) is buried in Harper Cemetery in Hancock County.  Is the Harper name a coincidence?  I've had my suspicions that Jesse's wife Elizabeth was a Harper (there were Harpers in neighboring Putnam county where Elizabeth died), but then again Elizabeth could be a Hunt/Fuqua/Parham/Rives/Pegram/fill in the blank LOL

Warren and Hancock counties.  Image of Georgia Counties from Wikipedia.

Although I haven't figured out how we're related to Linnie, I do think I have more of an idea on where to concentrate my efforts.







© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.