From the Probate files: Jeremiah Warren Part 15, Account Current - May 2, 1836

Another year, another probate court filing by John Graybill and Jesse G. Butts, the executors of my fourth great uncle Jeremiah Warren's estate in Hancock County, Georgia.

["Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G93G-8KHV?cc=1999178&wc=9SYB-7M3%3A267654601%2C267802801 : 20 May 2014), Hancock > image 300 of 376;

county probate courthouses, Georgia.]

Account hiring of the negroes belonging to the Estate of Jeremiah
     Warren dec'd. for 1835, to wit,
     Jack                                                                      to John Graybill                        125.00
     Dave                                                                     " Ja's. & R. Wilcoxen               120.00
     Anderson & Hal 120 ea Lucy 35                          " Wm. Warren                          275.00
     Meredith                                                               " Rob't. Warren                         120.00
     Edm? *                                                                  " Peter Equals                           120.00
     Lethe                                                                    " Mary Warren                            50.00
     Abram, Amy & e children                                   " Dav'd. Amos                           130.00
     Tom hired during the years 1833. '4 & '5 being an idiot Wm. Warren victuals & clothes
                                                                                                                                   $940.00
     Hancock County. Jno. Graybill & Jesse G. Butts being duly sworn say
     the above acc't. hiring is true & correct.
     Sworn to & subscribed before
     me this 2nd. May 1836.                                         John Graybill
     Henry Rogers C.C.O.                                            Jesse G. Butts 

Jack, Anderson, Hal, Meredith, Edmund, Lethe and Amy and her children remained with the same people who had hired them the previous year. Lucy was transferred from Robert to Mary Warren, Abram to David Amos, and Dave was hired jointly by the Wilcoxens. I had considered the possibility that Tom's non-appearance on last year's list meant that he had died, but William Warren is credited with providing his food and clothing for the past three years.

["Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G93G-8KXB?cc=1999178&wc=9SYB-7M3%3A267654601%2C267802801 : 20 May 2014), Hancock > image 301 of 376;

county probate courthouses, Georgia.]

John Graybill & Jesse G. Butts Ex'rs. of Jeremiah Warren dec'd.
1835         In acct. with the Estate of said dec'd.
Jan'y 1   To bal due Estate pr. acc't. rend'd.                                            2763.93-1/4
               " Hire of negroes for 1835. pr. acc't. rend'd.                              940.00
               " cash rec'd bal Prestley Harpers note due dec'd.   }
                              $1026.62   In't. $161.81-3/4                    }               1188.43-3/4
               "     "     " Note on Edm'd. Butts 40.41  In't. 17.77                      58.18  
                                                                                                              $4950.55
                                                                      CR
               By cash p'd. Clk. c.o. for recording this return & acc't. hiring      1.75
               " com on am't. rec'd. 2186, 61                                                     54.66
               " Bal due Est 1 Jan'ry 1836                                                      4894.14
                                                                                                              $4950.55    
              Hancock County. John Graybill & Jesse G. Butts Ex'rs. 
              of &c. of Jeremiah Warren dec'd. being duly sworn say
              that the above acc't. current is just & true
              Sworn to & subscribed before
              me this 2nd. May 1836.                                         John Graybill
              H Rogers C.C.O.                                                   Jesse G. Butts                                                                                                        

*This is Edmund, hired out to P[eter] Equals again this year. Peter was a relatively rare given name and when I decided to try to figure out who the Wilcoxens were, using census records from 1840 for Hancock County I think I figured out what his "real" name was: Peter Echols. Here's the page from the census--note how many of the people on it are familiar to us from these probate records. (Polley Warren is Jeremiah's deaf sister Mary Warren)

[Year: 1840; Census Place: District 101, Hancock, Georgia; Roll: 43; Page: 208; Image: 426; Family History Library Film: 0007044. Ancestry.com. 1840 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Original data: Sixth Census of the United States, 1840. (NARA microfilm publication M704, 580 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.]

© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Throwback Thursday: My Dapper Great Uncle Myron Fister

Myron Benjamin Fister (1905-1986), one of my grandmother Margaret Fister Hartley's brothers.  Inscription to brother Russell.  Courtesy of Tom Cairns.

I knew my grandmother Margaret had family back in Illinois, but for some reason never thought it strange until recently that I had never met any of her brothers.  My understanding is that Myron was a saxophone player (what little info I have on him indicates that he was made assistant band leader of Valley of Chicago Shrine Band in 1971), although I don't think that was his profession.




© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Working on Wednesday: William R. Phillips (1818-1890), Merchant - Through 1865

William R. Phillips was the second oldest of John P. Phillips' children by his first wife, which makes him my "step 3rd great uncle" according to Ancestry.* He married Mary Smith Johnson (1829-1905) in 1843 and they (and their eventual 11 children) remained in Georgia when most of his relatives moved to Alabama three years later.

[Marriages (White), 1837-1851. Ancesrty.com. Georgia, Marriage Records From Select Counties, 1828-1978 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. Original data: County Marriage Records, 1828–1978. The Georgia Archives, Morrow, Georgia.]

In the 1850 U.S. Census William R. and his family were living in Pike County, Georgia, among other merchants, several of whom were more established than he was. At this point he does not appear to have owned any enslaved persons according to the Slave Schedules.

[Year: 1850; Census Place: District 68, Pike, Georgia; Roll: M432_80; Page: 212A; Image: 435.

Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Original data: Seventh Census of the United States, 1850; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, 1009 rolls); Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C.]

Ten years later this branch of the Phillips' clan was living in Griffin in Spalding County and it's clear his business was thriving. He's listed as the owner of 11 slaves on that year's Slave Schedules.

[Year: 1860; Census Place: District 1001, Spalding, Georgia; Roll: M653_136; Page: 194; Image: 196; Family History Library Film: 803136. Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Original data: 1860 U.S. census, population schedule. NARA microfilm publication M653, 1,438 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.]

From Georgia newspapers we can see that he continued to look for ways to make money as this Second Annual Report of the President of the Macon and Brunswick Rail Road Co quoted in the Macon Telegraph on Friday, February 15, 1861.

[Source: GenealogyBank.com]

And undoubtedly that contract explains why William R., now a resident of East Macon in Bibb County, inserted this ad in several editions of the same newspaper around this time. 

[Source: GenealogyBank.com]

This quote from a series of articles published by the Macon Telegraph in 1907 gives us a further insight in at least part of the "merchandise" William R. offered for sale.

[Source: GenealogyBank.com]

On July 24, 1861, three days after the First Battle of Bull Run (known as Manassas in the South), William R. was one of the leading citizens who formed a Committee to gather money to send to aid the Confederate wounded.

[Source: GenealogyBank.com]

In 1864 William R had returned to Spalding County where his name is found on 1864 Census for Re-organizing the Georgia Militia as a free white male who wasn't currently serving in the Confederate military or state government.

[1864 Census for Re-Organizing the Georgia Militia. Ancestry.com. 1864 Census for Re-Organizing the Georgia Militia [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2012. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors. Original data: Cornell, Nancy J. 1864 Census for Re-Organizing the Georgia Militia. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2000.]

After the fall of Atlanta in July of 1864, William R. was engaged in conveying salt from the coast according to this ad in the Augusta Daily Constitutionalist on October 27th.

[Source: GenealogyBank.com]

In August of 1865 this comment appeared in the Macon Telegraph.

[Source: GenealogyBank.com]

Given his stated assets of over $20,000 in the 1860 U.S. Census, William R. was required to apply for a Presidential Pardon in order to retain his property (except for his former slaves).

After Lincoln's death, President Johnson proceeded to reconstruct the former Confederate States while Congress was not in session in 1865. He pardoned all who would take an oath of allegiance, but required leaders and men of wealth to obtain special Presidential pardons.

The papers relating to one of these pardon applications make interesting reading, so I think I'll take up William R. Phillips' case next week.

*He's one of my great great great grandmother Timney P. Watts Warren Phillips' heirs whose existence was unknown to me until recently. Because he was a successful antebellum businessman we can find out more about his life than the average Southerner so I decided to do some more research.

© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Today's Impulse Buy!

What can I say?

[Mine, all  mine!]

These made me laugh--and they were half price.


© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

A Final Goodbye to the Christmas Tree (Until Next Year)

"The Cultured Christmas Tree," Martin Moyer productions, 1968 (National Archives and Records Administration channel).  Note: there is a red tractor sighting in this video.

My mom always has a real Christmas tree, but this year was the first year we had one.  Since Steve and I were knocked out with a cough and cold the entire blasted vacation, there won't be too many other things to remember this Christmas by (except an inordinate amount of sleeping!).



© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Monday Is for Mothers: Timney P. Watts (1805 - 1863) - Probate Records, Part 11, Sorting Out the Male Heirs

You may recall in my last post that dealt with her probate records there was a list of heirs of Timney P. Watts Warren Phillips named in the depositions which included the names of eight individuals I didn't recognize: William R. (W.R.) Phillips, Josiah Phillips, Martha Adams, Mary Lane, and Elizabeth, Eugenia, Columbiana and John T. Phillips.

In my efforts to discover who these people were, I returned to the probate records for Timney's second husband, John P. Phillips (1792-1852) and found a list of his heirs filed by her attorneys* on July 15, 1852 in connection with her dower claims.

[Description : Probate Court Record, Vol 4, 1850-1853. Ancestry.com. Alabama, Wills and Probate Records, 1753-1999 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.. Original data: Alabama County, District and Probate Courts.]

where your petitioner Sheweth the following persons are the heirs and
legatees of said Estate Thomas H Phillips William A Phillips Frederick Phillips
Josiah Phillips Thadeus Phillips Mary E Lane wife of Alexander Lane &
Martha A Adams wife of James Adams all of whom are over the age of
twenty years -- also Jeremiah D Phillips Lucinda I Phillips Littleberry B Phillips
John C Phillips and Elizabeth Lockwood who are under the age of twenty
one. Your petitioner prays that your Honor upon the hearing of this petition
order and decree that her dower in Said lands be advanced and 
allotted to her in accordance with the statute in such cases [?] and
provided.                                  Timney Phillips
                                                  per Clopton & Ligon her attys

From this record we can confirm that William R and Josiah Phillips have to be added to the family tree along with Martha Adams** and Mary Lane. And two more sons have been revealed who weren't included in the later list--Frederick and Thad[d]eus.

From a later probate record (February, 1856) we can learn more about Frederick (1820-1855).

[Description : Estate Papers, Petteway, Ignatius W to Phillips, Nancy. Ancestry.com. Alabama, Wills and Probate Records, 1753-1999 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Alabama County, District and Probate Courts.]

The State of Alabama     {Personally appeared before me
   Macon County             {Linus Alexander Judge of Probate
when being duly  Thomas H Phillips admin of John Phillips dec'd
when being duly sworn says this [?] account for final
settlement is just & true and that the following persons are the heirs
at law & distributees[?] Timney P. Phillips widow of intestate
Thos. H Phillips admin, William R. Phillips, Mary P Josiah
Phillips, Thaddeus, Jeremiah D. Lucinda I Littleberry
B. & John C the last four of whom are minors and 
reside in Macon except Littleberry B. who lives in Geo.
and Mrs Mary Phillips & her child Nancy the widow
& only child of Frederick Phillips, and Elizabeth
Lockwood the only child of A. Lockwood & Elizabeth
Lockwood & that Affiant Swears that he had
not used for his own purposes any of the money ofor
said estate that he knows of-----

From the 1850 U.S. Census we can learn a bit more about Timney's stepson Frederick and his wife Mary.

[Year: 1850; Census Place: District 21, Macon, Alabama; Roll: M432_9; Page: 201A; Image: 25.

Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Original data: Seventh Census of the United States, 1850; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, 1009 rolls); Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C.]

As you can see in 1850 the couple had two children, Matilda and Simeon. Simeon died at 13 months old and is buried in the Fort Family Cemetery in Macon County; we don't know any more of his older sister than this census record but she must have died sometime before the 1856 list of heirs. Although I've found no supporting documentation, some believe that Mrs Mary Phillips was Mary A. Peteet (1832-1857) who was married to Menafee Tatum*** at the time of her death and is also buried in Fort Cemetery. Since little Nancy Phillips isn't mentioned in any of the lists of heir for Timney in 1863 she had probably joined the rest of her family in the local cemetery.


The other hitherto undiscovered stepson Thaddeus (1823-1857) and his wife Mary H. Slaughter (1828-1884) had three children by the time of the 1850 U.S. Census.

[Year: 1850; Census Place: District 21, Macon, Alabama; Roll: M432_9; Page: 233A; Image: 85. 

Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Original data: Seventh Census of the United States, 1850; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, 1009 rolls); Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C.]

Since Thaddeus pre-deceased his stepmother, Mary Elizabeth (1844-1915), Francis G. Eugene (1847-1916), his only son John T. (1848-1884) and his youngest surviving child Columbia Ann (1856-1920) inherited their father's share of Timney's estate.

Stepson Josiah Phillips (c1822-aft1880) married Martha Ann Chappell (1826-1894)**** and they were living in Cass County, Texas, by 1854.

William R. Phillips (1818-1890) remained in Georgia where he and his wife Mary Smith Johnson (1859-1905) had 11 children. One of their younger daughter was named Nancy Timney Phillips, honoring both his birth mother Nancy Ann Pennington (1798-1826) and stepmother Timney.

Next week I'll present what I've learned about Mary and Martha.


*Her attorneys,Clopton & Ligon, were the same ones who set out the interrogatories for the Commission referred to in my previous post.
**Martha Norman Phillips was one of Timney's daughters.
***

Ancestry.com. Alabama, Marriages, Deaths, Wills, Court, and Other Records, 1784-1920 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors.

Original data: Alabama Department of Archives and History, comp. Public information subject files—Card index of personal and corporate names and of subjects, ca. 1920–1960. Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Alabama.

****She is the granddaughter of John Chappell (c1763-1828) my fourth great grandfather, and therefore my first cousin, four times removed.


© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Celebrations: New Year's Day

May all your genealogical brick walls crumble this year!

© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.