52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 9 - Where There's a Will

The 52 Ancestors prompt for this week is "Where There's a Will". Use this prompt however you are inspired to. Maybe you've come across an interesting will. Explain it like you would to a non-genealogist. What story does it reveal? You could write about an ancestor who was determined to do something. (Or maybe you have an ancestor named Will!) 

Wills often contain valuable clues for tracing your ancestors. If you're lucky, they'll list the children's names and sometimes even grandchildren. If the inheritance involves land, they may give details on the name and location of the property. You may find additional probate records with the will that pinpoint the date of death and other details about the estate.

I'm choosing Patrick Creedan's will for this prompt for the unique clues it provided. I originally transcribed the will in 2012 when I found it in the Clinton County, Ohio Probate Records on FamilySearch.org.  It's really important to note a lot of the probate records on FamilySearch are not indexed and don't show up when you search their records! I have a post here with tips on finding these records. In this case, the record has since been indexed at Ancestry.com, but there are still many records that are not searchable.

Patrick Creedan's Will, Clinton County, Ohio, 1883

Patrick Creedan's will was executed after Patrick's death in June 1883 in Clinton County, Ohio. The will designates $200 for funeral expenses and masses for Patrick and his daughter Phoebe Catherine. After the funeral expenses were paid, the estate was to be divided into eight equal portions with the recipients as follows:

1. Patrick's son Timothy
2. Patrick's daughter Julia - This share actually goes to Timothy on account of Julia being a "religious" in the Sisters of Charity. Timothy is named as Julia's "full brother".
3. Patrick's son John
4. Patrick's daughter Hanna Jane
5. Patrick's son Patrick William
6 and 7. Patrick's daughter Rosanna receives two shares due to her "feeble mental condition"
8. Patrick's grandson Elija Bernard the son Patrick's deceased daughter Johanna

The witnesses to the will were Bridget Keefe and Michael O'Donaghue. The executor was Timothy Keefe.

So, what story does it reveal without looking at any other records?

Patrick Creedan, a resident of Clinton County, Ohio, died in June 1883. His daughters Phoebe and Johanna preceded him in death. Masses were to be held for him and his deceased family members.

Patrick was survived by his children Timothy, Julia, John, Hanna Jane, Patrick William, Rosanna, and a grandson Elija Bernard. Elija was the son of Patrick's daughter Johanna. Timothy and Julia are called out as "full" siblings, so the other children probably had a different mother and Patrick probably had at least two wives. The wives aren't mentioned in the will, so probably died before 1883.

Patrick's daughter Rosanna needs additional care to be provided for by receiving an extra share of his estate. Patrick was most likely a Catholic since he designates some of his estate to be used to pay for masses for him and his deceased family and his daughter Julia is in the Sisters of Charity. Patrick is acquainted with the Keefe family and Michael O'Donaghue.

Further research on the clues in the will led to the following discoveries:

Patrick's son Timothy became guardian of Rosanna. Guardianship bonds showed that Rosanna moved with Timothy's family to Mercer County, Ohio. This was important in helping to establish that the Timothy Creeden in Mercer County was the same person as the one in Clinton County.

The Sisters of Charity in Cincinnati, Ohio had records for Julia that showed she entered their convent in Cincinnati in 1870. She took her vows in 1872 and received the name of Sister Mary Felix. With that information, I was able to find her death certificate which named her parents as Patrick Creedon and Mary Coakley. That led to her baptism record in Ireland which gave her address as Carrigapooka in Clondrohid, County Cork, Ireland. Since the will stated Timothy was her full brother, I finally had names for my 2x great-grandfather Timothy's parents and a specific location in Ireland!

Timothy Keefe's mother was Johanna Creedon. The Keefes were from the same area of County Cork and an article about Julia Creedon states that she was related to the Keefe family of Clinton County. I haven't found any records showing the relationship of Johanna to Patrick, but it does look like they were related.

Michael  O'Donaghue was the priest at St. Columbkill church in Clinton County from 1882-1905/1906. According to a newspaper article Patrick Creedan was at the first mass held in Clinton County in 1852, along with members of the Keefe and Coakley families.

This will really helped me break down my brick wall on Timothy Creeden! For the full transcription, see my original post on Patrick Creedan's will.

#52Ancestors is a series of weekly family history prompts developed by Amy Johnson Crow.

Amanuensis Monday - Will of John Meredith, Queen Anne's County, MD

The will of John Meredith leaves his estate to his four children, John Meredith, William Meredith, Thomas Meredith, Sarah Cofton, and a grandson James Meredith. The will was signed on July 14, 1764 and probated in Queen Anne's County, MD.

One of the witnesses to the will was Henry Councell and the will mentions a tract of land called Tom's Fancy Enlarged that was named in land records for my Councill family. This copy of the will comes from MD wills, Vol. 31-32, available on Ancestry.com.

In the name of God Amen. I John Meredith, from Queen Anne County and the province of Maryland...

Item: I give and bequeath to my beloved son, William Meredith, eighty acres of land where he now dwells being part of a parcel of land called Tristram's? Ridge to be taken of said tract square ? to him and his heirs forever.

Item : I give and bequeath unto my beloved son John Meredith my now dwelling plantation being the remainder of any ? track of land called Tristram's Ridge with hundred acres of land thereto adjoining being part of a land called Tom's Fancy Enlarged to him and his heirs forever.

Item: I give and bequeath unto my beloved son Thomas Meredith one Negro named I? and one Negro named Co? to him and his heirs forever.

Item: I give and bequeath unto my beloved daughter, Sarah Cofton, one Negro, named ? and her child named ? to her and her heirs forever. Item I give and bequeath to my beloved grandson James Meredith, son of my son William Meredith one Negro girl named Rose? to him and his heirs forever.

Item: I give and bequeath unto my beloved son John Meredith all my wearing apparel and my sword and pistols.

Item: My will and desire is that should my son John Meredith die without issue? that then and in that case his part of my above named land should be divided up as follows Viz The dwelling ? called Tristram's Ridge to my son William Meredith being the remainder of the tract of land to him before bequeathed to him and his heirs forever, and the above mentioned ? acres of land being part of Tom's Fancy Enlarged to my son Thomas Meredith, him and his heirs forever.

Item: My will and desire is that after my just debts be paid and my funeral charges defrayed that the remainder of my estate to be equally divided between my above named four children Viz. William John Thomas and Sarah, and I do hereby constitute and appoint my beloved son John Meredith my sole executor of this my last will and testament hereby ? all other will and .. 14th day of July in 1764.

John Meredith

My 2x great-grandfather Francis Councill married Mary Ann Meredith, daughter of John Meredith and Elizabeth Hall. Mary's father John was born around 1800, so he is not the one named in this will. I suspect that the John Meredith that wrote the will is connected to my family, but I need to link up another generation or two to make the connection.

Amanuensis Monday is a popular ongoing series created by John Newmark at Transylvanian Dutch.

Amanuensis Monday - Will of James Sparks

The will of James Sparks, signed March 21, 1775 leaves his estate to his wife July Sparks, sons Nathan, Daniel, John, Henson, and step-daughter Sarah Meredith. The will was probated in Queen Anne's County, MD.

From land records in Queen Anne's County, MD I knew that Daniel Sparks was the father of my 2x great-grandfather Samuel Sparks. The land records also name a brother of Daniel as John Sparks. It looks probable that James' sons Daniel and John are the same as the ones named in the land records. This would make James my 4x great -grandfather. I became aware of this will due to some shaky leaves on my Ancestry.com tree, so thanks to those that added it to their trees!

Maryland Wills, vol 40-41, 1774-1777, Image 156

Item, I leave unto my loving wife, July Sparks the use of my house and fifty acres of land on His Lordship's Manor that is under lease, during her natural life or widowhood, or the lease holds good.

Item, I give and bequeath to my loving son John Sparks one featherbed with a buckram tick and what furniture belonging to it.

Item, I give and bequeath to my loving son Daniel one featherbed with a plain linen tick and all its furniture there belonging.

Item, I give and bequeath to my son, Henson Sparks, one middle sized pewter dish and six pewter plates.

Item, I give unto my wife Juley Sparks one iron pot holding about six gallons. I also give to my loving wife Juley Sparks six yoes and lambs.

Item, I give and bequeath to Sarah Marydith daughter of Juley Sparks an equal part of the rest of my personal estate that is to be divided amongst all the rest of my children.

And lastly, I leave my loving wife, Juley Sparks and my loving son Nathan Sparks my whole and sole executors of this my last will and testament. In witness whereof I have fixed my hand and seal this 21st day of March Anno Domini, 1775.

The entire will is transcribed in the Sparks Quarterly, along with an explanation of why James is most likely he son of William Sparks Jr. and Margaret Hamilton.

Source for will: Ancestry.com. Maryland, Wills and Probate Records, 1604-1998 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.

Amanuensis Monday is a popular ongoing series created by John Newmark at Transylvanian Dutch.

Amanuensis Monday - Estate of George B. Chilcutt

I don't know too much about my 2x great-grandfather George B. Chilcutt and was hoping to find some information in the Maryland probate records. He was born in October 1854 in Maryland and married my 2x great-grandmother Kate Covey on December 21, 1876. While it doesn't appear that he left a will, his estate papers are available on familysearch.org. The papers help to place his date of death sometime before or during December 1916. His estate was probated in Queen Anne's County, Maryland.

A newspaper notice was placed in the Centreville Record on December 26, 1916 to alert any persons with claims against his estate to make their claims by July 30, 1917.

The newspaper notice reads as follows:

NOTICE TO CREDITORS.
Notice is hereby given that the undersigned has obtained from the Orphan's Court for Queen Anne's County letters of administration on the personal estate of
GEORGE B. CHILCUTT.
late of said county, deceased. All persons having claims against said deceased's estate are hereby warned to exhibit the same, with the proper vouchers thereof, to the undersigned on or before July 30, 1917, otherwise they may by law be excluded from all benefit of said deceased's personal estate.
  All persons indebted to this estate must settle at once.
  Given under my hand this 26th day of December, 1916.
KATE O. CHILCUTT
Administratrix
Ture Copy -- WM. T. BISHOP, Register
D30t4 Test -- WM. T. BISHOP, Register

In the estate papers, the newspaper notice was attached to a certification from the Centreville Record that the notice had been published for four successive weeks.

"THE CENTREVILLE RECORD PUBLISHING CO. hereby certifies that the notice to creditors in the case of the estate of Geo. B. Chilcutt a true copy of which is hereby annexed, was inserted in The Centreville Record, a weekly newspaper printed and published in Centreville, Queen Anne's County, Maryland, once a week for four successive weeks, the last insertion being six months before the 30th day of July in the year 1917. The Centreville Record Publishing Co." The record was signed by Edwin H. Brown, Jr. President.

An appraisal of George's personal property was followed by a public auction to sell his personal estate. The auction was held "on the farm On Saturday, January, 27th, 1917, beginning at 11 O' Clock A.M."

The items sold were mostly farm equipment and goods. A brown mare was sold for $8 and a very old gray mule for $1. I think the Covey Chilcutt shown here is probably George and Kate's son. He bought a riding saddle for a grand total of 25 cents!

An account of the estate filed by Kate with the Orphan's Court showed that while the estate was appraised at $485.90, only 260.20 was raised by the public auction. Kate then made claims against the estate for funeral expenses and probate expenses.

The second page of the account shows that an allowance of $49.71 was given to Kate "as the surviving widow of the deceased with infant children of the deceased." The total amount charged against the estate was $225.70, leaving only $34.50 from the money raised by the auction. In the 1910 census, George and Kate were renting their farm, so I'm guessing that they didn't own any land. I'm wondering how Kate survived with the children. I haven't been able to locate her in the 1920 census yet. Some of the children were adults, so I suspect she may have been living with one of them.

Source: "Maryland, Probate Estate and Guardianship Files, 1796-1940," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XXFD-S6F : accessed 20 Oct 2014), George B. Chilcutt, 26 Dec 1916; citing Queen Anne's County, estate number QA0000001204.

Amanuensis Monday is a daily blogging theme which encourages the family historian to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts.

Mappy Monday - Sparks Land Records in Queen Anne's County, Maryland

I've been amazed at how much family tree information is available in the Maryland land records. Also amazing is that digital images of the records are available on MDLandRec.net. Registration is required, but the site is free and there is no advertising.

The image below is from Book JP 3, page 545, recorded in 1858 in Queen Anne's County, MD. It records the sale of a tract of land owned by my 2x great-grandfather Samuel A. Sparks and his brother Daniel B. Sparks to William F. Parrott.

Queen Anne's County Court records, Book JP 3, page 545, 1858

According to the record, the land was inherited by their father Daniel Sparks from his brother John Sparks and was deeded to John Sparks by William Ringgold on May 5, 1823. The tract of land was called "Heath's Gift" and was located in Spaniard's Neck in Queen Anne's County, MD. It consisted of 7 7/8 acres and bordered the Methodist Meeting House and another tract of land called "Plain Dealing". This record doesn't mention Daniel and Samuel's other siblings, but says that they were tenants in common with their brothers and were each entitled to 1/6 of the property. The deed is signed by Samuel, his wife Susan A. (Godwin) Sparks, Daniel, and his wife Julia A. Sparks.

The Inventory of Historical Properties on the Maryland Historical Trust site has a document describing the house on "Plain Dealing" located in Spaniard Neck. This is one of the properties adjoining the Sparks land, so it should give an idea of the approximate location. The map below is from page 10 of the Inventory of Historical Properties document on Plain Dealing.

Location of "Plain Dealing" in Queen Anne's County, MD

The next record is from Book JW 7, page 518, recorded in 1878. This record names the siblings of Samuel and involves a tract of land "commonly known as "The Sparks Lot". In this transaction, James H. Sparks and his wife Martha M. Sparks are selling "The Sparks Lot" in Spaniard's Neck to Charles Gilliam for $150. "The Sparks Lot" adjoins the land of Charles Gilliam, Eliphat Higgins and faces the public road leading from the Methodist Episcopal Church through the woods to the land of Col. John R. Emory. The land contains about 8 7/8 acres and is the same land which descended from Daniel Sparks, father, to Robert M. Sparks, Martha Sparks, wife of George W. Meredith, Daniel B. Sparks, Samuel A. Sparks, and James H. Sparks, his children. The named children had earlier conveyed their interest in the land unto James H. Sparks, with the exception of Daniel B. Sparks. In this transaction, James says that he will procure a conveyance from Daniel B. Sparks and his wife.

Queen Anne's County Court records, Book JW 7, page 518, 1878

While the second record says that this is the same land the children inherited from their father Daniel, I'm not sure if this is a different tract of land from the first record. The sizes and names are different, plus the brothers Samuel and Daniel sold land in the first record in 1858. Maybe they were adjoining properties and part of the same inheritance.

I didn't know the names of Samuel's siblings or father before seeing this record. Thanks very much to George Sparks for sending me the information about the records! George also sent me a copy of Samuel's death certificate, but unfortunately, it didn't list his parent's names. We still don't know who his mother was. Was there a sixth sibling? The earlier record mentions that each was entitled to 1/6 of the land, but the later record only names 5 siblings. From the names listed in these two records, I came up with the following tree.

To Do:

• See if I can locate the other land records mentioned. 
• The children of Daniel gave conveyance of their interest in the land to their brother James. 
• Is there a record of Daniel giving conveyance to James?
• The land was deeded to John Sparks by William Ringgold on May 5, 1823.
• Search for inheritance records for the father Daniel and his brother John.

Mappy Monday is a GeneaBloggers prompt where you can post map images and how they relate to your research or discuss other aspects of land ownership and your ancestor.

Mappy Monday - Levin Baynard's Estate

I posted last September about a distribution for John Councell's estate in Queen Anne's County, MD in 1836. It named his widow as Ann Councell and named sons John, Thomas Henry, James, William, and Francis. I believe that this Francis is my 2x great-grandfather, so I wanted to know more about his mother Ann.

I'd been having great success finding family information in the Maryland land records, but didn't find anything to shed any light on Ann's family in the Queen Anne's records. It turns out that I needed to broaden my search to some of the neighboring counties.

This record is from Book N, Page 338 of the Caroline County Court Land Records on MDLandRec.net.

The record states that John Council and Ann Council his wife (formerly Ann Baynard) of Queen Anne's County are selling their share of Levin Baynard's estate to William Hughlett of Caroline County. The record didn't give details on the land or the relationship of Levin Baynard to Ann, but it says that they inherited 1/5 of Levin Baynard's estate.

In the Distributions book from Caroline County for 1812-1828, Image 80 on FamilySearch.org, distributions from Levin Baynard's estate are paid to Levin Baynard, John Councill in right of his wife; Abner Roe (of William) in right of his wife Elizabeth; Samuel Credich in right of his wife Ann; and the children of the deceased John Baynard on August 29, 1826. That explains why John and Ann inherited 1/5 of Levin Baynard's estate. It is curious that a second Ann Baynard is mentioned as the wife of Samuel Credich (or Craddick) and the wife of John Councill is not named here. I've seen Samuel's wife given as Nancy Baynard in some online trees, so it's possible that Ann was a nickname.

I'm guessing that Levin Baynard died without a will since the land record above says that he died "seized" and a Land Commission was formed to assess and divide his lands.

 

The record above is the only one I could find online for the results of the Land Commission from March 1821 on the Maryland Archives site. The index for the Land Commission names Levin's lands in Caroline County as part of Mary's Garden, Glasco, Keresby, Garrett's Lookout, Sandy Hill, Jackson's Meadows, Byrn's Bower and Piney Neck.

John and Ann Baynard Councill sold their share of Levin's estate in December 1821, so I suspect that there are more distributions and account records for Levin's estate. The only one I've found so far is the one from 1826.

There is still a lot to investigate, but it seems probable that my Francis' parents were John Councill and Ann Baynard and that Francis' grandfather was Levin Baynard.

Thanks to Cindy of the Eastern Shore Facebook group for pointing me to the land record for John and Ann Baynard Councill!

Mappy Monday is a GeneaBloggers prompt where you can post map images and how they relate to your research or discuss other aspects of land ownership and your ancestor.

Amanuensis Monday - Will of Ann Godwin

This is a transcription of the will of Ann Godwin of Queen Anne's County, MD. Ann's only son George Hackett Godwin is named in the will along with two of his cousins, Gunning Bedford Hackett and Ann Catharine Holt. George's estate papers named several more cousins including one that is possibly my 3x great-grandfather Samuel Godwin. The will was filed in May 1829.

The images for the will are from FamilySearch.org's probate records for Queen Anne's County, MD in the book of Wills from 1815-1856, Volume 1, image 221.

   In the name of God. Amen. I, Ann Godwin of Queen Ann's County in the state of Maryland being sick and weak in body but of sound and disposing mind, memory and understanding considering the certainty of death and the uncertainty of the time thereof and being desirous to settle my worldly affairs and thereof...

... be the better prepared to leave this world when it shall please God to call me hence, do therefore make and publish this my last Will and Testament in manner and form following that is to say.___

   First and principally I commit my soul unto the hands of Almighty God, and my body to the earth to be decently buried at the discretion of my Executor hereinafter named and after my just debts and funeral charges are paid I devise and bequeath as follows:

   Item I give and devise unto my only son George Hackett Godwin my plantation whereon I now dwell known by the name of William's Lot containing about 299 and 3/4 acres of land more or less to him the said George Hackett Godwin or his issue legally begotten of his body.
   But in case the said George Hackett Godwin should die leaving no lawful issue of his body or if leaving issue and the said issue should die leaving no issue of their bodies then it is my will and desire that the aforesaid land and premises shall descend to and become the property of my nephew Gunning Bedford Hackett and my niece Ann Catharine Holt to be equally divided between the said Gunning Bedford Hackett and the said Ann Catharine Holt share and share alike.

   Item I give and bequeath to my son George Hackett Godwin one bed and furniture and also all the plate and one silver watch which said plate and watch I have heretofore delivered to my son George H. Godwin as his own rightful property together with all the residue of my personal estate which may remain over and above paying my just debts to him the said George H. Godwin.
   Item I desire that my nephew Gunning Bedford Hackett should become the Guardian of my son under the usual regulations of the Orphans Court.
   And lastly I do hereby constitute and appoint my Nephew Gunning Bedford Hackett to be sole Executor of this my last Will and Testament revoking and annulling all former wills by me heretofore made ratifying and confirming this and none other to be my last Will and Testament. In Testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal this thirty first day of May in the year of our Lord one thousand, eight hundred & twenty nine.

Signed Ann Godwin

The following were witnesses: Walter J. Clayton, Jesse Godwin, Parraw? Taylor

It's interesting that Ann's son George Hackett Godwin's estate was distributed among ten cousins in 1837 since Ann's will specified that it be split between Gunning Bedford Hackett and Ann Catherine Holt. I'll have to investigate more as this may have just been his personal property. There was no land mentioned in the estate distribution.

From marriage records posted on RootsWeb, George Godwin married Ann Hackett, daughter of John and Sarah of Queen Anne's County in 1786.

Amanuensis Monday is a daily blogging theme which encourages the family historian to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts.

Mappy Monday - Following the Trail of Hawkins Pharsalia - Part II

In my last post on Hawkins Pharsalia, I sorted out some of the John Councells in my tree, but wasn't sure how Henry Councell fit into the mix. In the land records I was looking at, Henry Councell bought the part of Hawkins Pharsalia that had been left to Edward Carey Councell by John Councell "the Elder". The sale was documented in 1811 and was approved by several other Councell relatives.

In 1813, Henry Councell and his wife Sarah sold the land to John Councell, Jr., son of Edward Carey Councell. The following excerpt from Queen Anne's County Court Book JB 2, page 214 documents that Henry was the son of John Councell "the Elder" and grandfather of John Councell, Jr. The deed was recorded on December 4, 1813 and this record is available on the MDLandRec.net site.

Book JB 2, page 214, Queen Anne's County Court, Maryland

...that part of the tract of Land called and known by the name of Hawkins Pharsalia which the late John Councell (Father of the said Henry Councell and grandfather of the said John Councell Jnr. did by his Last Will and Testament devise to his son Edward Cary Councell Father of the said John Councell Jnr.) which said part of said Tract not being sufficient to bear a Division between the several heirs of the said Edward Cary Councell as adjudged by Commissioners appointed by the court of Queen Anns County for that purpose and the said John Councell Jnr. being the eldest heir made his election to take said Land at the valuation set upon it by said Commissioners and did by a Deed of sale bearing Date the fourth Day of January in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred and eleven convey the same to the said Henry Councell being devised therein by John Councell Snr? William Councell Elijah Councell and Thomas Councell for the purpose of supplying? a Deficiency in the Will of the late John Councell ? together with all and singular the Buildings improvements wood ways waters...

The Land Commission denied Edward Councell's heirs' request to split up the land in 1811. At that point, Henry Councell bought it with the approval of Edward's sons and then sold it back to John Councell (son of Edward) in 1813. I'm not sure what the "deficiency" was in the will of "the late John Councell", but I'm guessing it was that he didn't specify how the land should be divided in the case of the death of his son Edward. Several family trees on Ancestry.com have Edward's year of death as 1797 which was the year after Edward's father John died.

This land record provided a little more clarification as to why the land switched back and forth between Henry and his grandson John. Next up is to investigate Edward Carey Councell. Are there any estate papers for him? My Councill tree as it stands now is shown below. John Councell Jr. was my 3x great-grandfather and his son Francis was my 2x great-grandfather. At some point my family started using the Councill spelling, so I have used that in the tree.

Mappy Monday is a GeneaBloggers prompt where you can post map images and how they relate to your research or discuss other aspects of land ownership and your ancestor. 

Amanuensis Monday - Account of George H. Godwin's Estate

Last week I posted about land records in Queen Anne's County, Maryland that named Samuel Godwin, Eliza Vincent, and Catherine Casey as grantors of a deed to "Partnership Addition"  to Samuel Meredith. Samuel Godwin was my 3x great-grandfather, but I'm still trying to figure out if this is my Samuel.

The following account  is from the Maryland, Register of Wills books for Queen Anne's county available on FamilySearch.org. The Accounts book for 1832 - 1842 details Samuel Godwin's final account of the estate of George Hackett Godwin in 1837 on image 488. Distributions were paid to ten cousins of George, including Samuel.

Queen Anns County. Samuel Godwin Administrator of all singular Goods, Chattels and funeral Estate of Geo. H. Godwin late of Q. A. County, decd. To balance due as of 2nd final account this day settled... 115.49  Deduct the costs of this distribution... 1.50
The amount is totaled at 113.99.

The foregoing balance distributed according to law will give to each representative as follows:
To Wm H. Hackett, cousin of the decd, 1/3 of 1/3 thereof.........................................12.66
To John Holt, cousin of the decd, 1/3 of 1/3 thereof..................................................12.66
To Charles W. Holt, cousin of the decd, 1/3 of 1/3 thereof........................................12.66
To Catharine Holt, cousin of the decd, 1/3 of 1/3 thereof..........................................12.66
To Saml Godwin, cousin of the decd, 1/4 of 1/3 thereof..............................................9.49
To Serena Godwin (now Williams), cousin of the decd, 1/4 of 1/3 thereof.................9.49
To Lodowick Godwin, cousin of the decd, 1/4 of 1/3 thereof.......................................9.49
To Wm Benney for his wife Eliza, formerly Eliza Godwin, 
         cousin of the decd, 1/4 of 1/3 thereof..................................................................9.49
To Gunning Bedford Hackett, cousin of the decd, 1/3 of 1/3 thereof........................12.66
To James E. Barrell for his wife Henrietta, cousin of the decd, 1/3 of 1/3 thereof...12.66

The distributions are totaled to $113.98. The money was divided into a third each between the Holt, Hackett, and Godwin cousins. Then each group of cousins divided their share up between them.

Ann Godwin's will of 1829 named George as her only son, so my guess is that George didn't have any siblings that survived him. A few more guesses... I think it's probable that Ann's maiden name was Hackett since that was her son's middle name. Ann may have had a sister or sister-in-law that married a Holt and a brother-in-law was probably the father of Samuel, Lodowick, Eliza, and Serena Godwin. Ann's brother was probably the father of William, Gunning, and Henrietta Hackett. Keep in mind that these are just guesses at this point.

I still don't know if this is my Samuel, but at least I have quite a few new names to work with!

Amanuensis Monday is a daily blogging theme which encourages the family historian to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts.

Amanuensis Monday - Will of Mary C. Baynard

This is the last will and testament of Mary C. Baynard of Queen Anne's County, Maryland. While the will clearly states a date of 1873, the rest of the estate papers are from 1857. I haven't figured out what the difference in dates means yet. The will and estate papers are available on FamilySearch.org.

From the estate papers, Mary was the daughter of James Baynard, so it appears that she did not marry. She leaves her estate to her nephew, Stephen Jump and her sister Elizabeth Bradley.

   In the name of God amen, I Mary C. Baynard of Queen Anns County in the state of Maryland being in good health of body, and sound disposing mind memory and understanding, considering the certainty of death and the uncertainty of the time thereof, and being desirous to settle my worldly affairs and thereby be the better prepared to leave this world when it shall please God to call me hence, do therefore make and publish this my last will and testament in the manner and form following that is to say--
   Item First: Principally I commit my soul in the hands of Almighty God and my body to the earth to be buried at the discretion of my Executor hereinafter named and after my debts and formal charges are paid, I devise and bequeath as follows:
   Item: Second, I give and bequeath unto my sister Elizabeth Bradley, wife of Stephen J. Bradley, note of hand of Charles E. Bradley with interest due thereon.
   Item Third: I give and bequeath unto my nephew Stephen P. Jump, the balance of my estate both real and personal that may be in my possession at the time of my death provided he pays my debts and burial expenses.
   And lastly: I do hereby constitute and appoint my nephew Stephen P. Jump Executor of this my last will and testament, revoking and annulling all former wills by me heretofore made, ratifying and confirming this and none other to be my last will and testament.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal this Twenty fifth day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand eight-hundred and seventy three.
Signed sealed published and delivered by Mary C. Baynard the above named, testatrix for her last will and testament in the presence of us who at her request, in her presence and in the presence of each other have subscribed our names as witnesses thereto.

Witnesses were Thos W. Hopper and Solomon Pinder.

From the account of her estate, she had quite a bit of real estate, including 292 acres of Hawkins Pharsalia. She also had 300 acres of the Crawford Farm, 286 acres of the Old Farm called Relief, and a wood lot in Caroline County containing 50 acres. The total value of her real estate was $8359.75. Both Hawkins Pharsalia and Relief appear in records for my Councill family, but I don't know if there is a connection between Mary and the Councills yet.

This page of her estate papers names her deceased father, James S. Baynard.

To Do:

• Investigate the dates. Why are the estate papers dated 1857 while the will states 1873?
• See if I can find estate papers for her father James Baynard.

Amanuensis Monday - Estate of Rachel Baynard Todd

The Queen Anne's County Land Commissions record involving the estate of Rachel Baynard Todd contains an unusual amount of information about her family. The land involved is part of Relief and Hawkins Pharsalia in Queen Anne's County, Maryland. I've found several transactions for my Councill family involving Hawkins Pharsalia and I think my 2x great-grandfather Francis Councill may be the son of John Councill and Ann Baynard. I thought this particular record was interesting due to the large number of heirs that are mentioned.

Page 350/Image 357 Book JB 1 Queen Anne's County Land Commissions

The following is from the Queen Anne County Land Commissions, Book JB 1, 1810-1834, images 357-362. The images are available from the Maryland.gov site.

Queen Anns County, to wit, Be it remembered that in the second day of November in the year of our Lord, 1827, Thomas B. Cook and Thomas B. Turpin of the said County proffered to the Court here their petition in the following words viz
   To the Honorable the Judges of Queen Anns County Court. We Tho. H. Cook and Tho. B. Turpin represent to your Honours that about the year 1733 Thomas Baynard departed this life leaving the following children his ?, John, George, Thomas, Nathan, Deborah, Rachel & Esther, that his son George departed this life in the year 1758 leaving George & Rachel his legitimate children, to whom he devises certain real estate, that his son George died intestate leaving no child or children & insolvent, that his daughter Rachel intermarried with a certain William Todd of the state of New Jersey whom the said Rachel survived, but died in March 1826 intestate and without heirs & in possession of certain real estate part of Relief & part of Hawkins Pharsalia containing one hundred & eighty five acres which is as devised to her by her father George the son of Thomas. We being one of us a child of a descendant of Nathan the brother of George the elder & the other a descendant of Thomas the brother of George the elder, are of the opinion that we with a number of others are the legal heirs to the said land lying in Tully's Neck in Q.Anns County: the following are a number of persons supposed to be the heirs with ?, Sarah Hardcastle, Mary Hardcastle, Elizabeth Casson, Robert C. Baynard, John Baynard, Nathan Harden, White Turpin and others. We therefore pray your honor to take the subject into consideration and issue a commission to certain persons to have the lands surveyed & report to the Court their proceedings in order that one of the heirs may take the land at their valuation or that it may be sold for the benefit of all concerned.   Nov. 2. 1827

Solomon Scott is appointed guardian to the minors mentioned in the petition. Too bad it doesn't say which ones those are!

The petition is repeated again, but with a longer list of heirs: Sarah Hardcastle, Mary Hardcastle, Elizabeth Casson, Robert C. Baynard, John Baynard, Sarah Baynard, Margaret Baynard, Thomas H. Baynard, Ann Baynard, Ferdinand Baynard, Nathan Harden, White Turpin and others.

The Land Commission is formed and oaths are taken in March 1828. The commission reports back on June 17 1828 that "the said lands could not be divided without loss to all the parties interested for the following reason to wit: that there is not sufficient quantity to divide amongst so many heirs claiming and we did further adjudge and determine the real value of the said lands with the improvements to be seven dollars per acre." It goes on to say that Joseph B. Sparks surveyed the land and his findings were certified. The map below shows his survey of the tract of land.

On May 14, 1829, the "Commissioners proceed to expose to public sale the real estate of the said Rachel Todd having first given twenty days notice in the Centreville times and other public places in the County.  Terms were that $100 be paid on the day of sale and one half of the residue in twelve months thereafter and the balance in two years with interest from the day of sale the purchaser giving bond or notes with approved security."

Solomon Scott was the highest bidder at $4 an acre for a total of $712 on August 11, 1829. Seems like he got a bargain since it was appraised at $7 an acre. Interesting too that he was named the guardian of the minors involved.

Then comes the full list of heirs! Most received $20.40 with a few splitting that amount between them. There is an Ann Baynard in the list, but mine would have been married to John Councill by this date. Some of these are pretty hard to read, but here are my best guesses.

1  Sarah Hardcastle wife of Robert
2  Mary Hardcastle
3  Elizabeth Casson
4  Robert C. Baynard
5  John Baynard
6  Sarah Baynard
7  Margaret Baynard
8  Thomas H. Baynard
9  Ann Baynard
10 White Turpin
11 Ferdinand Baynard
12 Ruth Flanday
13 Nathan Hardin
14 Ann Hodson wife of Stephen Hodson
15 James Glourding
16 Joseph Cook
17 Thomas B Cook
18 Thomas B Turpin
19 Miers? Cassons
20 Elizabeth Wheatley wife of Wm Wheatley
21 Henry Whiteley
22 Elizabeth Thompson
23 Benj A Whiteley
24 John Martin
25 Ann Martin
26 Mary Emmonds
27 Margaret White
28 Thurman?
29-36 Mary Holland and several other Hollands
37 William Davis
38 John Davis
39 Carline Fermington? wife of James Termington

From the information in the land record, I came up with this partial tree for the Baynards:

The land record also tell us that Thomas B. Cook and Thomas B. Turpin are descendants of Nathan and Thomas Baynard. That's quite a lot of information in one record!

Mappy Monday - Following the Trail of Hawkins Pharsalia

I've posted a few times now about a tract of land in Queen Anne's County, Maryland called Hawkins Pharsalia. The land was mentioned in several wills and land transactions involving my Councill family. By following how the land was passed down, I've been able to come up with possible ancestors for my 2x great-grandfather Francis Councill.

A Queen Anne's County Land Commission formed in 1810 determined how the land would be distributed after Edward Carey Council died. The results were recorded in Queen Anne's County Court book JB 1, pages 7 to 9 and the images are available on the Maryland.gov site.

The land was surveyed and found to contain 114 acres worth $7.50 an acre in 1810. The Land Commission would not allow the land to be divided and the eldest son John took the land and agreed to pay for the shares owed to the other heirs.

In 1811, several Councells were involved in selling and buying the land. From Book STW 9, pages 447-449 on the Maryland Land Records site (mdlandrec.net).

Book STW 9, Page 447

John Councell Senior, son of John Councell, Thomas Councell of Talbot, William Councell, Elijah Councell, and John Councell Jnr, sons of Edward C. Councell of Caroline County, all of the one part and Henry Councell of Caroline of the other part were involved in the transaction.  Where John Councell the Elder left Hawkins Pharsalia to his son Edward Carey Councell for his natural life, Henry Councell is buying the land with the other named Councell's consent. John Councell the Elder's will of 1795 is referenced, so he was the son of the senior Henry Councell. John Councell Senior is the son of John Councell the Elder and John Councell Jnr is the son of Edward Carey Councell.

Book STW 9, Page 448

So, at that point, the land had passed out of hands of the heirs of Edward Carey Councell. I don't know how the buyer, Henry Councell fits into the Councell tree yet, but he may have been the brother of Edward.

In 1816, a John Councell buys a section of Hawkins Pharsalia that Henry Councell bought in 1729.

Book TM 5, Page 185

This may be how some of the land went back into the hands of John Councell, son of Edward Carey Councell, but I can't be sure. In comparing the survey from John Councell's estate, it is a larger tract of land than the one from Edward Carey Councell's estate. However, Edward only inherited a portion of the land, while his brothers Samuel and James also inherited sections.

Queen Anne's County Land Commission Book IT 1, page 96

John Councill's estate was divided between his widow Ann and sons Francis, William, John, James, and Thomas. After Ann died, a land commission sold the land in 1838 and the proceeds were divided between the brothers. The information in Land Commission Book IT 1 named Elijah Councell as the guardian of the minor brothers and gave the dates when the minor brothers would reach the age of 21 and be paid their inheritance. With that information, I was able to fill in a few dates on my tree. The maiden names for Elizabeth Banroche and Sarah Carey came from trees on Ancestry.com, but I haven't seen any proof for them. This is my best guess at this point, based on information in the land, estate, and church records.

Thanks again to Heather of Leaves for Trees for her tip on using Excel for ancestor graphics.  

Mappy Monday is a GeneaBloggers prompt where you can post map images and how they relate to your research or discuss other aspects of land ownership and your ancestor.

Amanuensis Monday - Guardianship Bonds

I've followed a trail of probate records and Guardian's Bonds that link my great-great-grandfather Timothy Creeden to Patrick Creedan's family in Clinton County, Ohio. The bonds show that Timothy was named guardian of his half-sister Roseanna shortly after their father Patrick's death in Clinton County in 1883. The guardian's bonds were filed in Clinton County until 1887 when the probate case was moved to Mercer County, Ohio. The witnesses to the bond in Mercer County were Timothy's neighbors in Hopewell Township, Mercer County.

Guardianship moves from Clinton County to Mercer County - Click to enlarge

The record above shows that Timothy resigned his guardianship in Clinton County, Ohio since he had moved his family to Mercer County, Ohio. The text reads:

September 14th 1887 the following paper was filed,
to the ? Probate Judge of Clinton county Ohio.
   The undersigned guardian of Roseanna Creeden hereby tenders his Resignation of said trust and prays the same may be accepted. (signed by) Timothy Creeden
And the court finds that said guardian is chargeable with assets belonging to the Estate of his said ward amounting to $762.61 and is entitled to credits amounting to $333.56 leaving remaining in his hand $339.05 and the court finds that said guardian has moved with his said ward to Selina Mercer County Ohio and he has tendered his resignation as such guardian to this court and has made application and has been duly appointed and qualified as guardian of said Roseanna Creeden in the Probate Court of Mercer County aforesaid. It is therefore ordered and said resignation is hereby accepted for the purpose of transferring said Trust Estate to the Probate Court of Mercer County aforesaid. Copy of Letters of guardianship aforesaid is herewith filed October 7th 1887.  A. ? Williams PJ

Guardianship in Mercer County, Ohio - Click to enlarge

The corresponding record in Mercer County, Ohio shown above reads:

No 2798. In the matter of the guardianship of Rosannah Creeden, an imbecile. Oct. 4, 1887. appointment
   Upon application, and the court being satisfied that Rosannah Creeden, a resident of this county, is an imbecile; and incapable of managing her affairs, Thimothy Creeden is hereby appointed guardian of the person and estate of said Rosannah Creeden, and letters of guardianship are granted accordingly. Whereupon he accepts said appointment, and filed a statement, as required by law, of the whole estate of said imbecile, and the probable value thereof, was duly sworn, and afterwards, to wit: on the 5th day of October, 1887, came the said Timothy Creeden and presented his bond as such guardian in the sum of five hundred dollars with John H. Siebert and Henry Beathler as sureties, which bond is approved by the court.

I've been amazed at how much information I've been able to find on Timothy in the Ohio Probate Records. Images of these records are available online for free from Family Search. In the absence of any vital records showing Timothy's parents or family, I've been able to link him to his father Patrick and his sister Julia. Julia's death certificate named her parents as Patrick Creedon and Mary Coakley and her baptism record showed that she was baptized in Clondrohid, County Cork, Ireland in 1842. Patrick and Mary had another child there in 1848, but I couldn't find any records for them between 1843-1847. Timothy was born in 1846, so the search for records for Timothy continues.

Sources:

• Clinton County Ohio, Testamentary Records 1884-1889, volumes 12-13, "Ohio, Probate Records, 1789-1996." Images. FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org
• Mercer County, Ohio Journals 1886-1888, vol11, "Ohio, Probate Records, 1789-1996." Images. FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org

Amanuensis Monday is a daily blogging theme which encourages the family historian to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts.

Amanuensis Monday - Francis Councill's Will

I had great success with the Ohio Probate Records available on FamilySearch, so I was hoping for similar results for the Maryland side of my family. The Ohio records didn't have any searches available, so it was quite time consuming to browse the records.

Much to my surprise, there are some searchable records for Maryland and I quickly found estate settlements and wills for several of my ancestors in the Maryland, Probate Estate and Guardianship Files, 1796-1940. There are 72,764 records available to search. Many more are available to browse in the Maryland, Register of Wills Books, 1629-1983.

Following is the will of my 2x great-grandfather, Francis Councill.

Francis Council's will - Click to enlarge

Francis Council's will - Page 2

I Francis Council of Queen Anne's County in the State of Maryland do hereby make and publish this to be my last will and testament.

1st I give and devise to my son Robert Council that part of my real estate on the right of the Public Road leading from Centreville to Queenstown, and whereon he now resides. Also the first on the left of said road which lies next to and adjoining the "White House" tract of land. Also enough of the field known as the "Old Orchard" field, as will when added to the two parts above mentioned give him an entire tract of land containing one Hundred and six acres. In cutting off the part from the old orchard field the division line shall run from the meadow to the fence between the said field and the field which adjoins it. Also one half of the woodland in front of where I now reside said one half to front on the Centreville and Queenstown Road.

2nd I give and devise to my son John Council the balance of my real estate whereon I now reside, lying on the left of said Public Road from Centreville to Queenstown and also the balance of said woodland.

3rd I give and devise to my son Richard Council the farm purchased by me from Christopher Strong, situate in the 5th election district.

4th I charge all the real estate above devised with an annuity of sixty dollars to be paid to each of my daughters (that is to say thirty dollars to each daughter) Frances Bramble and Marietta Weaver severally during widowhood only the sum of twenty dollars by each of my said sons or in that proportion.

On witness whereof I have hereto set my hand and seal this 23rd day of December 1886.

The will shows that Francis Council made his mark and it was witnessed by R. Goldsborrough and B. Palmer Keating.

Signed sealed published and declared by the above named testator Francis Council as and for his last will and testament in our presence and in presence of each other have signed our names as witnesses hereto sworn.

At the bottom of the page is a note from the Queen Anne's County Orphans Court, January 17th 1888: The foregoing will was duly examined by the Court, admitted to probate and ordered to be filed for record. This was signed by Thomas A. Bryan, Register of Wills.

I'm a bit puzzled that the will doesn't mention Francis' wife Mary or his other daughter Annie Dodd. The distribution shown in the estate settlement papers shows that they were included in the settlement.

 

The foregoing balance distributed among the heirs and representators of said deceased according to his last will and testament, will give to each as follows to wit:

To Mary A Council widow 1/3                          868.55
To Rich T. Council son 1/6 of 2/3                    289.51 4/6
To Robt H. Council son 1/6 of 2/3                   289.51 4/6
To John W. Council son 1/6 of 2/3                  289.51 4/6
To Marietta Weaver daughter 1/6 of 2/3         289.51 4/6
To Fannie Bamborough daughter 1/6 of 2/3  289.51 4/6
To Annie Dodd daughter 1/6 of 2/3                289.51 4/6

Amount Distributed                       2605.65
Thomas A. Bryan, Reg Wills

Sept 4/88=Examined and approved by the Orphans Court
Thos A. Bryan Reg Wills

The will and settlement papers gave me a good bit of information that I didn't have before. The will was written on 12/23/1886, filed on 12/27/1887 and admitted to the Orphans Court in May 1888. I don't have a date of death for Francis, so that narrows it down. The settlement also gives me the married names of his daughters and a description of his property. There are various spellings in the paperwork: Council, Councill, Councell and Frank was used as a nickname for Francis. My great-grandfather John W. Councill was one of the administrators of the will. I noticed that the daughter Frances' last name changed in some of the paperwork from Bamborough to Bramble.  It's possible that one of those was just recorded incorrectly.

Amanuensis Monday is a daily blogging theme which encourages the family historian to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts.

Guardian's Bond - Amanuensis Monday

This record is a Guardian's Bond from the Mercer County Ohio Probate records. It is an important record to me since it helps to confirm a link between my great-great-grandfather Timothy Creeden and the Creeden family headed by Patrick Creeden in Clinton County, OH. In the record, Timothy is named guardian of Patrick's daughter Rosannah.

Rosannah's father is stated here to be Patrick Creeden of Clinton County and in Patrick's will he names Timothy as his son. Timothy was appointed as guardian of Rosannah in Clinton County shortly after Patrick's death in 1883. Timothy bought land in Mercer County in 1884 and was living there by the time of this record in 1887. The two men that witnessed the bond were living near Timothy in Hopewell Township in Mercer County and they were all listed as farmers in the census. A bonus is that the Probate Judge H. H. Pulskamp is also one of my ancestors!

GUARDIAN'S BOND

Know all Men by these Presents, That we, Timothy Creeden, John H. Siebert, Henry Beathler, are held and firmly bound unto the state of Ohio, in the sum of five hundred Dollars, for the payment of which we do hereby jointly and severally bind ourselves, our heirs, executors, and administrators.
   Sealed with our seals, and dated at Celina this 5th day of October A.D. 1887.
   The condition of the above obligation is such, that, whereas, the above bound Timothy Creeden has been appointed by the Probate Court of Mercer County, Ohio, guardian of the person and estate of Rosannah Creeden, an imbecile, aged about 32 years June 1887.
   Child of Patrick Creeden deceased late of Clinton Co. O. which appointment the said Timothy Creeden has accepted.
   Now if the said Timothy Creeden will faithfully discharge all his duties as such guardian, as is required by law, then the above obligation to be void, otherwise to remain in full force.

This bond approved in open Court, this 5th day of October A.D. 1887.

The document is signed by Timothy Creeden, John H. Siebert, Henry Beathler, and H.H. Pulskamp, Probate Judge.

========================================================================

THE STATE OF OHIO, Mercer County,
I, Timothy Creeden Guardian of Rosannah Creeden an imbecile do solemnly swear and affirm that I will faithfully and honestly discharge the duties upon me as such guardian, as I will answer to God.

Signed Timothy Creeden
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 4th day of October A.D. 1887.
Signed H.H. Pulskamp
Probate Judge

Amanuensis Monday is a daily blogging theme which encourages the family historian to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts.