Randolph County Chancery Records

Abstracted By David Armstrong

FILE 1

CASE 1 - Rowan vs. Hughes ended November 1866 - On 17 November 1857, Eli H. & William Rowan sold John N. Hughes a house ~ 1/8 acre lot near Beverly for which he have obligation. Hughes died intestate _ July 1861 without effects of any considerations leaving Sarah Hughes his widow, and Draper C., Anna, and Mary Etta Hughes infants under 21 his children. Robert A. McCuthean his administrator, ask that premises be sold to satisfy obligation. As of 27 May 1866 house occupied by Samuel Currence. Hughes left very few effects and these were left and during convulsions of war and occupation of the town of Beverly by both armies these were scattered, lost and destroyed. Summons issued to Sheriff of Monongalia County for heirs, December 1864. David H. Lilly became purchaser by decree but fail to pay for purchase -Rowan submit petition to re-sell property 1872 in Rowan vs. Lilly.

CASE 2 - See Administration vs. See Widow - Ended Spring 1856. Complaint of John A. Hutton and Dorothy his wife late Dorothy See and Paul McNeal and Rachel his wife, late Rachel See. Dorothy and Rachel being daughters of Adam See who died in 1840 at his residence in Randolph County. At appraisement of estate parts by consent of all concerned were taken by different members of the family. Administrators have hired out a portion of slaves of Adam See to wit: Caty, Henry, Daniel, Phebe, Daisy, Winny, Sinthy and Cilden, Moses, Martha and Fanny, and others. Real estate descended to: Charles C. & Jacob W. See of Randolph County; Mary Jane (Mrs. Andrew) Mathews of Pocahontas County; Eliza Ann (Mrs. Robert) Gamble of Augusta; Christina (Mrs. Washington G.) Ward and Hannah (Mrs. Henry) Harper of Randolph County; Margaret W., who married Noah See but has since been divorced by the courts of Missouri; Dorothy Hutton and Rachel McNeal, all children of Adam See; Mary Jane See and Georgia See, children of George See deceased who was another son of Adam See; and Margaret See, widow of Adam See. Hutton received from See, as part of Dorothy's portion 1 Negro boy named Lewis. McNeal and wife in 1834 received 1 Negro girl Sal. Ask court to sort out estate and distribute estate. Margaret See, the widow, departed life before 3 Sept 1852. Slave Henry sold for cash at Washington Ward residence. Notice of suit published in the "Harrison Republican" a newspaper at Clarksburg August 1845. Defendants Eliza and Robert Gamble admit that they received of Adam See 1 negro boy John and 1 negro girl Betty 12 years old, among other property. Defendants Hannah and Henry Harper admit to having received 1 negro boy Ben and 1 small negro girl, among other property. Prior to 1855, Margaret W. See has intermarried with Washington J. Lung. Mention slave called Scilla or Priscilla. Copy of 1840 letter from Adam See to daughter Eliza Gamble. 1837 bond in file for support of Christinah Ward while she is in her "present and unfortunate deranged condition". Receipt in file for money paid at the Western Lunatic Asylum for keeping Christina Ward. 1841 receipt for maintenance of Ellison and & Sarah, two old female servants. The negroes were set up and sold to lowest bidder and Paul McNeal became purchaser. Receipt for schooling of Adam See while he was a ward of __________. Copy of divorce decree of Margaret W. See from Noah See in Circuit Court of Montgomery County, Missouri. List of Henry Harper property includes negro boy Ben, and girl Amy. Gamble property includes negro John and 1 girl. Another list December 1831 mentions negro boy ?Cwis? 8-9 years old, slaves Davy, Siller, and others. Bill of sale release heirs interest in slaves Peter Phillis and their 5 children Samuel, Rachel, Aaron, Fanny and Sally to widow. February 1841, list negroes sold by heirs consent. Boy Daniel sold to A. G. Mathews; Moses, Phebe, Sintha, and Siller to Noah See; David, Winny, and Martha to Henry Harper; Caty to Paul McNeal; Ellison and Sarah old infirm negroes to whoever would keep them. 1839 letter from Adam and Margaret See to Eliza Gamble refers to hospitalization of Christena Ward. Letter dated April 1839 to Charles See from Eliza Gamble with details of placement of their sister Christena in asylum at Staunton on lower floor with female patients including a Mrs. Cunningham from Nelson County who was about to be discharged. (A huge file above does not include all potential information in file).

CASE 3 - Chenoweth vs. Lilly ended fall 1860 - Eli Chenoweth, Jacob Sergent and Solomon W. Daniels show that in 1855 they were engaged as partners in building a bridge and executed a note in name of Eli Chenoweth & Company to a certain Samuel M. Gay September 1856. They received a letter from a certain Nathan Cooper and in November 1856, a letter from Gay that he had sent the note out by D. H. Lilly to get the money and Lilly had traded the note away to a man in ?Palatini? and in letter Gay gives notice not to pay note to Cooper or Lilly. Ask decree for note to be paid. Hannah M. Gay testified that Mr. Gay was a member of the Protestant Methodist Episcopal Church, the same church Mr. Lilly was a pastor of in Pocahontas County. Deposition taken at tavern of E. H. Holder at Huntersville, Pocahontas County. Summons issued to Ohio County for Nathan Cooper, to Barbour County for Spencer Dayton. To Pocahontas County for Gay.

CASE 4 - Horn vs. Mathews - No details

CASE 5 - Morrison vs. Hinkle. Samuel Morrison complains that in 1830 a certain Adam Hinkle, then a resident of Pendleton was in debt to Morrison and Hinkle was in doubtful circumstances and Morrison was obliged to take from him two obligatories on one Aaron Lambert but Lambert was insolvent and soon thereafter left this county for parts unknown and has not since been heard from and Adam Hinkle left the Commonwealth and removed to some of the western states destitute at the time of any property. Hinkle was married to Sarah Hagler, daughter of Jacob Hagler deceased, who was still living at the death of her father. Jacob Hagler lived in Randolph County and died interstate leaving large estate and Hinkle was entitled to a portion in right of his wife who is now dead, which portion is in hands of Moses Hutton & John Hagler administrators. Ask decree for payment from Hagler estate. Notice published in 'Marion Pioneer" newspaper in Marion County May 1843. Hagler Administrators are notified by letter of Eli Hagler (sic) their brother that the wife of Adam Hinkle died in August last. Depositions taken at house of widow Hagler 1846. Jacob Haiglher (sic) testify that he has known Hinkle 12 years and that after marriage to Haigler's sister, Hinkle removed to St. Charles County, Mo., where he remained until his death in August of 1843. Sarah died August 1842. Jacob testified that when Hinkle went west, Jacob's father gave him a black boy about 25 years of age worth about $600.00. Jacob's father made a deed to Sarah for tract of 117 acres on Missouri River in Franklin County, Missouri, which Hinkle occupied a number of years. Jacob further testified that, from books kept by his father, Eli Haglher received $573.00; Adam Hinkle received $528.00; Jesse Haiglher received $342.50; Mary Hutton (formerly Hagler) received $228.00; Elizabeth Leper (formerly Hagler) received $141.90; Delilah Crouch (formerly Hagler) received $345.00; Susan Grimes (formerly Hagler) received $164.50; Jacob Hagler received $1268.00. A black boy called Joe was raised by Isaac Hinkle and at his death became property of Adam Hinkle. Adam Hinkle lived about 4 miles from Michael Hinkle in Pendleton County. Jacob's father had the said boy 5-6 years. Phebe Haigler testified that she had known Adam Hinkle since she can remember as he was raised a short distance from her fathers on the North Fork in Pendleton Country. He moved first to St. Charles County, Missouri and then to Franklin County. Testifies she lived on North Fork about 17 miles from Adam Hinkle and that her father moved to Missouri.

CASE 6 - Currence vs. Westfall. Bill of complaint not in file - answered by Squire Bosworth, guardian ad lit for Thursy and Squire Currence, Lorenzo D. and Ellen C. Hornbeck, infant defendants. Lorenzo D. Currence testifies he is one of the heirs of William B. Currence, deceased, and sold his brother (Lorenzo's brother) 2 parts of William B.'s land. William D. Currence has made improvements and purchased shares of Virginia Currence, wife of Lorenzo D. Hill, and Thursy Currence. Prior to selling to his brother Lorenzo D. Currence had built a house on his share of the land and dug a well. Bond mentions G. D. Camden, Judge of 21st Judicial Circuit 1860 and mention case of Absalom Westfall & wife vs. Allen J. Currence and others.

CASE 7 - Skidmore vs. Wees ended Fall 1860. Andrew Skidmore of Pendleton County complains that Job Wees deceased was in debt to him. Job Wees died intestate in Barbour County and Whitman Ward of Randolph administered the estate. Wees died as owner of 150 acres in Randolph called the "Petro Place" and 220 acres 1n Barbour called the "Shurtliff Place". Wees left the following children: Granville, Bernard L., Mary E. Job, and James M. Wees. Since death of Wees, his Son Job died a minor. Ask land be sold to satisfy debt. Godfrey Marstiller testified that he worked in blacksmith shop of Eli Kittle and that Job Wees was in habit of getting work done. Kittle would temporarily write the charges on a slate and later transfer them to a book. Philip Keisey and Isaiah Baker testified that in the fall of 1853, they worked in the same room in which Baker carried on his business as a saddler and remember Job Wees purchasing a pair of saddle bags. Land sold at courthouse June 1858.

CASE 8 - Goff vs. Currence & Company. Ended November 1866. Nathan Goff complains that 1n March 1860 William D. Currence became in debt to him and failed to pay - Goff recovered a judgement; Currence entered into a colusion with his son Labon Curtis (sic) to defraud his creditors and conveyed his real estate to his son Labon. Ask sale be set aside and real estate sold. Summons issued to Wood and Harrison Counties for William D. Currence. Labon Currence and others. Labon Currence answers suit saying that William D. Currence is his "reputed father" and that he (Labon) is heir to the estate of George Bradly deceased.

CASE 9 - Westfall vs. Currence - February 1857. No bill of complaint in file - notice published in, "Clarksburg Register" March 1857 shows suit brought by Absalom and Nancy Westfall for decree to partition lands of which William B. Currence died seized. William D. Currence testified that his father William B. Currence left some personal property in Jackson County with his daughter (William B.'s daughter) Nancy. Nancy resided with her father William B. Currence 8 years after she separated from her husband Ziba Wees and she had with her two children at that time. Answer filed by John W. Crawford, guardian ad lit of Ulery, Thursy, and Squire Currence, Lorenzo D. and Ellen C. Hornbeck. Deposition shows Nancy's subsequent husband to be Absalom Westfall. Testimony of James Trainum shows that he knew of Nancy weaving (a pair of) jeans for her father. Testimony of Eleanor Currence, mother of Nancy, speaks of Nancy's marriage to Ziba Wees, -and says that _____ Brown, Nancy's (apparent other) husband taught school in Pocahontas County. William B. Currence moved from Jackson County to Randolph County in 1839. Mention advancements made by William B. Currence to his daughter Catherine Hornbeck. Brief Testimony by Adaline Currence, of lawful age. Samuel ?Leay? testified that Nancy brought two children with her when she went to live with her father and that Ziba Wees came and took one away and that she had another born while at her father's. John Pritt, Jr. testified that he lived for while on William B. Currence's place and so did Allen Currence, William B's son. Henry Harper testified that Nancy was industrious and could support herself, but Harper was questioned by counsel whether he thought Nancy could have a child every two years and still support herself. Thomas B. Bays testified that Nancy, the negro woman Mary, and Lorenzo D. Currence supported the whole Currence family. Report show some proceeds of William B. Currence estate should be divided among the following six children: Lorenzo D., Squire, Thursay, and Ulery Currence, Mary Ellen Hill, wife of Lorenzo D. Hill, and Virginia, wife of Jacob Currence. Two other children were Nancy Westfall and Catherine Hornbeck.


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