The Estate of James M Lemmond

James McCullough Lemmond(s) was my 5th great grandfather. He was born around 1779 and is the son of Robert Lemmond and Elizabeth Jane McCullough.

I haven't found many records for James that document his life other than he is mentioned in his father's Will, along with brothers, William, John, Robert, Cyrus and Mars and sisters, Elizabeth, Nancy and Ann. There is a marriage record for him in Mecklenburg County, NC, where he and James Todd were bound for the sum of 500 pounds and he made application to marry Elizabeth Moore 26 March 1811.  And in 1820 I think he is enumerated with the middle initial 'P' next door to either his widowed mother-in-law Margaret Moore.

James most likely succumbed to an epidemic known as 'the fever' that started in Schuylkill River and spread across the nation sometime in early 1824 around the age of 45 and his wife died soon after in 1828 A child also died in this time frame but I'm getting ahead of myself.

I wanted to use the post to show you how Will's and Estate records can fill in the blanks and provide hints and sometimes confirm theories. But you have to read every little snippet and name that you can make out.

Let's start with the Will of James M. Lemmond.

In the name of God amen.  

                                     I James M Lemmond ? being in a declining state of health in body but of a sound disposing mind and memory do make and ordain and constitute this my last will and testament. 1st - I will that all my just debts be paid by my executor hereafter to be named. 2nd - I will and allow my beloved wife Elizabeth Lemmond to have my land where I now live for the purpose of raising my family and when the youngest comes of age then an equal division to be made amongst them.  I also allow her to have all my household furniture consisting of all my beds and one cupboard and stand of drawers and one table with all things belonging to the house for her use and the family. I also will that my wife shall have my black mare and I also allow her to have all my farming utensils for her own use and my familys. I also allow her to have all my stock of cattle for her use and my family's use. I also all her to have six yearlen hoggs for her use and familys. I also will that Rebecca Moore live in her house. 3 dly - I will that my smith tools be sold at publick sale with some turning tools to the highest bidder. 4th - I will that my clock with one rifle gun with pouch be sold. 5th - I will that my shot gun be sold and one grindstone and hangings be also sold with my saddle also. 6th - I will that one middle sized pot and one large dutch oven be sold. 7th - I will that all my barrels and some kegs be sold but one meat barrel and one meal barrel with one salt barrel to be for the use of my family. 8th - I will that my riding chair and one two gallon jug be sold. 9th - I will that my steele trap be sold with one trunk also. 10th - I will that a watch that was given to my son John Lemmond be sold and that money put out upon interest until he becomes of age. Lastly I do hereby ordain appoint and constitute Andrew Moore my executor of this my last will and testament hereby revoking and disannulling all other wills making and appointing this and this only as my last will and testament. Given under my  hand and seal this 24th day of January 1824.     Signed by James M. Lemmond and witnessed by Joseph Flinn and WMK Lemmond

 First thing we need to do is take note of the names and any relation given to us. We know his wife's name is Elizabeth. That corresponds with the marriage record. Then two individuals with the last name Moore (wife's maiden name) are mentioned, Rebecca and Andrew. Third is an individual with the same last name as James, WMK Lemmond. And lastly Joseph Flinn.

Luckily, I was working on Elizabeth Moore's line earlier this week and a few names are fresh on my mind. Joseph Flinn married Hannah Moore 19th of Oct 1812 in Mecklenburg County, NC. I believe Hannah to be a sister of Elizabeth. I suspect Rebecca and Andrew are also siblings. And WMK Lemmond is James' brother, William K Lemmond who married Betsey Todd. (Remember James Todd was a bondsmen to James and Elizabeth's marriage - note - look for connection).

Next thing to notice is that James and Elizabeth have a son named John who is NOT of age, meaning he is not 21 as of 1824 and that there's possibly others that are young as well as he mentioned that the property would be divided once the youngest child comes of age.

Now for the daunting task of going through his Estate with a fine tooth comb. His estate is made of a file with lots of scrap pieces of paper as well as a few ledgers.

• The first piece is a receipt dated May 23 1829 and it says $6.38 was paid in full by Andrew Moore the executor to Dan Alexander
• The second is a receipt for the tuition of the children of Betsy Lemmond dated 10 Nov 1828. Names mentioned: Dan Alexander and Mary V. Towle
  
• Next is a ledger receipt from Josiah Montgomery against the Estate of Elizabeth Lemmonds 6 March 1828 and on the bottom for Andrew Moore paid in full dated Feb 1829
• Next is a continuing ledger from Josiah - many things are hard to make out but it would appear he was a blacksmith. I can make out that he made shoes, welded shoes, mended a saddle..... mending a wheel....sharpening a shovel. 
• Next is a ledger that mentions James P. Henderson as the guardian for 'said heirs' though so far it doesn't say who those heirs are.... also mentioned are notes for John Howel(?) and Milley Tarlton(?) other names mentioned on this ledger are Wm Lukey, John Sloan, Levy Parker, Dan Alexander is the JP as well as an Abner Hunter? (last name illegible) 
• Next couple pages tell us they were still dealing with his estate in 1831 & 1832 and James P Henderson is still mentioned as a guardian.  
• Another ledger mentions the names John Sloan (sherrif?) Isaac Alexander (clerk) Jos Walker and wife, John Irwin (muslin for burial), Cooper & MGin, Wm Smith, David Parks, John MGins (for schooling), Prichard & Neckley (making coffin) another receipt says Prichard & Nichols, Andrew McNeely, Alenson Alexander (lease of horse), Alexander Robinson (for a bushel of corn), Josiah Montgomery, Margaret Ripley (another says Riley - for the clearing of fence by S M Riley and one iron bound cage), John Irwin (funeral Articles), James Asbury, Calvin G. Alexander (schooling), John Sloan (tax), William K Lemmond (schooling), Thomas Hunter, John A. Howel (pull and hull corn), Joseph R. Sample (pull and hull corn), 
• Next is a ledger against the Estate of Mrs. Lemmond, James widow: most likely from the mercantile ran by William Smith. Items purchased are silk, calico, sugar & coffee, ribbon, Moroco hat, book muslin, quart of wine ....
• A receipt for Elizabeth's coffin dated Feb 24, 1829
  
  
  

• Receipt for promising to pay Andrew McNeely also named John F McNeely signed Betsy Lemond
• Next up is a receipt for the schooling of my 4th great grandmother Margaret Adaline Lemmond. 
  

• Next is a receipt for cambric muslin for the burial of an unnamed child of James and Elizabeth
  

• March of 1824 a receipt promising to pay Andrew Moore $16.66 signed by Betsy Lemmond and Joseph Flinn
• A March 1827 ledger from Thomas Hunter for purchases made... pound of tobacco, bushel of salt, sugar and coffee, quart of whiskey, one and a half bushels of oats, more tobacco, 
• Next a receipt that tells us that James P Henderson is guardian of five children. 
  

• There's a receipt dated 30 Jan 1830 for $7.50 paid to John Howel for covering a shed and clearing land belonging to the heirs of James M. Lemmond.
• Next is an inventory of items belonging to James M. Lemmond and what they brought at auction. 
• There is a receipt dated 7 Jan 1824 signed my James M. Lemmond to Andrew McNeely. 
• Next is a receipt with several dates; 13 March 1828, 31 March 1824, 25 Oct 1827, dealing with Andrew Moore executor of James Lemmond. This tells me that James died before 31 March 1824 if Andrew as already dealing with his debts.
• Next is another receipt signed by the widow Betsy Lemond to her brother Andrew for the same date as above, 31 March 1924
  

• There's a receipt for $1.26 for beef supplied to the family by Allen Baldwin. 
• Dated 16 Sept 1824 a receipt for $.80 for schooling signed by James Parham. 
• Dated 18 Nov 1825 a receipt for $7.59 for family expenses of Elizabeth Lemmond, widow... signed by Joseph Flinn
• Next is a ledger from William Smith, the earliest date is 1819 and ends 1823. Items purchased: Wash bowl, white flannel, allspice, cheese, rum, postage for pamphlet, sugar & coffee, calico, shawl, more sugar and coffee, and a quart of wine, and dated 1824 it says sugar for widow. I'm attaching an AD from The Charlotte Journal from 1831, that I believe speaks of this same William Smith: 
  

• Next is a receipt dated May 1824 to William Cromwell for making coffin.
  
    

• Next is a receipt dated 29 June 1821 while James was still living, promising to pay $15 by 1 Jan 1822, I'm including it because of his signature.
  
   
• Next is a paper dated Feb 1832 and mentions former guardian James Henderson resigned and  Joseph Walker is appointed. *Note* Joseph Walker married Jane Lemmond 28 May 1831 in Mecklenburg County, NC.
• Next is another paper dated  27 Feb 1832 where Joseph is specifically appointed guardian of Joseph M. Lemmond, orphan of Joseph M. Lemmon.
• Next is a paper exactly like the previous dated 27 Feb 1832 except it pertains to my branch. Thomas Rutherford is appointed guardian specifically of  Robert and John Lemmond. *Note* Thomas Rutherford married Margaret A. Lemmond that very same day in Mecklenburg County, NC
• Obviously you can see these papers are not in chronological order because the next one is the guardianship papers of James P Henderson being appointed guardian of all 5 children Adaline, Jane, Robert, John and James dated 29 Feb 1828 (We were told earlier that there were 5 Lemmond children - We finally have them named. Margaret Adeline, Jane, Robert, John and James ) 

• After this is another guardianship paper dated 24 Feb 1824 and a Robert Lemmond (a brother to James M. Lemmond Sr) is appointed guardian of John Lemmond. And that's the last paper in the file. I didn't include every single paper, only the one's that I felt held any pertinent or interesting information. 

From the information provided I have been able to confirm hunches on Elizabeth's family and piece together the siblings of my ancestor Margaret Adaline. I discovered that she and her sister were living with their spouses in Union County, GA by 1840 and then both families (Rutherfords and Walkers) migrated to Tippah County, Mississippi. These names would explain names you see in the children of Margaret Adaline Lemmond Rutherford: (1)William Williamson Rutherford (middle name comes from Thomas's mother's maiden name) (2) James McCullough Rutherford (middle name comes from James Lemmon's mother's maiden name) (3) Thomas Franklin Rutherford ... hmmm this is my ancestor. Who is he named after??? (4) Elizabeth Jane Rutherford (Elizabeth for Adaline and Thomas's mother and Jane for James Lemmond's mother and Adaline's sister)  (5) John Lemmond Rutherford (for his mother's maiden name) (6) Robert Walker Rutherford (for his Uncle who was married to Adeline's sister Jane) (7) David Flynn Rutherford (for James Flinn who was Margaret Adaline's uncle by marriage)

No to try to hunt down those pesky brothers. There's a John Lemmons married to a Nancy with 4 children living in Tippah County in 1850. I believe this to be brother John.. He ends up in Gonzales Texas. Robert can be found in 1841 in the Mississippi State census living in Tippah County but I never find him again and James Jr. can be found with wife Frances and three children living in Yalobusha County, Mississippi.... maybe... it could be a cousin with the same name as there is a grown 24 year old Cyrus Lemmond living there as well.

I hope I've left you understanding the benefits of wading through all the receipts and what can come of  trying to make out the terrible handwriting of the 19th century. I love being able to see exactly who handcrafted the coffins of my 5th great grandparents and how communities come together to care for the widows and orphans. I also love that I was able to find signatures for both of them and take note of the fact that they spelled their name L-E-M-O-N-D. The benefit of blogging this out is that I can come back later if I need to search through the various names mentioned throughout. I wish I could find more records on this family but for now I am satisfied at the progress I've made.

Until next time,
Becky 

My 10 Favorite Resources

This post is just as much for me as it is for you! There are a handful or resources that I am always using and then there are a few that have been very handy, but I don't need to use them very often. I end up forgetting what they were and have to scour social media for clues. I decided today that I would write a blog post about all the different sources I use. They are almost all free, though some will require you to have an account.

1. Family Search: This site is very similar to Ancestry, only its free. There are often times I have been able to find actual images, not just transcribed records, on Family Search, while the transcribed information from an index is all that's available on Ancestry. I like that I can narrow my search down to individual states. There are also indexes on Family Search that I use often (like probate records) that aren't searchable per-se, but that can be clicked through, image by image, until you can find your record. Family Search will also let you know if there is record loss in a particular county which would explain why you know something is a fact but can't back it up with records. This most often occurs in counties that saw a lot of first hand battle during the Civil war when homes, buildings and whole towns were sometimes burned to the ground. 
2. Bureau of Land Management: I love to look through the Land Patents listed on the BLM site and even using the map to get a better idea of where my ancestor lived.
3. Buncombe County, NC Register of Deeds : I realize this resource is very specific, but if you trace your family back far enough, North Carolina, is a pretty big hub for Colonial History. This site not only has land records, but it contains a few marriage and death records as well
4. Texas Land Grants: Again another State specific site but I have a HUGE amount of family from Texas. I have found land records on this site from at least 3 ancestors and if I ever felt like filling out the paperwork these would grant me access into the Daughters of the Texas Republic. 
5. Newspapers.com : This is a paid for site and has been my favorite for newspaper archives. There are others out there and I have found some information in GenealogyBank's newspaper archives that weren't available on Newspapers.com. But I don't find their database to be very user friendly. 
6. Chronicling America: This is a free site. I have rarely used it and can't really remember a time that I found anything but you may have better luck. 
7. The Gateway to Oklahoma History: This is also a free site for Oklahoma newspapers, books, and various other collections. For free newspaper searches in the Oklahoma and surrounding counties from other states, I really like this site. It is exactly like the next resource on the list.
8. The Portal to Texas History: Like I stated before. I have a vast amount of family from the great state of Texas. I have found many articles on this website that weren't found on the paid for Newspapers site.
9. Missouri Digital Heritage: This website can sometimes be difficult to maneuver from the home screen. There are a few places I regularly search on this site. Missouri Birth and Death Records Database, Pre -1910  ; Missouri Death Certificates, 1910-1966 ; Missouri Provost Marshal Database, 1861-1966
10. Fold3 : I love this site. It isn't just for your veterans. It contains Native American records, and Pension applications. These can sometimes contain a wealth of detailed information in the form of affidavits from neighbors, and family friends. They contain first hand accounts from people during that time period. In one such record an acquaintance of my 5th great grandfather spoke of going to the blacksmith  near the close of the Revolutionary War, and speaking with other men of the community about the turbulent times.
    

    

    ... I have a distinct recollection of one pertickular conversation that took place at Robert Grays blackmsith shop between said Upton and my self and Robert Gray. Under whom said Upton learned the trade of Gunn Smith. we were all speaking of the many trials and hardships that we went through during the revolutionary war all of us having served in said war .....

    And a non-direct line ancestor of my husband had letters from members of her community writing to complain that her pension was acquired by fraudulent testimonies and that her son(s) were using her pension to drink and lay around rather than support their mother. These are stories. Not just records. They paint the bigger picture and provide insight into the mindset of the people of a certain community and era. Or in the case of my 5th great grandfather let you know that he was a gun smith and that he learned the trade from a Mr. Robert Gray.

 With all these resources, the one thing I want you to understand is that genealogy isn't a quick click here and there. There is So. Much. Time. invested in researching. It isn't a quick hobby. And sometimes, it costs money. In having hard copies and viable records, more often than not, you have to pay for those records. And some genealogy sites are worth the subscription fee. It also takes creativity. Many records are filed under phonetic spelling using dialects. When you have an ancestor with the surname Lassater you have to think of all the various ways this name could be spelled -- Lasater, Lasatar, Lassiter, Lasiter, Lassator, Lasator.... you get the point) So when you think of people you know who research and share their information with you, keep in mind, like so many other labors of love, it does require investment of time and money. We do it for ourselves and all those we love. We hope you appreciate our efforts.


If you have a website you use often in your genealogy research and its not on my list, would you mind sharing it with me?


Until next time:
Becky Drake

John R. Garner, DNA, A Nephew And an Unkown Man

Sometime ago I wrote about my 3rd great grandfather, John Middleton Nall and in the process I was able to figure out who his wife's family was. I had been searching for years and the answer was right under my nose.

I'll give a brief  recap. John Middleton Nall married a Mary Jane Garner on 6 Aug 1857, in Rusk County. In John Middleton's civil war pension application it was signed by a J J Garner and T L Nix. J J Garner was John Josiah Garner b. 1836 in GA who married a Mary A Nix.  T L Nix was Mary A Nix's half-sibling Thomas Little Nix. b. 1842 in GA. After searching the 1850 census I was able found the John R. Garner family living in the next county over, Panola County. Head of household was Jno R. Garner b. 1818 GA, Elizabeth b. 1820 GA, Josiah b. 1837 GA, Mary b. 1840 GA, Ann b. 1842 AL, John b. 1846 TX and Wiley b. 1849 TX.

This is Mary Jane Garner/Nall's family. DNA verifies it. Most of her siblings are well documented but her parents are a different story. This blog post will be my attempt at piecing together the information I have in hopes of finding something new and also hoping other John R. Garner descendants will see it so that together we can find some answers. I had my Dad's DNA tested and its linked on Ancestry. He matches the descendants of several of Mary Jane's siblings. Specifically John Josiah, Ann Eliza, Andrew Jackson and Sophrona Catherine Garner.

Let me begin with the 1850 census. This tells me the approximate age and birthplace so that I can begin searching for an earlier census. Keeping in mind that all censuses earlier than 1850 only list the head of household and age ranges. If the oldest two children were born between 1836-1840 in GA that tells me that this family should be somewhere in the state of Georgia during the 1840 census. A quick search gives me a John R Garner family living in  District 788, Heard County, Georgia. There is one male child under the age of 5 - that will be Josiah, one male between the ages of 20-30 - that will be John R. , and one female in the same age range - that will be his wife Elizabeth. Also living in the same district and county is a William M. Garner.

Going off of Josiah's birth date (1818) we can assume that John and Elizabeth were married about 1835; give or take a few years. Heard County Georgia is right on the Georgia/Alabama line so both states should be searched. There are a few options but none that I'm certain are them. Quite a few online trees say that her maiden name was Rosser/Russer and there is a marriage record for a John Garner Jr. married 1839 in Henry County Georgia. I don't believe this to be them. First, the marriage is after the birth of Josiah and second, it seems that this marriage can be attributed to a John H. Garner who died in 1911 and is buried in Burnet, Texas. There is one marriage record that I think is worth looking into and that is of a J "G" Garner and an A E Harbin who were married 17 July 1832 in Hall County, Georgia. The only image of this record that I have found seems to have been hand transcribed much later in time. I wonder if the "G" could've been an "R". And Elizabeth's middle initial is given as A in at least one record. For now this piece of the puzzle will have to remain unsolved.

Sometime in the late 1840's John and his family migrated to Texas. He can be found in the Tax Rolls of Shelby County, TX, for the year 1846 as well as a William Garner. Are they brothers?  In the next county over in Panola you can find John's land record here. They even include his signature from 1851. He claimed 320 acres of land that was situated on the Irons Bayou, a tributary of the Sabine River, about 5 1/2 miles North of Carthage.




I was actually able to find a map that has his name showing exactly where his land was located.

In the above land record you will find that John dies not long after his claim on the land and it then becomes the property of his heirs.


In the Texas Probate Records, 1800-1990, of Panola County  you can find in Final Records Book C page 609 and Minutes Book B page 333 records pertaining to John R Garner's Estate. Two names will come up. Thomas J. Garner who is referred to as a nephew, and is applying to be the administrator of John's estate. and a John W (?) Williams that objects and wishes himself to be the administrator.

There is no Thomas J. Garner in any census records for Panola or surrounding counties in the years 1850 or 1860. So this leaves me searching elsewhere for his connection to John. After John R. Garner dies, his widow, Elizabeth, marries an Irishman by the name of Thomas Shannon in 1858. They have one son named John Thomas "Jack" Shannon. I find his name a bit odd considering he has a half sibling named John Thomas Garner, but maybe that's why he went by "Jack"? Elizabeth then marries another Irishman named Cornelius 'Neal' Logue in 1866. Now all of this was going on during the Civil War. So I turn to Fold3 to browse their records hoping for some clue that will help in my search. In the same unit as Neal Logue, the 28th Calvary Randal's Regiment, there is a service record for both a T J Garner and a T L Garner. No identifiable information is given.

Then there's Mr. John Williams. Before writing this post, I had only searched and found a match in census records. But now, after reading through John R. Garner's land records I found that John K(?) Williams  and Mills L. Higgins signed as witnesses, testifying that John had indeed lived and made improvements on his land for at least 3 years.

Is there a connection to John with these men other than grit and determination to settle a new land? Were they just neighbors?

Mills Higgins dies in 1860 from pneumonia. He was born about 1813 in KY and married Martha Helen Young in Marshall County AL.

John K Williams was born about 1823 in KY, serves in the CSA during the Civil War and dies in 1898

I  have great difficulty finding much for a John W Williams other than one tax record for the year 1846 in Panola County, Texas.

I've never been able to find any record for John's widow Elizabeth after her marriage to Neal Logue. She and her son "Jack" Shannon aren't listed in the 1870 census. If it is the same man, there is a Cornelius Logue enumerated in the neighboring county of Cherokee, but Elizabeth and Jack aren't with him. He is living with the Odum family.

At this point, I think I will try researching more on the nephew Thomas J Garner from the Estate records. He may be able to point me to his parents, which in turn may provide clues to John's earlier history.

Until next week,
Becky