If you have ancestors in Tennessee, do yourself a favor and search for the surnames of their neighbors in the TN State Supreme Court files at TN State Library and Archives. Your ancestors may have given statements for them and if so they may contain information you won't find elsewhere.
(Page 30)State of Tennessee Rutherford County
Be it remembered that on Monday the 15th day of September 1834 personally appeared before me Richard Ledbetter Clerk and Master of the Circuit Court of said county James Sanford, John B Nixon, Charles A Frensley and Pleasant Puckett all of lawful age witnesses on the part of the complainant and also William B Dotson witness on the part of the defendant, in the suit in Equity now pending in said Circuit Court, wherein Robert Williams complainant, William Putman and Zepheniah Anglin defendants. The said witnesses appeared before me at my office in Murfreesborough on the day mentioned above and after being duly sworn upon the holy evangelists of Almighty God to speak the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth deposeth and saith as follows. There being present the complainant and defendant also William Brady atty. for complainant and Andrew J. Hoover atty for defendants. The said James Sanford being first examined
James Sanford
Question by Complainant attorney: State the value of the horse when sold to complainant in this unsound state
Answer: I think the horse was worth sixty dollars at the time Mr. William purchased him. I also think the mare given in part payment for said horse worth about the same sum.
James Sanford
The said John B Nixon was next examined who stated as follows.
I think the horse worth about sixty dollars at the time he was purchased by Mr. Williams, in his unsound condition the mare given in part payment for said horse I saw her on the day the trade was made but did not notice her particularly so I am not able to state her value.
John B Nixon(His Mark)
Charles A Frensley was next examined who states as follows. I rode with Mr. Williams on the day he traded the horse. Also I rode the horse to Nolensville some weeks afterwards and owing to his unsound condition at the time Mr.(Page 31) Williams purchased said horse. I would think him worth nothing to me and the way horses sold at the time the trade was made. I think the mare given in part payment for said horse was worth between fifty and sixty dollars. I was with Mr. Williams in 1831 when said Williams traded the horse Leopard to Mr. Dotson. I heard Mr. Dotson ask Williams if this horse Leopard was a perfect sound horse. Williams answer was that his limbs were sound. Williams said after we started from Dotsons, Dotson will say I told him this horse was a perfect sound horse and told me to take notice what he did say The horse Williams got in exchange for Leopard was worth not more than thirty dollars.
C.A. Frensley
Pleasant Puckett witness for complainant was next examined who stated as follows.
I saw said horse Leopard one or two days after Mr. Williams purchased him owing to his unsound condition I would not give anything for him. In 1830 or 31 I went with Mr. Williams to the District who rode said horse at which time I would not give anything for him. I saw the horse Mr. William got for said horse Leopard about a week after he got him and I think he was worth about thirty dollars and I am a brother in law to Mr. Williams.
P. Puckett
William B Dotson witness for defendant was next examined who states as follows.
State what you know about this horse Leopard owned by Mr. Williams
I traded for said horse from Mr. Williams I think in July or August 1831 Mr. Williams rode the horse to my house in Dickson County at which time I traded for said horse, who stated he had been riding him two weeks through the district. I gave a young horse with about seventy five dollars. Said horse Leopard was a dapple gray, and about five or six months afterwards I sold him to Mr. Isaac Teague(?) for two hundred dollars in property. Mr. Williams was anxious to trade said horse Leopard stated he was sound and that he had just taken him from standing a season. Teague when he purchased him knew he snored. When I sold him I received one season of a mare. He stood one season in my neighborhood and he performed well as a foal getter. I was acquainted with the horse about eighteen months. He never was injured with any disease he went blind about twelve months after I purchased him. I don't believe the snoring of the horse injured him ..said horse got very fat after I purchased him and I think he was worth two hundred dollars at the time I sold him.
Wm B Dotson
The foregoing depositions were taken by me at the time and place mentioned in the caption and that all the witnesses were sworn before they were examined 15th September 1834.
Richard Ledbetter
Clerk & Master
Notes:
Williams vs. Putman--TN State Supreme Court Case Middle District Ordered from TN State Library & Archives via https://supreme-court-cases.tennsos.org/ Delivery(Jan 2, 2019) via email of scanned digital images(PDF) 41 pages. (Location at TSLA Range: 33 Section: A Shelf: 2 Box Number: 375)
Location of Files Searchable---https://sos.tn.gov/products/tsla/tennessee-supreme-court-cases
Other posts I've written about this case include pg (mid)19-22 and 50 Person's mentioned in Williams vs. Putman.
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