Which William Cook registered land in Bedford Co TN(1826)

Several weeks back I contacted the Tennessee State Library and Archives with a question about a land warrant(#3793) recorded for William C Cook for land in Bedford Co TN. My specific question was abt the act listed on the warrant in hopes that it would tell how he received the land. In the meantime, I started looking for land transactions or deeds for the people and properties listed in the land description. Specifically Dempsey P Temple and William Chapman. I received a response which included several documents

• An 1823 Act Book page
• Plat Certificate for the William C Cook land

Transcription of Plat Certificate :

By virtue of Entry number 584 dated May 13th 1825
(Entered by certificate No. 15 for 160 acres)
I have surveyed for William C Cook (assignee of Robert P Harrison) 50 acres of land situate in Bedford County on the Waters of Rich Creek a North Branch of Duck River. Beginning on William Chapman's line on Dempsey P Temples northwest corner of an entry of 100 acres No. 229 thence East with Temples line 126 and one-half poles to a cedar thence North 63 and 1/4 poles to two black ash trees thence West 126 and a half poles to an elm and Ash on said Chapman's line thence Southwest on said line to the beginning

Surveyed February 4th 1826           Wm D Orr  DR(note: Deed Recorder?)

William Chapman
Asa Hale
2CC(note: chain carriers?)

Land Records for  William Chapman

Transaction 29th Dec 1827

Regd  23 Jan 1828

Kimbrough T. Ogilvie to William Chapman  203 acres ($ 1000)

Bedford Co. TN Deed Book v. W  p. 396

FamilySearch  https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSKX-3Q6Q-X

accessed 12 Sep 2024

IGN 8150800  Image  822  of  902

[Named in Record:  David Dryden, Samuel Winstead Alexander Eakin

The land was part of a larger grant Mark R Cockrell(No 9392) 196 acres]

Transaction 21st Dec 1827

Regd 28th  May 1829

William Chapman to Samuel Winstead  6 acres & 30 poles ($31)

Bedford Co. TN Deed Book v. AA p. 181

FamilySearch 

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSKX-QS83-3 : accessed 11 Sep 2024

IGN 8150802  Image 105 of 591

[Named in Record:  Thomas Allison, Spencer Eakin,  P H Shockey]

Transaction 8th Feb 1828

Regd 28th May 1829

William Chapman to Samuel Winstead  75 acres ($128)

Bedford Co. TN Deed Book v. AA p. 179

FamilySearch https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSKX-QS84-Q

accessed 11 Sep 2024

IGN 8150802  Image 104 of 591

[Named in record:  Mark R Cockrill?,  George Calhoon, Peter Goodwin, Ephraim Hunter, Benjamin Harkness, John Williamson]

Transaction 5 Dec 1832

Regd  13th March 1833

William Chapman to  Ephraim Hunter  79 acres &  120 poles ($184 42 1/2 Cents )

Bedford Co. TN Deed Book v. DD  p.  1

FamilySearch https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS54-S7MV-6

accessed 11 Sep 2024

IGN 8265309   Image 292 of 585

[Named in Record:  Thomas Allison, John Ramsey, James Eakin]

Checking the names from within just these documents using the tax list of Bedford Co TN for 1836-1839 as well as the 1830 US Federal Census which was close to the same time as the deeds shows that most of those people owned property or lived in Dist 17 of Bedford Co TN.  I could hypothesize if this trend continues that he is the William Cook of District 17 but that doesn't explain why he is listed as William C Cook on the Land document.  At all other times, I have found Dist 17 William he was simply William Cook--no middle initial.

Robert P Harrison--William C Cook certificate for land mentions that he is assignee of Harrison

Wm. D Orr-Recorded the Deed

Asa Hale--One of the Chain Carriers

Mark R. Cockrell--The land Kimbrough T Ogilvie sold Wm Chapman was from an early land grant of his.

District 7

Alexander Eakin

Spencer Eakin

Shockley--Did not find P H Shockley but there was a Shockley in this district.

District 11

Thomas Allison

District 17

Ephraim Hunter 

Benjamin Harkness 

John Williamson

John Ramsey

James Eakin

Samuel Winstead

Kimbrough T. Ogilvie

District 18

William Cook

Dempsey P Temple

William Chapman

George Calhoun

Peter Goodwin 

David Dryden

Districts 12-17 were taken from Bedford Co TN in 1836 to form Marshall County.

1830 US Federal Census, Bedford County Tennessee , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XH5S-V8B : accessed 29 Sep 2024), image 13 of 712.[This snippet of the census appears to be some of the District 17 Families whose head of household is among those mentioned in the deeds involving William Chapman].

Another point, even with this William C Cook being listed as the assignee of Robert P Harrison and with my Wm C Cook's Harrison maternal grandparents he would not be of age to be able to own or purchase land without a guardian as far as I can tell.

Samuel Winstead purchaser of the land from William Chapman, is likely the same man named Samuel Winstead who served in the 1st Regiment(Metcalfe's) West Tennessee Militia during the War of 1812.  William P Cook, the probable husband of Elizabeth Harrison Cook, also served in 1st Regiment(Metcalfe's) West Tennessee Militia   

Knowing the district in which the William Cook who received the land lived and his neighbors makes me believe that he was William Cook b. abt 1798 who married Nancy Lentz.  No idea why he was referred to as William C Cook on the land documents.  His Widow's Pension File is listed on Fold3. She had filed for War of 1812 survivor's pension but had been rejected because he was in the Seminole War of 1818 which weren't eligible for pension.

I can safely say that my 2nd Great Grandfather William C Cook b 1811 was not the same William C Cook who received that land. As far as I know, none of the direct male descendants of Wm Cook husband of Nancy Lentz have YDNA tested.  Need to look at the late Jerry Wayne Cook's research.  I think he published it.

Wm G Hight Deed to Wm Putman in Bedford Co. TN(1844)

I found a deed using the Full-Text Search Lab at FamilySearch today and thought it might be fun to see if ChatGPT could plat the land description.  I first had to transcribe the deed which I did using the Full Text transcription and making the corrections.  

https://www.familysearch.org/search/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CST3-19PP-Y

William G Hight to William Putman Deed 92 acres 

This Indenture made and entered into this day one thousand eight hundred and forty four October the twenty third Between Wm G. Hight of the County of Bedford & State of Tennessee of the one part & Wm Putman of the County and State aforesaid of the other part. Witnesseth that the said Wm G. Hight for & in consideration of the sum of four hundred dollars two hundred paid and the balance unpaid for which the land Stands bound, to him in hand by Wm Putman the receipt is whereof hereby acknowledged, hath given, granted, Bargained, and sold, Aliened, conveyed and confirmed unto said Putman his heirs and assigns forever a certain Tract or parcel of land situated & lying & being in Bedford County & State of Tennessee on the Alexander Creek & bounded as follows, to wit, Beginning on Caswells North boundary line at Elm & ash, thence with Johnsons line North Sixty poles to a red Oak and elm in South boundary line Thomas Black. Thence West with one hundred and twenty four and two thirds of a pole to ash, thence South with Hight's line on hundred and thirty four poles to the Middleton road, thence East with said road forty four and two thirds of a pole. One rod East of a post Oak to a Stake then South Lile's line fifty six poles to a stake and hickory in Isham Lains North boundary line thence East with Lains line twenty nine poles to a hickory, Thence North with the Lains line one hundred & thirty poles to a hickory, Lains North West Corner, thence West fifty one poles to the Beginning. Containing in all Ninety two acre of land. Be it the Same more or less. To have and to hold the aforesaid land with all and singular the rights and profits Emoluments, hereditaments and appurtenances of in and to the same belonging or in any wise appertaining to the only proper use & behoof of him Wm Putman his heirs and assigns forever and he the said Wm G. Hight for himself his heirs, executors & administrators do covenant & agree with said Wm Putman his heirs and that the before recited land & bargained premises he will warrant and forever defend against the right, title interest & claim of all and every person or persons whatever lawfully claiming the same. Witness whereof the said Wm G. Hight hath hereunto set his hand & affixed his seal this day & date above written. 

Signed & sealed in presence of Wm G. Hight 

State of Tennessee Personally appeared before me Robert Hurst Clerk of the County Court of said Bedford County County William G. Hight the within named bargainor with whom I am personally acquainted and who acknowledged that he executed the within deed for the purposes therein contained. Witness my hand at Office this 24th October 1844 Rob Hurst Clerk Recd & Noted October 24th 1844 at 1 O clock PM Registered October 24th 1844 Andrew Vannoy Register 

Not a perfect transcription but I think the original has some omitted words.

I then copied and pasted the land description immediately after my prompt asking it to plat the land and label it.  It did as I asked.  Looking at its plat, I questioned its placement of Johnson's land(it had it North and I thought it should be East.)  After my questioning, it agreed with me and mentioned the same reasoning or logic I had used(in my head) to come up with the location of Johnson's land.  Is the plat correct?  Nope-- but that should improve with updates.  I am at my limit today so that won't happen for this article.  

ChatGPT tries to plat using the deed description

I am more excited about finding the deed with Wm Hight and Wm Putman than I am about trying to get ai to plat. The date on this is 23 of Oct. 1844. Elvira Cooper Harrison was still alive at that time.  If Wm Putman's wife Anna was a Cook and the sister of Wm Clifford Cook then Wm G Hight and Wm Putman's connection would be by marriage thru the Harrisons. The Harrison land was on Alexander Creek.  The land owners seem to be Bedford Co. Dist 9 folks. The neighborhood where Elizabeth Cook is enumerated as HOH in 1830 is District 9(conclusion reached comparing the tax list to those in surrounding households.)  This is also the neighborhood that Wm Cook would have been in 1830 around the time of the Williams vs Wm Putman, Zephaniah Anglin, and others. Just some things to think about.

The Name's Wrong, The Identity's Right: Overcoming Record Errors

Yesterday, I received a notice from FamilySearch that they might have found my great-grandmother in a record.

The record on which my Great-grandmother Fannie Hale Acuff was listed was the 2nd marriage of her daughter Oven Acuff to Owen Sharp.  I'd had the date of her marriage but never entered it. She didn't have children with Owen so that was not a priority for me.  Her name on their marriage record is wrong on two counts. She is listed as Lovena Hammonds.  She should have been listed as Ovena Damrel.  She had been married to Ben Damrel who had died about four years prior. At Ancestry, the record was buried in the hints for Ovena where it was indexed as it was written on the record and probably was only picked up as a hint because of the mention of her parents.

I'm used to names being indexed wrong but this was a case of it being wrong(on two counts) on the record.  I submitted a correction on Ancestry and the record is attached correctly to Ovena at FamilySearch.  I knew she was likely born in either White or Van Buren Co TN because her family lived there until just before the 1920 census when they moved to Madison Co AL for work in the cotton mills.  If I can believe this record gives her place of birth as Doyle TN which is just over the Van Buren County line in White County. 

Source:  
"Alabama County Marriages, 1809-1950", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939V-Z7LC-P : accessed 16 September 2024), Marriage Record Entry for Owen Sharp and Ovena Damrel(listed incorrectly as Lovena Dammonds), 24 Aug 1936.

More Records of the Johnson Co IL Hights

Robert Doak Hight--Johnson Co IL Deeds at FamilySearch

Wm R Whiteside & wife Rachel To Robert D Hight 8 Oct 1845

Robert D Hight Quit Claims to Pleasant Grissom 4th Oct 1849

John J Jones to R D Hight 27 May 1859

Joseph and Mary McCorkle to Robert Doak Hight 13 Aug 1859

Isaac Worley and Wife Nancy to R D Hight 28 Oct 1859

Landowners Map of the Hights in Johnson Co. Illinois 
Generated via HistoryGeo

These Hights were from Maury & Bedford Counties of Tennessee.

Robert D Hight was the son of Sion H Hight

Sion H Hight to Rachel Rieter
18 acres 76 poles x 38 poles
Christmas Creek in Rutherford Co TN
15 Dec 1819 [This is the same land description of the 15 acres in Rutherford Co TN(76p x 38p) that was on record to Sion on 9 Oct 1818 and Recorded 24 May 1819 which was a part of a larger grant from NC based on the military service of Robert Whitlock.]

Sion Hight purchased 8 Geese at the Estate Sale of Archibald Hight Maury Co TN 1822

Cook & Putman descendants share atDNA with Sion Hight's descendants.  The largest amounts seem to be with the descendants of his grandson James Franklin Hight's descendants.

Smith, George Washington. 1912. A History of Southern Illinois Vol. 2, Chicago, IL: Lewis Publishing Company, p 758, James Franklin Hight Biography; digital image  HathiTrust (https://hdl.handle.net/2027/umn.31951001959853m?urlappend=%3Bseq=234%3Bownerid=114607231-268 : accessed 18 August 2024)

Two Land Records--Wm Harrison--Alexander Creek Bedford Co. TN

These two plats of Wm Harrison's land may be the ones where he and family are living in the 1830 Census of Bedford County Tennessee.  It mentions a neighboring entry for Elijah West.  There was a Jefferson West living near Wm Harrison and family in that census(1830)

Wm Harrison 5 acres No 5126
Scale 20 poles per inch
State of Tennessee Second district by virtue of Entry No 6989
dated October 21st 1814 founded on Certificate No 1051 for
93 acres issued to Mark Mitchell by the register of West
Tennessee on the 10th June 1812 I have surveyed for William
Harrison a tract of land containing five acres situate
in Bedford County on the waters of Alexander Creek of
Duck River Beginning at a dogwood the southeast corner of a fifteen acre
Entry in the name of James Smith Running from thence north thirty poles
to the south west corner of one hundred acre entry in the name of Elijah West
to an Elm and post oak running from thence east tweeny six poles and
seven tenths of a pole to a locust and hackberry thence south thirty
poles to an Elm and hickory thence west twenty six poles and seven 

tenths to the beginning surveyed the ninth day of December 1814 by

William Harrison
John Harrison S.C.C.                            Joseph Neal D. L.
Transmited?   Augt 24th 1818 by Wm Harrison

Wm Harrison 15 acres No. 5127
Scale 40 Poles per Inch
State of Tennessee Second district by virtue of Entry No 6988
dated October 21st 1814 founded on Certificate No 1051 for 93
acres issued to Mark Mitchell by the Register of West Tennessee
on the 10th June 1812 I have surveyed for William Harrison
assignee of John B Hogg fifteen acres of land situate in Bedford
County on the waters of Alexanders Creek of Duck River Beginning at Hickory
the North West Coverner of a thirty acres entry made in the name of John
Cockrell running from thence thirty four and one half poles to two elms
and a cedar thence south sixty nine poles to two cedars and an Elm
Thence east thirty four and one half poles to two Elms and a dogwood in the
west boundary line of P. Cockrill thence North Sixty nine poles to the
Beginning surveyed the ninth day of December 1814 by
William Harrison
John Harrison S.C.C.                          Joseph Neal D. L.
Transmited? Augt 24th 1818 by Wm Harrison

Source 

Ancestry, Tennessee, U.S., Early Land Registers, 1778-1927

 (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/4323:3658 : accessed 12 September 2024)

That collection contains the images which are the TN Land Books digitized by TN State Library and Archives.  Those records are part of Record Group 50

Series 3, Book 30, Plats And Surveys 
2nd Surveyor's District 1814-1815
No. 4374 To 5533

p. 346 & 347

Plat No 5125 & No 5126 of William Harrison lands On Alexander Creek, Bedford Co. TN,