Clues in Franklin Co NC Wills & Inventory Volumes

I've read thru the record book listed below and wanted to mention a few of the items that I found listed in the volume.

Will and inventory records, and index, devisor and devisee, 1785-1964 (Franklin Co. NC)

Franklin Co NC Wills, Inventories, 1804-1812, Vol. C  Film # 18904
Filmed by The Genealogical Society of Utah in 1943 Louisburg NC

Digitized by FamilySearch.org    DGS # 4755060

The account of the sale of the property of Absalom Rush deceased which took place on 9th of October 1807, begins on Image 205 of  630.  I noticed William Cook listed as a purchaser of Iron hooks.  Another purchaser at the sale is John Cook who purchases 1 trumpet & rule.  There is a notation after his name which says " (of Wm.)". Does that mean he is the son of William Cook?   I don't know but it's something to investigate.  Other purchasers' surnames include Bower, Perry, Denson, Pulliam McLemore and of course many of the Rush family.  John Hornsby is also mentioned.  John is the son in law of William Cook(John married William's daughter Sally.) 

The sale of the property of John Nicholson deceased (Sold 25th Nov 1807) begins on Image  211 of 630 lists Wm Cook who purchases a heifer and Pope Cook who purchases a sow & 5 pigs.  This is the first time I've noticed the name Pope Cook rather than just Wm P Cook. I believe William Cook is Pope's father and that his middle name may have been used here to keep the accounts from being confused.  Other purchasers at the sale were Bowers, Denson, Fuller, Hester, Kimball, Gill, Perry, and of course Nicholson.  Many of the purchasers are those enumerated near William Cook and William P Cook in the 1810 US Federal Census of Franklin County, North Carolina.  

William Cook also purchases 5 barrels of corn from the estate of John Gholson in 1808 as shown on 285 of 630.  The widow Gholson is the Mrs Fanny Gholson listed one page over from William Cook in the 1810 US Federal Census of Franklin County, North Carolina.(Image 285 of 630)

Looking at some of the family trees I noticed that Fanny Gholson's maiden name is listed as Tourman.  The trees also list John Gholson as son of John Gholson Sr. and Esther May Cooke.  Esther Mae was born about 1720 in Orange Co. Virginia.  There were no sources so could be nothing but I do need to check in to that.

Interestingly enough the Mathew Dickenson who is the witness on the Gholson Estate papers must have been a lawyer and a lover of books as his estate inventory & sale is a fascinating look at books of the early 1800s.  These are just a few of the many interconnections I found between the families who were listed in the volume of records covering the years 1804-1812.  Do yourself a favor and read thru a few of the volumes of unindexed books which cover areas and time periods where you have a research interest.   You never know what you may find.

Estate Sale of William Ogilvie May 10, 1813

Account of the Sale of Items that were part of the estate of William Ogilvie deceased.

Only includes items not bequeathed to those named in his will.

May 10th, 1813

Ancestry.com. Tennessee, Divorce and Other Records, 1800-1965 [accessed on 19 Jan. 2018]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007.

Original data: Tennessee. County records. Nashville, Tennessee: Tennessee State Library and Archives. Microfilm roll numbers 99 to 108, 115, 336 to 337, 428 to 431, 519, A-4098, A-5278, B-1 to B-9, B-44 to B-127, B-314, B-441 to B-445, B-471 to B-473, B-1607 to B-1613, and B-1781 to B-1789.

Roll Title: Divorce, Probate and Other Records 1800-1899, Og-Ow Roll: B-100

Know the contents of the Database

This record is from the Williamson County TN records According to the blurb on the database, Williamson TN Records include: (Divorce Files, 1900-1950; Divorce, Probate, and Other Records, 1800-1899; School Censuses, 1838-1918; Miscellaneous Records (ex. Apprentice, Land Sales, Liquor Licenses, Slave Records); Birth and Death Records, 1920-1939)

At one point if you added a record from this database it would show as a DIVORCE(something I'd blogged about) but it appears this is no longer the case.  I was able to create a Probate FACT and link the image from that FACT within my Ancestry Tree.

Note the persons purchasing from estate sales as they are generally family, friends, associates or neighbors of the deceased.   Cluster research or the FAN club principle(a term coined by Elizabeth Shown Mills) refers studying an ancestors friends, associates, and neighbors in order to learn more about your ancestor's life.  There is an excellent lesson showing the use of this methodology located on her Evidence Explained website.  

William Ogilvie FAN Club

James Allison (Son-in-law)

John Adkinson

John Ogilvie (Son)

George H Allen

Anthoney Walk

John Menery(This may be 

Richard Ogilvie (Son)

James Shomate

William Hooker

John Manere(Son-in-law & my 4th Gr Grandfather--John Manire)

Henry Baley

Charles Calhoun

William Tucker

George  Jubin or Julin

William Webb

Now to add these people to the notes section of the FAN Club portion of William Ogilvie's entry.  When I find the relationships for each of these persons to the deceased I'll add that in my notes and hopefully remember to post an update.

Mitochondrial Riddle

Never say never.  I guess that somewhat applies here.  I've always said that I didn't have a question that mitochondrial dna(mtDNA--mother line DNA) could answer but as I was sending a Hitchcock researcher additional info, I realized that is not the case.

Since I began researching in 1990 other Hitchcock researchers always listed George Hitchcock's wife as Milly Combs.  I had it written in my notes but had never seen a source and still haven't for that matter. Fast forward about 15 years and I received an email from Agnes Jones about records for a George Hitchcox and Milly Riddle in Roane Co TN marriage records in 1806. In addition to that marriage I was also able to find a Riddle land owner whose land bordered the widowed Millie Hitchcock in Warren Co TN where George and Milly had raised their family.  The land had been granted to Basil Riddle around the time of George and Milly's marriage.  Now he was selling it to William Edde. William Edde's son would later marry Milly Hitchcock's daughter.  There are not many records that I've found so far which I can identify as this Basil Riddle.  The name gets reused for several generations in various areas.  I did find a statement in a wills sales, inventory book in Warren Co TN which mentioned Basil Riddle dying intestate, his meager estate and the fact that he has five heirs--none of whose names are mentioned.(see Bazell Riddle post)

A little backstory into what I feel probably brought about the story that Milly's maiden name was Combs.  While I am a descendant of George Hitchcock and Milly Riddle, I am also a descendant of John Fleming and Nancy Combs.  Two of George and Milly's children(James P and Nancy) married two of John and Nancy's children(Charlotta and Alfred P.)   This may have added to the confusion.  So while I may not be able to tell if Milly was a Combs...I can see if she and Nancy had the same mother.  I carry Nancy Combs Fleming's  mtDNA.  Milly has a lot of female descendants so I could probably find a straight line female line and I'd like for that to be thru a different line than that of her daughter Nancy Hitchcock Fleming's line(Not to be confused with Nancy Combs Fleming)  Of course the thing holding me back now would be to find the finances to pay for the mtDNA test.