J P Taylor's Estate Inventory Includes Notes Held on Cook Brothers(1880)

The estate of J P Taylor(admin C N Taylor) held notes on both  James P Cook and his brother, Joseph Knox Cook.  These notes are listed in the inventory listing of the estate recorded in Bedford Co. TN on 18th June 1880

(Note on) J P Cook difference in Settlement         15 cents
(Note on) J K Cook March 8 1880                  $18

Many others from the neighborhood are listed.

Surnames included:  Bullock, Gentry, Jones, Wright, Chambers, Ransom, Alexander, Lamb, Manire, Louvan, Cole, Height, Cousey, Allison, Floyd, Newsom, Wade, Osborne, Prince, Wortham, Jackson, Lytle, Pressgroves, Stem, Vicry, Cooper, Batt, Poplin, Hester, Primrose, Garrett, Landrum, Gowen, Daniel, Harris.

Bedford County, Tennessee, Probate Court, Estate Inventory of J.P. Taylor, Probate Volume C, page 320; image FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-2P77-W9 : accessed 4 August 2024) Probate Volumes C-D, January 1878–August 1889, item 4776096, image 189 of 690.

Estate Sale--John Cooke-Wake Co NC--Aug 1814

In an earlier blog post I transcribed the will of John Cooke of Wake Co. North Carolina.  I located the inventory of his estate and the account of sales. It was among the Wake Co NC records which are not yet indexed but are browsable at Ancestry.com.  Below is a listing of purchasers at the estate sale.  Some made multiple purchases.

The Counter of Sales of John Cooke dec'd as taken and sold on the 4th day of August 1814 by Lemuel Cooke and Joseph Cooke Executors of the said John Cooke dec'd
Listing of purchasers(some of which made multiple purchases)

Source: North Carolina, Wills and Probate Records, 1665-1998 Wake Co NC 
Wills, Inventories and Estates, Book 11-13, 1812-1817 Ancestry.com
Book 11 Pages 274-276 Images 163 &164 of 752
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/9061/images/004772472_00163
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/9061/images/004772472_00164

Purchasers from Estate Sale of John Hight--1796

Those who purchased from the inventory of the
estate sale of John Hight 11th of February 1796. 
Franklin County, North Carolina.

Please note that some persons may have purchased multiple items.
See original list at the source listed below.

David King
John Finch
Harbert Hight
John Hight
John Pardue
Littleton Fuller
Philemon Hawkins
Daniel Ball
Henry Fuller
Solomon Bobbit
John Peace
Isaiah Smith
Charles More
Joseph Fletcher
Edward Finch
Samuel Young
Lweling? Jones
Jonathan Hight
Nathaniel Jarratt
William Hight
John Forkner
Samuel Young
John Goodloe
Shim Cook
John Parham
John Loyd
Turner Bobbitt
Devereaux Jarratt
Ezekial Hayes
Joseph Mangum
Gideon Macon
Daniel Ball

James M Daniel(maybe McDaniel)
George King
John Lawrence
Thompson Glenn
Robert Jones
Benjamin Hayes
James Hunt



Source: 
"North Carolina Probate Records, 1735-1970," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939L-VV93-WT?cc=1867501&wc=32LK-166%3A169768401%2C170208501 : 21 May 2014), Franklin > Inventories, 1789-1800 > image 72-74 of 104; county courthouses, North Carolina.

Enslaved from Probate Records of Newton Cannon--Williamson Co. TN 1841

Two listings of enslaved negroes found in the inventory portion of the probate file of Newton Cannon which was filed in 1841 at Williamson Co TN. 

List from Nashville & Williamson place(45)--There were two different copies of this list so I compared them as they were in the same numerical order and consulted both when one was hard to read-- See image 23 & image 39 of the source.

1 Jacob 38 years
2 Tabby sickly 40 years
3 Jacob 9 years
4 Mitchel 5 years
5 Frierson 6 months
6 Eliza 3 years
7 Jim Cole 50 years
8 Lucy 32 years
9 Hezekiah 6 years
10 Henderson 1 year
11 Hatty 8 years
12 America 4 years
13 Mary 23 years
14 Henry 2 years
15 Emily 6 years
16 Carmella 4 years
17 Jo 23 years
18 Polly 20 years
19 Simpson 4 years
20 Howard 2 years
21 Nathan 4 months
22 Hal 63 years
23 Miles 55 years
24 Ailsey 48 years
25 Washington 3 years
26 Miles 10 years
27 Edmond 33 years
28 Dan 19 years
29 John 23 years
30 Malinda 16 years
31 Tipton sickly 10 years
32 Julia 38 years
33 Fanny idiot & deformed 20 years
34 Jack 57 years
35 Kitty 38 years
36 Malissa (Rickety)  2 years
37 Elizabeth 22 years
38 Jim Westley 7 years
39 Letitia 20 years
40 Lunah 15 years
41 Mary 13 years
42 Minerva 17 years
43 Martha 12 years
44 Emeline 12 years
45 Aaron 24 years

Ancestry.com. Tennessee, Wills and Probate Records, 1779-2008 [https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=9176 : accessed 4 February 2019]  > Williamson > Probate and Divorce Records, 1800-1899 > Cannon, Mary-Carter, D Ruth > images 23& 39 of 2964.

List from Randolph & River Farm formerly owned by Jones(74)--There were two different copies of this list so I compared them as they were in the same numerical order and consulted both when one was hard to read-- See image 23-24 & image 40-41 of the source. (Total number is actually 75 due to math and logic error of administrator)

1. Named Age(sic)
2 Peter 50 years
3 Sarah 40 years
4 Jackson 20 years
5 Ruth 18 years
6 Bob 15 years
7 Rhody 8 years
8 Frances 6 years
9 Lina 4 years
10 Nancy Jane 2 years
11 Dianna 8 months
12 Angelina 7 months
13 Diley 26 years
14 Antony 7 years
15 Gabriel 2 years
16 Dandy 55 years
17 Dinah 50 years
18 Simon 17 years
19 Hezekiah 12 years
20 Jane 38 years
21 Harriet 13 years
22 Amanda 10 years
23 Washington 8 years
24 Matilda 6 years
25 Jim 4 years
26 Washington 2 years
27 Lucy 3 months
28 Henry 26 years
29 Jinny 23 years
30 Caledonia 4 years
31 Daphine 2 years
32 George 2 months
33 Alfred 20 years
34 Jacob 28 years
35 Lott 25 years
36 Louisa 24 years
37 Frances Ann 1 year
38 Bassell 40 years
39 Joicy 30 years
40 June 13 years
41 Simon 5 years
42 Mary? 4 years
43 Sally 2 years
44 Cato 1 year
45 Reuben 50 years
46 Clora 37 years
47 Jeny? died Jany 11 years
48 Joshua 3 years
49 Chary? 1 year
50 Hanny 55 years
51 Lewis 25 years
52 John 18 years
53 Lucy 13 years
54 Andrew 30 years
55 Judy 28 years
56 Nelly 14 years
57 Patsey 13 years
58 Liley 45 years
59 Andrew 19 years
60 Rany 2 years
61 Enoch 16 years
62 Harriet 14 years
63 Alennica? 13 yrs
64 Narcissa 4 years
65 Jim Beard 50 years
66 Monah 35 years
67 Horrace 12 years
68 Pauline 16 years
69 Houston 14 years
70 Cullen 12 years
71 Saml 17 years
72 Alfred 16 years
73 Mack 35 years
74 Ned 18 years
Three Infants
Ancestry.com. Tennessee, Wills and Probate Records, 1779-2008 [https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=9176 : accessed 4 February 2019]  > Williamson > Probate and Divorce Records, 1800-1899 > Cannon, Mary-Carter, D Ruth > images 23-24 & 40-41 of 2964.

Inventory--AncestryDNA circles- reinforcement of the importance of uploading to GEDmatch

When I worked in Retail, February was our Inventory time so it felt like a good time to take inventory of my Ancestry DNA Circles.

Ancestry DNA Circle Inventory  57 Circles:
Maternal:  29
Paternal:  23
Non-Direct: 5(Shipman/McMurry, Acuff/Harmon/Pharris. Nathaniel Haynes)

Largest Membership is Mason Combs(maternal) circle containing 112 members
Yep! No Television back then and the Combs are known for testing.  I do think that some
of these are attributed to the wrong group and should be in a Riddle circle. If they
claim to descend thru Amelia "Milly" Combs who was thought to be a COMBS for many years.  Many people still have her as a Combs.  She was a Riddle

The next largest is that of Jabel Putman with 62 Members.

Honorable mentions
Paternal:  Ann Knox(39 members)
Paternal:  Mark Lambert Jackson(36 members)
Maternal:  James Hatfield(50 members)
Maternal:  Peter Luna/Looney (55 members)

My sister(full sibling) has 58 Circles  She loses two of the Non-Directs but gains 3 Non-Directs.  Felix Grundy Crick, Susan Frances Putman and Wade Henry Carlton.  These are from our Paternal Grandfather's side who is a descendant of Cook, King, Putman, Manire, Harris, Ogilvie, Jackson.

Mom has 33 circles 4 non-direct(Includes the one maternal sis & I share and 3 ones which come and go on mine)
2 of the Non-Directs on Mom's can be attributed to Double Cousins testing--Two Hitchcock siblings marrying two Fleming siblings.  The other two are Acuff/Campbell cousins

My daughter has 62 AncestryDNA circles

Maternal:  52

Paternal:  7

Non-Direct:  3

She has all 52 of my Circles.  I have done a good bit of research on her Paternal lines and she would probably have more circles but the majority of those families had  less children than most of mine did which may account for the lower amount of circles--less descendants available to test.  The Hogland and Demonia lines are the exception.

Also while all three of the Non-Directs she has are from my lines she has only one of them in common with me(the Acuff cousin)  The other are the Hitchcock/Fleming ones that my Mom has from the Double cousins.  I should also note that my daughter, my Mom and my sister all have New Ancestry Discoveries.  I have none at this time.  I have had several appear in the past but they didn't stay long.

To me this reinforces the importance of working your circles and asking if the members will upload to GEDmatch.

My November Blog Post on How To Upload to GEDmatch

John Wright of Williamson Co TN --1809--Books in estate inventory of merchant

Book Inventory from the estate of a merchant
Once again while looking thru Probate Records of my Ogilvie line I have happened upon another file near it with a listing of book titles or types.  This listing was a store inventory list which was part of the estate of John Wright of Williamson Co. TN(1809).  I've copied the listing here and I'm sure there are spelling errors.  I did alphabetize the list.

• Beauties Poetry
• Bibles
• Blank Books
• Chapter Books
• Church of England Prayer Books
• Clarissa Harlowe
• Dwight's Geography
• Enticks Dictionary
• Franklin's Works
• French Revolution
• Gandenetia De Lucca
• Gibson's Surveying
• Goldsmith's England
• History of England
• Hymn Book
• Immortal Wester
• Johnstone's Dictionary
• Large Bible
• Lord Rivers
• Manson Spelling Book
• Married Lady's Companions
• Maury Primmers
• New England Primmers
• Reading Made Easy
• Roman Catholic Prayer Books
• School Master's Assistant
• Scots Sessions
• Small Hymn Book
• Spelling Books
• Stephen De Bourbon
• Tale of Times
• Testaments
• Vendee War
• Vision Columbus
• Volumns of Charlotte
• Washingtons Monuments

Ancestry.com. Tennessee, Divorce and Other Records, 1800-1965 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007.Williamson Co. Divorce, Probate and Other Records 1800-1899, Wo-Za Description Images 978, 979, 1000 & 1001 of 1833 Tennessee, Divorce and Other Records, 1800-1965

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.

Inventory of the Estate of Samuel Estes--Madison Co TN 28th Dec 1828

This inventory of the estate of Samuel Estes from Madison Co TN was immediately following some records I've been researching for a future blog post.  I couldn't just leave it there without making note.

1840 Van Buren Co TN Will of Robert Boyd--caught in the middle of a county formaton

The above image is a snippet from the inventory of the Estate of Robert Boyd.  Robert's will was written in 1837(Oct 26th) in Warren Co Tennessee.  Van Buren Co TN was formed from part of Warren Co TN along with parts of White County & Bledsoe County. The act to form Van Buren county passed on January 3rd 1840 but according to the information in the act at the TN.gov site, it appears records didn't start until April 1840.

It looks at though Robert Boyd's probate records were caught in the middle of the formation of Van Buren Co. TN.  A note from Will Armstrong, Warren County Clerk states that it(the will in the Van Buren Co Record Book) is a true copy of the original will on file in his office.  So although the probate records start in Warren Co TN...they end in Van Buren Co TN but do have a copy of all the will there.  In the will Robert left pretty much everything to his wife Jane to use in the support of his "little daughter" Ann. He appointed William Logue and John Boyd as executors. The listing of inventory along with the sale starts May of 1840 and wraps up July the 8th of 1840.  I should note that although Wm Logue is listed on the will as executor along with John Boyd I don't see any more listings of him as a witness or purchaser at the estate sale.  This adds more weight to this being William Marrs Logue, Robert Boyd's Father-In-Law who is known to have passed before September 4th 1839(I need to do a blog post on his estate info.). Wm Marrs Logue was the maternal 1/2 brother of my 4th Great Grandfather, John Fleming.

Person making purchases at the estate sale:  John Boyd, Isaac Hillis, James Hillis, Lemuel Romons, Wm L. Fleming, D. C. Russell, Wm McDonald, Jacob Romons, Wm Johnson, J.A. Miller, Thomas Meders,  Isaac? Tomas, Jesse Mooneyham. Wm McDaniel, Elisha Mayfield, George Ledbetter, Wiley Johnson, and John Russell

"Tennessee Probate Court Books, 1795-1927," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-2RKT-G9?cc=1909088&wc=M6QQ-L38%3A179830201%2C179855401 : 22 May 2014), Van Buren > image 3 of 186; county courthouses, Tennessee.

An Example of the Shortcomings of an Index

I really cannot stress the importance of looking deeper than the index enough.  Mistakes will be made....sometimes mistakes on top of mistakes.  If something doesn't look right then you should be digging deeper.  The Ancestry.com records of Joseph S. Cook provide the perfect example.   I believe I have mentioned that his estate record is included in with another Joseph Cook but let me show you.

A search returns the following listing

Looks normal enough.    But let's take a closer look.(yes. ...I put corrections in the comments to help other researchers but for the time being ignore those)

This is the folder....I can tell you both the name and the dates are correct....but they are both also incorrect as well.  Confused yet?  Now let's look at the index card of contents.

Do you notice anything strange?  You would if you examined the Inventory of Estate Sale AND read the date on the will included.  The Inventory & Estate Sale is recorded in Jan Term of 1839 while the will was written in Dec 1839 and proved in Feb Term of 1840.  What you have here is a Joseph S. Cook who died without a will and W. C. Cook(my 2nd Great Grandfather) who was appointed admin to take care of Joseph S Cook's Estate Sale. ( The actual petition is in another record book.)  The other papers including a will, deed and various other records are those of the estate of  Joseph Cook of Davidson Co TN. The Davidson Co TN Joseph's estate is fairly extensive. His estate is finally settled in 1843.  If I had only looked at the File Folder information and the index card I might have assumed that these were ALL Joseph S. Cook's estate papers given the closeness of the dates.

I find Joseph S. Cook(although he is not listed with the S. initial) in  25th Dist of Williamson Co TN in 1838...W. C. Cook is listed with him on the Tax List there although W. C. Cook is listed in Bedford Co TN(Rover Dist 10) in all other years. The Joseph Cook from Davidson Co TN is also listed in Dist 4 on Davidson Co TN's 1839 tax list...and wouldn't you know it....there is another Joseph Cook in Dist 2 during the same time period.  I have spent the better part of the week looking at each of these and familiarizing myself with them and their friends, family, associates and neighbors.  Speaking of which--if you have the opportunity to catch Elizabeth Shown Mills'  presentation FAN + GPS + DNA: The Problem-Solver's Great Trifecta which was a recent webinar available thru Legacy Family Tree Webinars, I highly recommend it. The case study is mind-blowing and very inspiring.

Source Citation

Probate, Divorce and Original Wills Records, 1800-1899; Author: Tennessee County Court (Williamson County); Probate Place: Williamson, Tennessee

Source Information

Ancestry.com. Tennessee, Wills and Probate Records, 1779-2008 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.

Original data: Tennessee County, District and Probate Courts.

A Few Probate Packets of South Carolina Cook families

A hot topic of the Cook/Putman researchers lately has been trying to determine if the Cook and Putman families knew each other prior to their arrival in Williamson Co. TN.  The Putmans were in Union Co. SC.  With the rain today..it just made sense to use the time to see what Cook families I could find in the Union Co SC area.  I didn't find any obvious connection to my Cooks but I really enjoyed reading over them..

Several of these Cook families were Quaker Families.  The estate inventories provide a great deal of information about the deceased as well as listing the names of those who purchased items.  I enjoyed the beautiful writing on some of the pages.  If these don't interest you, go to the main FamilySearch site and find a state in which your ancestors lived and see what is available for the counties in which your families lived.

The SC Probate files at FamilySearch  aren't searchable however I found an index and then used that to navigate to the Cook images.  

Union Co SC

• Probate Records of Isaac Cook--Box 1 Packet 49  Year 1794--Images 308-314 of 416 
• Probate Records of John Cook---Box 2 Packet 43 Year 1798---Images 334-344 of 476
• Probate of Robert Cook-----Box 4 Packet 47  Year 1808----Images  354-364  of 432 

York Co SC 

• Probate James Cook--------Case 55 File 2451  Year 1795?---Images 68-71 of 417

While reading over the estate inventories, you might find tools with which you are unfamiliar.  There were several that I didn't recognize and too some that I just wanted to see.  There are several books at Google Books that will help identify tools.  I found The Illustrated Sheffield List to be very helpful and it is available free.  Most of the items that I was unfamiliar with had to do with horses.  In the inventory of Isaac Cook's estate there was a copy of Barkley's Apology as well as a Bible.

There are many State probate documents available at FamilySearch.  Most of the ones I have found aren't searchable but are browsable.  A great deal of these records have a  scanned index and once you find that you can use that to find the surnames of interests within the browsable probate documents.