Realization about H.W. (Hosea) Sullivan

 I had posted earlier about H.W. Sullivan and Nimrod Lewis jointly selling land in Burke County, GA in 1815.  I had hypothesized that they might have been married to sisters.  However, Sullivan married Penelope Jones and I could find no connection between Nimrod and the Jones family.  However, I finally looked at all the facts I had on Sullivan, which were not many.  One that stood out, however, is that his daughter Elmira (Almira) was born in 1811 and he did not marry Penelope until 1816.  This makes it very unlikely that she is Elmira's mother.  It also means that whatever the connection was with Nimrod, it was probably not the Jones marriage since that did not happen until a year later.  

Love to find the rest of the Story

Found this document at the Georgia Archives.  Think I need to do some research to figure out what George and his wife were up to.  Note that the text clearly has William Hobbs as the third party but the signature looks more like William Holly.   In 1840, Lucinda was a head of household in Crawford County, indicating she was probably a widow.  She had two younger persons in the household, a 15-19 year old male and a 10-14 year old female. She herself was 40-49.  George F. was about the same age.  They do not appear to be near neighbors.  George has appeared before in these pages, owing money to Nathan Horne. 

Georgia}

Crawford County}  Know all men by these presents that we George F. Mathews C.F. Fickling and William Hobbs are held and firmly Bound unto his excellency the governor of said State for the time being and his successors in office in the just and full sum of one thousand dollars for the true payment of which we bind our selves our heirs executors and administrators jointly and severally firmly by these presents sealed with our seals and dated this 19th day of August 1841.  

The conditions of this recognizance is such that if the above bounded George F. Mathis and wife shall personly appear at the Superior court to be held for said county on the third Monday in February next to do and receive what then and there shall be enjoined them by the court and in the mean time shall keep the peace or be of good behavior towards this state and the citizens thereof and especially towards Lucinda. Barrentine of said county then said recognizance shall be void or other wise remain in full force. 

Signed, sealed and acknowledged this the day and date first above written. 

//signed// Gideon Newsom J.P

//signed// G F Mathews

//signed// C. F. Fickling

//signed// William Hobbs 

Disagreement in the Mathews family

 I started looking at this document because of the side comment about the children of Joel Mathews.  Without checking the dates, I thought that might be my Joel, since several of the children had the same names.  I had not realized that Joel's brother had also named a son Joel.  The original document was at the Georgia Archives in the Crawford County miscellaneous probate records, in the box Lacy, William - Mays, Willie, File James Mathews.  There seems to be some confusion among Crawford County descendants with many people listing James sr as having died in 1889, whereas this probate makes it obvious it was 1875.  There is also massive confusion about his son Joel F (possibly Forest) with his death date often being listed as 1887, the date that Joel Franklin, my ancestor, died.  Again, it is obvious here that Joel F. the son of James was dead by 1875.  Considering that his youngest known child, Bettie, was born in 1859, it seems likely that he was killed in the war, which would account for the lack of a tombstone or obituary.  More work is needed there.  There is no reason given for Martha Mathews Miller and her husband Thomas having backed out of the agreement.  David did post notification of his petition in the Macon Messenger but nothing further was noted and James N. continued as executor of the estate.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Added at top by the Archives - Mathews, James

Document:  

Georgia, }

Crawford County}. August term Court of Ordinary

To the Honorable the Ordinary of said County:  

The Petition of David M. Mathews, Martha J. Miller, Elizabeth Britt, Matilda A. Felts, Thos J. Miller, husband of Martha Miller,  K.L. Britt, husband of Elizabeth Britt,  + F.A. Felts husband of Matilda A. Felts, [written in above] and Martha Mathews wife of Joel Mathews deceased and Thomas Mathews, William Mathews, Wesley Mathews and Betty Hall  [Bottom line on side comment illegible] respectfully showeth that the said David M. Mathews, Martha J. Miller, Elizabeth Britt, and Matilda A. Felts are children of [added in on top] and said Martha Mathews & Thomas Mathews, Wm Mathews, Wesley Mathews, & Martha Jones as distributees of the estate of Joel Mathews decd son of James Mathews James Mathews late of said County deceased and as such are a majority of the lawful distributees of the estate, that in answer to the citation published they caveat the granting of letters of administration by this court to James N. Mathews on the estate of James Mathews deceased. 

   And petitioners further show that in lieu of the said James N. Mathews they have selected and chosen David M. Mathews, one of the distributees abovementioned as their preference for administration upon the said estate. 

  And your petitioners pray that the said David M. Mathews be made and appointed by your said court the permanent administrator upon the estate of the said James Mathews deceased as the law in such cases provides &c

And your petitioners will ever ?pray? 

this Aug 2nd 1875

                                                                            //signed// David M. Mathews

                                                                            //signed// Elizabeth Britt

                                                                            //signed// K.L. Britt

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Test: 

//signed// Alliena Adams                                  Martha (her x mark) Mathews

                                                                          William (his x mark) Mathews

                                                                           Wesley (his x mark) Mathews

                                                                          Thomas (his x mark) Mathews

                                                                          Betty (her x mark) Hall

                                                                         //signed// Matilda A. Felts

                                                                         //signed// F.M. Felts                               

Nimrod comes to Crawford County

 

Georgia, Crawford County.  Before me John Hancock a Justice of the Peace in and for said county personally appeared before me Nimrod Lewis who after being duly sworn deposeth and saith that he was not citteson of said County on the first day of January 1834.

Sworn to and subscribed before this 29 of July 1835

//signed// John Hancock JP                //signed// Nimrod Lewis

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Georgia, Crawford County tax collector's execution

To any lawful officer to execute and return: 

You are hereby commanded that the goods and chattels lands and tenements of Nimrod Lewis you cause to be made the same of 46 cents.  It being the amount of his tax for the year 1834 and the further sum of sixty two & half cents for the Fi Fa and make due returns thereof to me according to law.  Hereof fail not.  Given under my hand and seal this 22nd day of July 1835.

   //signed/ Wm Campbell ????

Analysis:  This document gives us a date range for when Nimrod arrived in Crawford County.  Per his statement, he was not there in January 1834 and he quite obviously was in July 1835.  

Everything connects

After finishing the post on Nimrod assisting Charity Mills, I started looking at the Mills family in the area and came across Isaac Mills, who is connected to both Charity's first husband Green Mills and her second husband Alex Mills. He is also connected to Nimrod as one of the purchasers on the estate of Thomas Cates. I think he needs to be in Nimrod’s FAN club. 

Jeremiah Lewis's will

 

State of. Georgia Crawford County Know all men by these presents that I Jeremiah Lewis of said State and county aforesaid have given to my two sisters Almera Lewis and Marsena Sarah Maranda Lewis all the property belonging to me in this life after the death of my Father and Mother or my return from the army. Given under my hand and seal this April 6, 1863. 

 //signed// Jeremiah Lewis 

 //signed// Fereba Wilder 

//signed// Lizzie Wilder 

 //signed// John x Wilder (his mark)

This is the will of Jeremiah Lewis, son of Nimrod and Phereby Wilder. The original was filmed at the Georgia archives, where it is part of the Crawford County Probate Court - Misc records of the Inferior Court collection. 

  He was serving at the time with Company K of the 45th GA Infantry regiment.  Lilian Henderson's records state that he was wounded at Chancellorsville in May 1863 and sent home as a result. He died there on 22 June.   Online rosters have him in the hospital from January to April for unknown reasons but don't mention this period at the end of April.  Since his sister was the witness, he had to have been at home at the time the will was made but apparently rejoined his unit shortly after that. 

 The wording of this implies that his mother was still living.  His father died in 1868 and his mother was not listed as an heir at that time so the presumption was that she had already died.  The witnesses to this are his sister Fereby and possibly her husband Jonathan N. Wilder.   Jonathan, according to his confederate pension application, was serving at this time.  He could have been home on leave or this could be another person in his family.  Lizzie Wilder has not been identified but should probably be investigated as Fereby's sister-in-law or mother-in-law.  

 The beneficiaries of the will were his two youngest sisters.  Almira (sometimes Elmira) later married Samuel Smith and appears to have stayed in Crawford county.  The will is useful for clarifying Marsena's name since she has appeared as both Marsena and Maranda.  She is recorded in 1868 as purchasing land from their father's estate and pays taxes through at least 1878, but nothing further has been found. 

It is interesting that Fereby and her brother could both sign their names, as could Lizzie, but Jonathan could not.