TAYLOR COUNTY, GA - BIOS Swift, Alexander M.K. ***************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm *********************** This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Virginia Crilley varcsix@hot.rr.com Source: The Taylor Tracer December 2000 Alexander M. K. Swift was born about 1810 in Massachusetts "the son of Asa Swift, of Bristol County Fairhaven, Massachusetts, a ship captain and largely engaged in whaling." [The Early History of Upson County]. George P. (born Sept 1, 1814), a brother, moved to Knoxville Crawford County around 1832, and from there to Upson County where he was successful in cotton manufacturing. Apparently A.M.K. joined his brother in Crawford County. Alexander was listed in the 1850 Census of Crawford Co., Ga. as a merchant. He married Henrietta C. Webb in Upson Co., Ga. July 6, 1854. They lived in Reynolds in the 1850's where Alexander M. K. Swift owned a store. The following information taken from the Superior Court Minutes of Taylor Co., Ga. were furnished to me by Virginia Crilley. A. M. K. Swift was charged with assault & battery on Harriet H. Hamlin. This is also from the Taylor Co., Ga. Superior Court Minutes. There is also a case for divorce on A. M. K. Swift and Henrietta C. Swift in the Superior Court Minutes. I am not sure that it ever was final, but the case is in the following minutes. There will be some more on this case in later issues. TAYLOR COUNTY GEORGIA SUPERIOR COURT MINUTES April Term 1856 The State vs Alexander M. K. Swift Assault & battery We the jury find the def't guilty of an assault and battery. Wm Hays, Foreman Joseph Johnson, Perry Watson, Thomas Wilson, Josiah Rhodes, Lewis hill, James Garret, Thomas Bynum, Zachariah R Hamilton, Owen Barefield, John W. Adkins, Luke Johnson. page 234 State of GA Vs A. M. K. Swift Assault & Battery. A. M. K Swift has been tried and found guilty of an assault and battery on the person of Mrs. Hamlin and the court having fined him in the case of $200 upon consideration, it is ordered by the court that $100 of the fine be remitted as first imposed. page 250 Be it remembered that at the request of the Superior Court, the State of Georgia against Alexander M. K. Swift being an indictment for assault and battery came into trial, and the jury being empanelled and drawn to try said cause when the defendant by his counsel W. W. Corbitt and Benj F. Reese then and there moved the court to quit said indictment upon the grounds that the allegations in said indictment that said defendant on the 16th July 1856 with _ arms in and upon one Harriet H. Hamlin did make an assault and then and there the said Harriet Hamlin did beat, bruise, wound and otherwise ill treat — did not charge and set forth that such beating was unlawful and that said allegation did not charge and set forth any thing facts or circumstances which would make an assault to which motion the court overruled and therefore the defendant by his said counsel, excepted and assigns the same for error and now within 30 days from the adjournment of said term of said Court come the same Alexander M K Swift and asserts them his exceptions in writing and prays the same signed and certified agreeable to law. Due and legal service of the within Bill of Exception, acknowledge and waive all other or further service, acknowledged and waived this Oct 9th 1856. I do hereby certify that the foregoing bill of Exceptions is true and contains all the facts in a trial to a clear understanding of the error complained of and Clerk of the Sup Court is hereby direct to make out a fall and complete copy of the record, and to certify and send up to the Supreme Court of the 2nd District of Georgia to be held at Macon on the 4th Monday in January next. April 1857 Henrietta C. Swift vs Alexander M. K. Swift (Order for the Alimony) At last term of court, ruled that alimony of $25/month be paid in a lump sum of $187 which had already occurred. Defendant has failed to pay. Sum now due is $437. Ordered to pay over money by tomorrow morning or show cause why he should not be held in contempt of court. SUPERIOR COURT October term 1857 Henrietta Swift vs A. M. K. Swift Rule Nisi For cause why the above rule should not be made absolute, the deponent states that his means to comply with said order that he owes some $2500 including firm debts to Swift Rugles that his only property consists of a store and store house, a small plantation, and dwelling house which are not productive and barely yield this defendant a support for himself. That after the payment of his debts, the property of this defendant is not worth exceeding four thousand dollars, and that it is barely productive of a support for himself and defendant for further cause answers states that there has been no formal or legal demand made on him for the said $25/month and that he is not in contempt of the authority of the court and the defendant further states that ten or fifteen dollars per month would be as much as he could in justice to himself pay for alimony and defendant submits whether under the circumstances of this cause an alimony ought to be allowed deponent further states that he has been and now in failing health and unable to attend to business which further reduces his ability to pay alimony in this case and deponent further states as a reason why said allowance of alimony be renounced that libelant had no sufficient provocation for leaving the house of defendant as he is able to prove sworn to in Open Court Oct 10, 1857 A. M. K. Swift April 1858 Superior Court page 309 Alexander M. K. Swift & William 0. G. Ruggles partners using the firm name and style of Swift & Ruggles vs Charles Hamlin Whereas Alexander M. K. Swift one of the pi'f has departed this life since the last term of this court it is ordered by the court said case proceed in the name of William 0. G. Ruggles, surviving partner. page 314 Henrietta Swift vs A.M.K Swift Motion for attachment The above case having abated by the death of deft Swift, it is ordered by the court that the motion for attachment in the above stated case be dismissed without prejudice to the order for Alimony and attorney fees leaving order it now stands and that this order be entered on the minutes. page 315 Henrietta C. Swift vs Bryant Ingram & will of A.M. Knight. Jury finds in favor of Executor, Bryant Ingram and admit the will to Probate. Julius Turner, Foreman Henrietta C. Swift vs A. M. K. Swift Libel for divorce And now at this term of court comes Benjamin F. Reese and Mark H. Blanford, counsel for deft and suggest the death of the deft. Ordered that said case be abated and dismissed. Henrietta C. Swift Caveatte vs Bryant Ingram, proponent of the will of A. M. K. Swift Whereupon it is ordered that the papers signed by A. M. K. Swift, deceased on the first day of Jan 1858, purporting to be his last will and testament and attested by S. W. Rogers, J. F. Humphries and John S. Davidson is the last will and testament of A. M. K. Swift and that said paper be admitted to probate as such will and that the clerk of this court do certify and send down the proceeding in this case to the ordinary court and that the propounder do recover Henrietta C. Swift for cost in this. Alexander M. K. Swift was bom about 1810 in Massachusetts. He was listed in the 1850 Census of Crawford Co., Ga. as a merchant. He married Henrietta C. Webb in Upson Co., Ga. July 6, 1854. They lived in Reynolds in the 1850's where Alexander M. K. Swift owned a store. The following information taken from the Superior Court Minutes of Taylor Co., Ga. were furnished to me by Virginia Crilley. A. M. K. Swift was charged with assault & battery on Harriet H. Hamlin. This is also from the Taylor Co., Ga. Superior Court Minutes. There is also a case for divorce on A. M. K. Swift and Henrietta C. Swift in the Superior Court Minutes. I am not sure that it ever was final, but the case is in the following minutes. There will be some more on this case in later issues. TAYLOR COUNTY GEORGIA SUPERIOR COURT MINUTES April Term 1856 The State vs Alexander M. K. Swift Assault & battery We the jury find the deft guilty of an assault and battery. Wm Hays, Foreman Joseph Johnson, Perry Watson, Thomas Wilson, Josiah Rhodes, Lewis hill, James Garret, Thomas Bynum, Zachariah R Hamilton, Owen Barefield, John W. Adkins, Luke Johnson. page 234 OCTOBER TERM 1858 Henrietta C. Swift vs Jesse D. Beall, Bryant Ingram, Elija Hicks Claim for dower. It appears to the court that Elija Hicks one of the parties at Interest in the above case, the said Hicks owning a separate and distinct interest from the interest owned by Beall & Ingram and that service has not been perfected on said Hicks according to the statutes in such cases. Petitioner have until next term of court to perfect said service on Hicks. Oct 6,1858 NOTE: Jesse D. Beall had come into possession of the property as the highest bidder when it was sold in a Fi Fa settlement. pg 225 Deed Bk B Taylor County Fi Fa Superior Court Benjamin Adams and Henry J. Hunt, Admin of Robert B. Smiley dec'd vs Alexander M.K. Swift 2 March 1858 public sale $500 Highest bidder Jesse D. Bell (Beall ?) 14th Dis LL(not known) on Flint River 202.5 acres in possession of Abner A. Humphries as tenant and known also as the Richard Davis place and known as lands owned by Alexander M. K. Swift ================== Upon hearing the petition of Henrietta C. Swift for the appointment of commissioners to lay off and admeasure her Dower in the lands of which her husband, A. M. K. Swift died, seized and possessed, ordered that Thomas J. Riley, A. J. Colbert, Jacob Saylor, Bynum A. Horton and Able Windham be appointed. page 353 The petition of Henrietta C. Swift widow of A.M. K. Swift, late of said county dec'd, who departed this life intestate as to his real estate and that said real estate has been sold since the decease of the said A. M. K Swift by fi fas obtained before the decease of the said A. M. H Swift and that Jesse D. Bell became the purchaser of one lot of land containing one hundred seventy acres in the 14th district and that Bryant Ingram was purchaser at Sheriffs sale of a town lot in Reynolds having a store house thereon No and acres not known, and also Elija Hicks became the purchaser at Sheriff sale of a lot in the town of Reynolds containing a dwelling and other outhouses that no provision was ever made either before or after her marriage with the said A. M. K Swift during their coveture or since his death to provide for your petitioner in lieu of her right to dower in the land which her said husband died seized and possessed nor has she at any time prior or since death of her said husband accepted any provision instead of said dower. Notice has been given to Jesse D. Bell, Bryant Ingram, and Elija Hicks purchasers (there being no administrator or executor) and to all other parties . Petitioner prays appointment of commissioners to admeasure her dower in said lands. THE GEORGIA TELEGRAPH, Macon, Ga. Tuesday, January 19, 1858 Died in Reynolds, Taylor County, after a very protracted illness of Dropsy on the brain. Mr. Alexander M. K. Swift, son of the late Asa Swift, Esq., of Fairhaven, Bristol County, Massachusetts. WILL OF ALEXANDER M. K. SWIFT Georgia Taylor County In the name of God Amen. I, Alexander M. K. Swift of said State and County being of sound mind but weak of body do make ordain and publish this as my last will and testament hereby revoking all others. Item 1st. It is my will and desire that my body be decently buried and the expenses of my burial and last illness be paid out of my Estate. Item 2nd. It is my will and desire that if the real estate conveyed by me by deed of trust to Dwight R. Perry should not be sufficient to pay my just debts that the balance of my said debts be paid out of my Estate not embraced in said trust deed. Item 3rd. It is my will and desire that after the payment of my debts that may remain unpaid, if there should be any, that the balance of my Estate personal and real be divided equally, except as is herein after provided for, between my Mother & Brothers, George P. Swift excepted, whom I wish to have no part of my Estate my Sisters and half Brothers to receive and equal share of my Estate with the brothers except George P. Swift. Item 4th. I will and bequeath to my sister Mrs. Mary Perry three hundred dollars over and above and equal distributors share with the legatees aforesaid this legacy to be paid after the debts of my Estate are paid. Item 5th. For as much as my wife has abandoned me in health and in sickness it is my will and desire that she shall have no part of my Estate personal or real and I hereby request my Executor to resist any claim that she may set up to the same. Item 6th. I hereby appoint my nephew Dwight R. Perry Executor of my last will and testament and request him to retain G. B. Hunter Esq. of Knoxville to manage and attend to any law Business of my Estate and to pay said Hunter out of my Estate a reasonable compensation for his professional services I also direct my said Executor to use my horse and buggy in attending to my business without charge and after he is through with the Estate business said horse and buggy to be his own property - and my executor may sell my property at private or public sale as may be to the interest of this Estate. Item 7th. If my nephew D. R. Perry should not qualify as an Executor under this my will - then I request my friend William Alien to qualify and act as executor thereto. If neither D. R. Perry or William Alien should act as executor or resign their Executorship I request my friend Bryan Bateman to act as executor under this will and carry out its provisions. Witness my hand and seal A. M. K. Swift. Signed sealed and published and declared as the last will of A. M. K. Swift in the presents of us the undersigned witnesses who have signed the same in his presents and by his directions and in the presents of each other this January 1,1858. S. W. Rogers J. F. Humphries Jno S. Daviston Recorded May 6th. 1858 John Sturdivant, Ordinary