Botetourt County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Court.....Minutes, County Court May 1780 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/vafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com May 5, 2007, 3:44 pm Source: Annals Of S W Virginia Written: May 1780 At a court held for Botetourt County the 11th day of May, 1780. Present: Patrick Lockhart, William Word, Martin McFarran & Wm. Davidson, Gentlemen Justices. John Cartmill, a Captain and David Wallace, Ensign in the Militia took the oath required by law. Walter Stewart made due proof to this court that he served in the First and Second Virginia Regments in the last war, in the one as a Sergeant and in the other as Quartermaster Sergeant, until they were disbanded & that he is an inhabitant of this State and never before proved such service nor obtained any land in consideration thereof under the King of Great Britain's Proclamation of 1703, which is ordered to be certified. James Baird and Richard Maize who prvd. they served in Captain Dickerson's Company of Rangers last war as soldiers till legally disbanded is ordered certified as above. Ordered that William Preston, James Barnett and Samuel Willson do lay off and allot to William Smith the dower of Judeth Stevens, late Judeth Evans, her dower of a tract of land lying in the Devil's Den of which the said Evans was possessed with at the time of his death and make return thereof to this court. A report of a road was made and retd. by Leonard Huff, Jasper Terry and Marcus Leckins agreeable to an order of March court ordered that the road be established agreeable to said report and that Benjamin Huff with the titlfables in the bounds of Captain Willson's Company of Militia open & keep the same in repair as the law directs. Ord. that the tithables in the bounds of Captain Willson's to John Crawford's down Craigs Creek do work on the road of which John Ritchey is Surveyor. Samuel Beard is apptd. Surveyor of the Road in the room of Hugh Beard who is dischd. from that office, who with the usual tithables is to keep the same in repair as the law directs. William Griffeth is apptd. Constable in the bounds of Captain Henley's Company of Militia. Joseph Reaburn is apptd. a Constable in the room of Henry Waterson who is dischd. from that office, A Grand Jury appeared in court & were sworn (towit): Malcom Allen, Wm. George, Edward Green, Robert Anderson, Samuel Lawrence, John Cartmill, Wm. Snodgrass, Robert Harvie, James Hutcheson, William Galloway, James Ritchey, Curtis Alderson, John Hewitt, John Ross, Jonathan Newman, and Nicholas Sharkey, who recd. their charge & went out of court to consider of their presentments. William Bilbro is apptd. to purchase one barrell of corn or buy twenty five pounds of bacon or fifty weight of pork towards the support of Mary Price & one child whose husband is a soldier in the State Army and draw on the Treasury for the purchase money. On the petition of Andrew Henry leave is granted him to keep an ordinary at his house in the Town of Fincastle, who entd. into & acknd. bond with William McClelan his secty. in the sum of fifty pounds accdg. to law. Alexander Simpson fined accdg. to law for not appearing in court & serving on tho Grand Jury (is set aside). The Grand Jury retd. into ct. and prestd. the following persons (towit): Moses Dunlop, John Penalton, Thomas Welsh and Francis Dermind for retailing liquors without licence. Also the Surveyor of the Road from the Pedler Ford to Humphries', the Surveyor of the Road from Humphries' to the crossing of the Cow Pasture River for not keeping the same in repair as the law directs. And also the Surveyor of the Road from the Town of Fincastle to Nicholas Haynes' for not keeping the same in repair accdg. to law. Ordered that summons issue against the several persons returned by the Grand Jury to appear at the next court to shew cause why they shall not be fined according to law respectively. Jonathan Newman is apptd. Surveyor of the Road in the room of John Durake from this Town to the first ford of Catawba. James Beard, heir at law to James Beard, Junr., deceased, proved to this court that the said decedant served in Captain Dickerson's Company of Rangers last war till it was legally disbanded as a soldier and that ho was afterwards killed by the Indians, and that he never before proved such service nor obtained any land in consideration thereof under the King of Great Britain's Proclamation of 1763. Ord. that the ct. be adjd. till tomorrow morning, six o'clock. The mins. of these procdgs. were signed by Patrick Lockhart At a court continued and held for Botetourt County the 12th day of May, 1780. Present: Patrick Lockhart, Wm. Davidson, Wm. Walton, James Barnett and William Neelly, Gent. Justices. Ordered that the Commissioners for the Grain Tax delay delivery of their accounts of the taxes to the Sheriff untill the opinion of the Assembly is known on a petition that is to be referred to them for that purpose. William Graham, who as well for himself ) as for the Commonwealth sues Plff. ) In Debt agst. ) John Alderson Deft. ) This day came the parties &c, and also a jury, towit; Edmund Sturns, Hugh Muldrough, Jonathan Newman, Joseph Carroll, Wm. Miller, Henry White, James Elliott, John Gufford, Joseph Damrel, James Mitchell, Samuel Pryor, and Uriah Humphries, who retd. a verdt. awarding plff. 500 lbs. Judgt. accdgly. and costs. David May and William Davidson are recommended to his Excellency the Governor as fit persons to execute the Office of Coroners in this County. William Madison with Wm. Preston and Thomas Madison, his securities, entered into and acknd. bond in the sum of forty thousand pounds to the Treasurer of Virginia for the faithful collection of publick taxes imposed by Act of Assembly on the inhabitants of this County, which is ordered to be certified, which was recorded and certified accordingly. On the petition of Wm. Crow, leave is granted him to keep an ordinary at his ferry in this County, he having entered into bond with Patrick Lockhart, his security, in the sum of five hundred pounds according to law. This court doth allow for the ferrige of a man and horse over James River at Crow's or Anderson's Ferrys three dollars and so in proportion for other things. On the petition of Nicholas Haynes leave is granted him to keep an ordinary at his house in this County for the space of one year from this time, he having entered into bond with Jacob Carper, his security, in the sum of five hundred pounds according to law. Charles Spurlock is exempted from paying County levies for the future on account of his age & infirmity. Wm. Madison with Thomas Madison and Wm. Preston his securities entered into bond to his Excellency the Governor for his faithful collection of the taxes levied in towns on the tithables of this County, which is ordered to be certified. Ord. that the tithables from James Barnett's who live within three miles of said road on each side as low down as Fort Lewis be added to those that work under Peter Dierley, Surveyor of said Road. Ord. that the ct. be adjd. till court in court. The mins. of these proceedings were signed by Patrick Lockhart Additional Comments: Extracted from: Annals of Southwest Virginia 1769-1800 BY LEWIS PRESTON SUMMERS Member of American Historical Association, Virginia Historical Society; Alumnus University of Virginia and Tulane University (Louisiana); Member American Bar Association, Virginia State Bar Association Author of HISTORY OF SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA 1740-1786 WASHINGTON COUNTY VIRGINIA 1777-1870 PUBLISHED BY LEWIS PRESTON SUMMERS ABINGDON, VIRGINIA 1929 COPYRIGHT, 1929, BY LEWIS PRESTON SUMMERS MANUFACTURED COMPLETE BY THE KINGSPORT PRESS KINGSPORT, TENNESSEE United States of America File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/botetourt/court/minutes69gwl.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/vafiles/ File size: 8.5 Kb