Botetourt County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Court.....Minutes, County Court April 1781 ************************************************ 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 10, 2007, 2:51 am Source: Annals Of S W Virginia Written: April 1781 At a ct. held for Botetourt County the twelfth day of April, 1781. Present: Geo. Skillern, Adam Smyth, Pat Lockhart, Wm. Dabidson, Saml. Eason, Wm. Neelly and Jas. Barnett, Gent. Justices. Thos. Rowland is recommended to his Excellency the Governor as a fit person to execute the office of Lieutenant Colo. of the Militia in this County in the room of Wm. Robinson who hath resigned that office. Wm. McClenachan as Major, James Neelly, Junr., Capt. in Capt. McClenachan's late Company, Andrew Armstrong First Lieutenant, Robert Neelley Second Lieut. & James Tosh Ensign. John Lewis, Captain; William Walton, Second Lieutenant; Andrew Lewis, First Lieutenant; John Love, Ensign of a Company to be laid off taking in the upper end of Captain Neelley's and the lower end of Captain Bennett's Company as may bo agreed upon by the officers of said Companies. Wm. McNeelly Second Lieutenant in Captain Barnett's Company and James Reaburne Ensign. John Galloway Captain in John Robinson's late Company, Wallace Estill First Lieut, and John Herbert Second Lieut. James Fleming Ensign in Captain Hanley's Company, Wm. Goodson Second Lieut, in Captain Eason's Company, Thomas McGeorge Ensign. David Eddings is apptd. an Ensign in Caot. [sic] Martin's Company. The Revd. Caleb Wallace & Edward Crawford presented in court their respective certificates from under the hands of their Elders informing they were Regular and Orthodox Ministers of the Presbyterian Church. It is ordered that they be licenced to celebrate the rites of matrimony in this County agreeable to an Act of Assembly in that case made & provided. James Robinson Captain, John Neelly First Lieut, in the Militia of this County. William Snodgrass, Senr., is sot levy free in future on acct. of his age & infirmity. William Summers the same as next above. Ord. that Nathaniel Evans be dischd. from his confinement on his first giving bond and secty. for his good behaviour in future in the sum of twenty thousand pounds. Ord. that the ct. be adjd. till tomorrow morning, eight o'clock. The mins. of these prcdgs. were signed by Pat Lockhart At a court held for Botetourt County the 13th day of April, 1781. Present: Geo. Skillern, James Barnett, Saml. Eason, Josiah Martin, Adam Smyth & Pat Lockhart, Gent. Justices. James Hutcheson is apptd. Second Lieut, in Capt. Smith's Company of Militia and Saml. McFerran Ensign. John Rutledge Second Lieut, in Capt. Woods' Company and Thomas Gillis Ensign. Ord. that the Sheriff summon twenty four of the most capable freeholders in this County to appear here at next May court to serve as a Grand Jury of Inquest for the body of this County. The Com. agst. Arthur Cooper for harbouring a deserter the deft, appeared in ct. and was heard, on consideration whereof the court are of opin that he be fined in five thousand pounds of tobacco accdg. to law. Ord. that the ct. be adjd. The mins. of these prcdgs. are signed by Geo. Skillern At a court held at Botetourt Courthouse the 13th day of April, 1781 for the examn. of Jack a Negro man slave, the property of Stephen May, on suspicion of a felony. Present: Geo. Skillern, the Revd. Adam Smyth, Wm. Ward, Wm. Neelly and Thomas Rowland, Gentlemen. The prisoner being set at the bar and arraigned of having feloniously taken out of Mr. Lockhart's celler a quantity of linnen the property of Mr. Wm. Hamilton, one piece of woolen cloth the property of Thomas Prutor's, Falling Mill, for endeavoring to excite an insurrection among the Negroes of this County and threatening the lives of Thomas Quirk and Rowland Madison. Whereupon it was demanded of him whether he was guilty of the several charges or not, pleaded thereto not guilty. Whereupon sundry witns. were sworn & examd. and the prisoner heard in his defence. On consideration whereof the court are of opinion that he is guilty thereof and that he be hanged by the neck untill he be dead, and that the Sheriff do perform and carry this judgment into execution on Monday the twenty third of this instant, between the hours of ten & twelve o'clock in the forenoon. This court doth value said slave to one hundred pounds in specie and that his Master be pd. the same in proper currency of this State or the Continental currency at the Current Exchange when paid. Ord. that the ct. be adjd. This prcdg. was signed by Geo. Skillern 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/minutes79gwl.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/vafiles/ File size: 5.8 Kb