Botetourt County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Court.....Minutes, County Court November 1775 ************************************************ 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 April 15, 2007, 8:02 pm Source: Annals Of S W Virginia Written: November 1775 At a court held for Botetourt County the 14th day of November, 1775. Present. John Bowyer, James Trimble, Geo. Skillern, Wm. McKee, Wm. Madison & Wm. Fleming, Gent. Justices. A report of a road being made and returned by Thomas Posey, Audley Paul, John Maxwell and James Gilmore from Buchanan store to the North River at Paxton Ford. Ord. that the road be established by Saml. Wallace agreeable to and report, and an appeal is granted to the General Court with William Paxton his security. Ord. that Joseph McMurtry, Thomas Atkins, Edward Currin and Henry Holston or any three of them being first sworn do view the nighest and best way from the mouth of John's Creek to the fork of tho said creek at William Cormack's. Thomas Posey is apptd. Surveyor of the Road in the room of George Francisco, who is dischd. from that office. Ordered that Mary Bryan serve William McClenachan, her Master, one year over & above the expiration of her present indenture for having a bastard child, also seven months and one half for loss of time, & trouble, & expence in getting her when run away. Edward Fidley, mulatto servant of Geo. Skillern's, came into court and with the consent of the court agrees to discharge his Master from that part of the contract in his indenture whereby he is bound to teach him the said servant to read, in consequence whereof the said George agrees to give him up one year and one half of the time he is bound to serve. Ord. that Walter Clarke and John Aspinas, servants to Hugh Barcley, serve their said Master one year and two months and ten days each to reimburse their said Master his charges expended in retaking and bringing them homo when run away and for the time they were absent. Saml. Wallace is apptd. Surveyor of the Road from Paxton's Ford on the North River to the ford on Buffaloe Creek, who with the former tithables that wrought on said road to keep the same in repair as the law directs. Ord. that the court be adjd. till tomorrow morning, eight o'clock. The minutes of these proceedings were signed by John Bowyer At a court contd. & held for Botetourt County the 15th day of November, 1775. Present. James Trimble, Wm. McKee, Wm. McClenachan, Andrew Donnely, Adam Smyth, George Skillern, Philip Love and Andrew Woods, Gent. Justices. Ord. that the church wardens do bind out James Louther, orphan of James Louther, decd., to Hugh Wier, a blacksmith, accdg. to law. Peter Looney, orphan of Peter Looney, decd., with the approbation of the court, chooses James Letherdale, Junr., his guardian, he having entered into bond in the sum of five hundred pounds, with James Leatherdale, his security. A report of the persons apptd. to view the road from the forks of Dunlop's Creek to Camp Union returned, the road established, and John Anderson and Patrick Davies are apptd. Survoyors of the same, and the tithables on the link from the Droop Mountain to Thomas Hamilton's and on Sinking Creek and Howard's to work thereon when required to keep the same in repair as the law directs. Jonathan Wood is appointed Surveyor of the Road from the Beaver Dam Bridge to Moore's Creek in the room of David Herbison, and also David Smith on Purgatory Road in the room of Benjamin Estill, who is dischd. from that office. A report of a bridle way from Camp Union to Andrew Donelly's being returned the same is established, and the tithables from Hugh Gillispie's to William McCoy's to work thereon, and James Millian is apptd. Surveyor of the same. Elanah Alderson is set levy free on acct. of his infirmity. On the motion of Thomas Miller the road from the foot of the hill on the north side of his house and the hill is established as it has been altered by the said Miller. Ord. that Geo. Watt, an infant son of Geo. Watt, be bound out accdg. to law, it appearing to the court that he is likely to become chargeable to this Parish. Ord. that this court be adjd. till tomorrow morning, eight o'clock. The minutes of these proceedings were signed by John Bowyer At a court held at Botetourt Courthouse the 27th of November, 1775, for the examination of David Halley, Junr., on suspicion of his feloniously breaking and entering the dwelling house of Wm. Mason and stealing from thence sundry goods the property of the said Mason, a horse the property of David Chadwell and sundry goods the property of Francis Smith. Present. George Skillern, Richard May and Andrew Woods, Gentlemen Justices. The said David being arraigned of the felonies aforesaid pleads thereto not guilty, and thereupon sundry witns. being sworn and examd. and the prisoner heard in his defence, on consideration whereof it is the opinion of the court that the said David is thereof guilty, and that he ought to be tried for the same at the next court of Oyer and Terminer to be held at the Capitol in the City of Williamsburg on the second Tuesday in next month. And the said David being also arraigned of stealing the said horse pleaded thereto not guilty, whereupon sundry witns. were sworn & examd. and the prisoner heard in his defence, on consideration whereof it is the opinion of the court that he the said David is thereof guilty and that he ought to be tried for the same at the next (missing word) of Oyer and Terminer, to be held at the Capitol, in the City of Williamsburg, on the second Tuesday in December next, and therefore he is remanded to prison. John Neelly, David Chadwell, Robert Perryman and William Mann acknowledge themselves severally indebted to our Sovereign Lord King George the Third by the Grace of God of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King Defender of the Faith, & in the sum of two hundred pounds each of their respective lands & tenements, goods & chattels to be levied and to our said Lord the King rendered. But on the condition that the said John Neelly, David Chadwell and Robert Perryman shall make their personal appearance at the Capitol in the City of Williamsburg on the second Tuesday in next month and then & there give testimony against David Halley, Junr., and shall not depart therefrom without the leave of the said court, then this recognizance to be void, else to remain in full force. Ord. that the ct. be adjd. The minutes of these proceedings were signed by George 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/minutes7nwl.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/vafiles/ File size: 7.6 Kb