I have only contacted a state archive for a document a few times. Each time, I have been pleasantly surprised. Well, except for the time when I was told the court house for that county burned during the Civil War! I am learning that we need to use state archives and there is plenty we can do from home when we cannot travel to visit them.
Last week, I wrote about a newspaper article I’d seen mentioned in an old post. To find a copy of it, I used Chronicling America and then contacted a repository that held the correct edition of that particular newspaper. In this case, the repository I contacted was the Tennessee State Archives. Yesterday I received a digital copy of that article.
Dickson Legal Notice, The Academist, Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, 2 December 1846, page 3, digital copy received from Tennessee State Archives microfilm.
State of Tennessee – Perry County.
Circuit Court, September Term, 1846.
William K. Dickson, Joseph Dickson admr’s of James Dickson and others.
vs.
Elizabeth Stanley and others.
It appearing to the satisfaction of the court by the affidavit of William Dickson, one of the petitioners, that Elizabeth Stanley and her five children are residents of the State of Texas, Hugh Dickson who resides in the State of Mississippi, Samuel Rogers and wife Matilda are residents of the said last mentioned State, so that the ordinary process of law cannot be served upon them; It is therefore ordered by the court that publication be made for three successive weeks in the Academist, a newspaper published in the town of Lawrenceburg, requiring the said defendants to appear at the next term of this court, to be held at the town of Harrisburg on the 3d Monday in January next, then and there to plead, answer or demur, &c., or this cause will be taken for confessed and set for hearing ex parte as to them. Witness Franklin H. Kimble, Clerk & Master, at office.
F. H. KIMBLE, C. & M.
December 2nd, 1846–Pr fee $8.
[Name emphasis mine.]
This case is in regards to the estate of my fourth great grandfather, James Dickson. Two of his sons, William K. Dickson, my third great grandfather, and Joseph Dickson, are the executors. As I alluded to earlier, the Perry County Courthouse burned during the Civil War so no known copy of the will exists. Listed in the legal notice are Elizabeth Stanley, Hugh Dickson, Matilda Rogers[?]: three of James’ children who are living outside of the state of Tennessee.
My big “question” on this case is the married name of Matilda. I have quite a few records which name her husband as John M. Boyers. A couple of records name her husband as John M. Rogers. But, the abstract of this newspaper article is the only time I’ve seen her names her husband as Samuel Rogers. And, probably because of this article, quite a few family trees have Matilda’s husband listed as Samuel Rogers.
Of course my next step is to find the court records for this case! I have ordered the microfilm and hope to find more about this estate and whether or not Matilda’s husband was named as “Samuel Rogers.”
UPDATE: I looked through the microfilm, and unfortunately this record falls in a 5 years period of “missing pages.” Ugh! I know the courthouse burned and was told James Dickson’s will burned in the fire. I guess I lost the court records, too! At least I still have the “final distribution” which didn’t take place until several years later.
Do we share common ancestors? I’d love to talk! Please leave a message or email me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net.
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