1858 Jane Taylor Estate: Daughter of Edmund Taylor
John M. Wilson, administrator of Jane Taylor, deceased against Pleasant Taylor et al, filed August 20, 1858, Sumner County, TN; Lawsuit 673 on microfilm at Sumner County, TN Archives.
To Hon B. T. Ridley, Chancellor at Gallatin.
The Bill of John M. Wilson, administrator of Jane Taylor, deceased against Pleasant Taylor, David Taylor, citizens of Sumner County. Spicy Pryor, Johnathan Pryor & wife Massy, Hezekiah Taylor, Chesley Taylor’s heirs whose names are unknown, whose residence is unknown, and John Fukeway * and wife Mary, and Elizabeth Taylor, these three last live in Robertson County.
Your Orator would represent and show unto your Honor that Jane Taylor died, intestate leaving the parties mentioned in the caption as her only heirs and distributees, in Sumner County sometime in 1857, that he has been appointed and qualified as her administrator, he would show that the whole estate of said Jane Taylor consists in one Negro woman name Sylvia and that there is not other property belonging to said estate except one note on Mrs. Patterson for $18.00 and the hire of said Sylvia for this year about ________. Your orator would show that there are debts existing against said Jane Taylor which are unpaid, vis;
Account of Dr. T. D. Haggard for $57.00
“ “ H. B Malone “ $16.00
“ “ Meador $65.00
“ “ B. F. Moore, for coffin $25.00
Making in all about _____ _____ 163.00
And there may be other debts of which your orator is not now informed. Your orator would show that said Sylvia is getting old being now upwards of fifty years old and that she does not hire for much. Your orator charges that it is necessary to sell said Negro Sylvia in order to pay the debts of the said Jane Taylor there being nothing lese out of which to pay the same.
Your orator charges that the heirs and relatives of said Jane Taylor are illiterate persons and have been unable to give him the names of the heirs of Chesley Taylor a deceased brother of Jane Taylor or their places of residence and they are unable to give the places of residence of the following brothers and sisters of Jane Taylor, vis; Spicy Pryor; Massy Pryor and husband Johnathan and Hezekiah Taylor.** The heirs here have not seen or heard from these parties for a number of years and are unable to give your orator any satisfactory information as their whereabouts and as far as your orator knows they may be non residents.
These premises considered your orator prays (?) for a sale of the Negro woman Sylvia. Let all of the above named parties be made defendants. Let publication be made as to Spicy Pryor, Johnathan Pryor, Massy Pryor, and Hezekiah Taylor, and the heirs of Chesley Taylor. Let process issue to the Sheriffs of Robertson & Sumner Counties and give to your orator such other and further relief as may be right and proper, and as in duty bound he will ever pray (?) _____.
B. F. Allen
Solicitor
State of Tennessee
Sumner County, Personally appeared all those aforesaid. Mr. Wilson the compl’t and makes oath that these matters & things stated in the foregoing bill as of his knowledge are true and ______ as stated as of information he believes to be true.
Sworn to & Subscribed
before me August 20th J. M. Wilson
1858. W. H. Blackmore, Clerk
I acknowledge myself complt’s security for costs. Aug 20 1858
Ben F. Allen
Transcription provided by Shirley Anderson
* Mary Taylor, daughter of Edmund Taylor married John Fuqua. John FUQUA married Mary “Polly” Taylor on 14 Jan. 1841 in Sumner Co., TN. They were the parents of Sarah Elizabeth, William L., James B., Mary J., John Lewis, and Thomas M. In 1831 “John Faqua” listed as member of Dry Fork Church of Cumberland Presbyterians in Sumner Co., TN. There is record of the Fuqua children being baptized on 24-Nov-1850 at the Dry Fork Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Sumner Co. The Fuquas were living in the 12th Dist. Of Sumner Co. at the time of the 1850 Census and living in the Western Div. of Robertson Co. when counted on the 1860 Census.
** David Taylor and Pleasant Taylor claiming not to know the whereabouts of their sibling seems absurd and likely some kind of a legal dodge. David and Pleasant Taylor were both counted in Sumner County in 1850 and 1860. Phereba was counted on the 1860 Sumner County census. Massy Pryor was on the 1850 and 1860 census in Sumner County– her husband John Pryor wasn’t in her household in 1850 and her son Allen’s biography states he died about 1850, so why was he mentioned in a 1857 document? The claim of illiteracy is also far-fetched since both David and Pleasant Taylor were recorded as literate on the 1870 census.