James Shores had to sue the heirs of the estate he was administrator for in Coshocton County, Ohio, in the 1820s.
There’s a few lessons we can take from this image of the record copy of his petition to the local court of common pleas. One is that any record can contain an error. There was no son Jeremiah, but there was a daughter Jemimah. Since Jemima was was an heir of the estate and known to have lived long past the time of this court action, it seems reasonable that this reference to Jeremiah is incorrect (it’s also the only record mentioning Jeremiah and leaving Jemimah out).
James Shores is actually suing his wife. But he’s not suing her in his own right. He’s suing her in his capacity as administrator of her father’s estate.
I might also want to review my list of children of the man whose estate was being settled. In this case it appears the children are listed in order of age.
3 Responses
Why was Mr. Shores suing his wife? I know he was the administrator but what was the issue?
Was the suit to sell the land? I think that’s what I’m reading on the petition.
Yes. It was to have the judge authorize the sale of the land.