Cases Heard Before
the Supreme Court for the District of Kentucky
1785-1792
Abstracted by Bill Utterback
These are abstracts of appellate cases which were heard by
the Supreme Court of the District of Kentucky, which was the Virginia based
court of appeals for the Kentucky area before Kentucky became a state in
1792. Appellate cases can often provide genealogical information, even if
the only such information is the location of the parties involved and when
they were there. The cases in the 1785-1792 time frame are all associated
with land disputes. Primarily, the issue involved warrants for surveys on
land that was already claimed by preemption. The cases were brought to prevent
another individual from settling on land through treasury or military warrants
which had been settled earlier by what was commonly known as "squatting".
The abstracts present the essential information in these appellate
cases, as found in the Opinion of the Supreme Court for the District of Kentucky.
The case files themselves, which would contain the actual depositions, petition
and answer(s), and other materials are no longer extant for Kentucky appellate
records until 1863, due to a fire. Copies of the full opinion(to be scanned
and sent via e-mail attachment) in any case can be requested from me at billco@ARN.NET .
Users should be aware that given names are not always shown
in the case opinions. In some cases, only the surnames are shown, especially
for neighbors and others who may be corollary parties to the case. In addition,
in these Supreme Court decision, the area in KY (i.e., what would become
the counties)is not always given. When it is shown, for the purposes of these
abstracts, it is shown under the "County" field, even though, at
the time these decisions were entered, counties had not yet been formed through
statehood. Also, in the "Other Names" field, be aware that these
names, unless identified as a neighbor, witness, or other particular individual,
may have no relationship to the plaintiff or defendant in the case, and that
there is no other information in the opinion to identify these people more
specifically. Plat maps of some of these land surveys are included in the
opinions. These have been noted in the abstracts by: [plat map]. Additionally,
it should be remember that these cases represent only those which were appealed
- there were undoubtedly many dozens of others which were filed, and decided,
at the lower court level, but which the losing party did not appeal.
This is a part of a continuing project by this contributor
to abstract cases heard before the Kentucky Court of Appeals, which came
into existence in 1792.
The information contained in these abstracts is public domain
material. The format and arrangement is Copyright 2006.
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Abbreviations:
(W) = Witness
(N) = Neighbor
(TW) = Treasury Warrant
(MW) = Military Warrant
(PE) = Preemption Claim
NG = Not Given
OGI = Other Genealogical Information
HAL = Heir-at-Law
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
County: Fayette
Case: William Hoy v. Rovert Boggs
Date: June Term 1785
Case Type: Land
Other Names: None
OGI: 100 acres in dispute
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 1
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County: Fayette
Case: Simon Morgan v. Peter Pennybaker
Date: Spring Term 1785
Case Type: Land
Other Names: Adam Shepard
OHI: 5oo acres TW #13612 on 11/12/1783 on west side of Big Slate Creek
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
County: Fayette
Case: Thomas Hinton, HAL of Joseph Hinton, deceased, by William Morrice[Morris],
his next friend, v. The Heirs of William Stewart, deceased
Date: June Term 1787
Other Names: Cyrus McCracken
OGI: Preemption of Thomas Glenn, deceased, assigned by David Glenn, HAL to
Thomas, to said William Stewart, because Thomas Hinton, HAL of Joseph Hinton,
deceased, by William Morrice, his next friend, claims the same by an older
improvement, for which the Commissioners for the District of KY granted a
certificate to the said Joseph Hinton on 4 Feb 1780. 100 acres improved and
marked in 1776. [plat map]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
County: Fayette
Case: Zacariah Herndon v. James Hogan
Date: Nov Term 1786
Case Type: Land
Other Names: Z. Herndon, assignee of James Riddle, 4 Dec 1782
OGI: Miltary warrant # 818 - 50 acres on KY River at mouth of Hickman Creek
[plat map]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 3
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
County: Lincoln
Case: Thomas Swearingen v. Henry Higgins
Date: June Term 1787
Case Type: Land
Other Names: Abraham Chapline; Ann Poag; Livi Todd; William Poag; Isaac Hite;
William Mattimore(who made improvement)
OGI: Ann Poag & Levi Todd, administrators of the estate of William Poag,
deceased. [plat map]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 7
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
County: Lincoln
Case: Thomas Ammons v. George Spears
Date: June Term 1787
Case Type: Land
Other Names: Conrad Carpenter(N), ---Craig(N), Mallory(N)
OGI: 960 acres adjoining his([Spears] settlement on the east. Thomas Ammons
received TW for 400 acres on which Spears made improvements in 1776 [plat
map]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 10
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
County: Fayette
Case: William Eagan v. James Bowdry
Date: Sept. Term 1787
Case Type: Land
Other Names: Joseph Conway(N); William Gibson(N); Henry Fields Jr. asignee
of Geo Boyd
OGI: William Eagan, PEC #937, 1784, 1000 acres
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 13
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
County: Fayette
Case: Charles Morgan v. William Dryden
Date: November Term 1788
Case Type: Land
Other Names: Bryan McDonald(assigned land to William Dryden); James McMillan(surveyor);
Thomas Brown(assigned land to Charles Morgan); Capt. john Marshall(N); George
May(N); John Holder(N); James Morrow(N); John Helder(N), assignee of John
Howard, assignee of Lewis Craig; David McGee; Randall LeForce; James Montgomery;
Bartlett Searcy; William Bush
OGI: Charles Morgan TW #11908; Bartlett Searcy "...heir to Richards..."[plat
map]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 15
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
County: Nelson
Case: John Reed, Assignee, etc. v. Samuel Laurence
Date: November Term 1788
Case Type: Land
Other Names: Thomas Johnson(assigned t o Laurence), who was assignee of Edward
Hammond
OGI: John Reed, assignee of George Helms, assignee fo Constant Cade, Edward
Bulger and Burr Harris[plat map]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 19
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
County: Lincoln
Case: John Isaacs v. William Willis, Assignee, etc.
Date: November Term 1788
Case Type: Land
Other Names: William Willis, assignee of Lewis Craig, assignee of Christopher
Hudson. MW # 248; Stephen Fisher(N), sold to ----Barbee; William Gaines(N);
Thomas Wilson(N)
OGI: [plat map]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 23 & 1 Hughes Rpts. 25
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
County: Lincoln
Case: Henry Pawling, Assignee, etc. v. The Heirs of George Mereweather
Date: June Term 1789
Case Type: Land
Other Names: John Wilson(N)
OGI: Geo Mereweather PEC # 1060, assignee of James Roberts, assignee of Julius
Sanders; Henry Pawling, assignee of Andrew Cowan[plat map]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 26
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
County: NG
Case: Isaac Hite, Assignee, etc. v. Jesse Harrison
Date: September Term 1789
Case Type: Land on Harrod's Creek
Other Names: David Crawford(N); James Stephenson(N); Peter Casey(N)
OGI: Isaac Hite, assignee of David Williams. Williams had PEC on 1000 acres
#1754 in 1783; Jesse Harrion TW #14478
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 29
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
County: Lincoln
Case: John Jackman v. The Heirs of George Mereweather
Date: June Term 1790
Case Type: Land
Other Names: George Mereweather, deceased, assignee of Julius Sanders; Henry
Pawling(N); Bartholomew Fenton(N)
OGI: Land located about 12 miles from St. Asaph's. G.Mereweather PEC #1060
[plat map]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 32
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
County: Fayette
Case: Enoch Smith v. Phillip Grimes
Date: June Term 1790
Case Type: Land
Other Names: Lewis E.Turner(N); Henry Payne(N)
OGI: Grimes - TW # 3361 & 3360 - 1000 acres, 1784; Enoch Smith TW # 4872
in 1783 [plat map]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 35
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
County: Fayette
Case: William Walker v. John Orr
Date: June Term 1790
Case Type: Land
Other Names: John Orr - TW # 19112; William Kennedy in June 1776 cut marks
into tree on the land; William Gryden(N); ---- Morton(N); ---- Fisher(N)
OGI: William Walker, assignee of Merry Walker, had 14 TW's # 7685, etc.;
John Orr, assignee of Henry Banks
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 38
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
County: NG
Case: Thomas Madison v. Abraham James
Date: June Term 1790
Case Type: Land
Other Names: Thomas Quirk PEC; George Smith(N); John Bowman representing
heirs of Joseph Bowman; Edward Bulger
OGI: None [plat map]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 40
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
County: NG
Case: John Dougherty v. William Crow
Date: October Term 1791
Case Type: Land
Other Names: John Cowan on behalf of David Cowan, HAL to James Cowan; George
Clark; George Dickens(N), Simeon Butler(N); Stephen Fisher(N); William Logan;
Patrick Shone by Edward Worthington; Archibald McNeil(N); James Gilmore(N)
OGI: None [plat map]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 42
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
County: NG
Case: John Crawford v. Benjamin Logan
Date: October Term 1791
Case Type: Land
Other Names: Samuel Craig(PEC); James Logan(N - 1780-1783); Michael Goodnight(assignee
to Benjamin Logan); Thomas Black(N); James Rennix(W); Abraham Miller(N);
Samuel Davis(N); Archibald Graham(died 1779); William Steele(W) ---- Warner;
Abraham Miller(N); James Brown(W); William Fields(W); Jesse Warner(N); John
Crow; Agan; Samuel Gilmore(W); John Brown(W); Stephen Huston(W); William
Montgomery (W); Samuel Davis(W); Stephen Fisher(W); Jacob Myers(W); John
Martin(W); Edward Worthington(W); Azariah Davis(N); James Neville(W); John
Reed(N); Jonas Black & Rebecca Black(W); Benjamin Pettit(W); George White(W)
Evan Kebreath(W); Thomas Smith(W) swore the complainant was made a prisoner
of the Indians in September 1781 and did not return until September 1783
OGI: Martha Logan, wife of James Logan; James Logan, father of Matthew Logan;
Henry Graham, HAL of Archibald Graham [plat map] [Very lengthy case]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 51
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
County: NG
Case: William Young v. William McKee
Date: March Term 1792
Case Type: Land
Other Names: Nehemiah Poor(N); William Young(PEC); Christopher Clark; ----
McDonald(N); Peter Wooley(N); John Wooley(N); Thomas Denton; Thomas Daniel;
William McQuerry(W); Robert Luckey(W); Mary McQueery; John Caldwell(W); Robert
Kincaid(N)
OGI: William Young, assignee of Nehemiah Poor [plat map]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 68
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
County: Fayette
Date: March Term 1792
Case Type: Land
Other Names: Bryan McDonald(by David McGee) (PEC); William Dryden, assignee
of B.McDonald (PEC 1161); James Hickman (N); Patrick Henry (N); William Robertson(N);
James McMillin(N); James Morrow(N)
OGI: None [plat map]
Citation 1 Hughes Rpts. 71
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This concludes cases heard before the Virginia Supreme Court for the District
of Kentucky
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cases
heard by the Kentucky Court of Appeals (1792 & Later)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~