Sympathy Saturday: Non-Resident Heirs of Hannah (Hardgrave) Russell

Nashville Union and American, 22 December 1853, page 2

My 5th-great-grandmother Hannah (Hardgrave) Russell died in 1853. Skelton Demoss was the administrator of her estate. Some of her heirs were not residents of Tennessee, so they could not be served by the County Court of Davidson County, Tennessee. Her daughter Helen (Russell) Dawson was living in Missouri. Her son Mills Russell (incorrectly listed as Miles in the notice) had died in 1852, but he had three sons in Livingston County, Kentucky: Andrew Russell, John D. Russell, and Wesley Russell.

A notice was published in the Nashville Union and American, beginning on 22 December 1853 (the beginning date given at the bottom of the notice is December 23, but the newspaper issue that the notice appears in is dated December 22). The last notice was published on 9 February 1854. Mills Russell's sons and Helen Dawson were asked to appear at the courthouse in Nashville on the first Monday in February 1854 (6 February 1854).

Military Monday: Lieutenant Colonel DeMoss Captured During Atlanta Campaign

The 24 May 1864 issue of the Memphis Daily Appeal reported on the Atlanta Campaign. The 10th Regiment Tennessee Cavalry was involved in this campaign. My 3rd-great-grandfather Joseph Tarkington and my 3rd-great-grandfather's brother John G. Gatlin were privates in the 10th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry, Company D, although they were not present during the Atlanta Campaign. Lieutenant Colonel DeMoss, whose capture was reported in the article below, was a cousin of mine.

Memphis Daily Appeal, 24 May 1864, page 2

Bill of Sale with Redemption: William Harding and James Hartgraves to Matthew Tennison

The information below is a summary of a published transcription/abstract; I have not seen the original document. James was the oldest son of my 6th-great-grandparents Francis Hardgrave and Sarah Greer.

William Harding and James Hartgraves sold Matthew Tennison a negro man named Dick. Dick was to be the property of Matthew Tennison until William Harding and James Hartgraves paid Matthew Tennison 75 dollars. The Bill of Sale with Redemption was proven in open court by the oath of James Demoss during the October 1809 term, and it was registered in Davidson County, Tennessee Deed Book H on 22 December 1809.

References
Smith, Mary Sue. Davidson County, Tennessee Deed Book H 1809-1821. Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 2000.

Slaves Purchased By John Hardgrave, 1819-1820

I have summarized the below information about the slaves purchased by John Hardgrave, the son of my 6th-great-grandparents Francis Hardgrave and Sarah Greer, in Davidson County, Tennessee. I have not seen the original deeds; the information is based on published transcriptions/abstracts.

On 16 February 1819, Sanford Coil of Burk County, Georgia sold a negro man named Jesse, between 24 and 26 years old, to John Hardgrave. The bill of sale was registered in Davidson County, Tennessee Deed Book H on 17 November 1820.

On 15 July 1820, John Demoss sold a negro man named Harry, about 28 years old, to John Hardgrave. Harry was in Louisiana and was supposed to be in possession of Skelton Hardgraves (John Hardgrave's younger brother).  The bill of sale was registered in Davidson County, Tennessee Deed Book H on 16 November 1820. John Demoss had purchased Harry from Sanford Coil of Burk County, Georgia on 16 February 1819. At the time, Harry was said to be between 25 and 30 years old. The bill of sale was registered in Davidson County, Tennessee Deed Book H on 16 August 1819.

References
Smith, Mary Sue. Davidson County, Tennessee Deed Book H 1809-1821. Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 2000.

Friend of Friends Friday: John Greer's Bequests to His Daughters Ann Mitchell and Hannah Demoss

Excerpt from will of John Greer, 2 April 1782, Wilkes County, North Carolina, Wills. North Carolina Probate Records, 1735-1970, FamilySearch.

In his will, dated 2 April 1782, my 7th-great-grandfather John Greer included the following bequests to his daughters Ann Mitchell and Hannah Demoss:

I also give & bequeath to my daughter Ann Mitchell a certain negro girl named Pheby which she has now in possession & no more

I also give and bequeath to my daughter Hanah Demoss a certain negro girl named Hanah which she has now in possession

John Greer's daughter Hannah was the wife of Abraham Louis (or Lewis) Demoss (or DeMoss). The 1790 United States census enumeration for Wilkes County, North Carolina shows that the household of Louis Demoss included 5 slaves.

1790 United States Census, Wilkes County, North Carolina, page 149, Available from Ancestry.com. 1790 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.

Military Monday: 10th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry, Company D (DeMoss')

Several members of my family were in the Confederate Army's 10th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry, Company D (DeMoss'). My 3rd-great-grandfather Joseph Tarkington was a private in Company D, but by May-June 1863 he was home on sick leave due to asthma and pneumonia. My 3rd-great-grandfather's brother John G. Gatlin was also a private in Company D; he was captured in December 1863 and was held prisoner at Rock Island Barracks in Rock Island, Illinois. One of the regiment's colonels, William E. DeMoss, was my second cousin 6 times removed. His father, Abraham Louis DeMoss, was the son of Abraham Louis DeMoss and Hannah Greer. Hannah's sister Sarah was my 6th-great-grandmother.

The 10th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry was organized in February 1863, by consolidating Cox's and Napier's Battalions. The men in Company D were from Davidson County, Tennessee. Some of the regiment participated in the battles of Battle of Thompson's Station, Brentwood, Chickamauga, the Atlanta Campaign, the Battle of Franklin, and the Battle of Nashville. In February 1865, the regiment was consolidated with the 11th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry. In May 1865, they surrendered in Alabama.

References
Confederate Tennessee Troops. 10th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry (DeMoss'). http://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-regiments-detail.htm?regiment_id=CTN0010RC01
Tennesseeans in the Civil War, Confederate Cavalry Units: 10th Tennessee Cavalry Regiment. http://www.tngenweb.org/civilwar/csacav/csa10cav.html