Dear Jann: I knew that my class in Anglo-American Legal History would come in handy sometime! An "estray" is just fancy old English for "stray." When an unidentified animal was found wandering around, it was deemed an estray. It was then examined and valued and the information was posted for people to see. If the animal wasn't claimed within a certain period of time by its owner, it became the property of the person who found it ("finders, keepers"). Sometimes there was a tax or fee paid to the local authorities based on the valuation of the animal. Hope this helps. Terry Wheeler At 02:19 PM 1/3/99 -0700, you wrote: >Rebecca or anyone else----please explain these estray records!! > >Drew Advance Oct. 2, 1917: > >County of Drew: > >We, E.K. Haynes, Carl Cockrell and J.H. Creed, three cittizens of the county of Drew and householders therein, having thereto been appointed by C.E. Davis,, a Justice of the Peace of said county, have this day viewed a certain mule shown to us by W.N. Laffoon, as an Estray. Said mule is light bay, mare mule about 16 1/2 hands high, weight about 1150 pounds and has large grey spot on right hip and scar on point of right hip and about eleven years old and we do value the said mules to be worth the sum of ($115.00) one hundred and fifteen dollars. > >E.K. Haynes >Earl Cockrell >J.H. Creed >Subscribed and sworn to before me this 17th day of Sept., 1917. C.E. Davis, J.P. > >County of Drew: > >We, J.J. Johnson, J.S. Foy and J.T. Brown, three citizens of the county of Drew and householders therein, having thereto been appointed by E.J. Baker, a Justice of the Peace of said county, have this day viewed a certain horse and a certain mule shown to us by J.L. Morris as estrays. Said horse is a bay with small star in face, 16 hands high and has collar marks on shoulder, about 10 years old, worth one hundred dollars. Said mule is a black mare mule with collar marks, 17 hands high, 12 years old, worth ninety dollars. > >J.S. Foy >J.T. Brown >J.J. Johnson > >Subscribed and sorn to before me this 20th day of September, 1917. E.J. Baker, J.P. > >Jann > > >Join 18 million Eudora users by signing up for a free Eudora Web-Mail account at http://www.eudoramail.com > > >