At 03:17 PM 02/08/2004 -0500, you wrote: >Hampshire/Frederick County Friends, > >Need some help regarding the court record that follows (I have reason to >believe that the Mary Davis below (1st husband, John Park II, 1707-1758) may >be my 6th GGM). > >My Questions: > >In your opinion, would Edmund Butler as listed below in the court record, be >a previous husband of Elizabeth Gummerson or a court-appointed >representative (does word descendant refer to Elizabeth or Edmund)? > >According to the wording in the record, did Mary Davis, give Administrator >rights to Edmund Butler (is this what "in right of" means)? > >If Edmund Butler is not Elizabeth Gummerson's husband (ex), does anyone know >who her husband was? I am trying to determine whether my Mary's maiden name >(2nd husband was John Davis) is BUTLER or GUMMERSON! Mary Davis was still >living and approximately 40 years of age at the time of Elizabeth >Gummerson's will. > >Thank you in advance for any help you can provide. > >Court records on Mary Davis from Northern Neck records in Frederick County, >VA - 1749: > > Administration of the Estate of ELIZABETH GUMMERSON deceased is granted > EDMUND BUTLER in right of MARY DAVIS, the descendants Daughter, he having >taken the > Oath of an Administrator and Entered into and Executed a Bond according to >Law. > 39/17 Gummerson Admin. granted Ordered that JOHN SUMMERS, WILLIAM BOLING, >WILLIAM DULING, and WILLIAM JEWELL or and three of them being Sword >Inventory and appraise the Estate of >ELIZABETH GUMMERSON IN Current Money and the Administrator do return the >same to the >next Court. 39/18 Appraisers > >Sincerely, > >Doug Park >Hurricane, WV I really hate reading will abstracts. (g) And I'm pretty sure there are others here who are better at it than I, but as a first crack, just so you get an answer... Elizabeth Gummerson died; she had a daughter Mary Davis; Mary has rights to the estate and Butler's relationship to Mary (whatever it is) requires his acting as Admin on Mary's behalf. The word descendants is incorrectly used; the word should be decedent's (thus making Mary, Elizabeth's daughter). HOW Butler is related will show up in the full file, but what the above says is that he is connected to Mary -- possibly a brother, a brother-in-law, or a son-in-law -- and is the most closely related of her male relations. Again, you'll need the full file where all this is most likely spelt out in some detail. And if it isn't, then you may surmise that all parties were personally known to the judge signing the papers. There is no way to tell if Mary were born a Gummerson or a Butler or something else instead without looking at the full file. The others may now correct the above (G). Cheryl *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_* Cheryl Singhal (Singhals@erols.com) http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~cpafug/ http://www.rootsweb.com/~wvhampsh/ http://bottonycross.purpleflowers.net (Bottony Cross DAR) http://www.rootsweb.com/~cresap/ http://members.fortunecity.com/csinghal1/ (Joanna Waddill UDC)