AN OLD HENDERSON COUNTY CHANCERY CASE

Jonathan Kennon Thompson Smith

Brenda Kirk Fiddler of Lexington, Tennessee kindly furnished the present writer with a photocopy of the original 1875 deed resulting from a suit held in the Henderson County Chancery Court. This court was established May 6,1844 with Henderson, McNairy and Perry counties forming a single chancery district.

HENDERSON COUNTY, CHANCERY COURT
HARVY G. THREADGILL, JOHN WEST, JAMES W. GLASS, WILLIAM P. COLLINS, complainants versus WILLIAM A. MURCHISON, chairman of the board of trustees of the HOWELL INSTITUTE, Lexington, Tennessee. In August term, 1857, it was decreed that a town lot in Lexington, consisting of one acre and 152 poles on which the Howell Institute was located, be sold for debt. This lot began at a point on the stage road leading from Lexington to Jackson and at what was the southwest line of the original survey of the town. If one turned to the left, travelling south, onto main street from highway 22, on the corner to one's left he/she would note the site of the Howell Institute, the nature of this private institution being virtually unknown.

In the February term of the Chancery Court, 1858, it appeared that this indebtedness amounted to $2533.28 and the clerk and master reported that in compliance with the court decree he had sold this property to JOHN WEST, JAMES W. GLASS and WILLIAM P. COLLINS who paid off this debt with their purchase. At that time the court vested title in this property to these three men. On February 6, 1875, JOHN S. FIELDER, as trustee of the Baptist Church in Lexington, bought this property from JAMES W. GLASS of Louisville, Ky., JOHN WEST of Henderson County and the heirs of WILLIAM P. GLASS, who were his wife SOPHIA COLLINS of Gibson County; and children, ELISHA A. COLLINS of Gibson County; URIAS L. COLLINS of Carroll County; NATHAN D. COLLINS and JOHN F. COLLINS, both of Texas; SOPHIA, wife of A. B. HURT of Carroll County. This conveyance was done by the Baptists paying $20 to JAMES W. GLASS but the "principal consideration" was "the love & desire we entertain to promote religion & benevolence and to secure title to a place to be devoted to such use." Witnesses were G. H. WEBB, JOHN CONKLEY; E. F. and R. B. BOSWELL to the signature of JOHN WEST; A. W. HICKS and BETTIE HICKS to the signatures of JOHN F. and OLIVIA COLLINS; JOHN M. THURSTON, court clerk, Jefferson Co., Ky. to signature of JAMES W. GLASS, February 13, 1875; W. H. EASON, court clerk, Carroll County to signature of the Hurts, January 13, 1876.

Signatures, including spouses of some
of the Collinses:

Note:
WILLIAM P. COLLINS was a successful Lexington merchant. His tombstone in the Lexington cemetery states that be was born in Halifax Co., Va., August 28, 1813 and died in Lexington, July 25, 1866.The U.S. census, 1850, Oct.31, Henderson County, civil district 10, page 181: WILLIAM P. COLLINS, age 37, born Va.; SOPHIA COLLINS, age 33, born Va.; ELISHA D. COLLINS, age 15, born Va.; URIAS L. COLLIMS, age 13, born Tenn.; WILLIAM P. COLLIHS, age 11, born Tenn.; NATHAH D. COLLINS, age 9, born Tenn.; JOHN H. COLLIMS, age 7 ,born Tenn.; CATHARINE COLLINS, age 3, born Tenn.; SOPHIA COLLINS, age 8 months, born Tenn. Buried near their father are: CATHARINE W. COLLINS, died Aug.21, 1851, aged 4 months,18 days /probably 4 yrs.,4 mos.,18 days or 4 yrs.,18 days/; ELIZABETH D. J. COLLINS died Mar.24, 1849 aged 1 yr., 7 mos., 21 days; W. P. COLLINS died October 4, 1851 aged 11 yrs.,.5 months. In the same lot: ELIJAH C.COLLINS, born in Va., Oct. 26, 1788, died Sept.15, 1854; CATI4ARIHE W. COLLINS. formerly of Va., died Nov. 26, 1850 in her 64th year. In an adjoining lot: SARAH F., wife of JAMES V. GLASS died May 18,1852 in her 31st year; JAMES W. GLASS, born Mar. 9,1845, died Aug. 22. 1847; ANDREW H. GLASS died Mar.20, 1851, aged 3 mos., 5 days. In the 1850 census (page 360), JAMES GLASS is listed as a merchant, aged 42, born Tennessee; SARAH F. GLASS, aged 29, born N.C.; JOHN E. GLASS, aged 11, born Tenn.; LUTHER C. GLASS, aged 8, born Tenn.; THOMAS GLASS, aged 3, born Tenn.; ELIZABETH WARD, aged 65 (Glass' mother-in-law?). In the 1860 census, June 12, Jackson, Tenn., page 225; J. W. GLASS, aged 51, born Tenn.; JAMES GLASS, aged 34, born Tenn.; S. C. GLASS (female), aged 17, born Tenn.; THOS. E. GLASS, aged 12, born Tenn.; W. W. DAVIS, male, aged 12,born Tenn. (Glass' stepson?). While still a resident of Henderson Co., GLASS bought 267 acres in Madison County in January 1857 and in March 1860 he bought property in Jackson as a resident of Madison County. (Madison Co. deed books 19, page 308; 24, pages 636-637) His wife, JANE C. GLASS, is buried in lot 221, Riverside Cemetery, Jackson, with dates on her tombstone, indicating that she died October 21, 1867 aged 41 yrs., 11 sos.23 days. Apparently, GLASS became financially stressed as he sold several hundred acres, he and his current wife, SARAN ANN GLASS, in mid-December 1873.(Madison Co., deed book 33, page 336) this is evidently when they moved to Louisville, Kentucky. His son, JOHH E. GLASS, married SUSAN A. NORVELL, May. 3, 1859 in Madison County and they also left Madison County in the 1870s. JOHN WEST (1850 census, page 374) was a Lexington physician; JOHN SAMUEL FIELDER (1831-1882) (1850 census. page 251) was a Lexington druggist. In the 1860 census, Henderson County, HARVY THREADGILL is given as a carpenter.

Other works by Jonathan K. T. Smith can be found at the Madison County Records Repository at TNGenWeb.