Tag Archives: Flemstead Ransone

Ransone

Follow Up: Will and Inventory of Flemstead Ransone, 1796, Buckingham County, VA

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About a month ago, I shared family sketches of the Ransone Family who settled early in Virginia.

There is scarce, and sometimes conflicting, information found online for Flemstead Ransone, one of my husband’s direct ancestors. Part of the reason for that is because Flemstead owned land in more than one Virginia county, but lived in Buckingham County, which is a severely burned county with few surviving records.

I happened across an article in The Magazine of Virginia Genealogy written by Susan B. Chiarello and published in the February 2015 issue. It took some doing to find a copy of that issue, but I succeeded!

The notes in the article state that Flemstead’s will was part of the documents in Hopkirk vs. Ransome, heard by the U.S. 5th Circuit Court and, thus, a copy of his will, thankfully not housed in the Buckingham County courthouse, survives today.

Because the article is copyrighted, suffice it to say that Flemstead only named the four children who I believe were the youngest of his probable eight children – sons J.F. (John F.), William and daughters Elizabeth and Lucy. Flemstead also mentions “my beloved wife,” but neglects to name her.

I don’t know if the fact that Flemstead only left bequests to his younger children means that he had two sets of children by two wives or just that the elder children had already received their portions when they married. Elizabeth and Lucy were apparently unmarried when their father died in 1796.

However, Ms. Chiarello also mentioned that Flemstead’s ESTATE INVENTORY was also among the archived court papers held by The Library of Virginia (U.S. Circuit Court, 5th Circuit, Virginia District, Ended Cases, Box 77, BC 7420984, Hopkirk vs. Ransome,  Federal Records Collection, Archives and Manuscripts, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia).  Getting copies of the inventory took yet a bit more doing, but again, I was successful.

As far as I know, Flemstead Ransone’s inventory has never been published and isn’t under any copyright restriction, so here it is. Money is (Pounds) £. shillings.pence :

Inventory of F. Ransone’s Estate (a Copy)

17th September 1796 agreeable to an order from the Worshipful Court of Buckingham was sworn before us Archibald Wright Zadock Lackland & Robert Self to appraise the Estate of Flamstead Ransom.
Antho. Winston

Slaves
Gib a £90 Hannah a £60 Jesse a £65   = £215.0.0
Ned a £90 Bob a £90 Leare a £25 =         £205.0.0
[Total] £415.0.0
Toney, £40.0.0
[Total]  £460.0.0
a parcel of hilling & weeding hoes, £1.4.0
6 plough hoes 24/ four axes 20, £2.4.0
3 wedges (Frou & Colter?), 0.12.0
1 Cross Cut saw & Currying knife, £1.4.0?
1 handsaw & a parcel of (?), 0.15.0
1 old spade & parsel of (Reap?) Hooks, 0.17/6.0
1 Plane (Lone?) jointer, 0.9.6
1 pr (steelyand?) 0.15.0
Parcel rum (hhd?), 2.3.0
2 barrels, 0.8.0
1 ditto, 0.1.0
Parcel of batter potts, 0.9.0 £12/0
Parcel of old (carks?), 0.12.0
wheat (size?) & 1/2 bushel, 0.9.0
2 old saddles & 2 pr. (?) 0.13.6
1 bell & hammer 0.3.0
1 pr iron traces, 0.9.0
3 scythes & Cradles, 0.12.0
P. Cart wheels & 1 yoke steers, £15.10.0
[total] £491.2.0

Brought over, £491.2.0
18 head cattle, 42.0.0
10 head sheep, 4.0.0
1 bay mare, 30.0.0
2 horses, 25.0.0
1 lamb, 1.10.0
Parcel of water vessels, 0.12.0
Parcel of cartings, 2.10.0
Kitchen furniture, 0.15.0
Bramble scythe & irons, 0.6.0
Two brass candlesticks & 2 moulds, 0.13.0
Parcel of pewter, 4.7.0
1 coffee pott, 0.4.0
1 chaffin Dish, 0.4.0
Pr flat irons, 0.12.0
1 hatchet, 1.4.0
Parcel of Books, 0.5.0
1 water pitcher, 0.6.0
1 smoothe board gun, 1.4.0
6 bottles, 0.4.0
Parcel glassware, 0.10.0
Parcel crockery ware & pewter tea pott, 0.14.0
Pepper mill 2/6 sheep shears 1/6, 0.4.0
4 tables £3.8.0 1 Desk £5, 8.8.0
11 Chairs £1.4/ parcel spinning wheels & real £1/10/, 2.14.0
2 p fire(?) 20/ 2 old (Slays??) 2/, 1.2.0
1 Cookery glass 12/ Sundries 4/., 0.16.0
4 Beds & furniture, 36.0.0
2 trunks & (?), 1.10.0
1 (Stile?), 30.0.0
12 hogs, 10.16.0
[Total] £699.18.6

Zadock Lackland
Robbin (his X mark) Self
Archd. Wright

at a court held for Buckingham county the 14th day of November 1796

This Inventory & appraisement of the
Estate of Flamstead Ransone decd was
returned and ordered to be recordede
Teste Rolfe Eldridge Clk

Copy Test Rolfe Eldridge Clk

Due to the lucky happenstance (maybe not to Flemstead’s heirs who lost the lawsuit) of Flemstead’s family being sued for monies owed to British merchants after the American Revolution, both the 1796 will and inventory of Flemstead Ransone exist even though they were originally recorded in Buckingham County, Virginia, which lost almost all its records in a courthouse fire in the 1860s.

 

 

 

Perkins, Ransone

Flemstead Ransone of Halifax, Cumberland & Buckingham Cos., VA, 1700s

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Flemstead Ransone, sometimes found as “Ransom”, is the fifth generation of his family to live in Virginia. He first appears in the Cumberland County, Virginia court order book on 24 September 1754, as a witness, so he likely was at least 16 years old and probably 21 or older. That would place his birth between 1733-1738.

Flemstead Ransone married Elizabeth (MNU), but little is known about his family. Elizabeth’s name is known to us because she and Flemstead’s names appear Cumberland County deeds from the 1770s to the 1790s.

Deed of Flemstead & Henry Ransone, 18 November 1790
Cumberland County, Virginia Deed Book 7: 35
Source: FamilySearch

The court recorded this deed from Flemstead and Henry Ransone for the sale of land to William Meredith. However, it noted that their wives, Elizabeth and Sarah, could not conveniently travel to the courthouse to acknowledge the release of dower rights. Clerks of the court appended a statement dated 18 November 1790 that each had been examined privately and gave free consent to the sale. Therefore, we know that Elizabeth was still living as of that date.

Flemstead Ransone died between 8 July 1793, when he was mentioned in a Buckingham County, Virginia court record as not taking an oath and 27 March 1797, when a Cumberland County, Virginia land deed mentions the estate of Flemstead Ransone, along with John F. Ransone and William Ransone selling land to Tscharner Woodson.


Cumberland County, VA Deed Book 8:272
Source: FamilySearch

The most interesting part of this deed is in the opening:

This Indenture made this fifth day of September one thousand seven hundred and ninety eight Between Ambrose Ransone Administrator with the Will annexed of Flamstead Ransone dec’d. .

There is no transcription of the will of Flemstead Ransone following this deed! However, the will of “Flamstead Ransome” was filed in Buckingham County in 1796 and has been published in the Magazine of Virginia Genealogy! This will was in exhibit in the U.S. Supreme Court case Hopkirk v. Ransome heard by Chief Justice John Marshall.

Children (Those in blue are proven, Mary and Henry are assumed to be.):

1. Ambrose, born 1761-1770; died 12 July 1843, Batavia, Clermont, Ohio; married Ann Andrews, 30 December 1793, Cumberland County, Virginia. He was an abolitionist. In the lawsuit between John F. and Henry, Ambrose deposed that they were his brothers, both younger than him.
2. Mary, born c1764; died after 25 July 1803, date of her husband’s will; married Henry Purkins, c1787
3. Henry, born before c1765; in a lawsuit with John F. from 1797-1799; died before 6 March 1822 when sarah’s dower rights were settled; married Sarah P. Wright, 24 December 1786, Cumberland County, Virginia
4. Catherine, born c1768; (1) married Gabriel Wright, 26 December 1785, Cumberland County, Virginia with consent of her father, Flemstead Ransone (2) John Sharpe, who died before 14 March 1823, Prince Edward County, VA [Deed Book 18:133]
5. John F., born c1770; married Elizabeth (MNU)
6. Elizabeth, born c1774; died after 5 September 1798; married James Price and lived in Prince Edward County, Virginia
7. William, born c1775; married Susan Dejarnette, 15 August 1799, Halifax County, Virginia
8. Lucy; born c1777; died after 5 September 1798, living in Buckingham County and unmarried at that time.

Mary is placed in Flemstead’s family because she and Henry named a son Flemstead and her son, John, and his wife, Rhoda Walters Woosley in turn named a son John Ransone Perkins.

Also lending credence to the idea that she was a daughter of Flemstead is a Virginia chancery court lawsuit between John F. and Henry Ransone, brothers, who sued over the sale of enslaved persons who were part of their father’s estate. Henry Purkins, in his deposition, stated at he was present during the settlement of the sale. His wife being a legatee of Flemstead would explain his presence.


Virginia Memory: Chancery Records
Case 1797:004, Cumberland County, VA
Adm of F Ransome & James Wilson v Adm of F Ransome & James Wilson

The affidavit of Henry Perkins, Taken this 21st day of September. 1795. In a Certain Suit i Chancery In the County of Cumberland Now depending Between James Wilson Plaintiff and Flemstead Ransome, defendant. The said Henry Perkins being first sworn. Saith he happened at the Dwelling house of the defendant Ransome; when The Settlement took place, between the parties Respecting Two Negroes and the said Perkins Understood by the Parties, that there had been the Day before a Sale of Some of Ransome Negroes, and James Wilson become the Purchaser of some of them; and a negro Woman Named Leah [illegible} Inclinable, Ransone Should take back and said she was Worth Forty pounds, Ransone Replyed, Mr. Wilson, she is [?] Negro. Take her Wilson mentioned this several times, and Ransone made him the Same Reply as before, She is your Negro. take her; and this deponent, Understood by the parties; that the defendant had Taken a Negro Man by the Name of Cambridge at three fourths of. . . . .

More discoveries to come about the Ransone family, as I have discovered proof of the mother and paternal grandfather of Flemstead Ransone in another lawsuit!