David Shotts of Ross County Ohio, Estate Records – part 2: “Letters of Administration”

We began the search for David Shotts’ estate records from a newspaper notice submitted by the administrator, Daniel Shotts asking for debtors to pay up and anyone with debts against the estate to come forward. The complete story about the notice is here.

Because the notice was found in the newspaper, the probate records were searched for David Shotts. In the Testamentary Docket, the index gave two pages for David Shotts.[1]

Index for Testamentary Docket showing David Shotts, decd.

So on page 180, there was a summary of what happened when Daniel Shotts came to the October Term 1825 term on the 14 October 1825.

“On motion and it appearing to the satisfaction of the court that the widow has relinquished her right of administering. Ordered that Letters of administration be granted unto Daniel Shotts on the estate of David Shotts decd on his being qualified and giving bond and security to the satisfaction of the court whereupon the said Daniel Shotts was qualified and entered into bond together with Robert Bishop and Isaac Jordan his securities in the penalty of four hundred dollars.”[2]

This explained why Daniel Shotts, who was likely David’s son, became the administrator of the estate and not David’s widow, Mary. She had relinquished her right. She was fifty-nine years old and likely had at least four children still living at home.[3]

The part about being qualified to be administrator probably comes to the fact that Daniel had just recently turned twenty-one years old.

It is also learned that the bond was for $400 and his sureties were Robert Bishop and Isaac Jordan.  The Shotts and Bishop families intermarried. Robert Bishop was likely the uncle of Jacob G. Bishop, who married David’s daughter, Margaret Shotts on 21 Aug 1821.[4] The other surety, Isaac Jordan is unfamiliar to me at this time. Perhaps he worked with Robert Bishop.

In the probate packet, also found at FamilySearch, there was the loose paper showing also the assignment of Daniel Shotts as Administrator and the $400 bound.[5]

 

Letters of Administration & Bond

This form had signatures of the three bondsmen. Daniel probably could not read and write as he signed his name with an X.

Signatures of Sureties

Now that Daniel Shotts was the administrator, he could begin to conduct business concerning his father's estate. Thus, the notice that was put into the paper asking for those who owe money to come forward and pay, and those who are owed money to come present their bills.

Next up will be the court assigning appraisers to conduct the estate inventory.

---

[1] Ross County, Ohio, Probate Records, Testamentary Docket 1821-1834, S index, digital image, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 11 Jan 2017); citing FHL film 977561 Item 2.

[2] Ibid, p. 180.

[3] Daniel (b. 1804), Sophia (b. 1806), Jonas (b. 1809), and Susanna (b. 1811) did not marry until well after their father’s death. Mary (b. 1802), Hannah (b. 1801), and Catherine (b. 1795) never married.

[4] Robert Casari, compiler, Marriage Records of Ross Co, Ohio 1798-1849, 1994, p. 19. Since this is a derivative record, the original marriage needs to be found.

[5] Ross County, Ohio, Probate Records, Probate case files, no. 7758-7864, ca. 1830-1886, case file no. 7863, David Shotts, estate, digital image, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 11 Jan 2017); citing FHL film 2203706.

Copyright © 2017 by Lisa Suzanne Gorrell, My Trails into the Past. All Rights Reserved.