I’m still trying to fully understand this document, as the legal mumbo-jumbo is like a foreign language to me.

Some of the facts I know:

Charles Moorman, Sally’s father, died October 23, 1803.

Nancy Moorman, Sally’s mother, received Land to live on after the death of her husband. (I have a document which shows her allotment dated 1804).  I’m not sure when Nancy died.  I have seen some list her death in 1847, but I have nothing to back that up.  Does this document mean that she has died and Sally is getting a portion of her mother’s allotted land?  Is that what “Dower Land” is?  I’m not clear on this.

Lemuel Moorman is Sally’s brother.

From what I understand, Francis & Sally sold their portion of this land to Sally’s brother Lemuel.  Sally wasn’t able to come to town to acknowledge that she wanted to sell the land.  They were either concerned that maybe her husband was selling it without her consent (since it was her mother’s land) or else they wanted to make sure that she was relinquishing her right to dower in the land (and couldn’t get the land back upon her husband’s death).  They sent out 2 Justices to speak with her privately and make sure that this was what she wanted to do.

I’ve transcribed this document to the best of my ability under the images.  (I’m always happy to receive corrections of my mistakes!!)

I would love to know what the full meaning of this document is if you understand it.

The CommonWealth of Virginia to David Pegram and Richard Hobson Gent. Justices of Bedford County _____ whereas Francis L. Lee + Sally his wife by their certain Indenture of bargain  + Sale bearing Date the 23rd Nov. 1813. have sold and conveyed unto Lemuel Moorman the fee simple Estate of their portion of Dower Land of Nancy Moorman widow ___ of Charles Moorman Dec’d lying and being in the County of Bedford and State of Virginia whereas the said Sally cannot conveniently travel to our Court of our said County of Bedford and State of Virginia to make acknowledgement of the same. Therefore we give you or any two or more of you power to receive such acknowledgement as the said Sally shall be willing to make before you of the conveyance aforesaid contained in the said Indenture which is hereto annexed and we do require you that you do personally go to the said Sally and examine her privately and apart from the said Francis L her husband, and whether she be willing the said Indenture together with this acknowledgement should be recorded in our said County Court and when you have received her acknowledgement + examine her as afors’d that you distinctly + openly certify us thereof in an ___ Court under your Seals sending then there the s’d Intenture and this ____ Witness James Steptoe Clerk of our said Court the 28th day of Nov’r 1813.

In the 38th Year of our Independence.

J Steptoe [signed]

Bedfort County to wit

In obedience to the within Commiss. to us directed we did go to the within named Sally Lee and examined her privily and apart from her husband whether she freely and voluntarily relinquished her right to the within mentioned Land and she saith she doth freely and willingly relinquish her right to the same in fee simple without the threats or persuasions of her husband and is willing that the same should be recorded in the County Court of Bedford.  Given under our hands and Seals this 30th day of November 1813.

Dan’l Pegram {seal}

Rich’d Hobson {seal}

At a Court held for Bedford County at the Courthouse the 27th day of December 1813.  This Commission was returned executed + Ordered to be recorded.

Teste  J Steptoe CBC

She married Jacob Sowder in Montgomery County, VA in 1839.

I love this document, because it appears to have their actual signatures.

This happened in Montgomery County, VA in 1869.  William Angell appears to be the one pressing charges.  I don’t know what the outcome of this case was.

Do you have any lawbreakers in your family tree?

I love the two following records, both from 1846 in Franklin County, Virginia.

The first document is kind of like a “permission slip”.    Nancy Glass gave permission for Samuel Lee to get a marriage license for their marriage.

There is also another message written below by Nancy’s brother-in-law, Jacob Machenheimer.  He was married to Nancy’s sister Patience.  Their father, John Glass, died in 1840 and now I know that Nancy was living with her sister at the time of her marriage and that her brother-in-law was responsible for her.  He also gave his permission for the marriage license and apologized that he couldn’t ride to town at the time.  {on a side note, I wonder why he couldn’t ride to town – was he injured or sick or just busy?}

Transcription:

The Clerk of Franklin Cty Court is authorized to grant marriage license to Mr Samuel Lee for his and my marriage given under my hand this 27 July 1846

test  Jacob G Machenheimer         Nancy Glass

And here is the second document, giving surety…

Transcription:
Know all men by these presents that we Samuel E. Lee and Samuel R. Kirks are held and finally bound unto the Commonwealth of Virginia in the just and full sum of One hundred and fifty dollars the … payment of which will and only to be made … Executors and … jointly and … and dated the 29 day of July 1846.
The condition of the above obligation is such that … the above bound Samuel E. Lee hath this day obtained from the clerk of Franklin County Court a License for his intermarriage with Nancy Glass of said County. Now if there shall be no lawful cause to obstruct said marriage then the above obligation to be paid else to remain in full free and …
Samuel E. Lee (his mark) [seal]
Samuel R. Kirks [seal]

{It’s late at night and I’m squinting as I try to transcribe this. I’m hoping that I can fill in some of the above blanks during the day. }

Usually, it has something to do with being  related to a famous person.  A president.  A General.  Royalty.  Maybe an actor.

My family is no different than any other – and actually I think that we share one of the most common family legends in the country.

Ours is that we are “somehow related to Robert E. Lee”.

I recall my grandmother telling me this when I was a child.  I didn’t pay much attention.  At the time, I honestly didn’t really know who he was. I wish that I would have listened a bit more – and maybe have gleaned some clues as to what that connection may have been (if she even knew – which I doubt).

Interestingly enough, the legend was also passed to some of the long-lost cousins I have found since starting my family history quest.

One of the pictures they gave me also mentioned the connection:

I’m sure that all Lee families who spawned from Virginia try to claim some shared ancestry with the General – and his famous family.

I am taking it with a grain of salt.  Not saying that I wouldn’t be doing cartwheels if I could find some connection!  Of course I would.

It’s just that it’s so darn easy for one of those “rumors” to start.  All that has to happen is some child overhearing Grandma wondering if they were related and 50 years down the road it’s remembered as there being a definite connection.  It’s like the game of telephone, spread out through the generations.

The truth is, I have no hard data to either prove or disprove the legend.  I’m not going to be upset if we aren’t even remotely related.  I will just be happy to have the speculating over with.  I would love to one day get past this brick wall.

Here is the information on my Virginia Lee family.  Maybe someone out in cyberspace is a Lee family guru and has some information that can help me!

The furthest Lee ancestor that I actually have any information on is Francis L. Lee.  Another researcher gave me his name as Francis Ludwell Lee and I believe it was mentioned as that in a sketch in a county history.  I haven’t seen his middle name listed as Ludwell on any documents.  Francis was born abt. 1778 in Virginia.  I have found him in the 1810-1860 census in Bedford, Montgomery, and Roanoke counties (which all border each other – apparently he moved around a lot).  I have found him listed in a deed and as a surety for a marriage in the same area.  He married Sally Moorman, daughter of Charles Clark Moorman and Nancy Hancock, on 28 Sep 1804 in Bedford county, VA.  The same sketch I mentioned above listed his father as a Richard Lee of Kentucky.  Kind of vague, especially in this area.

I have information on their children, one of which (Samuel Edward Lee) was my direct line.  I don’t have much more than that though.  I don’t have exact birth or death dates for him.  I don’t know where he lived before 1810.  I don’t know who his parents were.  And I’ve been stuck at this brick wall for a number of years now.

So, for now at least, the legend still lives…

Written for the 100th Carnival of Genealogy with the theme of “There’s One in Every Family” hosted by Creative Gene.