Probate Of The Estate Of Louisa Gray, Dec'd
Researched by Marylee W. Knight 2003Abstract of Probate File # 281 - Panola Co TX
On Jan. 23, 1861 A.W. Hill and wife Catherine filed a petition to have George W. Smith removed as the Guardian of Thomas Mariah Gray as he had no permanent place for her to live and was boarding her first one place then another. It also points out that Smith was no relation to the child. The Hills' petition was based on the fact that the child had resided with them from the time of her mother's death until the Court had placed her in Smith's care, they lived close to the school where she had attended until she was placed in Smith's care and that Thomas Mariah Gray was Catherine's "sister of the half blood". (On the 1860 Census of Panola Co TX, Thomas Mariah Gray is shown as an eleven year old girl living in the household of A.W. and Catherine Hill.)
A report on the estate filed on Feb. 27, 1862 by A.W. Hill states that "the only heirs of Louisa Gray are Catherine Hill and Thomas Mariah Gray who reside in Panola Co TX and Sarah Gray and Florida Gray who reside in Mississippi".
This report goes on to state that Thomas Mariah Gray, Sarah Gray and Florida Gray are all minors at the time of the filing.
When the Court was preparing to enter a final accounting on the estate, the three minors were cited by publication in the local newspaper on Jan. 2, 1861. (As Mariah was included in this published citation, it might be assumed that she had gone to MS to live wherever her two sisters were living. If she had been still living in Panola County, she would have just been informed by her brother-in-law as was Catherine I cannot find a marriage for her in Panola County.)
A report on the estate filed on Feb. 18, 1858 states that the Estate of Louisa Gray, dec'd, who resided in Panola County, TX and property belonging to the Estate of Needham Beasley, who died in TN are commingled and that 3/4 of the property belonged to Beasley, "the same never having been partitioned between said two estates".
Four days later on Feb. 22, 1858 in a petition of A.W. Hill seeking the permission of the Court to hire out the slaves of the estate, Hill stated that "a large portion of the inventory belongs to the heirs of Needham Beasley dec'd and that Catherine Hill, wife of A.W. Hill is the only heir of said Beasley". (This seems to indicate that Catherine Hill was the daughter of Needham Beasley and that the three Gray children were Louisa's by a subsequent marriage to _______ Gray. On the 1860 Census, A.W. and Catherine had a two year old son named Needham.)
The property referred to in the Court proceedings consisted of some slaves, but no land. (I checked the deed index and did not find where Louisa purchased any property.) There were several documents submitted to the Court relating to the possession of the slaves and the distribution of the income they generated when they were hired out following the death of Louisa. A.W. Hill insisted that the income should be split three ways with his wife Catherine getting one-third, George W. Smith getting one-third and Hill himself getting the final third. It is unclear in the papers if this was actually the way things went.
On the inventory of the estate filed on Feb. 18, 1858 the slaves were listed as:
a Negro woman Milley, age about 35;
a Negro woman America, age about 18 and her son Albert, age about 4 months;
a Negro woman Betsy, age about 16 and her daughter Juda and
a Negro man John, age about 15.
However, on Dec. 10, 1860, A.W. Hill gave George W. Smith the following slaves:
A Negro woman, America, age about 20, yellow complexion and her children,
a Negro boy Albert, age about two years, yellow complexion and
a Negro boy Beverly, age about 10 months, coffee colored.
Hill kept
a Negro woman Betsey and her child Newton, age about 3 years - the pair of them valued at $1,300; and
a Negro woman Milley, valued at $500.
A report filed on the estate on Feb. 27, 1862 showed only two slaves
A Negro woman, Milley, dark complexion, age about 38 years, valued at $650;
a Negro woman, Betsy, black complexion, age about 20 years, valued at $1,000.
On April 5, 1864, in the final settlement of the estate's assets the slaves remaining in Hill's possession were auctioned on the steps of the Courthouse to the highest bidder.
Milley was purchased by Catherine Hill for $401 and
Betsey was purchased by "Dr. King" for $1,000.
There is nothing in the Court papers regarding the disposition of Betsey's first child Juda, or her second child Newton. (It is a good possibility that they died as the Executor of the estate would have had to have petitioned the Court for permission to sell them.)
Regarding ascertaining a date of death for Louisa, the Court documents all just say she died in 1857. However, included in the packet was a bill a doctor presented to the Court for payment. According to the itemized bill, he was attending to Louisa on a frequent basis, sometimes making a night time house call. (Day time house calls were $6 and night time calls were $10. Calls to attend to a slave were $5 and dispensing medicine was $3.) The last charge on the bill was a house call on Oct. 11, 1857, so it could be assumed that's the day she died.