Submitted by Mary Tighe for The Lawrence Register Website
The Chancery Records are housed in the Clerk of Courts, Lawrence County, Ohio courthouse. These may provide interesting information for the genealogist. I encourage you to go through these records carefully, and if you find a name in the following index that is even remotely connected to your ancestor, be sure and search these resources.
The following index is Volume 1 and covers 1843-1853. It was abstracted from a microfilm copy which was very difficult to read, so please remember there is a chance of human error in this index.
To find these records, visit familysearch.org and search for Film # 008198781, and in the image selector, Lawrence County, Ohio, Chancery Records start on page number 278 and continue onto page 657.
Agell, Alexander, et.al. 27
Austin, Lydia 282
Austin, The Heirs of 282
Achison, Adm. 470
Achison, Hanna, et.al. 470
Ashcraft, Smith 563
Baccus, E. et al. 53
Beales, David 611
Assigns of George N. Benson 459
Beardsley, Barlemias 252, 470
Boggs, Heirs of 263
Bowen, Keziah, et.al. 30
Bowen, Columbus 87
Bowen, Adm. 502
Bragg, Heirs & widow 614
Brownings, Amos 386
Browning, Arthur, et al. 386
Brammer, Edmon, Adm. & Bethnia Brammer 476
Boyd, Sarah Jane 571
Boyd, William 571
Burdsell, Brothers 621
Byard, Geo. A. et al., assignee of McCloy Wade & Co. 638
Brammer, John et al. 470
Brammer, Rolin 317
Burgess, James 96, 111
Burgess, James et.al. 1
Bryans, Adm 494
Chambers, Robert B. 252
Collier, Matilda 109
Collier, Ambrosa 109
Clark, Sarah 272
Clark, Jacob, et al. 272
Campbell, Wm. Just., Trust of Iana Thomas 380
Campbell’s petition to vacate Alley. 430
Campbell Wm. Jus. 380
Campbell, Miram 545
Campbell, Jus. et al. 545
Campbell, Miram 532
Campbell, Jus., et al. 532
Cartney, Elizabeth 377
Chaplin, John 204
Chaplin, John et al. 255
Chinn & Frampton 106
Chesnutwood, Eli L. 581
Citizens for Ironton petition vacate alley 571
Clark, Joe et al. 606
Clarkson, Abner, and wife 596
Cloninger, Louis E. 161
Conway, C (?) & Co. 290
Cook, James 111
Davidson, Wm. Executor 298
Davidsons, James 611
Davidson, Heirs of 298
Davidson, James 891
Davidson, Joseph, assignee of? 459
Davidson, James A 174
Davidson, Isaac 48
Darling, Isaac 160
Drouillard, Jos. et al. 502
Drouillard, J. P. 30
Edwards, A. 174
Eholzton, Harriet et.al. 260
Ellison, J. G. et.al. 166
Ewing, Joseph 64
Ferguson, John et al. 380
Finnstone, Jos. 130
Furguson, John & wife 4??
Frampton, Ike 268
Frampton, Isaac 274
Frampton, Martin 335
Flynn, Andrew, exec of J. McGinley 2??
Feller, Nicholas 606
Game. W. J. 491
Game, W. J. et al. 379
Gardner, Joseph 161
Gashom, John et al. 77
George, J. A. 444
Gillen, Jno. et al. 58
Gillin, E. & others 585
Ghostin, Sally adm. of James Ghostin 434
Ghostin, Heirs of 434
Gholstin, Sarah 260
Goshorn, John et al. 312
Gould, Jn. F. 130
Gillet, G. Joel 165
Hall, Zacarah 596
Herdorn, William Fredric 491
Hamilton, Robert 574
Hamilton, Robert 379
Hawley, Chancey G. Adm of Samuel Stewart 580
Hall, Robert 34
Hall, William, et al. 335
Hamlin, Peter 452
Hamilton, Robert 293
Huff, Francis et al. 70
Hanna & Shives 399
Hanshaw, W. F. & M. Bryan et al. 494
Holderby, Robert 43
Holshawsen, Henry 425
Hunter, Emily 108
Hunter, Heirs of J. C. 108
Hambleton, Joshua 125
Hamilton, A. adm. James Cartney 377
Hanna, Henry 166
Hoy, Rachel 289
Hoy, Hugh 289
Hominedian, S. J. L. & Heirs of Sally Hammond 373
Hammond, Sally heirs of 373
Higginbotham, Nancy 4
Irvin?, Henry 34
Insgram, John, et.al 380
Isaminger, Solomon Adm 48
Justice, John adm. of C. Justice 274
Jaynes, Josiah et al. 1
Jarvis, Robert 157
Kelly, Charles et al. 98
Kerr, William R., Jr 373
Koons, A. P. 160
Kyle, John 53
Knight, William 204
Knight, Wm.. 255
Kelley, Allen D. 581
Lunsford, John 347
Lawrence, Isaac C. 617
Lewis, Pascal 563
McClellan, Alexander, et al. assigns of will 638
Madison, Stephen 425
Miller, Wm. et al. 6
Matteson, Chas. 155
Mentors, Gerhart Adm. & heirs 574
Mesinger, George et.al. 265
Moore, Abraham 24
Moore, Robt. et al. 24
Magee, Wm. 92
McCormick, Moses 106
McGath, Wm. 189
McGuire, James 157
Miller, Abraham 138
McKnight, William 196
McKnight, J., Widow & heirs 196
Murphy, Washington 224
Mann, John 224
McCoy, Hamilton & Co. 290
Massie, James B. 347
Mulligan, Terrance & wife 621
Newton, John 64
Pierson, John, et.al. 125
Price, Henry 268
Pancake, Lucinda 173
Pancake, J. 173
Procter 617
Putnan, I. P., et.al. 87
Quinn, David 138
Quinn, David et al. 165
Rodgers, James et al. 77
Reed, L. J. 459
Reynolds, James W. 43
Reid, Thomson J. 459
Rodgers, James 98
Rogers, James 293
Rodig, Margaret 569
Rodig, Charles J. 569
Rodgers, J. P. et al. 115
Jaynes, G. J. 283
S(?), Alex 429
Samuel, James, & Rowlings 352
Seely, Benedict 416
Shiras, Wm. 115
Shaddock. N. 96
State of Ohio as F. No. 3. R 18 282
Strong, James A., Petitioner for 341
Sparling, Daniel et al. 429
Sparling, H. 411
Sparling, Widow & heirs of 411
Spears, Wm. 70
Suiter, Margrett 452
Smith, P. S. 626
Sprouse, R. A. 626
Suiter, Adm. 634
Suiter, Heirs of 634
Tyrrell, Wm. J. & et al. 186
Thomas, Nancy et al. 27
Trusdell, Columbus 407
Tiernan, John 407
Trustees of Elizabeth Twp Petition to sell lands 435
Tyrrell, Wm. J. & et al. 186
Thomas, Scott, Blake, Fallint & Co. 2??
Thomas, Cynthia & Homes, James 4??
Ward, William 92
Willard, James O. et al. 416
Willis, George heirs of 891
Wolfe, Wm. B. et al. 312
W ?, D. J. et al. 444
Willis, Andrew 4
Williams, Heirs of 399
Weir, Harvey, et al. 58
Wheeler, Joseph 6
Wilson, Stephen Adm. 182
Wilson & Frampton 155
Wood, E. James 186
Wolf, Mary Exec. of & Wolf? et al. 249
Wolf, J 249
Wilson, Martin Adm. of Bogg’s 263
Waggoner, Jacob Adm of 263
Waggoner, M(?), et.al. 263
Walker, Meredith 352
Wilcox, William D. 265
Wood, ? by Jns. Irwin Guardian 585
Wheeler, Joseph 821
Wheeler, Malissa 891
Wakefield, adm. of Bragg 614
Wilks, Samuel 317
Wilks, Adm. of 317
Wolfe, Wm. et al. 189
“Thank you” goes to Mary Tighe for taking on this difficult task of abstracting this index. –Martha
As a researcher, you should carefully review the Chancery Records in Lawrence County, Ohio. To explain the importance of these ledgers, the Rutherford B. Hayes Library goes into much more detail:
1802 – 1860 About Ohio’s Laws
“From 1802 until 1851, when the Ohio constitution established the probate court as a separate entity, probate matters fell under the jurisdiction of each county’s common pleas court. During this period, issues dealing with inheritance and estates were decided by the county chancery court, a court also under the jurisdiction of the county’s common pleas court. Chancery court existed in each county from 1850 to 1860.
Divorces, Mortgages, and Property Disputes
Chancery court provided a system of finding justice between two parties whose rights conflicted. It dealt with divorce, mortgage foreclosures, petitions to sell land, partition suits, and real property disputes. Although the estate packet in probate court may hold information on an early Ohio ancestor, frequently, questions remain. More information may appear in a chancery case dealing with partitioning the land among the heirs or in a case petitioning the court to sell the land of the deceased. Often these cases gave death dates, names of heirs, relationships, residences, and descriptions of the land.
Inheritance, Administrator, or Deceased Persons
Cases involving inheritance are often indexed in the name of the administrator rather than in the deceased’s name. Therefore, all cases involving the surname of interest should be checked since the type of case cannot be determined by its title. The following abstracts from Volume 1 of Sandusky County, Ohio, Chancery Court records provide examples of information in the cases.
Rathbone vs. Jones
“Rathbone vs. Jones,” 1828: Chaplain Rathbone stated that on April 1, 1823, Lyman Jones was leaving Lorain County, Ohio, to buy land in Sandusky County. Owing to Rathbone’s money, Jones promised to purchase land for Rathbone while in Sandusky County. As agreed, Jones made several purchases but entered all the lands independently. name.
In January 1824, Rathbone came to the county and built a cabin on the land; however, Jones refused to transfer the title. In August 1824, Jones died, and his wife died the following month. Two minor children, Ransom and Ami Ann were their only heirs and were known to live in New York. The court ordered the publication of the suit in the New York Buffalo Journal to inform the minors. The children eventually issued legal titles to Rathbone.
Stone vs. Eaton
“Stone vs. Eaton,” 1837: Lucius Stone petitioned the court to partition land in sections 23 and 24 in Townsend Twp. [description given in record], containing 120 acres. Stone claimed his right to this land through the inheritance of his wife, Clarinda, daughter of Polly Stone. A widow, Polly Stone, purchased the property at a public sale in Sandusky County. Polly died in 1832, leaving Clarinda Stone, Benjamin B. Eaton, and John Eaton as her heirs. Benjamin died without heirs, leaving his brother John Eaton, a minor, with an undivided one-half interest in the property. The chancery court ordered the land to be surveyed, appraised, and divided equally between the two surviving heirs, Clarinda Stone and John Eaton.
Other Lawsuits
Other types of suits can provide just as much excellent information, making this primary source important, considering the small number of records available during Ohio’s frontier period. Since each county’s common pleas court always maintained jurisdiction over the chancery court, the volumes can often be found within that court in Ohio counties today. Some counties have chosen to transfer these records to local archives or libraries. Others have been microfilmed.”
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