Deborah Murray died between 1840 and 1845 in Henry County, Tennessee. I know this because John R. Deason, my 4th great grandfather, appeared in court in 1845 and testified that his signature on Deborah’s last will and testament was, in fact, his. He and his co-witness and co-signator, Joel Rushing, also testified that Deborah was of “sound and disposing mind and memory” when the will was created. I don’t know why it was necessary for them to testify but the judge certified the will as the real thing according to the court minutes of Henry County, Tennessee, 1830-1849. But, I do know that Deborah, deceased in 1845, owned 50 acres of land in the tax records of 1840. Thus, the court case might have been about the land.

There are a lot of loose ends that I am trying to connect here. For example, I have hypothesized that the “R.” in John’s name stands for “Rushing” and that his mother was Elizabeth (Rushing) Lytle Deason, the 2nd wife of William Deason. John’s co-witness, Joel Rushing, therefore, is likely his cousin; but I haven’t been able to prove it. I’ve also not been able to determine if there’s a familial relationship between John, Joel and Deborah. John owned 50 acres of land in 1840, so he Deborah may have been nothing more than neighboring landowners. I also don’t know how Deborah came into possession of her 50 acres. She may have purchased it (although not likely given her age in 1840) or she may have inherited it from her father or first husband who was named “Murray”.

When I requested information on John R. Deason from the Henry County Genealogical Society, I didn’t even know Deborah Murray existed. So, you may be wondering why I am dwelling on her.

After further research, it turns out that Deborah may actually make it on to my family tree yet. On January 28, 1838, she married (in Henry County) a man by the name of William Holladay. Sarah Holladay, my 4th great grandmother and first wife of Jesse Trantham, might have been William’s 1st or 2nd cousin. This is becoming quite tangled, methinks. In the 1840 census, three people were living in the William Holladay household – a female under the age of 5, a female between the ages of 20 and 29 (Deborah), and William.

Now back of John and Joel’s testimony. Deborah’s will was being contested for some reason in 1845. But by whom? And could it have been over the 50 acres? And who the was the female child that was left motherless? It’s like I’m writing a bad ending of 1960’s episode of Batman.

To be continued…

Kenfolk: Tranthams
Relation: 4th great grandfather (John R., not Deborah)
Common ancestors: That’s one of many unanswered questions.