Amanuensis Monday - Guardianship for Henry Franklin Crosswhite

Guardianship for Henry Franklin Crosswhite

Petition

Territory of Oklahoma } ss.
Canadian County }

In the Probate Count of said County. In the matter of Guardianship for Henry Franklin Crosswhite a minor. To the same Court: your petitioner respectfully state that he is a minor over the age of fourteen years, and is a resident of said County, and the child of Thomas J. Crosswhite late of the Canadian County and Territory of Oklahoma, deceased. That said Thomas J. Crosswhite died on the 15th of September 1879 without having appointed by will or deed a guardian for your petitioner. That petitioner is possessed of the following described real estate, to-wit:
no property of any kind or character. Your petitioner is desirous for the appointment of a guardian of his person and estate during his minority and nominate John Crosswhite of the said County, for that purpose.

Henry Crosswhite

Filed Aug. 30th 1893.

Order

Now on this 30th Day of Aug. 1893. The Court being satisfied from the petition and evidence herein. That said petition ought to be sustained it is by the Court ordered that John Crosswhite be appointed Administrator for the person and estate of said minor Henry Franklin Crosswhite. Upon his giving a good and sufficient bond in the sum of One Hundred Dollars.

Jno H Pitzer
Judge

"Oklahoma Probate Records, 1887-2008," digital images, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 30 September 2013), image copy, Guardianship for Henry Franklin Crosswhite, dated 30 August 1893, Canadian County Guardian records 1892-1900, vol. 1, p. 87.

Guardian's Bond

Territory of Oklahoma } ss.

County of Canadian     }         In the Probate Court Aug. 30th 1893.

Know All Men By These Presents: That we, John Crosswhite as principal, and C. S. Cooper as sureties, of Canadian County, and Territory of Oklahoma are bound unto the Territory of Oklahoma for use of Henry Franklin Crosswhite in the penal sum of One Hundred Dollars, for the payment of which we do hereby bind ourselves, our heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, by these presents. Witness our hands and seals this 1st day of September 1893. The condition of the above obligation is such, that if the above bound men John Crosswhite who has been appointed guardian for Henry Franklin Crosswhite shall make a true inventory of all the real and personal estate of the ward.

Henry Franklin Crosswhite that shall come to his possession or knowledge and return the same into the court at such a time as the law directs; and shall dispose of and manage all such estate and effects according to law, and for the best interests of the ward Henry Franklin Crosswhite and faithfully discharge his trust as such guardian; And render an account, on oath, of the property in his hands including the proceeds of all the real estate which may be sold by him and of the management and disposition of such property within one year after his appointment, and at such other times as the Court shall direct; And shall, at the expiration of his trust settle his accounts with the Court, or with the ward.

Henry Franklin Crosswhite or his heirs legal representatives and pay over and deliver all the estate and effects remaining in his hands, or due from his on such settlement, to the person or persons who shall be lawfully entitled thereto and shall, in all other respects, perform the duties of guardian, as aforesaid, according to law and the orders of court; then this obligation to be void; otherwise to remain in full force and virtue in law.

In presence of C. E. Hunter.	John Crosswhite Principal
	C. S. Cooper

"Oklahoma Probate Records, 1887-2008," digital images, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 30 September 2013), image copy, Guardianship for Henry Franklin Crosswhite, dated 30 August 1893, Canadian County Guardian records 1892-1900, vol. 1, pp. 88-89.

Letters of Guardianship.

The Territory of Oklahoma,} ss.
Canadian County                }         In the Probate Court.

To all to whom these Presents, shall come, Greeting: whereas, in the consideration of the Probate Court of the Canadian County, and Territory of Oklahoma, it was on this 30th day of Aug. 1893, found and determined to be a proper and suitable person, resident of the Canadian County, and Territory of Oklahoma, be appointed Guardian of the person and estate of Henry Franklin Crosswhite, A minor heir of Thomas J. Crosswhite. Now know ye, that the said John Crosswhite was, and he is hereby duly appointed and commissioned by the County Court of said County as such Guardian for the said minor Henry Franklin Crosswhite until he shall arrive at years of majority.

In witness whereof, I Jno H. Pitzer Probate Judge, have hereto set my hand and the Seal of said Court at the Court room at El Reno in said County, this 30th Day of August 1893.
{seal}

An Amanuensis is a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another. Amanuensis Monday is a daily blogging theme which encourages the family historian to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts.

"What files can be found at the court house?"

Like most of you, I subscribe to a variety of genealogical maillists, forums, blogs, Faceboook pages, and Twitter feeds. The posts, articles, status reports and tweets from these are often a good jumping off point for considering our own research. For example, a recent post that asked "What files can be found at the court house?" Isn't that a fantastic question?!

Probably the first files people think of searching for at a courthouse are wills. A good choice for genealogists - from a will we might find when the person died (it will almost certainly narrow down the time period), the will might name relatives, close and more distant, we might find out about the persons possessions or we might find out that there is no will at all.

Beyond the will, we would hope to find the entire probate packet: estate inventories, administrative accounts, final distributions. Sometimes these are more informative than the will itself and, an often overlooked point, can exist even if your ancestor did not leave a will.

Before we go any further, it should be noted that all courthouses are different. Some house their records on site, others off site but still accessible via the courthouse, others still have the older records in state archives or libraries. It is best to find out about the specific courthouse and its policies before planning a research trip, but knowing what they might have and at some time most likely did have, will help to ensure valuable sources are not overlooked.

We all know that deeds are used to transfer real property so we might expect to find out when our ancestors bought and sold specific parcels of land, but land transactions can be complicated with several owners and those can solve some complicated family relationships!

Guardianship accounts often lead to more questions than answers; why now? Who are these people who are appointed guardians and why did each child select a different guardian? The answers you might find easily are when the child came of age and their mother's maiden name, particularly if the inheritance is from a grandparent.

All this and we have barely scratched the surface. Tax lists, naturalization records, criminal records (you never know), marriage and divorce records, pre-nuptial agreements (not a modern invention), apprenticeships, paupers and the indigent, freedom certificates, and more.

It's impossible to cover all of these records in detail in one blog post, so if you can't wait until I delve into details and actual examples you might be interested in Christine Rose's fantastic book: Courthouse Research for Family Historians: Your Guide to Genealogical Treasures