LOWER-DELMARVA-ROOTS-L Archives
Archiver > LOWER-DELMARVA-ROOTS > 2004-09 > 1094752007
From:
Subject: Re: Smullen's Content
Date: Thu, 9 Sep 2004 13:46:47 EDT
In a message dated 9/9/2004 10:38:43 AM Eastern Standard Time,
writes:
> In 1761, Edmund Smullen patents 111 A of Smullens Content In Atkinson's
> District.
> In March 1784 Rebecca Dear. Sarah Smullen, Mary Smullen, sell 3/5 of
> Smullens Content to Ferdinand Dorey. (These appear to be 3 daughters of Edmund)
> March 1793 Littleton Riggin and Wife Grace sell 1/5 of Smullens Content to
> Ferdinand Dorey
> Can anyone "see" the fifth 1/5 of the Smullen property ?
>
I infer you're quoting Ruth Dryden's Worcester Land Records, which I don't
have here, and I haven't run the deeds or Worcester probate that late to know
what the story is. Dryden is just incomplete.
But my reading of your rundown is that Littleton Riggin could well have
acquired his 1/5 of the tract, perhaps by the same or similarly-timed instrument(s)
(probate?) by which Smullen's daughters did. Maybe his wife was another
Smullen daughter. A fifth heir for the remainder would be my guess. So I'd
normally start with Smullen's estate. Unfortunately, I don't see such an estate
offhand in the Worcester estate docket index for 1742-1820 by Skinner. But the
undiscussed 1/5 may just not have changed hands for many years after the
initial partition, which may have been some other form of intestate division after
Smullen died.
You should just round up both of the mentioned deeds, which may well explain
what the relevant history was. This is the quickest and most likely path to
an answer, absent probate.
By the way, Cornelius Riggin patented RIGGINS ADDITION in 1763 (976 acres) on
the SE side of, and abutting, SMULLENS CONTENT, both binding on Dividing
Creek.
John Lyon
This thread: