The following paper was written by Earl Adams in February
2008 and has been posted here with his consent. Earl
has studied the various court records involving the
fight over the estate of Edward
Walker, Jr. (Ned). Earl is not researching the Walkers
but was looking at the role of Calvin Ramsey in the
dispute. Calvin was brother-in-law to Sarah (Crumley)
Walker, Ned's second wife and widow.
Sources
James H. Walker v. Asa Brogan, Estate Dispute, 1875,
case number 220. Microfilm pages 571-1020 of Hancock
County, Tennessee Chancery Court (Loose Records Project),
Court Case Files Vol. 1874-1877, roll B-1806.
Henry Walker v. William Walker, Inheritance, 1860.
Microfilm pages 2868-3084, Hancock County, Tennessee
Chancery Court (Loose Records Project), Court Case Files
Vol. 1797-1860, roll B-1801.
Settlement of the Henry Walker Estate, Union County,
Tennessee, 1873-1876, Asa Brogan, administrator.
Summary of settlement on microfilm pages 580-599 of
Hancock County, Tennessee Chancery Court (Loose Records
Project), Court Case Files Vol. 1874-1877, roll
B-1806.
Hancock County Chancery Court Minutes, August 1870-March
1889, roll 2355.
This site
All microfilm role numbers from the Tennessee State
Library and Archives.
Introduction
The aim of this study was to understand the role that
Calvin Ramsey played in the Edward Walker estate settlement.
Most of the information came from the 1875 Asa Brogan
v. James H. Walker case file. Much additional information
can be found in the Henry Walker v. William Walker case
file and Walker family files found on the Internet.
Details concerning the Walker family conflicts are briefly
summarized except those facts concerning Calvin Ramsey
which are discussed in more detail. You should consult
the original records for a more complete study of the
Walker lawsuits (appr. 700 pages of microfilm; some
are difficult to read).
After about 21 years of court battles over the estate
of Edward Walker, the minor heirs pursued and exhausted
all routes to obtain additional money from the estate.
In the final court ruling involving Calvin Ramsey, the
court ruled against estate of Calvin Ramsey who died
20 years previously. Calvin Ramsey's property was sold
in 1881 for the sum of $205. This amount was substantially
lower than the expenses of the court suits during the
previous 20 years.
Details
Edward Walker, Jr. (age 64)
a resident of Mulberry Valley, Hancock County, Tennessee,
died intestate on 9 April 1860. He left behind ten older
children by his first wife, Mahala (Tussey) Walker who
died 28 December 1844 and four minor children from his
second wife, Sarah "Sallie" Crumley, whom
he married on 25 June 1848. The four children born in
the second marriage were;
The birth dates of the four minor children, and the
death and marriage dates of Edward Walker were given
by Sarah (Crumley) Walker in a court deposition on 20
Nov 1876. [Phillip note: The dates for Bill and Edd
above fit the known evidence quite well. The dates for
Jim and Green are more suspect.]
The eldest son of Edward Walker, Henry Walker, age
42, was appointed administrator of the estate on 7 May
1860. George W. Coleman [Phillip note: Edward's next
door neighbor]and M.B. Overton [Phillip note: a relative,
possibly uncle, of Henry's wife] provided a bond of
$12,000. Henry Walker immediately began the process
of settling the estate. It resulted in a series of court
suits both in Hancock County and the Supreme Court in
Knoxville. Details are given in Tennessee Archives Microfilm
Roll No. B-1801.
Henry Walker remained active in the lawsuits until
his death on 11 October 1871. He filed a settlement
of the Edward Walker estate on 11 March 1871 in Hancock
County Chancery Court. He reported a final estate value
of $2844.80. Items included $558.11 for the sale of
the slave, Tilda, to R.C. Woodson on 13 Jan 1869; $425.13
amount of a bill of sale on 2 June 1860; $1000 cash
received from Henry Walker for the Edward Walker land
on 6 July 1868 in the court sale of lands belonging
to Calvin K. Coleman; $590 cash from the Clerk and Master
from Calvin.K. Coleman land sale on 11 March 1870; $37.43
cash at death; $140 sale of corn in 1860; and $8.00
for hire of slave in 1861. After Henry's death, Asa
Brogan was appointed administrator of his estate on
the first Monday of November 1871 in Union County, Maynardville,
Tennessee. In settling Henry Walker's estate he also
tried to resolve conflicts from the Edward Walker estate.
Additional lawsuits by the children of the second wife
of Edward Walker continued until 1879 with final payments
to the heirs in about 1882.
Following the death of Edward Walker in 1860, Calvin
C. Ramsey was named guardian of the four minor age children
of Edward and Sarah Walker. The children ages were 10,
8, 7 and 4. Calvin Ramsey is believed to be the brother-in-law
of Edward Walker. He married Mary "Polly"
Crumley (20 Apr 1829 - 1862) on 14 Oct 1846 at the home
of John Crumley. William S. Thomas, a Justice of the
Peace, performed the ceremony.
Henry Walker purchased shares of the Edward Walker
land from the other older siblings. Apparently Calvin
Ramsey and the widow did not want to sell their interest
to Henry. Ramsey then requested the Hancock County Court
to sell the land and a twelve-year-old slave named Tilda
on the steps of the county courthouse in Sneedville.
On 10 August 1861, The slave was sold to R.C. Woodson
for $800 and Henry Walker bid $1,900 for the land.
Calvin Ramsey believed the land sold for less than
it was worth and the Court agreed to a resale. Ramsey
apparently wanted the land and submitted a bid of $2,100
but was advised to withdraw his bid to avoid a conflict
of interest since he was guardian of the minor heirs.
The land was sold for a second time in March 1862. A
neighbor of the Walkers, Calvin K. Coleman, made the
winning bid of $2,105 with a note carried two years
with interest. Henry Walker did not attend the second
sale. He would later state that he was not informed
and he no longer wanted the land. [Phillip note:His
brother Johnathan indicated that Henry was too angry
to attend.] All Henry wanted was money in the form of
silver or gold.
Since this was during the Civil War, the whole area
was in chaos. The court system was barely functioning
and within a short period of time would not be active
until after the war. Money was difficult to obtain.
The question of accepting Confederate money, Confederate
Treasury notes or U.S. Dollars was a concern. Confederate
money was the accepted currency in 1862. Members of
families were split on the Union and Confederate sides.
In the neighborhood of the Walkers the spit was perhaps
mostly Confederates or uncommitted. Many of the sons
had joined the armies and the area was plagued with
roving bands of solders looking for food, supplies,
and horses.
Calvin Ramsey accepted a note from Calvin K. Coleman
on March 28, 1862 for $594.97 for the minor heirs as
their guardian. This was the their share of the land
sale. The note states as follows: "One day after
date, I promise to pay C.C. Ramsey, guardian for the
minor heirs of Edward Walker, dec'd five hundred and
ninety four dollars and ninety seven cents for value
received. Witness my hand and seal the March 28, 1862.
C.K. Coleman". The remainder of the $2,105 note
was made to William McNeil the Clerk and Master of Hancock
County Court. Standard practice was to pay the Clerk
and Master of the court who would collect the court
costs and distribute the proceeds to the heirs. Time
was perhaps not available to obtain security.
It is unclear what Calvin Ramsey was thinking when
he took the note from Calvin Coleman. They apparently
were friends and were about the same age. It appears
that Coleman could borrow enough money to pay the larger
note to the Clerk and Master but not enough to pay the
minor heirs. Later depositions would indicate that the
land would be security for the note like a mortgage.
With the uncertainty of the Civil War keeping control
of the land was a smart thing to do. Unfortunately Calvin
Ramsey died within three weeks of collecting the note
and was not available to explain the transaction during
the lawsuits after the war. Phebe Ramsey, the mother
of Calvin C. Ramsey, gave a deposition sometime prior
to her death in 1867. She had a copy of the Coleman
note to Calvin Ramsey and provided it to the court.
On 12 January 1877 Calvin Coleman made the following
statement: "I bought the Edward Walker land at
a Commissioner sale at the Courthouse in Sneedville
my best recollection in February 1862. I wanted to pay
for said land my recollection in March. I went to Ramsey
the guardian and executed to him my individual note
to the amount of the said receipt so I might make settlement
with the Clerk and Master and pay off the remainder
in money with the understanding between me and the guardian
that I had a short time to give security as the law
directs. But thru neglect it was not done. Shortly after
the guardian died."
Calvin K. Coleman went to Elisha Bishop to borrow money
to pay the notes to the Clerk and Master. He wanted
Confederate money since the Clerk William McNeil did
not want State Bank money. Having very little cash,
Bishop sent him to W.S. Thomas to borrow money. Somehow
Coleman borrowed the Confederate money and paid William
McNeil. The money was never given to the heirs. Shortly
afterwards McNeil became sick and died. Also the court
ceased to function because of the war. There would be
considerable discussions in later lawsuits about who
was paid what and in what type of currency.
Perhaps some of the decisions by the court during the
war were influenced by who was on the Union side and
who was on the Confederate side. We know that Confederate
money was the standard money of use in Hancock County
in 1862. William McNeil the Clerk and Master of Hancock
County Court was on the Confederate side. Henry Walker
the son of Edward Walker was a strong Union supporter
but lived in Union County. Several people close to the
Walker homestead were Confederates. Silas Ramsey, the
oldest son of Calvin C. Ramsey was involved with his
Uncle James Ramsey and nephew John Ramsey in arresting
Anderson Quillen during the war for Union activities.
David Ramsey was captured during the war and died in
7 March 1864 in a federal prison in Rock Island, Illinois.
Another neighbor, William S. Thomas, was captured and
sent to a federal prison in Ohio where he died 8 Feb
1865. A son of W.S. Thomas, William Ewing Thomas, was
also captured and send to Camp Douglas, Illinois. Another
neighbor, Clinton Y. Rice, a grandson of Daniel and
Susannah Rice, served in the Confederate Army. The William,
Oliver, Clinton, and Jesse Ramsey families were pro-Union
and at least two of them served in the local home guard.
We have no record as to whether Calvin Ramsey favored
the South or was uncommitted. The best guess would be
Confederate since his son was involved with the South
after his death.
Things become complicated for the minor heirs of Edward
Walker as their guardian, Calvin C. Ramsey, died on
21 April 1862. This was only three weeks after receiving
the note from Calvin K. Coleman for sale of the property.
Both he and his wife died either the same day or very
close together. One source said it was pneumonia. He
died intestate and left behind eight minor children,
ages 14, 13, 10, 9, 7, 5, 3, and 1 year old. Because
of the war and inactivity of the court, a guardian was
not named for five years and an administrator of the
estate was not named until years later during the lawsuits.
The young children were taken in by their uncle's family,
William and Nancy (Clouse) Ramsey, who lived in the
neighborhood on Back Valley Road. William Ramsey had
died two and half weeks earlier on 3 April 1862. Nancy
(Clouse) Ramsey had eleven children with ages 22, 21,
20, 18, 16, 15, 13, 8, 5, and 2. Nancy Ramsey with the
help of the older children had to support 14 children
under the age of 16 during the war. It is noted that
the death date of Calvin C. Ramsey in the Walker case
files is the only know record that exists.
After the war was over, the courts were reorganized.
On 3 December 1866 Henry Hatfield [Phillip note: uncle
to Henry Walker's second wife] was appointed guardian
of the four minor children of Edward Walker. Henry Hatfield
stated later that he was old and infirm and did not
want to be guardian but did so reluctantly at the request
of their mother. Hatfield immediately obtained the Coleman
note payable to C.C. Ramsey for the minor heirs. He
went to Coleman to renew the note and to gain security.
Coleman said he would not and could not pay the note.
Hatfield went to W.R. Evans and filed a suit against
Coleman in January 1868 and obtained a judgment against
Coleman in September 1868 for $812.00.
On 19 May 1868, Coleman declared bankruptcy. He had
been sued by Henry Walker before Hatfield had become
guardian. Henry Walker had attached all of his property
in Chancery Court. His property was sold at the courthouse
with Henry Walker buying his two properties. Hatfield
could find nothing belonging to Coleman to get judgment
against. Henry Hatfield resigned as guardian of the
minor heirs in March 1869, and James Standifer was made
guardian in 1871.
In summary, after Edward Walker died in 1860:
Henry Walker was named administrator 7 May 1860
and began settling the estate. He tried to collect
the debts, sell all properties, and distribute the
proceeds to the heirs. He had the land and slave sold
at public sale at the courthouse. On 12 January 1869,
he received $558.11 from R.C. Woodson for the sale
of the slave , Tilda. He sued Calvin K. Coleman resulting
in the sale of Coleman's land and Coleman filing for
bankruptcy. The courts earlier had ruled that Coleman
owned the Edward Walker land but had not paid for
it. Henry Walker purchased it for $1,000, and Coleman's
other land was sold to pay the rest of the land note.
He filed the estate settlement on 11 March 1871. Henry
Walker died 11 October 1871.
Asa Brogan was made administrator of Henry Walker's
estate in November, 1871, in Union County, Tennessee.
He tried to finish with the Edward Walker estate and
lawsuits by paying the heirs. Final settlement of
the Henry Walker estate was 22 January 1876.
John Gilmore Walker, age 38, was made administrator
of the Edward Walker estate on 2 September 1872. Bond
was set for $500. He reported to the court that the
estate had no assets but for the money collected from
R.C. Woodson for the sale of the slave. It amounted
to $565.88 plus $2.68 from E. Overton minus $75.50
for expenses leaving a balance on hand of $495.03.
James Harvey Walker, age 21, one of the formerly
minor heirs, filed a lawsuit against Asa Brogan, the
administrator of the Henry Walker estate in 1876.
His approach was to go after every possible source
of money, including Calvin K. Coleman, Calvin C. Ramsey,
Henry Hatfield, Asa Brogan, the accounting of prior
gifts before Edward Walker died, uncollected debts,
possible court accounting errors, questionable fees
by administrator, etc. At one point he was directed
to pay court costs in his suit against Henry Hatfield
in which Henry Hatfield was found not liable. At one
deposition the question of rent from the farm was
brought up. Two neighbors, John Parkey and Robert
Richie, testified that the Edward Walker farm in 1860
had lots of poor land and was described as a poor
rough farm. They estimated the rent in 1860 would
be $50 for 2/3 of the farm and $75 for all of it.
The 1860 Agriculture Census tends to suggest a more
productive farm.
On 13 March 1880 in the case of James H. Walker v.
Asa Brogan, the Chancellor of the Hancock County Court,
H. C. Smith, ruled on a number of issues regarding the
lawsuit. One of his rulings he stated that it was his
opinion that Calvin Ramsey took the land note from Calvin
K. Coleman without the proper security as required by
law making him liable for the note.
Over the years this question had been ruled on numerous
times in the Chancery Court. This time, with a new judge
of the court, the decision was reversed. H.C. Smith
ruled that the Walker heirs were not protected by the
statue of limitations of seven years. He ruled that
the heirs could appeal to the Supreme Court in Knoxville
within two months and he would agree to the appeal.
Normal procedure for appeal required upfront money for
a lawyer and court costs. Apparently the heirs of Calvin
Ramsey did not have the money to fight the court ruling.
James Daugherty [Phillip note: Probably a relative
of Henry Walker's first wife], the administrator of
the Calvin Ramsey estate, was ordered by the court to
give an accounting of the assets of the estate and determine
if the sale of the family property was necessary. He
reported back to the court that the estate had no assets
to pay the claim against them. The total bill against
the estate was $1,236.22 which was the original sale
price of $594.97 plus interest for 1862 to 1880.
The Chancery Court ordered the Sheriff of Hancock County
to sell the 75 acres of land belonging to the heirs
of Calvin Ramsey on 9 August 1880. After posting notice
of the sale as the law required, Calvin Ramsey's property
described as 75 acres in district 8 of Hancock County
adjoining the properties of the heirs of W. S. Thomas
and others was sold on 17 January 1881. Josiah Ramsey,
Sr., placed the highest bid of $205. J.B. Southern and
John Baker provided security. Henry Tyler was the Clerk
and Master of the Chancery Court. It is assumed that
Si Ramsey, the son James Ramsey and first cousin of
Calvin Ramsey, was the purchaser of the property.
The court also ruled that the back taxes should be
paid up to the date of the sale. The heirs of Calvin
Ramsey paid $2.25 for state, county, and school taxes
for 1880. John Southern reported back to the court that
$18.03 was paid for the years 1875-1879. This amount
would be credited with the land sale.
The court later ruled that the heirs of Calvin Ramsey
should give up all claim of the property to the buyer
Josiah Ramsey, Sr. He was instructed pay directly to
the court so that the court could deduct costs before
the excess could be distributed to the heirs of Edward
Walker. On 8 March 1882, Edward F[ranklin] Walker asked
the Clerk and Master to hurry up and distribute the
money so he could pay his lawyer and court costs.
Josiah Ramsey executed his note to Henry Tyler, Clerk
and Master, on 18 March 1882. It would be another four
years before he received a deed to the Ramsey property
(Hancock County Deed Book K, page 74). This deed record
does not describe the property except that it was adjacent
to the land belonging the the heirs of W.S. Thomas and
once belonged to Calvin C. Ramsey.
It is interesting to note that the land belonging to
Edward Walker is never mentioned in the later lawsuits.
The only mention was the collecting of money from the
notes. Earlier records show that Henry Walker purchased
the land from the court sale of C.K Coleman's properties
for $1,000 subject to the widow dowry rights. Apparently
the land remained in family with Sarah Walker retaining
the dowry rights.
The $205 collected from the sale of the Calvin Ramsey
property was insignificant compared with the costs of
lawsuits during the previous ten years. The court files
does not show the net amount received by the four minor
heirs of Edward Walker.
The land belonging to Calvin C. Ramsey was located
close to the Thomas Chapel Methodist Church. Court records
indicate that it adjoined the land belonging to the
heirs of W.S. Thomas. We know the location of the land
from the following information: Daniel Rice purchased
640 acres from William Hord in 1813. It is located near
where Back Valley Road intercepts Mulberry Gap Road
and extending westward past Rebel Hollow Road. Daniel
Rice sold the eastern 184 acres to Isham Wheelis and
the western 55 acres to John Baker. After the death
of Daniel Rice in 1822 the heirs sold 200 acres to Josiah
Ramsey. In 1840 the heirs of Josiah Ramsey settled his
land estate. David Ramsey and James Hamblen sold to
Isaac Thomas 240 acres of land between Widow Wheelis
and Widow Rice (Claiborne County Deed Book O, page 110).
We know that Isaac Thomas was a Methodist preacher and
perhaps was involved in the formation of Thomas Chapel
Methodist Church. We have no proof of his involvement
except for owning property in the neighborhood. William
S. Thomas was his eldest son and was the owner of this
property in the 1850 and 1860s. Isaac Thomas moved to
Claiborne County in 1844 and W.S. Thomas died in the
Civil War in 1865. Thus Calvin Ramsey's property was
either part of the W.S. Thomas land or a western portion
of Elizabeth Wheelis's land. It is noted that both Calvin
Ramsey and W.S. Thomas were Sunday School teachers in
the Thomas Chapel Methodist Church.
It was noted that in a court response on 18 March 1876
by the heirs of Calvin Ramsey, a daughter Elizabeth
(Ramsey) Hopkins stated that her husband, Stephen Hopkins,
had abandoned her and had left the state for over four
years not to return. She requested to make her defense
as an unmarried woman.
