Sunday, July 27, 2014

Jesse STANTON's children removed from indentured service (1841)

In February 1840, the Hendricks County Probate Court found that Jesse Stanton was guilty of criminal neglect of his children, and ordered Jeremiah Prather, the Liberty Township overseer of the poor, to indenture Stanton's children, so that they could be provided for and learn a trade. Indenture records show that in April 1840, 3 of his children were bound out:

  • Nathan Stanton (born June 25, 1830) - bound to Ezekiel Simmons until age 21
  • Sarah Stanton (age 11 years, 8 months, 4 days) - bound to Amos S. Wills until age 18
  • John Stanton (age 4 years, 11 months, 4 days) - bound to John Carter until age 21

Jesse Stanton then sued (the case was titled Jesse Stanton vs. the State of Indiana ex rel Jeremiah Prather) and in December 1841, the Indiana Supreme Court reversed the judgment, saying that the law authorizes the overseer of the poor to apprentice poor children only if their parents are dead or are unable to provide for them. The court noted that the allegation against Stanton was only that he criminally neglected their wants, not that he was not properly able to provide for them. The Supreme Court's opinion noted, "However reprehensible his conduct may have been, he did not by mere neglect to perform his duty in providing for his family, subject the disposal of his children to the jurisdiction of the overseer of the poor, nor to that of the Probate Court."

source: Hendricks County Probate Order Book 3 (11 November 1839 - 14 February 1844).

Lists of Washington Township landowners in 1895, 1899 & 1903 added

Indexes of the landowners in Washington Township in 1895, 1899 and 1903 have been added to the Hendricks County GenWeb site.

These indexes are from Hendricks County Assessor's plat books and include the Congressional Township, Range and Section that the land was located in.

The Hendricks County Government's Archive has digital files of the plat books for scattered years between 1852 and 1940.

Monday, July 21, 2014

Recount ordered for Marion Township Advisory Board election (1922)

As mentioned in Hendricks County Circuit Court Civil Order Book Volume 72 (September 1922 - September 1923), in November 1922, Asa R. Kurtz, Verne Wolfe and Alvin R. Zimpelman, the Republican slate of candidates, filed a petition for a recount of the ballots for the November 7 election of the Marion Township Advisory Board, in which the Democratic slate - Francis M. Sheets, Everett W. Hardwick and Paul K. Christie - had been declared the winner.

James L. Clark, George W. Brill and Albert C. Parker were appointed by the court to perform the recount. They found there were 7 paper ballots that had not been counted and they added them to the totals from the voting machine, with the following updated tallies:

Asa R. Kurtz - 274 votes
Verne Wolfe - 260 votes
Arthur R. Zimpelman - 271 votes

Francis M. Sheets - 267 votes
Everett W. Hardwick - 267 votes
Paul K. Christie - 285 votes

Sunday, July 20, 2014

List of Liberty Township landowners in 1895 & 1899 added

Indexes of the landowners in Liberty Township in 1895 and 1899 have been added to the Hendricks County GenWeb site.

These indexes are from Hendricks County Assessor's plat books and include the Congressional Township, Range and Section that the land was located in.

The Hendricks County Government's Archive has digital files of the plat books for scattered years between 1852 and 1940.

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Anna KLIN judged to be feeble-minded (1923)

As mentioned in Hendricks County Circuit Court Civil Order Book Volume 72 (September 1922 - September 1923), in August 1923 Gayeton H. Sates filed a petition to have Anna Sophine Klin declared to be feeble-minded (which the law defined as idiotic, imbecile or moron). She was 13 years of age and her mother was dead and her father had abandoned her, and Sates could not properly care for her. Ernest Cooper and C.B. Thomas, both physicians, testified that they had examined her and recommended she be committed to the Indiana School for Feeble-Minded Youth in Fort Wayne. Judge Zimri E. Dougan granted the petition.

Friday, July 18, 2014

Adoption of Marie (LANNING) BLACKBURN (1924)

As mentioned in Hendricks County Circuit Court Civil Order Book Volume 73 (September 1923 - September 1924), in June 1924 Abbie T. Blackburn and her sister Mary Blackburn, living near Danville, filed a petition to adopt Marie Lanning. Marie was age 18 and had been living with the sisters since she was 3, after they got her from an orphan's home in Westfield, Indiana, which had since closed. They had never been able to find out who her parents were. Their petition was granted and her name was changed to Mable Marie Blackburn.

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Hendricks County divorce index 1916-1919 added

An index to divorce cases in Hendricks County in 1916-1919 has been added to the Hendricks County GenWeb site. This index was compiled from entries in Hendricks County Circuit Court order book volume 63 (which covers 3 June 1916 through 16 January 1917), volume 64 (which covers 17 January 1917 through 5 October 1917) and volume 66 (which covers 5 June 1918 through 11 February 1919)

The Hendricks County Government's Archive has digital files of the circuit court order books for the years 1824-1922.

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Hendricks County guardianship docket index 1866-1876 added

An index to a Hendricks County guardianship docket book which covers 1866 through 1876 has been added to the Hendricks County GenWeb site. The index includes the name of the ward, as well as the name of their guardian and the date that the case began.

Guardianship records are part of probate records, and additional information can be found in probate order books as well as probate "loose papers".