Friday, January 24, 2014

Too Many Sales of One Plot of Land?

Forgey sales deeds Knox County, Tennessee from the County Index book
I've been examing the new databases at Ancestry, the ones resulting from their partnership with Familysearch, for anything new which might solve my brickwalls. I'm waiting for more Virginia databases in hopes of finding out more about Alexander Forgey and his family. I have nothing at all on Alexander's family, so far, other than documentation of a short marriage which evidently produced no children? So far I know Alexander was in Cumberland County, PA  in the early 1770's, and migrated to Washington County, PA in the latter part of that decade.
I have not been able to locate any records for Alexander Forgey after 1807. I have not been able to locate a will or probate for him. I've looked at deeds to 1800, wills, and taxlists to 1804 for Washington County, VA.
I do believe Alexander Forgey of Knox County, TN might be a son of this older Alexander, of Washington County, VA, due to the fact Alexander, the younger of Knox County, TN was said to have been born in Virginia. Losing track of the older Alexander I wondered if he joined his possible son, and nieces and nephews, in Knox County TN?
I've been puzzled by the many land sales of Alexander Forgey, apparently selling the same piece of land on Flat Creek in Knox County, TN. Are we dealing with 2 different Alexander Forgeys selling different plots of 250 acres land or the same plot of land? I'm not seeing any clues that there were 2 different men in Knox County,TN such as references to a Junior and Senior. I never saw 2 Alexanders on the three Knox County, TN taxlists I've searched. The older Alexander would have aged out of the taxlists by 1804 I believe?
In 1802 an Alexander Forgey purchased 250 acres on Flat Creek from James Forgey. The younger Alexander Forgey would have been 23 and unmarried; which, would be a little unusual in my experience. That would have been a young age, for a single man to have had enough money to buy land. Could the elder Alexander have made the original purchase from James? If we had a Census records for 1800 or 1810  this might be cleared up? Unfortunately no Census records for eastern Tennessee survive before 1830.
Here are the Alexander Forgey land tranacations as recorded in the deed index for Knox County, TN (these deeds were not filmed by the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Hence, it took me a while to locate and get copies of them)
We can see James Forgey's orginial land grant as the first transaction. This land was later split in half and sold to Alexander Forgey and Andrew Forgey (Andrew's relationship to Alexander is unknown).
Flat Creek Knox County, Tennessee
Forgey Land Purchases

Richard Freer to James Forkey
Warrant for 640 acres (actual grant was for 500 acres on Flat Creek)
Date of transacton: 10 July 1788

James Forgey 
Land Grant #305 for 500 acres on Flat Creek
Book C Volume 1 page 49
Date of Deed: 27 Nov 1792

James Forgey to Alexander Forgey
250 acres on Flat Creek
Book L Volume 1 page 4
Date of Deed: 2 Dec 1802

James Forgey to Andrew Forgey
250 acres on Flat Creek
Book L Volume 1 page 16
Date of Deed: 2 Dec 1802



John Smyth to Alexander Forgey
250 acres Flat Creek 
Book M Volume 1
Date of Deed: 1 Oct 1807

Samuel Cox to Alexander Forgey
Tract
Book N Volume 1 page 286
Date of Quit Claim: 9 Aug 1809

Here are all the sales of property by Alexander Forgey as recorded in the county deed books. All of the land transactions consist of 250 acres on Flat Creek in Knox County, TN. We only see one apparent buy back of 250 acres on Flat Creek. Alexander Forgey sold 250 acres to John Smyth in 1803 and buys it back from John Smith in 1807. An Alexander Forgey sells land to John Thompson in 1812. I don't see a deed for a repurchase from John Thompson which I expected because Alexander Forgey sells 250 on Flat Creek again in 1815 to Abner Parr. We know the 250 acres on Flat Creek sold to Abner Parr was from the James Forgey land grant because it's stated on the deed. We don't really know whether the 1803, 1807 or 1812 land transactions involved the original land grant? There is an 1809 Quit Claim deed from Samuel Cox. It doesn't appear to involve the 250 acres of land on Flat Creek? It references a tract of land.

Flat Creek Knox County, Tennessee
Forgey Land Sales

Alexander Forgey to John Smith
250 acres Flat Creek
Book L Volume 1 page 21
Date of Deed: 4 Jan 1803

Alexander Forgey to John Thompson
250 acres Flat Creek
Book O Volume 1 page 315
Date of Deed: 12 May 1812

Alexander Forgey to Abner Parr
50 acres Grant #305 (James Forgey's grant)
Book P Volume 1 page 402
Quit Claim
Date of Deed: 21 Nov 1815

Alexander Forgey to Abner Parr
250 Flat Creek
Book P Volume 1 page 403
Date of Deed: 4 Feb 1815

In conclusion it isn't clear exactly which Alexander Forgey was involved in all these transactions? We only see one purchase of 250 acres of land on Flat Creek (the second purchase looks like a buy back?). Alexander Forgey, the younger, was said to have lived on his father-in-law John Sawyer's property at some point. He may have received land from his father-in-law and never filed a purchase deed. I have not looked at every deed and a reading of everyone of these may provide more information as to how many Alexander Forgeys lived in Knox County, TN in the early 19th Century.
Forgey purchase deeds Knox County, TN. Click to enlarge

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