When I first looked at the Lawrence County, Alabama court record for William F Willis, I thought it was just to record the sale of a mule and wagon. I was mistaken. It was to record an agreement of a loan from Wm L Dearing to William F Willis. The mule, harness and wagon appears to be collateral on the loan.
It's much more interesting than I thought. For one thing, it shows that he was growing cotton in Alabama in 1849 and he could repay the loan with his cotton crop. Dearing apparently owned the local cotton gin.
An interesting side note is that the Trustee, Stephen Turner, could not write enough to spell out his own name. Apparently, William F Willis could.
Here's the transcription.
"Know all
men by these presents that I, Wm F Willis of the county of Lawrence and the
state of Alabama, in the consideration of the sum of five dollars to his in
hand paid at and before me sealing and delivery of these presents have
bargained and delivered to Stephen Turner Trustee the following property to wit
one dark mule 8 or 10 years old, one wagon and harness to the right and title
to the above property hereby vest in me
said trustee, and ___(illeg) and the right and title to the same I guarantee
against the claim of all person whatsoever for me following purpose and no
other to wit I owe Wm L Dearing one note of hand for sixty dollars. Given his
say and due payable the twenty fifth day of December next (1 wk) with interest
from this date. Now if I shall well and truly pay said note at the time it is
due and payable or deliver to said Dearing my crop of cotton at his own gin on
or before the 25th of December (1849) and the said crop should amount at the
marketplace to the said sum of sixty dollars & interest the this obligation
to the above otherwise to remain in full force and ___But in case I should fail
to pay the said note and interest as afore said at the time it is due then in
that case the said Stephen Turner Trustee as aforesaid shall after thirty days
notice at three public places in the county proceed to sell said property at
public auction to the highest bidder for cash and apply the proceeds first to
the payments of the expense of the sale and secondly to the payment of the debt
herein ___ and the residue, if any, to
me. In witness whereof I hereunto set our hands and affixed our seals this 19th
day of September (1949)
Witness
Russel L L Bull William
F Willis (seal)
Joseph C Tyler hIs
Stephen X Turner Trustee (seal)
mark
The State
of Alabama
Lawrence County ss
Personally appeared
before me Reuben Rucker, a Justice of the peace in & for said County the
above named Russel L L Bull __ of the subscribing Witnesses to the foregoing
Deed being duly sworn and Deposith and saith that he saw the above named
William F. Willis whose name is subscribed
Hereto sign seal & Deliver the same to the said Stephen Turner
Trustee that he this ____ subscribed his name as a witness thereto in the presence
of the said William F Willis and that he saw Joseph C Tyler the other
subscribing witness sign the same in the presence of said William F Willis and
in the presence of each other on the day and year therein mentioned. Given
under my hand & seal this 17th day of October 1849.
Reuben
Rucker JP (seal)
Justice
of the peace
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