E. COURT CASE INVOLVING THE CHILDREN OF JOHN RICHARDSON WHICH HELPED PROVE CERTAIN FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
(John Richardson [my fourth great grandfather] was the great grandfather of Ellen Nancy Pitts Allen, my father’s grandmother, and his children were her grandmother and grand aunts and uncle.)
Upon first reading the letter from Kitty Pitts written in 1828, and transcribed in section B. above, the name “Cousin Willie Lambeth” obviously jumped out because of my father’s first name (Lambeth Shelton Allen). Through previous research on Ancestry I knew that my second great grandfather George Richardson Pitts’ older brother Thomas H. Pitts had married Frances Bernard Lambeth. With further investigation I discovered the Last Will and Testament of W. M. Lambeth, which is transcribed in section G. below and shows his relationship as the brother of Frances Bernard Lambeth Pitts as well as other family relationships. Being the brother of Thomas H. Pitts’ wife would have only made him a sort of brother-in-law, not a cousin to Kitty Pitts. However, research had revealed that the said Lambeth’s mother’s maiden name was Elizabeth Richardson. George Richardson Pitts’ mother’s maiden name was Ann Richardson (my third great grandmother). There is also a Last Will and Testament of Margaret Richardson which is transcribed in section F. below which shows a further family connection to the Pitts. I had conjectured that these three Richardsons were sisters but had no proof until discovering the following petition to the Justices of Essex County Virginia Court from the 21st of December 1807 proving a closer family connection to the Lambeth name and that “Cousin Willie Lambeth” was indeed a cousin to my second great grandfather George Richardson Pitts. There are more documents regarding this case which I did not transcribe or include here but which can be found at the following website: http://www.lva.virginia.gov/chancery/case_detail.asp?CFN=057-1814-007
To the wonderful Justices of Essex county court siting [sic] in chancery-
Humbly complaining showeth unto your worships your oratrix Margaret Richardson that she together with her brother Mourning Richardson and her sister Elizabeth, late the wife of John Lambeth, and her sister Ann, now the wife of Thomas Pitts, their sister Mildred now the wife of Bernard Lambeth [brothers John and Bernard Lambeth married sisters Elizabeth and Mildred Richardson], became entitled to a tract of land situated in the parish of St. Ann and County of Essex adjoining the town of Layton by virtue of the will of their dec’d father John Richardson, since which the said Pitts and his wife and John Lambeth and his wife sold their proportions thereafter the said Mourning Richardson who thereby became entitled to three proportions, the said Bernard Lambeth’s wife and your oratrix still continuing entitled to one proportion each, and of which they are tenants in common, there having been no division, thereof; that the said Bernard Lambeth recorder in the said town of Layton contiguous to the said tract of land, which tract of land has very little timber or even wood for necessary reparations or fuel on it; that the said [Bernard] Lambeth for several years past has cultivated a part of the said land without regard to the interest of the other parties entitled thereto and cut down and carried off considerable quantities of wood and timber in a wanton and wasteful manner to the great injury of the said land and greatly to the diminution of its value and to the great damage of your oratrix; and notwithstanding your oratrix hath often in an amiable manner requested the said Bernard Lambeth to forbear committing waste on the said land, yet he hath disregarded the requests of your oratrix and still continues to despoil and waste the said land as aforementioned: in tender consideration whereof and whereas your oratrix is remediless in the premises except in a court of equity: to the end therefore that the said Bernard Lambeth, whom your oratrix prays may be made defs. hereto, may true and perfect answer make to the premises and that the said Lambeth may be enjoined and stayed from the commission of waste on the said land and that your oratrix may have such further and other relief in the premises as may be agreeable to equity and the nature of the case may require and to your worships may seem meet and may it please your worships to grant to your oratrix the commonwealth’s writ of subpoena and injunction to the said Bernard Lambeth.
At the bottom of the page where the above was written is a note in different handwriting that reads:
Essex County to wit
This say Thomas Pitts appeared before me, one of the Justices of the peace for the county aforesaid and made oath that the facts stated in the foregoing bill that are within his knowledge are true and such that are not within his own knowledge be believes to be true.
Given under my hand the 3rd day of Feb 1808.
J Hale
The case appears to have gone back and forth and was finally abated on 22 February 1814; Margaret Richardson having died in 1812. Section F. contains her will, but no mention is given of the land.
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