Interrogatories to be Exhibited to Sundry Witnesses Living Out of...
Interrogating Witnesses to a Disputed Estate: A 1794 Georgia Legal Battle Involving Aviation Pioneer Peter Carnes [Manuscript]. [North Carolina]. Goodloe & Jno. Warren vs The Executors of Jere: Warren } Bill in Equity. Interrogatories to be Exhibited to Sundry Witnesses Living Out of Wilkes County in Behalf of the Plaintiffs or Complainants. [Chatham County, GA?], May 22, 1794. 3 pp. 12-1/4" x 7-1/2" (31.5 x 19 cm) bifolium, manuscript text in single neat hand, docket to verso. Moderate toning, horizontal fold lines from filing, tear to left edge with minor loss to text. $450. * This fascinating legal document details a bitter family estate dispute brought by Goodloe Warren [1738-1835] and John Warren [c.1742-c.1813] against William and Jonathan Downes, the executors of their late brother Jeremiah Warren's estate. Jeremiah had migrated from North Carolina to Wilkes County, Georgia, where his will was filed in 1788. The plaintiffs formally alleged that the executors had mismanaged the estate, withholding or illicitly selling off property and assets that rightfully belonged to the surviving brothers. This manuscript lists the specific witnesses to be deposed and outlines the exact multi-part interrogatories drawn up by the Warrens' legal counsel. The questions heavily probe into purchases made from the executors, direct knowledge of the specific provisions in Jeremiah's will, and any outstanding, unpaid debts lefet behind by Jeremiah. The document is of significant interest due to the prominent Augusta, Georgia attorneys representing the plaintiffs: Seaborn Jones [1759-1813], A highly influential Georgia politician who later served as a U.S. Congressman, and Peter Carnes [1749-1794], a brilliant attorney who died just months after this document was drafted (in August 1794). Outside the courtroom, Carnes is immortalized as America's pioneer of flight. In June 1784, just a decade prior to this case, Carnes launched the first enclosed hot-air balloon in the United States at Baltimore, and later made the first tethered ascents in South Carolina and Georgia. A compelling, well-preserved artifact of early American equity law, southern migration, and the legal practice of one of America's earliest aviation figures. For more on the case, see Family Puzzlers Issues 1080-1106, pp. 2-3.
Price: $450.00
Book number 83113