Michael and Susannah West Charged with Trespassing
While searching through early court records for Mason County, Kentucky, I found an interesting document from 1822. It was an arrest order for our 3rd great-grandparents, Michael and Susannah West, for trespassing, with damages of one thousand dollars. In todays dollars, that would be $27,475.
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| Mason Count Court Case Files FamilySearch.org' Image Group Number: 008346200 |
Transcription:
The Commonwealth of Kentucky, To the Sheriff of Mason County, Greeting: We command you to take Michael West and Susannah his wife if they may be found within your bailiwick, and them safely keep, so that you have their bodies before the Judge of our Mason Circuit Court, at the Court House thereof, in the town of Washington, on the first day of the next November Term, to answer, Moses Thomas of a plea of trespass on the law, damage one thousand dollars. And have then and there this writ. Witness, Marshall Key, Clerk of our said court, at the court house aforesaid, the 26th day of Augt 1822 and in the 31st year of our Commonwealth. Marshall Key
The court case was postponed from November Term 1822 until May Term 1823. The case was brought before the judge and jury. The jury's verdict, "We the Jury find for the plaintiff one cent in damages."
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| Kentucky, Circuit Court (Mason County) FamilySearch.org, Image Group Number: 007647301 |
Moses Thomas plaintiff against In case Michael West & Susannah his wife defendants. The Jury empaneled and sworn herein on yesterday, upon their oath do say "We the Jury find for the plaintiff one cent in damages” Therefore it is considered by the court that the plaintiff recover against the said defendants his damages aforesaid in manner and form by the Jury aforesaid in their verdict assessed, and also his costs by him about his suit in this behalf expended and the said defendants in Mercy
Since I only found the jury's verdict and not the complete transcript of the court proceedings, I'm not sure what the trespassing charge was all about. I did read some history of Mason County and it seems that there was some confusion with land claims when the county was first being established.
A year later in 1824, Michael West family moved from Mason County, Kentucky to Ohio. Our ancestor, Susan Evaline West, was born in Mason County in 1817, as was her older siblings.
Other posts about the Michael West family:
Will of Michael West
Susan West Leffel: "Left me in a sad and mornful condition."
John and Rebecca West Haning of Grayson County, Texas
William and Elizabeth West Boyles
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