Samuel Cornett and Family Chancery Court Records

Scott County, Virginia digitized Chancery Court case file records have recently been uploaded by the Library of Virginia and can be found and researched online. See the Virginia Memory link at the LOVA website.

There are two important chancery cases relative to the wives and families of Samuel Cornett. I recommend that anyone who is interested in the descendants of Samuel Cornett review these case files.

These case files clearly document that Samuel Cornett only had two children by Mary Benham. They were Nancy who married Thomas C Norvell and Mary who married Joshua Gillam. Depositions document that Mary and Samuel were never legally divorced and that Samuel removed to Kentucky where he had more children by a woman (unnamed) who is repeatedly styled as a mistress and concubine. Apparently the arrangement was common knowledge amongst his Kentucky neighbors and family. William Cornett was the eldest child of the second family. He is deposed and talks about his parents. He states that Samuel’s first wife Mary also lived with another man but does not provide the identity; therefore, we know she was still living when Samuel left Virginia and headed to Kentucky.

The cases show that Thomas C Norvell sued William Cornett in Perry County, Kentucky, on behalf of his wife Nancy and her sister Mary Gillam. Norvell claimed that Samuel Cornett was not in his right mind when he gave his son William a deed of gift for his Scott County land on Big Moccasin. Samuel was found to be of unsound mind in his very old age. As a result, William Cornett and Thomas C Norvell came to an agreement and William deeded the land in Scott County to Thomas C Norvell while the second family was allowed to keep the Kentucky estate of Samuel Cornett for their inheritance which was considerable.The illegitimacy of the second family was a major focal point of much of the testimony. After Thomas got the land, Mary Gillam sued the Thomas Norvell heirs because she never got her share before Thomas Norvell died. The papers contain lots of papers from the Perry County suit as well.

Unfortunately the files do not document the name of the mother of the second family who is reputed to have been Mary Davidson, daughter of RW Daniel Davidson.

The case files also document the children and heirs of Nancy (Cornett) Norvell and there are depositions from some Benham relatives.

Below are the two relevant cases:

Index Number: 1861- 012Locality: SCOTT CO
Plaintiff(s): MARY GILLAM WIDOW       
Defendant(s): HEIR(S) OF THOMAS C NORVELL ETC

Index Number: 1871-018Locality: SCOTT CO
Plaintiff(s): HEIR(S) OF GEORGE FRANCISCO ETC
MARY A ROGERS ETC
Defendant(s):ADMR OF GEORGE FRANCISCO ETC
MARY A ROGERS ETC

The papers make for interesting reading. These kinds of family situations were not so unusual and often provide information and insights about the family that would otherwise have ever been known.

Regards,
Sue Elfving
Davidson researcher