Re: Thomas Ogletree

Hi Gene.This is a message I posted a few months ago which explains the significance of the Morgan County, GA information found by Linda Starr.I am pasting that message in below and hope that it will help explain why we now believe that the children previously assigned to John, Jr. were in fact children of Absalom.
Sincerely,
Rhoda
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This is an atempt to show the importance of the new information mentioned by Dan Ogletree. These abstracts were discovered by Linda Starr in the new book of Morgan Co., GA records, abstracted and published by Michal Martin Farmer.

We have always believed that John Ogletree, Jr. was married to Eleanor Gray and father of John G. Ogletree, Hope Hull Ogletree, Lovick Pierce Ogletree and several other children. In addition, it has been believed that Claiborne Ogletree was father of Nancy, Benjamin and Joseph, mentioned in the will of John Ogletree, Sr. as his deceased son's children. But more recently Pat Laney found a bible record showing that Lovick Pierce Ogletree was son of Absalom and ELEANOR Ogletree. We believe these new records in Morgan Co., GA are very strong evidence that the bible record is correct.

The new documents just discovered in Morgan Co. reveal that:
1. John Ogletree, Jr. died much earlier than we have thought - about 1816/17.
2. That John, Jr., NOT Claiborne, was the deceased son mentioned in John, Sr.'s will as father of Nancy who received one hundred dollars, her brothers Benjamin and Joseph receiving $50 each.

Below are some of the documents found by Linda Starr in the new Morgan County, GA book by Michal Martin Farmer. We are firmly convinced that this is John Ogletree, Jr.

Inferior Court for Ordinary Purposes 1808-1822:

[p 61] page 168 January 6, 1817: BENJAMIN S. OGLETREE & JOSEPH OGLETREE, ADMRS ON ESTATE JOHN OGLETREE DEC'D, obtained Letters of Admr & were qualified.

[66] page 180, 5th May 1817: BENJAMIN S. OGLETREE, ADMR ON ESTATE OF JOHN OGLETREE dec'd, made return of appraisement & sale of estate. Amt of sale $1776.92 3/4

BENJAMIN OGLETREE be appointed GUARDIAN OF PERSON & PROPERTY OF EDWARD OGLETREE & NANCY OGLETREE, ORPHANS OF JOHN OGLETREE, dec'd on his giving bond & security of $4000.

[81] page 215, 6 July 1818: APPLICATION OF BENJAMIN S. OGLETREE & JOS. H. OGLETREE, ADMRS ON ESTATE OF JOHN OGLETREE DEC'D, for leave to sell real estate of dec'd. Lawful notice has been given. It would be of benefit of the heirs of estate. Admrs have leave to sell same by first giving notice.

[84] page 224, 2 Nov 1818: BENJAMIN S. OGLETREE, ADMR ON ESTATE JOHN OGLETREE DEC'D, made return which was examined & ordered to be entered of record.

[95] page 255, 1 Nov 1819: BENJ. S. OGLETREE, ADMR ON ESTATE OF JOHN OGLETREE dec'd, made return.

There are a few more entries which we will give later but these are the most informative ones for the purpose of this message. (Note: at this time we do not know what happened to Edward. He wasn't named in John, Sr.'s will.) This Morgan Co. John seems to have died about 1816/1817. John, Sr.'s will was dated a couple years later, he referred to his deceased son as father of Nancy, and it's implied that Benjamin and Joseph were also children of his deceased son. The three were lumped together in the will. We are firmly convinced that the deced. John Ogletree in Morgan Co. was John Ogletree, JR., son of John Ogletree, Sr.

In the Division of the Estate of John Ogletree, Sr. in Wilkes Co., dated 15 December 1823, is the following:

"FOR NANCY OGLETREE DAUGHTER OF JNO. OGLETREE DEC'D ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS SPECIAL LEGACY."

It was thought in the past that this referred to Nancy, daughter of John, SR. But a careful study of the will reveals there was no special legacy of $100 to John Sr.'s daughter Nancy. There were two special $100 legacies to Nancy Ogletrees in the will, as follows:

"Item 6th. I give to my son Wiley Ogletree the sum of $5.00. I LEND TO HIS WIFE NANCY OGLETREE for her use one hundred dollars.

Item 11th. I give UNTO MY SON DECEASED CHILD NANCY one hundred dollars also to Benjamin and Joseph fifty dollars each.

It seems clear from the above that the reference to the special legacy of $100 to Nancy Ogletree "DAUGHTER OF JOHN OGLETREE, DEC'D, was to Nancy, daughter of John Ogletree, JR. who had died about 1816/17 in Morgan Co., GA.

Later in the receipts of John Sr.'s estate in Wilkes Co. is the following:
". . . of BENJ. S. OGLETREE FOR HIMSELF AND AS GDN. OF NANCY OGLETREE, 1822, AND AS ATTY FOR JAS. C. OGLETREE, 1824 . . ." (Note: the "Jas." is probably a mistake in transcription - the will calls him Joseph, as do the Morgan County records.)

In summary, it seems clear that John Ogletree, Jr. died in Morgan Co., GA 1816/17, that he had four children at the time of his death: (1) Benjamin S. Ogletree, Joseph Ogletree, Edward Ogletree and Nancy Ogletree and was the deceased son mentioned in the will of John Ogletree, Sr.