Ebenezer Holloway's Land Partition 1804/5

Petition for widow's dower and partitioning of Ebenezer Holloway's lands in Worcester CO., MD

Thomas Holloway Will 1799

Will of Thomas Holloway clearly establishes that he had two sons named Kendall and Ebenezer and that Kendall was named executor. Kendall has a daughter Nancy, who marries James West. Nancy and James have a son named Ebenezer H. West, my 3rd great grandfather. The forenames are carried forward when Ebenezer marries Mary Morris West(another West line) and produces Kendle Holloway(a.k.a. Harvey) and Ebenezer Holloway West.

Thomas West(d1777) Estate

Only document found for estate of Thomas West d 1777, husband of Bridget Carey, shows the children(heirs) signing off on the estate settlement in 1792, 15 years after the death of Thomas. Note that daughter Bridget is now a Thompson.

Will of Elijah West, father of Amos, Kendle's cousin

Ebenezer H. West - Deadbeat?

From the time of his father-in-law's death(Kendle West) on March 4, 1823, Ebenezer was in legal hot water until his death in 1836. First, as executor of Kendle's estate and later as executor of his mother's estate(Nancy West, nee: Holloway), he spent much of his time in court as a result of an apparent failure to fulfill his obligations as executor. The attached exhibits show that his troubles led to the loss of his house and lot in the Village of Washington , Dagsboro Hundred , which likely was a bequest from his parents, James West and Nancy Holloway. One tax roll shown is from 1836, the last time Ebenezer appears. What is strange, tho, is that while Ebenezer's name is x'd out,, the notation shows a transfer to John West, yet this property was sold at sheriff's sale. The other tax roll is from 1822.

O.K. What is Sarah West doing here?

Just when we all thought that Rachael Burton was the mother of the five children, a probate record for Sarah West, 1798-1800 pops up showing payments to the same five children after her death which logically, is in 1798.

Thomas's will of 1800 clearly shows his wife as a Rachael, so why are these bequests made at the death of Sarah? Is she the mother of the five children and if so, why did any assets pass to the children at the time of her death instead of accruing to her husband? Perhaps when the rest of the probate records are discovered, we will find the answer