© Kathy Duncan, 2024
Several years ago, I came across a record for Susannah (Walton) Nevill that indicated she had a deed of separate maintenance from Solomon Nevill Sr. dated 20 April 1838. At the time, I was unable to determine if they were separated or divorced. Last night I came across additional documents that indicate they were divorced.
These "new" documents were found by using the Family Search full text search experiment. Let me just say, they were startling and tipped my genealogy world on its axis. I am always telling myself that there is so much more to be found and know, but then when a new revelation emerges, I am always surprised. In this case, it is because the Nevills have been researched ad nauseum by generations of researchers. How could something that new emerge at this late date? And yet it has!
What I found was a series of lawsuits between two sons of Solomon and Susannah Nevill that were filed in Madison County, Tennessee in the late 1840s. For one thing, there was never a previous indication that the Nevills had any ties to Madison County, so there was no reason to randomly search there.
In these lawsuits, Solomon C. Nevill, of Hickman County, Kentucky, was suing brother Edwin W. Nevill, of Gibson County, Tennessee. These suits are several pages long and will take a while to digest. The takeaway is that the brothers had bailed their father Solomon Nevill out of debt to the tune of $1,000. A considerable amount of money in the early 1840s. Their suits state the following relationships - in reference to each other: "my brother"; in reference to Solomon Nevill: "my father"; in reference to Nancy Nevill: "his wife [Solomon Nevill Sr's]." Nancy Nevill?! Where'd she come from? And who on earth was she?? The only thing the lawsuits reveal was that she was deceased prior to Solomon Nevill Sr.
The story that the lawsuits reveal is that in the early 1840s, Solomon Nevill Sr. was in embarrassed circumstances, so the two brothers loaned him $1,000. A couple of years later, it happened again. Solomon C. Nevill stated that he has already wasted $500 on the old man, and he "washed his hands of him." Brother Edwin W. Nevill, however, stepped in to rescue the old man. Then after the death of "his wife Nancy Nevill," Solomon Nevill Sr. was taken in by Edwin and lived with him in Gibson County, Tennessee. At first, Edwin entered into a support agreement for the old man, allowing him a horse and bridle and a $10 a year allowance. Clearly, he was not going to trust the old man with a larger sum of money. In Solomon Nevill Sr's last couple of years or months, two or three "stout servants" were required to care for him.
But wait, there is also a reference to Solomon Nevill Sr.'s last will. Where is that? Gibson County?
More digging revealed that Solomon Nevill Sr. married Nancy Patterson on 12 October 1840 in Carroll, Tennessee. Since Susannah (Walton) Nevill did not die until 1841, this can only mean that there was divorce.
Solomon Nevill Sr. was in Montgomery County, Tennessee on the 1840 census so this represents some travel on his part. In December of 1840, he had this deed of gift to Nancy's two children Walter A. Patterson and Mary S. Patterson recorded in Carroll County, Tennessee:
Transcript:
"State of Tennessee Carroll County
Know all men by these presents that whereas I have lately married Mrs Nancy Patterson now Nancy Nevill who was possessed of the following Slaves to Wit, Hudson old Hulday, George, Hannah, Belfield, Emily, Margarett, & young Hulday and being desirous of executing in good faith my intentions before my marriage with the said Nancy, now in consideration of the love and affection I bear to her two children Walter A Patterson & Mary S. Patterson and for the further consideration of one dollar each paid to me by the said Walter & Mary I hereby give to them the following named Negroes under the following of considerations that is to say to Walter A. Patterson I give George and Hannah and their increase to take effect and to go into his possession on the death of me and my wife Nancy or on the death of the survivors only and Mary S. Patterson I give the following Negroes Margaret and old Hulday and their increase to take effect and go into her possession on or me and my wife Nancy or on the death of the survivor only it is hereby distinctly understood and expressed that Negroes above named and their increase in both cases are in no event whatever to go out of my possession or of my wife Nancy during out lives or during the life of the survivor of us and in case either the said Walter A. or Mary S. Patterson should die before they have an heir it is the distinct design of this deed of Gift that the Negroes and their increase given to the said Walter A. and Mary S. Patterson shall go to and be the property of the survivor of them and in case both of the Children of Walter A & Mary S. Patterson should die before either of them has an heir in that event the Negroes & their increase conditionally given to the said Walter A. and Mary S. Patterson shall be equally divided the surviving children of my wife Nancy Nevill for now and in consideration aforesaid I hereby make and declare this deed of Gift to the said Walter A. and Mary S. Patterson with all of the conditions aforesaid and as above annexed and specified binding on me and my heirs and irrevocable by me Given under my hand and seal this 25th day of December 1840.
S. Nevill seal
State of Tennessee Carroll County) Personally appeared before me Yancy [?] W. Allen Clerk of the County Court of the said County Solomon Nevill Sr. with whom I am personally acquainted & who acknowleged that he signed the within deed of Gift for the purpose herein set forth & on the day bears date Given under my hand at office this 3d day of June A.D. 1841 Y.W. Allen, Clerk"
Tentative Conclusions:
There is so much to unpack here and so many new directions to research in.
1. Solomon and Susannah (Walton) Nevill obviously divorced in 1838. Where is that record? I think it should be at the state level in Tennessee, but might have been at a county level.
2. Solomon Nevill Sr. married the widow Mrs. Nancy Patterson in Carroll County, Tennessee in 1840. Preliminary research indicates that she was Nancy Morgan, the widow of Chesley Page Patterson who died in Orange County, North Carolina in 1820. She had married Page Patterson in Orange County in 1795, just a couple of months after Solomon Nevill married Susannah Walton there. It's reasonable to think that they knew each other in their youth. How did he become aware that she was in Carroll County, Tennessee? When did they reconnect? When did Nancy (Morgan) Patterson come to Tennessee?
3. Mrs. Nancy Patterson had two known children: Walter A. Patterson and Mary S. Patterson. From the deed of gift it is clear that she had additional children.
4. I think I have already pinpointed Mary S. Patterson, wife of Henry Mooring. She is buried just 25 minutes from where I live. A little road trip is in order.
5. Solomon Nevill Sr. left a will. Where is it? Is there a probate there, too? Gibson County and Obion County, Tennessee are where I will concentrate my search.
6. This deed of gift raises a few questions for me. Were these slaves that Nancy Patterson acquired from her husband or her father? Aside from the fact that slavery itself is cruel, it seem heartless that her two children had to wait until Solomon Nevill Sr. was deceased to claim their inheritance. Plus, they paid $1 for a gift?
7. It seems like the disagreement over their father's support probably led to a permanent rift between the brothers Solomon C. Nevill and Edwin W. Nevill.
8. Grandison D. Nevill is not mentioned in any of these documents. In the early to mid-1840s when Solomon C. and Edwin W. Nevill were bailing their father out of his financial problems, Grandison D. Nevill was living with his first wife Minerva (Peterson) Nevill and probably just eking out an existence in Montgomery County, Tennessee.
