William Hoy v. Rovert Boggs
Date: June Term 1785
Case type: Land
Other names: None
Other genealogical information (OGI): 100 acres in dispute
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 1
Cases Heard Before the Supreme Court for the District of Kentucky, 1785–1792
Abstracts of Virginia Supreme Court cases for the Kentucky District
These abstracts summarize appellate land-dispute cases heard by the Virginia-based Supreme Court for the District of Kentucky before statehood in 1792. They are drawn from the published opinions and can help place people in a specific time and location, even when surviving lower-court records are missing.
Many of the disputes involve overlapping preemption claims and later treasury or military warrants. The opinions often mention neighbors, witnesses, chain of title, and, occasionally, family relationships such as heirs-at-law.
Abbreviations Used in the Abstracts
- W – Witness
- N – Neighbor
- TW – Treasury Warrant
- MW – Military Warrant
- PE – Preemption Claim
- NG – Not Given (county not identified)
- OGI – Other Genealogical Information
- HAL – Heir-at-Law
Fayette
Simon Morgan v. Peter Pennybaker
Date: Spring Term 1785
Case type: Land
Other names: Adam Shepard
Other genealogical information (OGI): 5oo acres TW #13612 on 11/12/1783 on west side of Big Slate Creek
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 1
Thomas Hinton, HAL of Joseph Hinton, deceased, by William Morrice[Morris], his next friend, v. The Heirs of William Stewart, deceased
Date: June Term 1787
Case type: Land
Other names: Cyrus McCracken
Other genealogical information (OGI): Preemption of Thomas Glenn, deceased, assigned by David Glenn, HAL to Thomas, to said William Stewart, because Thomas Hinton, HAL of Joseph Hinton, deceased, by William Morrice, his next friend, claims the same by an older improvement, for which the Commissioners for the District of KY granted a certificate to the said Joseph Hinton on 4 Feb 1780. 100 acres improved and marked in 1776. [plat map]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 2
Zacariah Herndon v. James Hogan
Date: Nov Term 1786
Case type: Land
Other names: Z. Herndon, assignee of James Riddle, 4 Dec 1782
Other genealogical information (OGI): Miltary warrant # 818 - 50 acres on KY River at mouth of Hickman Creek [plat map]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 3
William Eagan v. James Bowdry
Date: Sept. Term 1787
Case type: Land
Other names: Joseph Conway(N); William Gibson(N); Henry Fields Jr. asignee of Geo Boyd
Other genealogical information (OGI): William Eagan, PEC #937, 1784, 1000 acres
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 13
Charles Morgan v. William Dryden
Date: November Term 1788
Case type: Land
Other names: Bryan McDonald(assigned land to William Dryden); James McMillan(surveyor); Thomas Brown(assigned land to Charles Morgan); Capt. john Marshall(N); George May(N); John Holder(N); James Morrow(N); John Helder(N), assignee of John Howard, assignee of Lewis Craig; David McGee; Randall LeForce; James Montgomery; Bartlett Searcy; William Bush
Other genealogical information (OGI): Charles Morgan TW #11908; Bartlett Searcy "...heir to Richards..."[plat map]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 15
Enoch Smith v. Phillip Grimes
Date: June Term 1790
Case type: Land
Other names: Lewis E.Turner(N); Henry Payne(N)
Other genealogical information (OGI): Grimes - TW # 3361 & 3360 - 1000 acres, 1784; Enoch Smith TW # 4872 in 1783 [plat map]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 35
William Walker v. John Orr
Date: June Term 1790
Case type: Land
Other names: John Orr - TW # 19112; William Kennedy in June 1776 cut marks into tree on the land; William Gryden(N); ---- Morton(N); ---- Fisher(N)
Other genealogical information (OGI): William Walker, assignee of Merry Walker, had 14 TW's # 7685, etc.; John Orr, assignee of Henry Banks
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 38
[Case title not given in abstract]
Date: March Term 1792
Case type: Land
Other names: Bryan McDonald(by David McGee) (PEC); William Dryden, assignee of B.McDonald (PEC 1161); James Hickman (N); Patrick Henry (N); William Robertson(N); James McMillin(N); James Morrow(N)
Other genealogical information (OGI): None [plat map]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 71
Lincoln
Thomas Swearingen v. Henry Higgins
Date: June Term 1787
Case type: Land
Other names: Abraham Chapline; Ann Poag; Livi Todd; William Poag; Isaac Hite; William Mattimore(who made improvement)
Other genealogical information (OGI): Ann Poag & Levi Todd, administrators of the estate of William Poag, deceased. [plat map]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 7
Thomas Ammons v. George Spears
Date: June Term 1787
Case type: Land
Other names: Conrad Carpenter(N), ---Craig(N), Mallory(N)
Other genealogical information (OGI): 960 acres adjoining his([Spears] settlement on the east. Thomas Ammons received TW for 400 acres on which Spears made improvements in 1776 [plat map]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 10
Thomas Swearingen v. Henry Higgins (duplicate abstract)
Date: June Term 1787
Case type: Land
Other names: Abraham Chapline; Ann Poag; Livi Todd; William Poag; Isaac Hite; William Mattimore(who made improvement)
Other genealogical information (OGI): Ann Poag & Levi Todd, administrators of the estate of William Poag, deceased. [plat map]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 7
John Isaacs v. William Willis, Assignee, etc.
Date: November Term 1788
Case type: Land
Other names: William Willis, assignee of Lewis Craig, assignee of Christopher Hudson. MW # 248; Stephen Fisher(N), sold to ----Barbee; William Gaines(N); Thomas Wilson(N)
Other genealogical information (OGI): [plat map]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 23 & 1 Hughes Rpts. 25
Henry Pawling, Assignee, etc. v. The Heirs of George Mereweather
Date: June Term 1789
Case type: Land
Other names: John Wilson(N)
Other genealogical information (OGI): Geo Mereweather PEC # 1060, assignee of James Roberts, assignee of Julius Sanders; Henry Pawling, assignee of Andrew Cowan[plat map]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 26
John Jackman v. The Heirs of George Mereweather
Date: June Term 1790
Case type: Land
Other names: George Mereweather, deceased, assignee of Julius Sanders; Henry Pawling(N); Bartholomew Fenton(N)
Other genealogical information (OGI): Land located about 12 miles from St. Asaph's. G.Mereweather PEC #1060 [plat map]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 32
Nelson
John Reed, Assignee, etc. v. Samuel Laurence
Date: November Term 1788
Case type: Land
Other names: Thomas Johnson(assigned to Laurence), who was assignee of Edward Hammond
Other genealogical information (OGI): John Reed, assignee of George Helms, assignee fo Constant Cade, Edward Bulger and Burr Harris[plat map]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 19
County Not Given
Isaac Hite, Assignee, etc. v. Jesse Harrison
Date: September Term 1789
Case type: Land on Harrod's Creek
Other names: David Crawford(N); James Stephenson(N); Peter Casey(N)
Other genealogical information (OGI): Isaac Hite, assignee of David Williams. Williams had PEC on 1000 acres #1754 in 1783; Jesse Harrion TW #14478 [plat map]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 29
Thomas Madison v. Abraham James
Date: June Term 1790
Case type: Land
Other names: Thomas Quirk PEC; George Smith(N); John Bowman representing heirs of Joseph Bowman; Edward Bulger
Other genealogical information (OGI): None [plat map]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 40
John Dougherty v. William Crow
Date: October Term 1791
Case type: Land
Other names: John Cowan on behalf of David Cowan, HAL to James Cowan; George Clark; George Dickens(N), Simeon Butler(N); Stephen Fisher(N); William Logan; Patrick Shone by Edward Worthington; Archibald McNeil(N); James Gilmore(N)
Other genealogical information (OGI): None [plat map]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 42
John Crawford v. Benjamin Logan
Date: October Term 1791
Case type: Land
Other names: Samuel Craig(PEC); James Logan(N - 1780-1783); Michael Goodnight(assignee to Benjamin Logan); Thomas Black(N); James Rennix(W); Abraham Miller(N); Samuel Davis(N); Archibald Graham(died 1779); William Steele(W) ---- Warner; Abraham Miller(N); James Brown(W); William Fields(W); Jesse Warner(N); John Crow; Agan; Samuel Gilmore(W); John Brown(W); Stephen Huston(W); William Montgomery (W); Samuel Davis(W); Stephen Fisher(W); Jacob Myers(W); John Martin(W); Edward Worthington(W); Azariah Davis(N); James Neville(W); John Reed(N); Jonas Black & Rebecca Black(W); Benjamin Pettit(W); George White(W) Evan Kebreath(W); Thomas Smith(W) swore the complainant was made a prisoner of the Indians in September 1781 and did not return until September 1783
Other genealogical information (OGI): Martha Logan, wife of James Logan; James Logan, father of Matthew Logan; Henry Graham, HAL of Archibald Graham [plat map] [Very lengthy case]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 51
William Young v. William McKee
Date: March Term 1792
Case type: Land
Other names: Nehemiah Poor(N); William Young(PEC); Christopher Clark; ---- McDonald(N); Peter Wooley(N); John Wooley(N); Thomas Denton; Thomas Daniel; William McQuerry(W); Robert Luckey(W); Mary McQueery; John Caldwell(W); Robert Kincaid(N)
Other genealogical information (OGI): William Young, assignee of Nehemiah Poor [plat map]
Citation: 1 Hughes Rpts. 68