CHANCERY COURT CASE
Circa. 1859 *

John H. Geoghegans Estate VS Larkin Sandridge

Testimony before arbitrator

Martin M. Bush being first sworn, stated he is a farmer and surveyed the Geoghegan farm and laid off the cultivated land in lots No.’s 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 as shown in platt dated Apr 1855 and makes said platt a part of this disposition, and that at the time Mr. Sandridge took possession of said farm, the fencing as far as I could see in passing along the road was in good condition; and the public road passed along & through the cleared land near one mile. He states he again surveyed the improved land on said farm in the fall 1857, and at that time the fences was in bad condition and thrown about, as I supposed by the railroad hands where they had passed through. He stated his knowledge of the farm when Sandridge went on it and when he left it, would not enable him to form any estimate of what it would cost to put the farm in good condition.

Question by defendant:

He stated that when Mr. Sandridge went on the farm or took possession of the same, that the yard fencing was in bad condition, but afterward there was a new plank fence with cedar posts put up around the yard lacking some five or six panels. He stated that in Apr 1855 when he made the first survey that the fencing adjoining John B. Wathen was not good, but sufficient to protect a crop where stock was not breech. He stated that Mr. Sandridge repaired the fencing along the road in front of the house to the bridge and how far back towards town did not now recollect, and also around the stable lot, and that it was a very good fence where he repaired it. He stated that a freshet washed away the fencing along the road from the old orchard to the bridge, and the meadow fence from the bridge along the creek to a bluff near the lower end of the meadow, and also washed off the fencing along the creek above the bridge and across fence, but how much of it cannot say, and also across fence across the meadow in lot No. 5. He also stated that the ( ? ) 22 poles in lot No. 5 when surveyed by me was not in a condition to mow, having briars and sycamore sprouts growing through it, and was worth $1. per acre for pasture.

Oct 21, 1858, M. M. Bush

C. Kurtz being sworn stated that during the time Larkin Sandridge lived on the Geoghegan farm he cultivated a lot of ground on the opposite side of the road from the chestnut trees, about four acres one year in corn, and also one year in wheat and in the year 1857, Mr. Sandridge cultivated a lot adjoining the barn in corn & potatoes and that said lot contains about seven acres.

April 22, 1859, C. Kurtz

The foregoing is all the testimony introduced before me by the plaintiff

April 30, 1859, George S. Miles, Arbitrator

Witness claimed

George W. Smith

Robert Hagan

Sam Pendleton

Martin M. Bush

Conrod Kurtz

* Hardin County Chancery Court 1859 as copied from original documents in the possession of Kentucky State Archives

© Copywrite 1986, 1997, 1998 "The Geoghegan Family History" by Steve Geoghegan