William C. Shelton, because of his reading and writing skills, acted many times as administrator for community resident's estates after they died.

Apparently, he was sued for not properly distributing the money for one estate when he could not meet his total financial obligations, not having properly settled the estate. On January 30, 1869, the Circuit Court in Chatham ruled against William C. Shelton in a suit by the administrator of the estate of Edward W. Adkerson, deceased. The court ordered Shelton to pay the estate $213.50 with interest from the 11th of August 1866.

The story among County residents, who remember people talking about William C. Shelton, is that he killed himself in the Clerk's Office in Chatham in 1869. In view of his financial difficulties and the accusations of his wrongdoing, Shelton's suicide is not difficult to believe since in his diary he expressed worry about other people's opinions of him.

Court records indicate that he was in danger of losing all his property. He signed a deed of trust on May 3, 1869, mortaging his 170-acre plantation on Stinking River, "adjoining the lands of Vincent Shelton, Joel Mustain, James P. Millam, & others" which he had purchased from Henry H. Faris in 1863. Other property listed was the Greenfield Tannery (established before 1823 by James Whitehead and William Markham) and the 4 3/4 acres of land attached" "with all the fixtures, tools, and appurtenances belonging to the said Tan Yard and used in the business of tanning, also all the interest of the said Shelton in the hides now in the said Tan Yard after deducting the expense of working and preparing the same for sale." Also included in the Deed of Trust were two horses, two head of cattle, one two horse wagon, all the household and kitchen furniture, plantation tools and implements of husbandry of every kind and description together with all personal and real property not included in the above description." A long list of creditors is listed including the Editor of the Richmond Whig and the Lynchburg News.

By May 17, 1869, the first entry in settling his estate, William C. Shelton was dead. His old friend and the administrator of his estate, Major Sherwood T. Mustain, paid the estate of Edward Adkerson $251.08 "in full judgement & cost" from the Shelton estate.

Estate sales were held on August 10, 1869 and on November 10, 1869 when all his personal and real property was sold at auction. Those present and buying at the first sale were Reuben Mustain, William Crawley, Boston Harvey, D. W. Rowland, Thomas Tuck, William N. Reese, D. W. Parker, James P. Milam, G. A. P. Dove, A. C. Owen, Booker Dalton, Druey Owen, John Hines, Abner Snow, William C. Tate (Captain and surveyor bought many book including 4 volumes of Goldsmith, Webster's Dictionary, Life of Christ, History of America, Iron Wheel, and 14 other books.), Ned Shelton, D. R. Hunt, Thomas Worley, William C. Worsham, J. W. Barker, Edmond Webb, Mastin Keatts, Sandy Dickerson, A. D. Rorer, Richard Goade, Vincent Shelton, William B. Swann, John Hodnett, J. W. Shellhorse, Sarah J. Doss, John Younger, A. J. Lewis, Ralph S. Dodd, Mastin M. Shelton, S. B. Markham, J. W. Scruggs, D. V. Dickerson, Jeff Crawley, Henry Worsham, R. A. Mustain, E. H. Dillard, John P. Faris, H. Davis, J. J. Lampkin, E. H. Adams, J. L. Adkerson, William D. Shelton, Isaac Keesee, John D. Owen, Morton Scruggs, H. Hoskins, William G. Bailey, L. C. Walker, W. Dyer, Joel C. Mustan, George A. Hodnett, and W. W. Reese (He bought a Bible, a lot of vials and a book, History of the Reformation. William C. Shelton had married his daughter Missouri Reese, who, with their son, had already died.) The Tan Yard and fixtures sold for $960 to Reese & Parker.

At the sale on November 10, 1869, those buying were David Parker, A. J. Saunders, William C. Tate, Robert Coles, S. S. Johnson, D. R. Hunt, P. T. Shelton, William H. Mustain, Isaac Kessee, William Roach, Sandy Dickerson, J. J. Lamkin, Abram Hubbard, J. W. P. Crews, J. W. Smith, William A. Saunders, S. T. Mustain, and Abner Snow. The tract of land on Stinking River containing 170 acres sold to John R. Payne for $650.

Anderson Scott remembers his grandmother, Eliza Mahew Glenn¹, telling him about the death and funeral of William C. Shelton. She attended the funeral in 1869 and told Anderson that before the funeral, the coffin containing the body of William C. Shelton was placed in the shade of an old post oak tree about six feet in diameter, which stood east of the house near the road. She remembered that when the coffin was being carried across the field to the grave, blood ran out of the corner of the wooden coffin. Although the old field stones which marked the graves were eventually plowed under and the area made a pasture, Anderson Scott "can put his foot on the spot" today.

¹ Eliza Glenn, who married Nathan Glenn in 1871, was the mother of Jennie Glenn, who married Chessley Martin Scott, Anderson Scott's father.

William C. Shelton

Pittsylvania County

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