James L. Estes, Sr.
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James L. Estes, Sr. (born before c. 1812 – died between 1889 and 1904) was a farmer and landowner on Blackford Creek in eastern Daviess County, Kentucky, about three miles from Yelvington. Between the 1840s and 1860s he built up several hundred acres along Blackford Creek and the Lewisport and Yelvington roads. In 1877–1878 he divided this land among his children. The family's later history included a bigamy scandal (1882), a lawsuit over his 1878 deed to his youngest daughter (1904), and a missing will after the death of his son, James L. Estes, Jr. (1908).
This page draws on newspaper clippings from 1881 to 1908 and on two pages of the Daviess County General Index to Deeds — Grantees (1815–1937). Much of the family structure is still being worked out. Links between people that are inferred rather than stated in a source are marked as such.
The Estes land
The family's land lay in the eastern end of Daviess County, between Owensboro and the Hancock County line.
- Blackford Creek: nearly every early Estes deed describes land on Blackford Creek. James Estes, Jr. was "at work on Blackford's creek" when he fell in 1908.
- Lewisport and Yelvington roads: the deeds of 1877–1900 place tracts on "Blackford Crk & Lewisport," "Lewisport & Yelvington Rd," and "Port & Yelvington Rds." The 1904 lawsuit concerned "a tract of land on the Lewisport road."
- Yelvington: in 1882 the elder Estes couple lived "about three miles from Yelvington." In 1908 James Estes, Jr. was "a well known farmer of the Yelvington neighborhood."
- Hawesville Road: several related Estes tracts (those of Wm. F., Allen, Mark, and Mildred Estes) lay on the Hawesville and Yelvington roads.
- Later Estes deeds (1903–1927) mention Maceo, Pup Creek, Panther Creek, and Whalen. These may belong to other branches of the family.
The 1882 arrest at the Estes homestead was made by the marshal of Lewisport, which suggests the homestead lay nearer the Lewisport side of the county than Owensboro.
| Tract | Acres | First appears | Later history |
|---|---|---|---|
| America's homestead, Lewisport Rd | 150 | Deed, James L. Estes to America Estes, 1878 (Bk 32 p 153) | Part of a 220-acre tract. Sale sought in the 1904 Hughart suit. Commissioner's deed for 150 A to Jas. L. Estes et al., 1905 (Bk G p 284). |
| James L., Jr.'s tract, Lewisport Rd | 70 | Deed, James L. Estes to Jas. L. Estes, Jr., 1878 (Bk 32 p 452) | — |
| Blackford Creek & Lewisport Rd | 125 + 33 | Deeds, J. L. Estes to J. N. Estes, 1877 (Bk 31 pp 136, 551, 593) | J. L. Estes, Sr. to J. L. Estes, Jr., "125 – 33 – Lewisport Rd &," 1889 (Bk 49 p 286) |
| Ves Kelly land, Lewisport Rd | 85 | Ves Kelly to James L. Estes, 1900 (Bk 72 p 417), $1,500 | Possibly the "old Kelly homestead" remodeled in 1902 |
| Griffin Kelly land, Lewisport & Yelvington Rd | 70 | Griffin Kelly to James L. Estes, 1900 (Bk 72 p 416), $2,150 | — |
Early Estes landholders on Blackford Creek
The deed index shows Estes land on Blackford Creek well before the Civil War. The surname is spelled Estes, Estis, and Estus in the index, sometimes for the same person.
- 1830: Abraham F. Estes bought 140 and 255 acres on Blackford Creek from William Bartlett (Bk C p 141). This is the earliest Estes deed in the index.
- 1833: Abraham F. Estes sold 151¾ acres on Blackford Creek to Richard C. Estes (Bk D p 203) and 157½ acres to James Estis (Bk D p 204). Abraham F. appears to have been the founding landholder, dividing land among younger Estes men who may have been his sons. (Inferred.)
- 1834: John M. Estes received 101 acres on Blackford Creek by commissioner's deed, "By Committ[ee]" for Abraham L. Estes (Bk AB p 61).
- 1839: by commissioner's deed, Littletin [Littleton?] Estes conveyed 101 acres on Blackford Creek to John Estes (Bk AB p 123). The same year John Estes sold 101 acres to James Estes (Bk F p 157).
- 1847: Wm. F. Estes bought 136 acres on the Hawesville Road from James Shouse (Bk N p 468).
- 1870: Margaret W. Estes deeded 136 acres on Blackford Creek, at the Lewisport and Yelvington roads, to Allen and Robert A. J. Estes (Bk 25 p 347). In 1880 R. A. J. Estes deeded the 136 acres to Allen (Bk 35 p 345). In 1901 Allen Estes deeded 136 acres on the Hawesville Road to Daisy and Mark Estes (Bk 74 p 105). The repeated 136 acres suggests this may be the tract Wm. F. Estes bought in 1847, passing to his widow (Margaret W.?) and then to their sons. (Hypothesis.)
Life and landholdings
In May 1882 James Estes and his wife were "both … now over seventy years old," which puts his birth before about 1812. If he was born about 1810, he would have been about 23 in 1833 and could be the "James Estis" who received 157½ acres from Abraham F. Estes that year, and the "James" who bought 101 acres from John Estes in 1839. The "James L. Estis" who bought 75 acres on Blackford Creek from Samuel Henderson in 1844 (Bk G p 489) is very likely him.
He bought land steadily over the next two decades:
- 1857: 284¾ acres on Blackford Creek from John Hathaway (Bk O p 150), his largest single purchase.
- 1860: 98 acres on Blackford Creek from W. C. Roberts (Bk Q p 43). The Roberts family were neighbors, and his daughter America later married a Roberts.
- 1867: 106½ acres on Blackford Creek from Abraham Wooden (Bk U p 153). The same year James L. Estes, Jr. bought 106½ acres on Blackford Creek from Ferdinand Mills (Bk U p 255). This is the first appearance of "Jr." in the index, so the son was an adult landowner by 1867.
- 1885: 10 acres on the Hawesville Road and Blackford Creek from E. P. Spillman (Bk 42 p 539).
By the 1870s he was described as "a man of considerable property." He was married twice. The names of his wives are not yet known.
Division of the estate (1877–1878)
In 1882 the Messenger and Examiner reported that "sometime ago Mr. Estes, who is a man of considerable property, divided up his estate among [his four children], deeding the shares to them without reservation." The deed index shows when this happened:
| Year | Grantee | Grantor | Book / page | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1877 | J. N. Estes | J. L. Estes | 31 / 551 | 125 A, Blackford Crk & Lewisport |
| 1877 | J. N. Estes | James L. Estes et al. | 31 / 593 | 33 A, Blackford Creek, Lewisport & Yelvington Rd |
| 1877 | J. N. Estes | J. L. Estes et al. | 31 / 136 | 125 A, Blackford Crk, Lewisport |
| 1878 | America Estes | James L. Estes et al. | 32 / 153 | 150 A, Lewisport Rd |
| 1878 | Jas. L. Estes, Jr. | James L. Estus | 32 / 452 | 70 A, Lewisport Rd |
| 1878 | James L. Estus, Jr. | James L. Estes | 36 / 410 | Relinquishment of dower |
| 1878 | America Estes | James L. Estus | 36 / 411 | Relinquishment of dower |
The 1878 deed to America (Book 32, page 153) is the deed the court was asked to construe in 1904. The two relinquishments of dower were probably signed by Mrs. Estes, giving up her widow's interest in the land deeded to James, Jr. and America so that they held it free of her claim.
In 1889 J. L. Estes, Sr. deeded the 125- and 33-acre Lewisport Road tracts to J. L. Estes, Jr. (Bk 49 p 286). These are the same acreages first deeded to "J. N." in 1877, so the land may have come back to the father before passing to the son.
Death
James L. Estes, Sr. was living in 1889. The 1904 lawsuit was brought to divide land in which he had held a life estate, and the Owensboro Messenger referred to him then as "the elder James L. Estes," so he had evidently died before December 1904, and probably well before. The exact date of his death has not been found.
Family
The 1882 article says the couple had four children. The likely candidates are America, James L., Jr., J. N., and Ann. (Inferred.)
| Name | What is known |
|---|---|
| Mrs. Estes (second wife?) | Over seventy in 1882. Probably the wife who relinquished dower in 1878. Name unknown. |
| Ann (Estes) Hughart | Daughter of James L., Sr. and half-sister of America. Dead by 1904, leaving at least four minor children. |
| J. N. Estes | Received 125 and 33 acres from J. L. Estes in 1877. Probably one of the four children. (The first deed may read "J. U.") |
| James L. Estes, Jr. | Son. A landowner by 1867. Received 70 acres in 1878 and 125 + 33 acres in 1889. Bought the Kelly tracts in 1900. Died about June 1908. |
| America E. Estes (Mrs. Oshaw, later Mrs. America Roberts) | Youngest daughter, born about 1855. Received the 150-acre homestead in 1878. Died September 15, 1904. |
America Estes and the "Muchly Married Man" (1881–1882)
America E. Estes, the youngest daughter, was about 27 years old in 1882 and had been given the homestead. On November 25, 1881, the Owensboro Messenger listed among the marriage licenses "W. T. Ahphah to Miss America E. Estes." "Ahphah" is the newspaper's own printing and is almost certainly a garble of the name the groom was using, Oshaw.
On May 3, 1882, the Messenger and Examiner ran the full story under the headline "A Batch of Badness … A Muchly Married Man":
"About three miles from Yelvington for many years has lived Jas. Estes and his wife, both of whom are now over seventy years old. They have four children and sometime ago Mr. Estes, who is a man of considerable property, divided up his estate among them, deeding the shares to them without reservation. His youngest daughter, America, who is about twenty-seven years of age, was given the homestead."
In the fall of 1880 Mr. Estes met a man in "one of the upper counties" who called himself Dr. W. G. Oshaw. He hired the man as a farm hand and brought him home. Oshaw and America grew close and married in November 1881. Afterward Oshaw "began to enlarge his authority" and became "quite tyranical," ordering the old couple about. Once, when the elder Mrs. Estes had invited the neighborhood ladies to tea, he announced "that he was not keeping a boarding house and there was no tea."
The marriage ended when a man named Greathouse told the officers at Lewisport that Oshaw's real name was Dugin and that he had a wife and several children in Grayson County. Marshal Bowlington of Lewisport arrested him on a Friday in late April 1882. Oshaw confessed that he had been married four times and that three of his wives were living. He "told it as a good joke," invited the crowd to drink with him, and boasted that he would not be punished. On the way to Owensboro he slipped off his horse and escaped into the woods. The paper described him as a man of about fifty and "a 'sleek citizen'":
"While the poor woman he so miserably betrayed is to be pitied, she and her relatives are also to be congratulated upon getting rid of the scoundrel. We may hear more of him."
By 1904 America was Mrs. America Roberts. The record of her second marriage, to a Roberts, has not yet been found. The W. C. Roberts who sold her father 98 acres in 1860 may have been related to her husband.
Death of America Roberts and the Hughart suit (1904–1905)
Mrs. America Roberts died on September 15, 1904, childless and without a will. She owned 150 acres of a 220-acre tract on the Lewisport Road, which she had received by deed from her father.
On Tuesday, December 27, 1904, a suit was filed in Daviess Circuit Court:
- Plaintiffs: Almedia Hughart (spelled "Amelia" in the Owensboro Messenger), "in her own name and as statutory guardian for four infant children of Ann Hughart, deceased."
- Defendants: James L. Estes, Lizzie Pierce and her husband Andrew Pierce, and John Hughart.
- Attorneys for the plaintiffs: Ed Kelly and LaVega Clements.
- Relief sought: that the whole 220 acres be sold and the proceeds divided among the heirs, and that the court construe the 1878 deed.
The Owensboro Messenger of December 28, 1904, explained the legal question:
"The deed was made in 1878 by James L. Estes, father of the defendant, transferring to America Roberts, his daughter, certain real estate. … The petition asks that the court rule as to whether America Roberts became possessed of the fee in the land, subject to the life estate of her father, or whether the property transferred to her was a life estate after the death of her father."
"The elder James L. Estes was twice married, and the mother of the plaintiffs was only a half sister to America Roberts. If America Roberts held the land in fee simple, the plaintiffs will be entitled to share in the property only as half bloods. On the other hand, if the court holds that her interest was a life estate, they may claim as full-blood heirs of James L. Estes."
The suit shows that James L. Estes, Sr. was married twice, with Ann Hughart a daughter by one wife and America by the other. Lizzie Pierce and John Hughart were also heirs. Lizzie may have been another sibling or a grandchild, and John Hughart may have been Ann's widower or one of her children. (Unconfirmed.)
The grantee index shows a commissioner's deed in 1905 to "Jas L. Estes et al." for 150 acres, with the grantor "Clarence Hughart et al." (Book G, page 284). This looks like the court-ordered sale, with James L. Estes, Jr. buying his late sister's 150 acres. The "Book G" reference is probably a separate series of commissioner's deed books, not the 1840s deed Book G. (The case file would confirm the outcome.)
James L. Estes, Jr. and the Kelly lands (1900–1902)
In 1900 James L. Estes, by context the son, bought two neighboring Kelly tracts:
- from Griffin Kelly, 70 acres on the Lewisport & Yelvington Road, for $2,150 (Bk 72 p 416)
- from Ves Kelly, 85 acres on the Lewisport Road, for $1,500 (Bk 72 p 417)
The Messenger-Inquirer (April 29, 1901) and the Twice-A-Week Messenger (May 1, 1901) reported these transfers. The Messenger-Inquirer gives the Ves Kelly tract as 70 acres. The Twice-A-Week Messenger ("Viz Kelly") and the deed index both say 85 acres, so the first figure is probably a typesetting error.
On January 31, 1902, a neighborhood column in the Twice-A-Week Messenger reported:
"Mr. James Estes is remodeling the old Kelly homestead with a view of occupying it soon. Years ago it was one of the most beautiful homes in this end of the county."
The fall, the death, and the missing will (1908)
On May 10, 1908, the Owensboro Messenger reported under the headline "Sustained Broken Hip":
"James Estes, a well known farmer of the Yelvington neighborhood, while at work on Blackford's creek, lost his balance and fell, sustaining a broken hip. He is in a serious condition and on account of his age his injury is considered to be a very dangerous one."
On May 26 the Messenger-Inquirer reported that he was "getting along nicely and it is believed that he will recover." He did not recover. By July 1, 1908, the same paper referred to "the late James Estes," so he died between about May 26 and July 1, 1908.
The Messenger-Inquirer of July 1, 1908, ran the story on its front page under the headline "Yelvington Girl Who Was Ward of Late James Estes, Recently Married, Does Not Understand Why Foster Father's Will Was Destroyed — She Had Several Suitors for Hand — One of Them Was So Sorely Disappointed Over His Failure to Win Her That He Took His Own Life While Family Was at Church."
- Mattie Wright, "a beautiful young lady of Daviess county, near Yelvington," was "the ward of the late James Estes who had brought her up from childhood, though not as an adopted heir."
- A few weeks earlier she had married Robert Hardin of Hancock County. The couple were living in Happy Hollow, Hancock County.
- Several local young men had courted her. One rejected suitor, young Jesse Cummings, shot himself at home with a double-barreled shotgun while his parents were at church.
- "Mr. Estes was a frugal and prosperous man and he had accumulated a small fortune, it is said, $15,000, which by will he prepared to leave a part to Mrs. Hardin." Her marriage "is said to not have been displeasing to him," but "now the will is missing, and it is said that he deliberately tore it up a few days before he died. Various reasons are given for this but the secret is probably buried with its author."
- "Mrs. Hardin knows that Mr. Estes often said he would leave her his property and she and her husband will investigate the matter."
Mattie Wright was not the only Wright connected with the Estes family. In 1884 Mildred J. Estes and Mildred Estes received commissioner's deeds from Robert W. Wright and Richard Wright et al. for 25 acres on the Hawesville & Yelvington Road (Bk 41 pp 63, 79). In 1895 Mark Estes bought 24 acres on the Hawesville & Yelvington Roads from Robert W. Wright et al. (Bk 63 p 349). A commissioner's deed from a group of Wrights to an Estes woman suggests that Mildred was herself a Wright heir. Mildred J. Estes may have been the wife of James L. Estes, Jr. and a Wright by birth, which would make Mattie Wright a niece or kinswoman of the household. (Hypothesis only. It needs a marriage record.)
Family cemetery
A family cemetery has been located in the woods on or near the former Estes land. Based on the records above, it may hold the graves of James L. Estes, Sr.; Mrs. Estes, his second wife; America (Estes) Roberts; James L. Estes, Jr.; and possibly Ann (Estes) Hughart, other relatives, and earlier generations such as Abraham F. Estes. The stones have not yet been recorded.
Timeline
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1830 | Abraham F. Estes buys 140 and 255 A, Blackford Creek, from William Bartlett | Deed index p. 57 |
| 1833 | Abraham F. Estes sells 151¾ A to Richard C. Estes and 157½ A to James Estis | Deed index p. 57 |
| 1834 | John M. Estes receives 101 A, Blackford Creek (commissioner's deed, Abraham L. Estes) | Deed index p. 57 |
| 1839 | Littletin Estes to John Estes, 101 A; John Estes to James Estes, 101 A | Deed index p. 57 |
| 1844 | James L. Estis buys 75 A, Blackford Creek, from Samuel Henderson | Deed index p. 57 |
| 1847 | Wm. F. Estes buys 136 A, Hawesville Rd, from James Shouse | Deed index p. 57 |
| c. 1855 | America E. Estes born | 1882 article (age about 27) |
| 1857 | James L. Estes buys 284¾ A, Blackford Creek, from John Hathaway | Deed index p. 57 |
| 1860 | James L. Estis buys 98 A, Blackford Creek, from W. C. Roberts | Deed index p. 57 |
| 1867 | James L. Estes buys 106½ A from Abraham Wooden; James L. Jr. buys 106½ A from Ferdinand Mills | Deed index p. 57 |
| 1870 | Margaret W. Estes deeds 136 A to Allen and Robert A. J. Estes | Deed index p. 57 |
| 1877–1878 | James L. Estes, Sr. divides his estate among his children; dower relinquished | Deed index p. 57; 1882 article |
| Fall 1880 | James Estes hires "Dr. W. G. Oshaw" as a farm hand | Messenger and Examiner, May 3, 1882 |
| November 1881 | Marriage license: "W. T. Ahphah" [Oshaw] and America E. Estes | Owensboro Messenger, November 25, 1881 |
| Late April 1882 | Oshaw, alias Dugin, arrested at Lewisport as a bigamist; escapes | Messenger and Examiner, May 3, 1882 |
| 1884 | Mildred J. and Mildred Estes receive Wright land by commissioner's deed | Deed index p. 57 |
| 1889 | J. L. Estes, Sr. deeds 125 and 33 A, Lewisport Rd, to J. L. Estes, Jr. | Deed index p. 57 |
| 1900 | James L. Estes buys 70 A from Griffin Kelly ($2,150) and 85 A from Ves Kelly ($1,500) | Deed index p. 57; Messenger-Inquirer, April 29, 1901; Twice-A-Week Messenger, May 1, 1901 |
| January 1902 | James Estes remodeling the old Kelly homestead to live in | Twice-A-Week Messenger, January 31, 1902 |
| September 15, 1904 | Mrs. America Roberts dies, childless and intestate | Messenger-Inquirer, December 27, 1904 |
| December 27, 1904 | Hughart heirs sue James L. Estes et al. over the 1878 deed and the 220-acre tract | Messenger-Inquirer, December 27, 1904; Owensboro Messenger, December 28, 1904 |
| 1905 | Commissioner's deed, 150 A, to Jas. L. Estes et al. | Deed index p. 58 |
| Early May 1908 | James Estes, Jr. falls on Blackford Creek and breaks his hip | Owensboro Messenger, May 10, 1908 |
| May 26, 1908 | Reported recovering | Messenger-Inquirer, May 26, 1908 |
| c. June 1908 | James L. Estes, Jr. dies; will reportedly torn up. Ward Mattie Wright marries Robert Hardin of Hancock County. | Messenger-Inquirer, July 1, 1908 |
Others named in the sources
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Dr. W. G. Oshaw, alias Dugin (license: "W. T. Ahphah") | America's bigamous first husband. About fifty in 1882. Had a wife and children in Grayson County. Escaped custody. |
| Greathouse | Exposed Oshaw to the Lewisport officers, 1882 |
| Marshal Bowlington of Lewisport | Arrested Oshaw, 1882 |
| Roberts (first name unknown) | America's second husband |
| W. C. Roberts | Sold James L. Estes 98 A on Blackford Creek, 1860 |
| Almedia (Amelia) Hughart | Plaintiff and statutory guardian, 1904 |
| John Hughart; Clarence Hughart | Defendant, 1904; grantor (with others) on the 1905 commissioner's deed |
| Lizzie Pierce and Andrew Pierce | Defendants (heirs), 1904 |
| Ed Kelly; LaVega Clements | Attorneys for the Hughart plaintiffs, 1904 |
| Griffin Kelly; Ves (Viz) Kelly | Sold their tracts to James L. Estes, 1900 |
| Mattie Wright (Mrs. Robert Hardin) | Ward and foster daughter of James L. Estes, Jr. Married 1908. |
| Robert Hardin | Of Hancock County; Mattie Wright's husband. Living at Happy Hollow, 1908. |
| Jesse Cummings | Rejected suitor of Mattie Wright; suicide, c. 1908 |
| Robert W. Wright; Richard Wright | Grantors to Mildred J. and Mildred Estes (1884) and Mark Estes (1895) |
| William Bartlett; Samuel Henderson; James Shouse; John Hathaway; Abraham Wooden; Ferdinand Mills; E. P. Spillman; Henry Marsch; R. G. Duncan | Sellers of land to Estes family members |
Other Estes grantees in the index whose relationship to James L. Estes, Sr. is not yet known: Richard C. (1833); John M. (1834); Littletin/Littleton (1839); John (1839, 1894); Wm. F. (1847); Margaret W. (1870); Allen and Robert A. J. (1870, 1880); Mildred J. and Mildred (1884); Mark (1895, 1901); Daisy (1901); Lee (1901, lot in Yelvington); Ura L. (1903); M. H. / Mark H. (1903–1927, near Maceo and Pup Creek); R. M. (1907); Hattie Bell / Hattie D. (1907, 1910); James G. / J. G. (1909–1930); Mary (1917); Arthur (1919); J. W. (1921); U. L. (1920); Thurman E. (1926); Albert E., James W., and Marshal(l) (1928); Florence, H. D., Wallace, and Albert (1930 affidavits of descent from J. G. Estes); G. Harvey Estis (1933, 72 A on Blackford Creek).
Deed index: Estes grantees
Transcribed from the Daviess County General Index to Deeds — Grantees, 1815–1937 ("E-F-G" volume), pages 57–58. "Comr" means commissioner's deed. This is a grantee (buyer) index, so it shows only land coming to an Estes. Land the family sold appears in the grantor index.
| Date | Surname | Given name(s) | Grantor | Instrument | Book | Page | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | Estes | Abraham F. | William Bartlett et al. | Deed | C | 141 | 140 – 255 A Blackford Creek |
| 1833 | Estes | Richard C. | Abraham F. Estes et al. | Deed | D | 203 | 151¾ A Blackford Creek |
| 1833 | Estis | James | Abraham F. Estes et al. | Deed | D | 204 | 157½ A Blackford Creek |
| 1933 | Estis | G. Harvey | Fred Lamar et al. | Deed | 130 | 489 | 72 A Blackford Creek |
| 1834 | Estis | John M. | (By Committ) Abraham L. Estes | Comr deed | AB | 61 | 101 A Blackford Creek |
| 1839 | Estes | John | Littletin Estes | Comr deed | AB | 123 | 101 A Blackford Creek |
| 1839 | Estes | James | John Estes | Deed | F | 157 | 101 A |
| 1844 | Estis | James L. | Samuel Henderson | Deed | G | 489 | 75 A Blackford Creek |
| 1857 | Estes | James L. | John Hathaway et al. | Deed | O | 150 | 284¾ A Blackford Creek |
| 1847 | Estes | Wm. F. | James Shouse | Deed | N | 468 | 136 A Hawesville Rd & |
| 1860 | Estis | James L. | W. C. Roberts et al. | Deed | Q | 43 | 98 A Blackford Creek |
| 1867 | Estes | James L., Jr. | Ferdinand Mills | Deed | U | 255 | 106½ A Blackford Creek |
| 1867 | Estes | James L. | Abraham Wooden et al. | Deed | U | 153 | 106½ A Blackford Creek |
| 1870 | Estes | Allen; Robert A. J. | Margaret W. Estes | Deed | 25 | 347 | 136 A Blackford Creek, Port & Yelvington Rds |
| 1877 | Estes | J. N. [or J. U.] | J. L. Estes | Deed | 31 | 551 | 125 A Blackford Crk & Lewis-[port] |
| 1877 | Estes | J. N. | James L. Estes et al. | Deed | 31 | 593 | 33 A Blackford Creek, Port & Yelvington Rd |
| 1877 | Estes | J. N. | J. L. Estes et al. | Deed | 31 | 136 | 125 A Blackford Crk Lewis-[port] |
| 1878 | Estes | America | James L. Estes et al. | Deed | 32 | 153 | 150 A Lewisport Rd |
| 1878 | Estes | Jas. L., Jr. | James L. Estus | Deed | 32 | 452 | 70 A Lewis Port Rd |
| 1878 | Estus | James L., Jr. | James L. Estes | Deed | 36 | 410 | Relinquishment to dower |
| 1878 | Estus | America | James L. Estus | Deed | 36 | 411 | Relinquishment of dower |
| 1880 | Estes | Allen | R. A. J. Estes | Deed | 35 | 345 | 136 A |
| 1884 | Estes | Mildred J. | Robert W. Wright et al. | Comr deed | 41 | 79 | 25 A Hawesville & Yelvington Rd |
| 1884 | Estes | Mildred | Richard Wright et al. | Comr [?] | 41 | 63 | 25 A Hawesville & Yelvington Rd |
| 1885 | Estes | James L. | E. P. Spillman | Deed | 42 | 539 | 10 A Hawesville Rd, Blackford Creek |
| 1889 | Estes | J. L., Jr. | J. L. Estes, Sr. | Deed | 49 | 286 | 125 – 33 – Lewisport Rd & |
| 1894 | Estes | John | Henry Marsch | Deed | 62 | 277 | 87½ A |
| 1895 | Estes | Mark | Robert W. Wright et al. | Deed | 63 | 349 | 24 A Hawesville & Yelvington Rds |
| 1900 | Estes | James L. | Ves Kelly et al. | Deed | 72 | 417 | 85 A Lewisport Rd |
| 1900 | Estes | James L. | Griffin Kelly | Deed | 72 | 416 | 70 A Lewisport & Yelvington Rd |
| 1901 | Estes | Lee | R. G. Duncan | Deed | 73 | 414 | Lot, Yelvington |
| 1901 | Estes | Daisy; Mark | Allen Estes et al. | Deed | 74 | 105 | 136 A Hawesville Rd |
| 1903 | Estes | M. H. | Herbert Smith et al. | Deed | 109 | 346 | 17 A near Maceo |
| Date | Surname | Given name(s) | Grantor | Instrument | Book | Page | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1903 | Estes | Ura L. | Alexander V. Gre[g]ory et al. | Deed | 75 | 268 | Ohio River & Craig Rd; 11 – 35 – 43 – 40 – 30 – 64¾ A |
| 1905 | Estes | M. H. | Geo. T. Hawes et al. | Deed | 109 | 347 | 28 A Pup Creek near Maceo |
| 1905 | Estes et al. | Jas. L. | Clarence Hughart et al. | Comr deed | G | 284 | 150 A |
| 1907 | Estes | Hattie Bell | Lee Estes | Deed | 83 | 510 | Lot, Yelvington |
| 1907 | Estes | R. M. | J. W. Estes et al. | Deed | 114 | 535 | 87½ [?] A |
| 1907 | Estes | M. H. | E. P. Taylor | Deed | 109 | 346 | 20 A near Maceo |
| 1908 | Estes | M. H. | C. F. McCamish | Deed | 87 | 374 | 32 A Pup Creek |
| 1909 | Estes | James G. | James Sinnett et al. | Deed | 88 | 5 | 24 3/10 A, Lot no. 3 |
| 1910 | Estes | Hattie D. | W. J. Kelly et al. | Deed | 88 | 20 | Lot near Maceo |
| 1917 | Estes | Mary | Eugenia Kelly | Deed | 98 | 258 | Lot, Maceo |
| 1918 | Estes | James G. | S. J. Harris | Deed | 102 | 139 | 62 – 26 – A Panther Creek |
| 1919 | Estes | Jas. G. | Lycurgus Watkins | Deed | 101 | 363 | ½ A |
| 1919 | Estes | Arthur | Joseph Snead | Deed | 102 | 400 | Lot, Gilmour St. |
| 1921 | Estes | J. W. | Purdie Miller | Deed | 106 | 137 | Lot, Johnson & Triplett Sts. |
| 1920 | Estes | U. L. | B. F. Tetrick | Deed | 104 | 297 | Hickman & Ebert Add., Lots 6–7, Monarch Ave. |
| 1922 | Estes | J. G. | C. C. Powers et al. | Deed | 114 | 103 | 15 A Whalen |
| 1923 | Estes | M. H. | Herbert Smith et al. | Release | 110 | 57 | Deed of release |
| 1923 | Estes | M. H. | E. P. Taylor | Quit-claim | 110 | 55 | 20 A O'Boro & Maceo Rd |
| 1926 | Estes | Thurman E. | Elmo Sublett et al. | Deed | 117 | 496 | Lot, 5th St. |
| 1927 | Estes | Mark H. | Steve A. Hawley et al. | Deed | 120 | 86 | 76 1/3 A Hawesville Rd |
| 1928 | Estes | Albert E.; James W. | Marshal Estes et al. | Deed | 124 | 630 | 30 A Whalen |
| 1930 | Estes | Florence; H. D.; Marshall; Wallace | J. G. Estes | Affidavit | 124 | 629 | Affidavit of descent |
| 1930 | Estes | Albert | J. G. Estes | Affidavit | 134 [124?] | 629 | Affidavit of descent |
| 1933 | Estis | G. Harvey | Fred Lamar et al. | Deed | 130 | 489 | 72 A Blackford Creek |
Open questions
- Who was James L. Estes, Sr.'s father? Was Abraham F. Estes his father, and is the 1833 "James Estis" the same man?
- What were the names of his two wives, and which children belonged to which wife?
- Who were the "four children" of 1882? Where do Lizzie Pierce and John Hughart fit?
- Whom did America marry second, and when?
- Was Mildred J. Estes a Wright, and was she the wife of James L. Estes, Jr.? Who were Mattie Wright's parents?
- When exactly did James L. Estes, Sr. die?
- Did James L. Estes, Jr. have children of his own? The dispute over his will suggests he may not have had direct heirs.
- What became of Oshaw (Dugin) after his escape, and how did the Hughart suit and the Hardins' inquiry into the missing will end?
Records that should answer these include the deed books cited above (especially Book 32 p 153, the 1878 deed to America, and Book 36 pp 410–411, the dower relinquishments, which should name Mrs. Estes); the grantor index; the Daviess Circuit Court case file for Hughart v. Estes (filed December 27, 1904); probate records for James L. Estes, Jr. (1908), James L. Estes, Sr., and America Roberts (1904); county marriage records; and the U.S. Census for Daviess County, 1850–1900.
References
- "Marriage Licenses." The Owensboro Messenger, November 25, 1881, p. 3.
- "A Batch of Badness … A Muchly Married Man." Messenger and Examiner, May 3, 1882, p. 3.
- Real estate transfers. Messenger-Inquirer, April 29, 1901, p. 4.
- Real estate transfers. The Twice-A-Week Messenger, May 1, 1901, p. 4.
- Neighborhood news. The Twice-A-Week Messenger, January 31, 1902, p. 4.
- "To Settle Estate: Heirs of Mrs. America Roberts File Suit." Messenger-Inquirer, December 27, 1904, p. 8.
- [Hughart suit]. The Owensboro Messenger, December 28, 1904, p. 2.
- "Sustained Broken Hip." The Owensboro Messenger, May 10, 1908, p. 1.
- [James Estes recovering]. Messenger-Inquirer, May 26, 1908, p. 8.
- "Yelvington Girl Who Was Ward of Late James Estes …" Messenger-Inquirer, July 1, 1908, p. 1.
- Daviess County, Kentucky. General Index to Deeds — Grantees, 1815–1937 (E-F-G volume), pp. 57–58.