Chancery Court Abstracts

Middleton SMITH - Foreclosure - 30 Mar 1822
[MSA S512- 10496; 1/39/03/19-10647 - 30 Mar 1822]

Nicholus O. RIDGELY vs CHENOWITH, COULTER, WALL, GRIFFITH, KELLENBERGER - Title - 20 Nov 1810
[MSA S512-4368; 1/37/1/12-4246; 6 folders - 20 Nov 1810]

Thomas CHENOWETH of Frederick County, d/ 1801 intestate, leaving
widow - ELISABETH (probably d/o John & Mary CARTER, Frederick Co, MD) 
and 11 children - 

- Absolom CHENOWETH  b/ 10 May 1775 - KY
- Mary CHENOWETH  b/ 20 Sep 1776 (single in 1809)
- Ruth  b/ 30 Jun 1778  w/o Michael WALL (m/ 29 Sep 1794) - Baltimore
- Rebecca  b/ 28 Feb 1780  w/o Alexander COULTER - Baltimore County

- Elizabeth  b/ 7 Feb 1782  w/o Eli R. GRIFFITH 
     (he left his family and moved to KY) m/ 1800
.....Darius GRIFFITH (Frederick Co)
.....Charles GRIFFITH (Baltimore Co)
.....Harriet GRIFFITH (Baltimore Co)

- Sarah CHENOWETH  b/ 13 Oct 1783 (sold her share to Eli GRIFFITH)
- Ellener CHENOWETH  b/ 26 May 1785 (died 1801)
- Thomas CHENOWETH  b/ 5 Aug 1787, a minor
- Chloe CHENOWETH  b/ 23 Oct 1789, a minor; later w/o Jacob HOUCK
- Harriott CHENOWETH  b/ 4 Dec 1793, a minor (died 1801)
- Enoch CHENOWETH  b/ 25 Jan 1798, a minor

On 30 Mar 1791, Thomas CHENOWETH purchased, from George Adam 
KELLENBERGER (who moved to Adams Co, Pa), lands in Frederick
County.  The land had not been conveyed before Thomas' death;
but was conveyed to Elizabeth upon Thomas' death.  But then,
the administrator, Richard CHENOWETH ( brother?), found there 
were outstanding debts and the property had to be sold.

Land - "Grove's Purchase", "Res on Joseph's Friendship" and 
"Addition to First Brother". 

Sale was held 1 Apr 1815 at Isaac SHRIVER's Tavern in Westminster 
(now Carroll Co, MD). Land was sold to Middleton SMITH.  In
1822, foreclosure proceedings were taken against Smith.

It appears Eli R. GRIFFITH, Elizabeth's husband, tried to 
cheat her sister Mary out of her property she owned in Baltimore. 
While Mary was near death (in 1808), she wanted to put Elizabeth's 
children in her will and leave them her property; but Eli told her 
she didn't need a will.  He told her it would be better to make a
land transaction and he would hold it.  Instead, Eli immediately
obtained money with a lien on her property.  Mary recovered and
later, when she was going to sell her property, she discovered 
she no longer owned her home. She brought suit against Eli to 
regain it; but, he filed bankruptcy and, after 30 days in jail, 
left his wife and children and is said to have moved to Kentucky.

It appears Enoch moved to Alabama; but, in 1822, by letter to his 
mother, asks to tell his brother Thomas to sell off his property 
in Baltimore and move to Cincinnatti ASAP, because there is a good 
market for their trade, carpentry.