County Records at MidMdRoots
website by Dorinda Davis Shepley
1794
BOOSER - Estate of John BOOSER - 1794 - Washington County
Henry SCHNEBELY, exec/of John BOOZER vs Christopher SIDES and George SHEPLER John BOOZER, deceased, was a native of Switzerland, very old and illiterate and scarcely able to speak or understand any English and always relied on Schnebely for assistance. Several years before Boozer’s death, he made a will, and having no relations in this country, he devised all his property to his brothers and sisters in Switzerland, amounting to 800 pounds cm and appointed Schnebely as executor. About a year before Boozer’s death, Christopher SIDES, a needy man of abandoned principles and character, moved into Maryland from Pennsylvania and placed himself on part of Boozer’s land whereby he erected a cabin; and then introduced himself to Boozer and made false insinuations against Schnebely. Boozer died in 1791 and a month later, a bond bearing a day near the death of Boozer was presented by Sides for payment of 400 pounds out of Boozer’s estate and Schnebely being suspicious of it‘s authenticity, didn‘t pay it. He also has heard from Jacob TEETER that Sides told him he has no occasion to work for he intended to possess himself of John Boozer’s estate. In the Fall of the same year, Sides applied to Major Josiah PRICE asking if a will would prevent Sides from obtaining Boozer’s land and Price stated he hoped Sides didn’t mean to cheat Boozer out of his estate whereby Side replied he might as well have it as Dr Schnebely and would have Thomas WORLEY handle it, but was afraid Worley would cheat both Sides and Boozer. In the Fall of the same year and before the execution of the said bond, Sides was seen at a place in Pennsylvania called Woodcock Valley, about 70 miles distant from his and Boozer’s place but in the neighborhood of George ELDER and Tames (Thomas?) HALE, the subscibing witnesses of the said bond, men of profligate and infamous characters, fraud and dishonesty and with who Sides has been acquainted with before. During the same year, Side, Hale and Elder were seen riding together to the house of Jacob WEAVER of Washington Co, MD, a man of the same character as the others and a father of a woman with whom the said Sides lived in a state of illicit connection and she had children by Sides/Sites; and they were again seen together in Washington County about the time the bond was signed and written in English. The neighborhood of Hagars Town where Boozer resided at the date of this bond was thickly settled and inhabited by Germans who understood, spoke and wrote both Dutch and English and were of respectable character and were acquainted with Boozer. Sides since sold the bond to George SHEPLOR but George SHAVER warned against it. Sides and Weaver have both since moved from Washington County back into Pennsylvania in the neighborhood where Hale and Elder reside. On 15 Apr 1797, hearing was held at the house of Nicholas SMITH, Tavern Keeper in Elizabeth Town (Hagerstown), to hear witnesses: William IJAMS, farmer of Washington Co, age 45; John BERRY, farmer, age 44; Daniel MILLER, farmer, age 31; Josiah PRICE, farmer, age 39; Daniel MILLER, farmer, age 31; Richard CROMWELL, farmer, age 47; Thomas WORLEY, age 50; John RAGAN, Inn Keeper, age 45; James KENDAL, age 25; Jacob HARRY, merchant, age 40; Jacob FRIEND Jr, farmer, age 30; William LEE, merchant, age 47; John LEE, merchant, age 36. (not recorded) [MSA S 512-4911; Loc 1-37-1-77-4742 dated 3 Dec 1794]
website by Dorinda Davis Shepley