Richard Sothoron Anderson b. Bef. 1814, St. Mary's Co., MD to Henry Anderson & Mary Sothoron. (Reno*)

Richard Sothern Anderson, son of Henry Anderson & Mary, b. abt 1803, d. April 1847, m. Martha C. Love (b. 1805, d. 13 June 1845) , Dau. of Charles K Love of Charles Co., MD (Cook(1)*, Pg. iv)

** Taken from Cook(2)*, pp 4-10 : Richard S. Anderson's Lifetime

- Richard s. Anderson left a wide trail in the records of Montgomery County. His name first appears in 1825 with a bill of sale from Henry Anderson to Richard S. Anderson covering the purchase of a crop of "Wheat, rye, oates, hay, flax, corn and tobacco, 20 heads of hogs, one gray mare and a black cow". There is another bill of sale in 1828 of livestock, plows, harrows and a set of waggon harness from Norris Eder.

- Martha c. Anderson was the wife of Richard S. Anderson. In 1834 Richard purchased, for $500, part of a tract in Montgomery County known as Josephs Park. ...when Richard sold the 10-5/8 acres of Josephs Park in 1836, the deed was signed by both Richard and his wife, Martha C. Anderson.

- Prince Georges Parish in Rockville was the Episcopal Church in Montgomery County and Richard and Martha were members of the church. The register of Prince Georges Parish shows that Charles Henry Anderson, infant son of Richard and Martha, was baptized October 12, 1828, Catherine Clovenler Anderson "of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Anderson", born September 24, 1838, was baptized in May of 1845.

- Richard took part in civic affairs. The "History of Westcrn Maryland, Being a History of Frederick, Montgomery, Carroll, Washington, Allegany and Garrett Counties", by J. Thomas Scharf, published in 1882, in citing from records of school board meetings, says:

---"District 4, on September 4th (1839) held its meeting, of which Eden Beall was president, and Richard S. Anderson, Clerk. The trustees elected were Richard S. Anderson, Eden Beall and John Rabbitt. A committee was appointed to ascertain the legal number of school youths and look out a site for a new school-house, and report at the January meeting following. Four hundred dollars was levied,"

- Richard's largest piece of land was purchased in 1839 for $2,800. There were 400 acres, part of the tract called Bradfords Rest and part of the tract called The Resurvey on Milleys Dislike, It was about two miles east of Rockville on Rock Creek and was the home farm for Richard and his family.

- In addition to the 400 acres, he had the 84-3/4 acres he had purchased in 1840 from Anna H. S. Forrest in the St. Marys tract and then in 1844 he purchased another 19 acres in a tract called Burgundy from a William Lee,

- The old tax assessment records copied by the Montgomery County Historical Society in Rockville show Richard S. Anderson owning not only this real estate, but personal property as well. He owned in 1841:

- A brief obituary in the Maryland Journal of Wednesday, June 18, 1845, tells that Martha C. Anderson, age 40 years, wife of Richard S. Anderson, died near Rockville "on Friday last".

- Then in April of 1847, Richard S. Anderson died, leaving no will. Charles was 19 years old, Laura was 16, Josephine was 10 and Catherine was 8,

- William V. Bouic, of the Rockville law firm of Anderson & Bouic, was appointed administrator of the estate of Richard S. Anderson and guardian of the two youngest daughters, Josephine and Catherine. Laura was only 16, but in January of 1847, before her father died, she had married Thomas 0. Smith, twelve years older than she was.

- An administrator first prepares and files an inventory and W. Veirs Bouic, as he usually signed himself, filed his promptly in May 1847.

-The inventory of goods, chattels and personal estate of Richard S, Anderson, late of Montgomery County, was quite long. It starts:

- Richard s. Anderson was a man of considerable means and the inventory goes on page after page.. There were 22 slaves, total value $6575.

- Every single thing Has listed, carpets and copper kettles, beds and bureaus, whiskey barrels and pot hooks, pots and trundle bed, three ovens and three wool wheels. The total was $7,737.11 1/4; (they had quarter-pence in those days),

- Listed also was some disputed property, claimed by Charles H. Anderson:

- A decree of the Circuit Court later granted his claim,

- The debts due Richard S, Anderson included $80 due from W.Veirs Bouic for negro hire for 'the year 1847, negro hire for the past and the present year from others, $70 loaned John C. Jones and $4.58 1/2 due from Alex F. Boswell. In a separate category were debts that were "desparate", that is, collection was very dubious. These included "Laura V. Anderson

balance on open account $191; Nary Anderson, $785.90; H. B. Anderson, $53,85,

- Hazel B. Cashell and Robert Connell were appointed to "view and estimate the annual value of the real estate of Richard S, Anderson and set down what houses, orchards, gardens, meadows, enclosures and other improvements there are on said land, their condition and what proportion is in woods", They set the annual rental value at $130, and their report was far from encouraging:

"There is a dwelling house which has recently undergone extensive repairs but which is still in unfinished condition; the kitchen is of logs and in very bad condition, the chimney being of wood is in such condition as to endanger the kitchen and dwelling house from fire; there is a good log meat house, a tolerable log dairy, a very indifferent and incommodious stable now requiring a new roof; an old log corn house in a dilapidated condiion and a negro quarter In bad condition; about 250 yards from the dwelling a young apple orchard of about 200 trees not yet in bearing, the land generally greatly out of order....from 10 to 15 acres of meadow land on Rock
Creek set in grass and very good but subject to be overflowed...there is no timber on this tract...84 1/2 acres ncar Rockville between the lands of I. Brewer, Esq. and Capt,Brice Letton and detached from the home tract is under bad fencing, the fence being now prostrated with the winds ...there is also a wood lot detached from the other lands lylng five miles distant therefrom containing about 19 1/4 acres of land inferior and unenclosed,"

- A public auction was held the lst and 2nd of November, 1847 by William Veirs Bouic and all personal property of Richard S. Anderson was sold. Charles H. Anderson bought some of his father's things, outbidding other prospective purchasers, He must have liked the buffalo robe- that was the first item on the list of his purchases. He bid on household essentials that included blankets and sheets, carpet, table, chairs and a bed, a coffeepot for 12 1/2 cents, hogs and chickens also.  He bought a negro man Washington and a negro woman Celia,

- Nine other men bought the remaining slaves, The negro boy Albert, who was 7, went with the negro man John, who was 43, to James Kidwell at $200 for Albert and $290 for John, Robert Brown was there and bought a yoke for 15 cents, a plough for $1. 25, a lot of old iron for $1.70 and a few other small items, The total amount taken in at the auction of

all the personal property of Richard S, Anderson was $8,099, 04, a large amount of money in those times.,

- Richard s. Anderson had possessed considerable wealth in assets, but he also possessed a considerable amount of debts. He Owed far and wide, large amounts and small, several involving other persons with whom he had co-signed bills (notes, we call them today), He owed his son Charles $272,50 "on open account" and Thomas 0. Smith, his son-in-law, payable in six months, $26.58, plus another $11,00 "on open account".  The List of Debts that was filed concluded with the statement that his debts, "which if interest be computed to about Hay 15, 1848, will make the whole sum of about $11,810,00,"

- William Veirs Bouic's First Account, which he filed in May of the next year, accounted for the moneys received from the auction and included a charge of $844,15 for the administrator's ten percent commission,  His Second Account noted a payment to Charles Anderson for the support of negro Moll (she was blind and inventoried as having no value) of

$351.52 and a commission to the administrator of $35.15.

- he First Account of 1-iilliam Veirs Bouie, Guardian of Josephine L. Anderson, shows receipt of the ward's part of the rent of her father's real estate, $32,50, This was one-fourth of the annual rent of $130,00,  The guardian paid board, clothing and schooling costs of $263.96 1/2, charged a commission of $3.25 (ten percent of $32.50), all of which of course resulted in an overpayment of income,

- In 1855, by which time Josephine would have been 18 years old, the final guardianship account was filed,

The Equity Case

- In July of 1855 William Veirs Bouic filed a bill of complaint in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County as a Court of Equity. The bill of complaint and other pleadings in the case were copied, by hand of course, in a large book among the court records and go on for ten pages or so,  The bill of complaint states:

- "Richard s. Anderson late of said county deceased was in his lifetime seized and possessed of certain Real Estate ••• and being so seized and possessed in the month of Apri1 in the year Eighteen Hundred and forty seven departed this life intestate •••

- "Your Orator further avers that letters of administration were only granted ••• to the said William V. Bouic on

the personal estate of said Richard S. Anderson ••• who finding said personal Estate greatly embarrassed by reason of the liabilities of the said deceased on his own account but chiefly as security of sundry persons most of whom were public officers was unable to make a final settlement thereof ••• there was and still is a suit pending in the Circuit Court of said County against said administrator in favor of a certain Reuben Summers on a certain writing obligatory wherein Richard S. Anderson was and & is the surety of a certain John W. Baker •• , it being considered by the said heirs of said Richard S. Anderson to be greatly to their interest to sell the said Real Estate at this time •••

 

- "the said Bouie was duly appointed ••• guardian of said Josephine L. and Catharine Anderson ••• said Josephine intermarried with said William 'I'. Evans and having attained the age of eighteen years ••• said Bouie overpaid the said Josephine the sum of $835.43 1/2; ••• Guardian of said Catharine ••• overpayments amount to the sum of $212.00 ••• note given said Bouic by said Charles Anderson, Robert Brown and Thomas

Connelly for property purchased by said Charles H. from said Bouic at the sale of personal Estate of the said Richard S. Anderson ••• sum of $1067,08 1/4 •••

 

- "said real estate cannot be divided between said Heirs with advantage to all the parties and that it will be for the interest: and advantage of all the said Heirs to sell the same under the direction of this Court and to have the

proceeds distributed amongst them according to their just proportions ••• "

- Bouic had been administrator of Richard's estate and guardian of Josephine and Catherine for eight years. He had paid more for the girls' expenses that he had received as their share of the rent of their father's land and had loaned Charles the money to purchase some of his father's personal property, There were not sufficient funds left in the estate to pay Reuben Summers if he obtained a judgment, Rather than wait for the Summers case to be concluded, they all wanted to sellthe real estate, pay Bouic what he was owed and the heirs would handle the Summers matter,

- Three men then filed their written depositions, testifying that they knew the land well and that it was "not susceptible of division".  There was just one dwelling house and a very small quantity of woodland,  If divided nearly all the woodland would be assigned to one party and the others would be without enough to support them, It would be in the best interest to sell the farm for want of timber, \With wood used for both cooking and heating, a woodlot was an essential..

- Thomas 0. Smith, who was older than Charles, handled the sale of the real estate. He advertised in the Intelligencer and Union newspapers,printed in Washington City, District of Columbia, the Sun, printed in Baltimore City, the Sentinel newspaper in Rockville, the Frederick Citizen and by hand bills, The first issue of the Sentinel, dated August 11, 1855, carried on the third of its four pages notice of a "Trustee's Sale of Very Valuable Real Estate", Being the first issue, a copy of it had been preserved,

-The sale was held Tuesday, August 28, 1855, at the Courthouse door at 11:00 o'clock. The home farm had been divided into two parcels to make selling easier, but Allen B. Davis bought both parcels, paying $7,902.32 1/2 for a little over 400 acres, John W. Spates bid $1,101.87 for the 84 acres that Richard Anderson had from Anna H. S. Forrest.  The 20-acre wood lot purchased by Richard from William Lee Has offered for sale but the price bid qas deemed inadequate and the trustee, Thomas 0. Smith, adjourned the sale and later sold the wood lot at private sale to William N. Austin and H. Veirs Bouic for $300,