Jeremiah Vaughn

ABOUT JERRY, Letter from Betty Morrill Swirn Posted 04 Jun 2011 by jbush3838 https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/565279...

[The following is transcribed from a handwritten letter to Miss Eva Vaughn from Betty Morrill Swirn. The original is in my possession.]

Orange Beach, Alabama (Caswell) Friday (n.d.)

Dear Miss Eva:

Well, I got home for a few days. I finished my work the day I went to Corsicanna, if one of us ahd gone there originally the expenses we have all been put to would have to a large extent been avoided. There in the records is the fact that Jerry died in Porters Bluff, Texas, this is very near to Corsicana, and it is on the county line of Navaarro & Ellis Counthy. He died in Ellis County as that was his homestead site, on the banks of the Trinity River, 92 acres, he died a wealthy man and at a young age. Wm. Arledge asked for administration of his estate claimed that Vaughn had no relatives living, he claimed that he was doing this for the benefit of the widow & child, he is the only one who ever came forward & said there was a child, in later times & places Laura asked for money from the estate for herself and never at any time did she ever ask for anything for the child, only herself. Arledge threw the money away, gambled it, etc. Some of the more prominent citizens came forward and ask that the administration be taken from him because of mismanagement. Laura had come forward and ask that he give it up as he was tryhing to take the homestead from her for to pay gambling debts. The court took it from him, gave her the homestead, the he comes back* says that he was incapicated at the time & wish to to have it back & that he will do a better job, so he got it back. The court then game him permission toi sell land in Newton County,Kaufman County & Ellis & Navarro County to pay the debts against the estate, and there that part of the story ends.... None of Jerry's land was his and Laura' Comm. Prop. & there were no deeds, they should have had them ... he sold the land in Newton by affadavit. .. .
Anyway, we now know he had 600 acres in Kaufman Co. 592 Ellis Co. 2214 Newton and more in Navarro, all sold with no deed. ...

Love - Betty