Reading A Probate Sale List is FUN!

Have been reading the probate sale list of the possessions of John Eckhart, 1768 - 1835. He was born and died in Western Maryland and lead, from what I can tell, an interesting life as a farmer and roadhouse owner on the National Highway which was the main route west.

His father and the start of the Eckhart line here in America, was George Adam Eckhart, 1729 - 1806. Adam was born in Germany and died on his own 650 acres of land in what would become the town of Eckhart and later Eckhart Mines. Reportedly he was an indentured servant when he came here, but I haven't seen any records yet so it remains just a theory. John was his prosperous son.

John must have died without a will because his belongings were sold at probate. (Am I using these terms correctly? My newbie colors are still strong;))

The sale list included slaves... will I ever get over that, not likely. Just found a group online Come To The Table for descendants of slaves and slave owners. Think there's a real need out there for all of us to chat about our relationship to all of this information, especially if it's new to us. Remember, I would have bet the farm that there wern't any slave owners in my heritage as we wern't in plantation country. Finding out that there were slave owners is difficult to process. Comments such as, "That's just how it was," and "You aren't responsible", while having a vein of truth to them don't begin to cover it.

But I digress. The probate sale list covered so much stuff! I once had a researcher working on her dissertation about New York upstate agriculture contact me looking for a probate list for Nehemiah Newans. I was perplexed at her wanting it until now when reading John Eckhart's probate list. It really gives you a picture of life based around agriculture!

Here's a bit of it. Left column is the item sold, middle column is how much it went for and the right column is who bought it. Notice that John's widow, Mary Eckhart had to buy back her own stuff... and then split the proceeds of the sale with other heirs! Crazy! And sorry about the spacing but this is just cut and paste gone wild:)

pots & kettles                                    $1.68                              Mary Eckhart   ;

waggon/coal bed                              $ 31.50                           Mary Eckhart   ;

pot hook                                             $.18                                 John Mcgittigan;

102 bushels rye                                 $ 68.67                           Mary Eckhart   ;

2 pot holders                                      $.87                           Mary Eckhart   ;

rye & wheat                                       $ 34.00                           John Neff      ;

bundled straw                                    $11.39                        John Porter    ;

lot of flax                                           $  2.12                            John Neff      ;

stack of oats                                      $ 12.62                        Robt. ?Lowry   ;

stack of hay                                      $ 15.40                           Wm. Ridgely    ;

stack of hay                                      $    21.00                        Mary Eckhart   ;

hay in mow                                        $ 41.00                           Jos. H. Logsdon;

auger/coal                                          $    71.67                        Thos. A. Cheney;

sow & 4 pigs                                      $ 11.00                           Mary Eckhart   ;

5 sows & pigs                                     $    30.50                        Mary Eckhart   ;

3 sheep/whte cow                             $ 24.42                           Mary Eckhart   ;

red milk cow                                      $    19.00                        Hannah Eckhart ;

black cow                                           $ 16.25                           Danl. ?Quilly  ;

white cow                                           $    13.25                        Wm. Ridgely    ;

rye in the field                                   $ 35.00                           John Eckhart   ;

black mare colt                                 $    40.00                        John McGittigan;

sorrel horse                                         $ 31.50                           Mary Eckhart   ;

tan horse                                            $    50.00                        John McGittigan;

black mare                                         $ 18.00                           Josiah Porter  ;

old gray mare                                    $     2.01                         John H. Logsdon;

black horse                                        $ 22.50                           Danl. O'Brian  ;

blk smith tools                                   $    11.62                        John McGittigan;

hay fork                                             $   .22                              Josiah Porter  ;

copper stick                                       $    36.10                        Jese W. Cheney ;

hay fork                                             $   .32                              John Neff      ;

shovel plow                                        $     1.46                         Mary Eckhart   ;

cockery ware                                     $  1.25                            Edw. W. Donato ;

old slate                                              $      .20                           Mary Eckhart   ;

axe/pewter/iron                                 $  1.50                            John McGittigan;

Durkely Gotes                                   $    50.69                        Mary Eckhart   ;

Durkely Gotes                                   $ 57.97                           Mary Eckhart   ;

dining table                                        $     5.00                         John McGittigan;

bedstead                                             $   .50                              Hannah Eckhart ;

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