Abel R. Fenn and Daniel C. Fenn Lose Court Case

 

Transcription:

Attachment Notice

STATE OF MICHIGAN,-The Circuit Court for the County of Washtenaw, Samuel W. Sears, John P Adriance and Samuel R. Platt vs. Daniel C. Fenn and Abel R. Fenn. Notice is hereby given that on the second day of December A.D. 1856 a writ of Attachment was issued out of the circuit court for the County of Washtenaw in favor of the above names Samuel W. Sears, John P. Adriance and Samuel R. Platt, Plaintiffs, against the lands and tenements, goods, chattles, moneys and effects of the above named Daniel C Fenn and Abel R. Fenn, for the sum of one hundred and seventy-nine dollars and seventy-four cents, which said writ was returnable on the 1^st Tuesday of January A.D. 1857, it appears from the return of the Sheriff of the County of Washtenaw, that property of the said Daniel C. Fenn and Abel R. Fenn has been attached thereon, and that the said Abel R. Fenn cannot be found.

Samuel W. Sears

John P. Adriance

And Samuel R. Platt

Beakes & Massitt Attys. For Plaintiffs

Jan. 26^th. 1857.                                             6w573

Source: Michigan Argus, Ann Arbor, Michigan 27 Feb 1857 page 4; column 8

The newspaper clipping above details a legal settlement involving Daniel C. Fenn, my second great-grandfather, and his brother, Abel R. Fenn. Upon discovering this article, I realized that court records related to the case must exist. Since the case dates back to 1857, I turned to the Archives of Michigan, where historic Washtenaw County court records are housed.

Using the Archives catalog, I searched for "Washtenaw County Court Records." Several results were returned, but the one I needed was:

Records of the 4th Circuit Court for Washtenaw County, 1828-1876.  

 Authors Michigan. Circuit Court (4th Circuit)

Archival Material 1828

Summary This record group consists of various records of the 4th Circuit Court of Michigan. The record group includes: criminal court case files (1836-1876), documenting various criminal cases, including breaking and entering, intoxication, larceny, murder, rape, and other criminal matters; chancery court case files (1834-1876), including cases involving equitable rights, estates, divorces, establishment of birth records, and other cases not based on statutory or common law; and law court case files (1828-1873), documenting cases such as attachments, bail forfeitures, chattel mortgages, contests of wills, debts, and other civil matters.  (My Note: Writ of Attachment Dated 2 Dec 1856 for Daniel C. Fenn and Abel R. Fenn)

Available

Archives of Michigan, Archives

RG 96-178

I visited the Archives of Michigan during a Michigan Genealogical Council's Fall Seminar lock-in. While I had used various resources at the Archives before, this was the first time working with court records. A very helpful staff member, AnnaKathryn Welch guided me through the process of using the blue binders to locate the exact record I needed. Once she retrieved the record, I got to work.

Accession No. 96-178. Lot No. 10. No. Boxes 146. Box No. 100. Record Group Washtenaw County Circuit Court. Description of Records Law Court Case Files, Calendar D #595-699 c. 1855-1858.

Source: Washtenaw county, Michigan, United States, Records of the 4th Circuit Court for Washtenaw County, 1828-1876 Record Group 96-178, Fenn vs Sears et al, Daniel C. Fenn, Abel R. Fenn, Samuel W. Sears, John P Adriance and Samuel R. Platt, 12 January 1857; Archives of Michigan, Lansing, Ingham, Michigan, United States.

Transcription: Washtenaw Circuit Court

Samuel W. Sears, John P. Adriance, and Samuel R. Platt

vs.

Daniel C. Fenn &
Abel H. Fenn

Writ of Attachment

No. 1128

Filed the 12th January
A.D. 1857
R. J. Birny (?), Clk

Beakes and Massitt
Attys for Pltf

The record was about twenty pages long and I have transcribed it. I will sharing the transcriptions in the weeks to come. From one newspaper notice, I was able to find the complete court case (and more) and learn more about my ancestor and his brother, Daniel C. Fenn and Abel R. Fenn.

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