This estate settlement of Cornelius Cozine is very interesting.  Cornelius’ will was written February 9, 1787, and he must have died within a few days or weeks.  In it he names wife, Mary, sons Daniel and Cornelius, and daughters Anne and Sarah.  Executors Abraham Banta and Samuel Demeree are listed.  Evidently Samuel Demeree married the widow, Mary Cozine, within a year or two, since he is named as ‘husband to the widow of the decedent’ in 1789.

The estate sales must have been somewhat of a party with the whisky that was on hand.  I love the term ‘crying the sale’ – what would our auctioneers think of that today?  Did you notice that the clerk of Mercer County, Thomas Allin, was paid in tobacco and money?

All men listed are early Kentucky settlers.

Mercer County Probate Records, Book 1, Pages 65-66

The Estate of Cornelius Cozine, Deceased

Amounts in pounds, shillings and pence

Abraham Banta and Samuel Demeree, Executors

1787

• Paid the Clerk of Mercer his ticket 320 lb tobacco & 12 tenth of lb – 2-12-0

1788

• Paid James Overton for advice – 0-12-6
• Paid James Dunbar for schooling children – 0-7-6
• Paid John Furman for subscription by Cozine for Cane Run Meeting House – 1-0-0

1789

• Paid William Rue Clerk of the sale – 0-12-0
• Paid George Smith for 5 gallons of whisky for the sale – 1-0-0
• Paid John Banta for a cow bought of him to pay George Scott which cow is dead – 3-0-0
• Paid John Banta for Sharpening plow irons – 0-1-0
• Paid Cornelius Bogart for whisky for the sale – 0-7-6
• Paid William Alexander for crying the sale – 1-4-0
• Paid John Thomas for surveying Cozine’s part of the land bought of Scott – 0-12-0
• Paid George Scott a cow and calf in part of the price of the land – 4-10-0
• Paid Cornelius Bogart for judging land in Jefferson County – 0-3-8
• Paid Samuel Demeree, husband to the widow of the decedent in part – 63-7-5
• Paid Job Hale for a season(?) of the horse – 0-12-0
• Paid George Scott in part for land – 18-9-0

This amount is paid by Abraham Banta – 99-10-7

1790

• Paid for attendance on the child Cornelius to Doctor Kline, paid to him by Samuel Demeree – 7-10-0

107-0-7

Balance due from the Executors – 297-15-6

Total 404-16-1

A balance due by Cornelius Cozine in his lifetime to Samuel Deremee – 2-15-3

To balance due as per Contra – 295-0-9

Contra – 297-15-6

February 28^th 1788 – By amounts of the Sales of the Estate as per account returned, bearing interest from the 28^th of February 1789, in the hands of Abraham Banta – 374-8-10

July 6^th 1790 – By money received of the decedent’s Estate from John Cozine of the State of Pennsylvania – 20-0-0

By received from of the decedents Estate from Simon Vanarsdall – 16-14-11

By received from of the decedent’s Estate from Garrid Cozine – 3-12-4                              Total 30-7-3

This 30-7-3 in the hands of Samuel Demeree

Total amount is 404-16-1

By balance due 297-15-6

By balance as per contra 295-0-3

Agreeable to an order of the worshipful Court of Mercer County, we the subscribers have examined the accounts of the estate of Cornelius cosine, deceased, and also the vouchers for the payments made by the Executors, which are herewith returned and also a coy of the accounts of Sales and find the balance due by the Executor to said Estate to be two hundred and ninety-five pounds and three pence, as stated in the above account as witness our hands this 23^rd day of August 1791

William Kennedy, James Speed, Will Buckner

Mercer County                         August Court 1791

This account of the settlement of the Executors of the Estate of Cornelius Cozine, deceased, was returned into Court and being examined by the court the same is ordered to be recorded.

Teste – Thomas Allin, C.C.