These are four printed witness tickets from the Craven County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, May Term 1840, filled in by hand. They are four separate digitized items, shown together here because they come from the same lawsuit.
Four witness tickets from the John Fornes estate lawsuit, paid by James Roach as special administrator – Craven County, 1840
Transcription notes: spelling, capitalization and punctuation follow the original. Words in [square brackets] are editorial notes; [?] marks an uncertain reading and [illegible] marks words that could not be read.
[Ticket 1]
State of North-Carolina, Craven County. } Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, May Term, 1840
Jesse Fornes Exr. of Jno. Fornes vs Willis [?] Fornes & Thos. Fornes }
Turner Pollard Charges the defendant in this Cause Dr.
To attendance as a Witness 1 days, at 6/ — $ .60
Travelling to and from Court, 50 miles, — 1.—
Ferriage 3/ to this Ticket, 1/ — .40
Sworn to this 12th day of August A. D. 1840 before me
J. G. Stanly Clerk. — $2.00
[On the back:]
Recd of James Roach Special Administrator of John Fornes the sum of two dollars in full of the within November 12th 1840
[Ticket 2]
State of North Carolina, Craven County. } Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, May Term, 1840
Executors of John Fornes vs Thomas Fornes }
William Murphey Charges the plaintiff in this Cause Dr.
To attendance as a Witness 2 days, at 6/ — $1.20
Travelling to and from Court, 50 miles — 1.
Ferriage 3/ to this Ticket, 1/ — .40
Sworn to this 12th day of May A. D. 1840 before me
J. G. Stanly Clerk. — $2.60
[On the back:]
Received of James Roach Special adm of John Fornes two Dollars and sixty cents in full for this ticket
Wm Murphy
[Ticket 3]
State of North Carolina, Craven County. } Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, May Term, 1840
Exr. of John Fornes vs Thomas Fornes }
William B. Nelson Charges plaintiff in this Cause, Dr.
To attendance as a Witness 2 days, at 6/ — $1.20
Travelling to and from Court, 44 miles, — .88
Ferriage 3/ to this Ticket, 1/ — .40
Sworn to this 12 day of May A. D. 1840 before me
J. G. Stanly Clerk. — $2.48
[On the back:]
Recivd of James Roach Special administrator of John Fornes Decd the amount of the within ticket May Term 1840
W. B. Nelson
[Ticket 4]
State of North-Carolina, Craven County. } Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, May Term, 1840
Jesse Fornes Exr. of Jno. Fornes vs Wm. Fornes & Thos. Fornes }
Joseph Pollard Charges the defendants in this Cause Dr.
To attendance as a Witness 1 days, at 6/ — $ .60
Travelling to and from Court, 50 miles, — 1.00
Ferriage 3/ to this Ticket, 1/ — .40
Sworn to this 12th day of August A. D. 1840 before me
J. G. Stanly Clerk. — $2.00
[On the back:]
Recd of James Roach Special Administrator John Fornes the sum of two dollars in [full] for the within November 12th 1840
About the original
A witness could charge one side for days spent at court, for travel at about two cents a mile, and for ferry fares. On the back of each ticket the witness, or someone for him, signed a receipt for payment from James Roach as special administrator of John Fornes.
The suit was between the executor (Jesse Fornes) of John Fornes and Thomas Fornes, and in two tickets also Willis or William Fornes. On the first ticket the defendant’s first name is unclear and reads like “Willis”; the fourth ticket has “Wm.”
The shilling figures (6/, 3/, 1/) are small and were checked against the dollar amounts. Turner Pollard’s and Joseph Pollard’s tickets say they charge “the defendant(s),” while the Murphey and Nelson tickets charge “the plaintiff.”
The John Fornes estate papers, including his will, are in Folder b (Inventories, Wills, and Estates) of the same box.
Source: Four witness tickets from the John Fornes estate lawsuit, paid by James Roach as special administrator. Roach Family Papers (#346), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, Box 1, Folder d (Legal Records, 1784–1901). Collection guide. Digitized folder: ECU Digital Collections, 0346-b1-fd.
Images courtesy of East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University. View in ECU Digital Collections: 35865, 35866, 35867, 35868.
Also from this folder: Swift Creek residents hire Turner Nelson as teacher of “Reading writing and Arithmetic” in 1823.
Part of the Roach Family Papers collection on East Carolina Roots.
