Notes for Frederick Tanner: NOTES PER PAUL TANNER'S RESEARCH Frederick Tanner Robert Tanner Christopher Tanner Robert Tanner (Turner) is reported to have come from Alsace to Virginia in the 1717 migration with George Utz. In 1728, he patented 350 acres in what is now Madison County VA and was reported sworn to practice law. His wife's name was Maria. One of his five children, Christopher Tanner, was born in Germany about 1716 and made the voyage. About November 1742, Christopher married Elizabeth Aylor. Christopher died in 1797. One of Christopher's children was Frederick.
Frederick Tanner was the common ancestor of most of the Tanners (and many others) in the Florence-Gunpowder area. He had twelve children to become adults. Four of my sixteen great-great-grandparents were his grandchildren.
Yet he was not the first of his family to leave Virginia for Kentucky. By various accounts, three of his children and their spouses-Ephraim, Milly House and Elizabeth Hoffman---were in the 1805 migration from Madison County VA to Boone County KY. Also, his brother-in-law, George Rouse. A future son-in-law, Joshua Zimmerman was also in the party. Another son, Simeon, must have come to Boone County that Fall. There were ten signers of the January 6, 1806, constitution for Hopeful Lutheran Church. Among them were Frederick's sons, Ephraim and Simeon, and his son-in-law John House as well as his brother-in-law, George Rouse.
Frederick was born in Culpepper County in 1750. He married Maria Rouse about 1772. She was the oldest child and only daughter of Matthias Rouse. George and Ephraim were her younger brothers. Frederick is listed as making a purchase at a public sale in Culpepper County in April, 1780. He is listed in the 1810 Madison County Virginia census as having a household of 7 persons with 9 or more slaves.
Maria died about 1814---about the time Frederick moved to Kentucky. He was in his middle 60's at the time. Frederick and four of his children participated in the first Holy Communion at Hopeful Church in May, 1814. Maria's name was not mentioned. She may have been deceased or too ill to attend.
A man named Robert Johnson had received a grant of a thousand acres from Governor Monroe or Virginia. This acreage must have been in the north central part of Boone County. (See Ephraim Tanner's notes)
On October 7, 1813, Johnson, then living in Scott County, sold 160 acres on Gunpowder Creek to Allen Crisler. This land is believed to have been on the Florence-Burlington Road, near Hopeful Church. Boundaries and claims were rather uncertain in those days and most deeds contained a provision like the following: "But if said land should be lost by any prior claim, then the purchase money only is to be refunded in proportion to the loss."-
Crisler sold this land to Frederick Tanner on December 8, 1813. It was described as being 160 poles square with the sides running due Northwest, Northeast, etc., and to contain 160 acres. The price was $480 ($3 per acre). Frederick probably moved that fall or winter, using the conventional wagon route south to Cumberland Gap and then north across Kentucky at its widest point. His wife, Maria, died shortly after they arrived in Kentucky Frederick was in his sixties.
He was apparently well-established in his new home in early 1814. Hopeful Lutheran Church history records that Frederick, son Aaron and daughter Jemima; daughters Anna (Aylor), Elizabeth (Hoffman), and Milly (House) participated in the first Holy Communion on May 29, 1814. George "Rausch" and wife Elizabeth also.
Among the 22 signers of the 1815 German-language church constitution were Frederick, son Ephraim (one of the three deacons), sons Aaron and Simeon, and sons-in-law Benjamin Aylor and John House. All, or nearly all, of his children were members.
Frederick was one of the first in the county to record his stock mark. The June 1814 term of court shows the following entry: "Frederick Tanner marks his stock with a crop off of each ear and a slit in the left ear." Boone County Record of Marks Book, page 2.
May 7, 1816, the heirs of Robert Johnson deeded to Frederick Tanner for $2 per acre 31 acres of surplus land-the 160 acres should have been 191.
I am descended from four of Frederick's children-all of who were married when he left Virginia. Separate accounts are provided for each of them. Ephraim Tanner Jacob Tanner Nellie (married Jacob Crigler) Elizabeth (married Solomon Huffman or Hoffman)
In the 1820 census, Frederick was listed with himself, a young white female, and 12 slaves.
Frederick apparently prospered living alone with his slaves. In the 1830 census, Frederick (80-90) is listed as living alone with 7 slaves on his property---one young male, two young females and four under ten years of age. His census listing is consecutive to Abraham Vaughn, another ancestor included in these sketches.
Frederick Tanner died in the Spring of 1833, being about 83 years of age. An inventory dated June 12, 1833, recorded in Will Book D page 123 shows: 8 slaves valued at $2200 Cash on hand $2695 15 notes totaling $1655 153 listed items of personal property $905 Total $7455
This was in additional to the 191 acres which were to be later divided into twelve tracts among the ten surviving children (two had died in infancy) and the children of the two deceased ones (about 16 acres each). Over the next half dozen years, his son Ephraim (Frederick's eldest son and executor) purchased most of these tracts from his siblings. Susan Zimmerman retained hers until dying childless in 1850. Her 15 acres was divided into eleven parts among her surviving siblings or their heirs.
The June 13, 1833, sale of his personal property was a major event. The list of over a hundred different purchasers recorded in Will Book D reads like a "who's who" of the neighborhood. There were nearly 500 listed transactions for a total of $905.97½.
Frederick had been living on the premises for nearly 20 years and had accumulated a lot of things. Some of them were well-used and of little value. They would attempt to sell everything regardless of value. Numerous sales were 6¼ ¢ or less. Only Frederick's clothing seems not to have been included, although items such as a brass watch, razors, wallet and pocketbook were sold.
The crowd must have been large-there are 89 different identifiable buyers for the 439 transactions listed. About 40% of the purchases were made by nine of his sons or sons-in-law. Two families lived out of state and one apparently did not participate. Additional items were bought by neighbors, grandchildren, or other family members. A few were purchased by residents of neighboring Campbell County (Kenton County was later formed from Campbell).
A majority of the purchasers were under forty (based on 1830 census records), with many in their twenties. Presumably younger farmers getting started.
The sale bills of this and the "clean up" sale on September 20, after the growing season was over, are recorded in Will Book D. They afford a graphic picture of life in the operation of a successful medium-sized farm in the first half of the nineteenth century.
Included were: furniture, bedding (including 26 blankets), cloth (including 100 yards linen), most of the kitchen utensils, tools, implements, livestock, food (including 314 # bacon for $20), horses, cattle, sheep, hogs, 41# wool, 46# flax, 158# hemp. Enough was withheld to operate the farm through the growing season, and then sold at the later sale.
At the June sale, a "black man, Chelse" purchased a "lot of shoe tools" for 56¼ ¢. Chelse was one of the slaves which Frederick freed in his will. One wonders if he was the farm's shoemaker and was allowed to buy his tools to continue his trade after freedom.
About half of the sales prices ended in fractions of a cent- ¼ , ½ , ¾ . This was the result of bidding by "bits". A "bit" was one eighth of a dollar. Some sales were in terms of half bits. The custom of cutting silver dollars into halves, quarters and eighths had not quite died out. .About 90% of the sales were in multiples of 6¼ ¢ ---a "half bit". Many of those which did not, were the result of selling items by the pound or some other measure. The most common sales prices were 12½ ¢; followed by 50¢, 25¢, 37 ½ ¢, 31¼ ¢, 18¾ ¢, and 75¢. There were sales such as a wagon and harness for $30.06-¼ and a red cow for $13.81-¼. The inventory of Frederick's estate included several dollars in "cut silver".
September 20, 1833 was the second sale, disposing of 11 haystacks, fodder stack, field of corn, wheat, sweet potato patch and other items for a total of $426.55. It also disposed of the remainder of the tools, implements, livestock and household articles and also included the apples in the orchard and the truck remaining in the garden.
There were 104 transactions listed in this second sale, with 38 different buyers. 16 of whom had not made purchases in the June sale. Thus a total of 105 different persons appear to have purchased some of his property
The June sale yielded $1009.41¾ ; the September one $425.09½.
By far the largest purchaser in number of transactions (77) for the two sales was his son-in-law, Joshua Zimmerman, . The record suggests that Joshua and Susan may have received the home place in the division of Frederick's land. Many of the items he purchased were of little value. Examples were "catch all" groupings such as a "lot of plunder", "lot of tin cups", "lot of bags", "lot of lumber", "lot of straw". Many might not have been worth moving.
Zimmerman also paid $12 for the rent of slave Judy and two children for the rest of the year. Judy was one of those freed the next year by Frederick Tanner's will. One of the children must have been Jemima, whom Joshua acquired for $225 in the division of the slaves the next year; the other must have been Billy whom Ephraim Tanner acquired for $150.
Near the end of the September sale, the slaves were "rented" or "hired out" for the remainder of the year. Although Chelse and Jude were not included in the inventory, they were rented for the remainder of the year along with others-Chelse for $20 and Jude and two children for $12. A comparison of the 3-month rentals with the appraised value for the other slaves suggests a rental rate of perhaps 6% a year. With the exception of Jemima, who was leased to Joshua Zimmerman along with her mother, none of the slaves were leased to their new masters in the 1834 distribution.
After the slave rentals, the last items on the sale bill were: Joshua Souther, barrel and some whiskey $2.00 Joshua Zimmerman, 3 hides .31¼ ¢ Joshua Zimmerman, lot of straw .06¼ ¢ Henry Aylor, 2 bottles, 1 tumbler .26 ¢ Joshua Zimmerman, bucket, tin cup .27½ ¢
With the sale of a bucket and tin cup, which may have been used on that September day, the dispersal of Frederick Tanner's property was complete.
It is likely that Chelse and Jude were considered freed in 1834 after their rental periods had expired, and the other slaves distributed.
His will dated April 1, 1832,, was probated April 6, 1835. It was signed with an "X" (he may have been illiterate or unable to physically write his name). Ephraim was to be appointed executor. The principal provision was that his net estate, real and personal, "shall descend to my children equally", including Milly House's and Moses Tanner's children; they are to have of my estate the proportionate part of their mother and father."
Also, "It is my will and desire that for the faithful services rendered me by my black boy Chelse and his sister Jude, that after my death, my executor hereafter names is to emancipate them".
This led to the recording in Will Book I page 613 (1835) the following: "We, the heirs of Frederick Tanner, deceased, being convinced that it was his intention to emancipate and fully set free his two negro slaves, Judy and Chelse, and we being willing that the wishes and intention of said deceased should be carried into effect. We, therefore, do hereby so far as we are respectively interested and concerned as children and heirs of said deceased fully emancipate and set free said Judy and Chelse in as full a manner as we can do the same, but we each only act for ourselves and are not to be responsible for the interests of any other or for the conduct of the negroes." There were 16 signatures.
The question arose as to the disposition of the other seven slaves, including a suckling child. There were twelve sets of heirs and only six slaves (the mother and suckling child were counted as one). The heirs agreed that a slave should have only one master. Milly House's heirs lived in Indiana and could not legally own one. They were appraised as follows: Lucy and child $450 Edmond $450 Richard $400 Nelson $325 girl Jemima $225 boy Billy $150
Six children each received on slave-Aaron, Joshua and Ephraim Tanner; sons-in-laws Benjamin and Henry Aylor, and daughter Elizabeth Huffman-bidding at or slightly above the appraised price. The total of $2013.25 in bids was divided twelve ways. We presume the notes were collected.
The final settlement of his personal estate, October 28, 1834 (Will Book D page 139) shows: Gross $5667.20 Less> Administrator $150.00 And Other Expenses $159.62 ½ = $5357.57 ½
This amounted to $446.44 per share. It did not include the divided real estate worth at least $5000 and the slaves sold for $2013.25. In total, the estate was more than $12,000 or more than $1000 a share.
Frederick left a legacy of twelve children; nearly a hundred grandchildren, and literally hundreds of great-grandchildren---a majority of who lived in Boone County is the 19th century.
It is said that he was buried in a plot at what is now located a new modernistic bank building at the corner of the Burlington Pike and the new Houston Road in Florence, Ky.
More About Frederick Tanner: Date born 2: Bet. 1748 - 1750 Burial: 1833, Joshua Zimmerman Farm, Boone County, Ky.
More About Frederick Tanner and Maria Rouse: Marriage: Bet. 1772 - 1773
Children of Frederick Tanner and Maria Rouse are:
Elizabeth Tanner, b. 20 Jul 1774, Culpeper (now Madison) County, VA, d. date unknown.
Mary Tanner, b. 28 Dec 1775, Culpeper (now Madison) County, VA, d. date unknown.
Frederick Tanner (b. Bet. 1748 - 1750, d. 1833)
Notes for Frederick Tanner: