Have you ever just ‘stumbled’ across a document that identifies a family unit?
I recently had my mtDNA tested and I have Salome Carpenter as my earliest known ancestor. Hoping to learn more about my Carpenter ancestry, I investigated the Carpenter-1-name DNA project. Since one of the project administrators contacted me about my Carpenter line and indicated that the name Salome is rare in the resources he has on the Carpenter family. While trying to find anything that would support trees (including my own) showing Salome Carpenter as the wife if William S. Nafus, I stumbled upon a newspaper notice regarding a probate case.
I believe this legal notice is for the estate of Cornelius Nafus, father of my William S. Nafus. The FamilySearch tree shows Cornelius Nefjes as the father of
- William W. Nafus (1773-1852)
- Matthius Johnatha Naphus (1776-1850)
- Isaac Neafus (1779-deceased)
- John Neafus (1783-1850)
- Sarah Nafus (1784-deceased)- wife of Joel Hale
- Jane Neafus (1785-deceased)
- Cornelius Neafus (1786-deceased)
- George Nafus (1787-deceased)
- Sarah Neafus (1788-deceased) – no spouse given / likely duplicate of above Sarah Nafus
However, much more research will need to be done to conclude that this notices
Notice
To William Nafus, Cornelius Nafus, Jonathan Nafus, John Nafus, Joel Hale, and Sarah Hale, his wife, late Sarah Nafus and Jane Nafus, Legatees under the Will of Cornelius Nafus, late of Luzerne county, deceased, and the heirs and legal representatives of the above named legatees.
Take notice — That on fourth Nov. 1850, — the petition of John Williams was presented to the Court of Common Pleas of Luzerne county, setting forth that the legatees under the Will of Cornelius Nafus, dec’d, were all paid, and praying the said Court, to order satisfaction to be entered thereon. Whereupon the said Court on motion, order and direct, that notice of said petition and application be served by the Sheriff, by public notice in one Newspaper in the county of Luzerne, once a week for four weeks successively, prior to next Term, said notice to be directed to the legatees named in the petition, generally, without name to their heirs and legal representatives.
In compliance with said order of Court, notice is hereby given.
G. W. Palmer,
Sheriff of Luzerne county
Nov. 27, 1850 10 – 4t
“Notice,” Luzerne Democrat (Wilkes-Barre, PA) 4 Dec 1850, page 3 found on GenealogyBank
