John Hume (About 1750 — 1802)
| Parents: |
William Hume and (Unknown) Granville Unknown |
| Daughter: | Sarah (Sally) Hume |
John Hume was born in Charleston, South Carolina [1] (which was then the Colony of South Carolina) and moved as either a child or teenager to Kentucky (which was then part of the Colony of Virginia). Both were British colonies.
He was married twice, first to a woman named “Long”[2] from Massachusetts [3] and then to Jean Glenn who was born in 1755 in Shelby County, Kentucky.
He and his first wife had one child, a son named John Hume[4] who was born in about 1767 in Jefferson County, Kentucky. This child died in 1783.[5]
John and Jeane then married and had three children: Sarah (Sally) Hume[6], William Hume[7] and Elizabeth Hume[8]. The research available to me shows Sarah as having been born on January 1, 1767. Since it is unlike that John had two children by different wives in the same year, it is likely that one or both dates are off a little.[9]
On June 3, 1782, a group of Jefferson County, Kentucky settlers sent a message to the Virginia General Assembly asking it to declare that marriages that had been performed by civil official without the benefit of the clergy were valid. One of the signatories to this petition was John Hume. The text of the petition follows:
To the Honorable the Representatives of the Freemen of the Commonwealth of Virginia in General Assembly met.
The Representation and Petition of our numbers of Inhabitants of the Frontiers on the Western Waters Humbley shewth that your petitioners being settled in that large extensice Country, and by reason of the present war have been oblig'd to make their respective settlements at considerable distance from each other on which account and the want of Ministers of the Gospel amonst them, some of the Magistrates and principal inhabitants of the Country have (after the reason of Pennsylvania and other states) at diver times undertaken though (nessfsity of the case) to celebrate marriages in different parts of the Country which marriages as the Law now stands are declared to be illegal by reason whereas much contention may arise amongst the people and tend to heart of the ifsue of such marriages unlefs some remedy is provided for the same
Your Petitioners therefore pray that such marriages as have been celebrated in the aforesaid form, mabe be declared good and valid inlaw.
And your Petitioners as in duly bound will ever pray
Louisville, Jefferson County April 2 ~1782
This petition was signed by John Hume and twenty-six other men.
According to one source, John and Jeane Glenn and moved to Long Run in what is now Hart County, Kentucky in about 1783.[10]
John Hume's will is recorded in the Jefferson County records.
IN THE NAME OF GOD. AMEN.
I, John Hume, of Jefferson County, do make, constitute and ordain this my last will and testament; that is to say, I give Thomas Sturgeon three hundred acres of land, including the plantation whereon he now resides, and to be laid off in north corner of my pre-emption, to him and his heirs forever. I give to Christian Young three hundred acres of land including the plantation whereon he now resides; to be bounded on the North by Huse's Branch, to join the northeast line of my pre-emption and to extend southwardly from the branch and to join the southeastern boundry of said pre-emption to him and his heirs forever, and in the event of the death of his wife, Elizabeth, the said three hundred acres shall go and descend to her two sons, John and Peter Young, to be divided between them according to quantity and quality.
It is my will and desire that my beloved wife, Jeane, hold and enjoy the remaining four hundred acres of my said pre-emption, including the plantation whereon I now reside, during her widowhood, and in the event of either her marriage a second time or death, the said four hundred acres shall go and descend to John Sturgeon and Hume Sturgeon, my grandsons, to be equally divided between them according to quantity and quality. It is my desire that my executors hereinafter named, cause to be made the sum of two hundred pounds current money, out of my personal estate and debts due me, which is to be equally divided between the children of Mary Loverain.
It is my will and desire that my negro wench, Ella, remain with my wife during her widowhood and in the event of her marriage a second time, or death, the negro shall go and descend to my daughter, Sarah Sturgeon and her heirs forever. I give to my beloved wife her choice of two cows out of my stock of cattle, and the balance of all my stock of every kind I give to Thomas Sturgeon and Christian Young, to be divided between them, an equal portion to each.
I constitute and appoint Thomas Sturgeon and Robert Breckinridge executors of this my last will and testament.
Signed, sealed, published and pronounced in the presence of A. Breckinridge, John Potts, Geo. R. C. Floyd and Ro. Breckinridge.
May 2, 1798 . JOHN HUME. [Seal]
We know that John died by October 4, 1802, since that is when his will was probated in Jefferson County court. Will typically are probated in the county of one's residence. Sources, however, say that he died in Hart County, Kentucky forty or so miles away. However, Hart County was not created until 1819. In 1802, it was still part of Hardin County.
The foregoing will of the late John Hume was written by me, agreeable to the directions of the said Hume and that all the devises therein contained were made at his particular request; that after the said will was written the said Hume, as well as I recollect subscribed and acknowledged the same before the subscribed witnesses thereto, that immediately afterward the said Hume deposited it with me for safe keeping, and that in sundry conversations which the said Hume held with me relative to the manner in which he had devised his estate, he uniformly mentioned the will deposited with me as his last will and that the provisions met his approbation and desires. I have subscribed the foregoing will as a witness upon the conditions above stated, and if called upon to make oath thereto it is to be under these circumstances
Oct. 4, 1802. Ro. BRECKINRIDGE.
At a court held for Jefferson County, October 4, 1802, the within instrument of writing, purporting to be the last will and testament of John Hume deceased, was produced in court and proved by the oaths of Geo. R. C. Floyd and Robert Breckinridge, witnesses "hereunto and ordered to record,
Test. WORDEN POPE
Clerk, S. C.
A Copy.
Attest: WM. P. JOHNSON, Clerk.
By Lenne Lubeck, D.C.[11]
John named his son-in-law, Thomas Sturgeon, as one of the executors of the will. He gave 300 acres to each of his sons-in-law, Thomas Sturgeon and Christian Young.