On familysearch.org I recently found a lawsuit against the administrator and executor of Lewis B. Krimminger's estate. Lewis B. Krimminger b. 1808 is my 4th great-grandfather via his first wife, Laura Coleman.
Lewis B. Krimminger was the guardian for Margaret A. Blackwelder after her father, Wilson Blackwelder, died. Margaret died in 1864, just before turning 18 and less than two years later Lewis died.
The administrator/executor of Lewis' estate included Margaret's assets when they settled his estate. Margaret's brother and sister sued the administrators to get Margaret's portion of their father's estate back.
The lawsuit (found here) and supporting documents are handwritten and difficult to read. My first question was, who is Margaret A. Blackwelder? She doesn't appear to be related. I traced her genealogy to try and find a relationship (no luck) and sort out what happened to her father (in other words, why did she have a guardian?). The latter was a bit challenging because Margaret's widowed mother married her late husband's brother, Martin Blackwelder. Of course as I looked at census records, they didn't provide a handy explanation; it simply appeared as if the husband used two different given names. I jumped to this conclusion because the wife's surname didn't change when she remarried.
I'm still not sure why Lewis Krimminger was named Margaret's guardian instead of her stepfather Martin Blackwelder. The Krimminger and Blackwelder families are connected by marriage several time (in-laws) but I don't find a direct relationship between Lewis Krimminger and Margaret Blackwelder. Lewis was once the Sheriff of Cabarrus county but that doesn't quite explain it.
When Lewis became Margaret's guardian, his first wife (my ancestor - Laura Coleman) had passed and he was married to Margaret "Vishti"Gilmer. In 1854, Margaret M. Alexander married Samuel Gilmer when she was 36. He may be her first or second husband. Margaret may be related to Vishti so I guess I will continue my search.
On a side note, in 1860, Margaret ("Maggie") went to "college." This was really equivalent to a modern high school. Lewis tracked and paid for her expenses out of the money she inherited from her father. Her expenses are all documented, including a train ride to Statesville where she attended Concord Female College (yes, in Statesville, not Concord.) Today it is Mitchell Community College. Here are some of Margaret's expenses:
Boarding - 5 months: $50
Tuition - 5 months: $15
Instruction in music: $20
Use of piano: $2.50
Three pieces of music: $1.45
4 lbs candles: $1.40
Full link for the lawsuit:
Till next time,
keep the blue side up ... Lynn
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