Russell v. JS, R. Cahoon, E. Smith, T. S. Cahoon, Marks, Boynton, Hyde, Eaton, Kelley, G. Patterson, J. Patterson, Leavitt, Lord, Robinson, Conger, Newbould, Underwood, Bald, Spencer, Hufty, Rounds, Scribner, Babbitt, J. Bump, A. P. Bump, Martindale, Quinn, Branch, Cuyahoga Steam Furnace Company, and Hilliard
Lake Co., Ohio, Court of Common Pleas, in , 18 March 1844
Historical Introduction
On 20 June 1843, filed a with the Lake County, Ohio, Court of Common Pleas to reclaim a debt owed to him by JS, , , and their wives. The bill claimed that JS, Cahoon, Bump and their wives gave six promissory notes to Russell on 10 October 1836 for $11,904. These notes were in exchange for property in , Ohio. In May 1837, the month before the first payment was due, Bump sold his one-third interest in the land to , who was likely acting as an agent for JS, for $1,500. However, this assignment did not release Bump from his original obligation to Russell.
JS, , and had multiple judgments entered against them beginning in 1837 for unpaid debts to various merchants. Each of these judgments could result in the placement of a lien on the property had sold to JS, Bump, and Cahoon; therefore, Russell turned to a court of equity to satisfy his claim. Proceedings began in 1843 in the Lake County Court of Common Pleas. The law firm of P & R Hitchcock & Wilder represented Russell. As part of the proceedings, the court summoned the merchants who had judgments against JS and his associates. Though notice of the proceedings was printed in the Painesville Telegraph for several weeks, there is no indication that JS and Cahoon, who were now living in , were aware of them. On 12 March 1844, when the case came before the court, JS and Cahoon failed to appear. Bump, who resided in the area, was also absent. Likewise, none of the parties with judgments against JS, Bump, or Cahoon made an appearance. Consequently, the court decreed a judgment requiring JS, Cahoon, and Bump to pay the original debt as well as the interest that had accrued on the notes.
Following the judgment, made efforts to collect the debt. The property he had sold to JS, , and in 1836 was appraised at $2,376. It was seized and sold at public auction in , Ohio, on 11 June 1844. Russell was the highest bidder at $1,584. There is no indication that any further efforts were made to collect the balance of the judgment.
Calendar of Documents
This calendar lists all known documents created by or for the court, whether extant or not. It does not include versions of documents created for other purposes, though those versions may be listed in footnotes. In certain cases, especially in cases concerning unpaid debts, the originating document (promissory note, invoice, etc.) is listed here. Note that documents in the calendar are grouped with their originating court. Where a version of a document was subsequently filed with another court, that version is listed under both courts.
1836 (7)
October (7)
10 October 1836
JS and Others, Mortgage for Property in Kirtland Township, Geauga Co., OH, to Alpheus Russell
10 Oct. 1836. Not extant.
14 Oct. 1836; in Geauga County Deed Record, vol. 22, pp. 367–368, Geauga County Archives and Records Center, Chardon, OH; handwriting of Ralph Cowles.
Charles D. Adams on behalf of John Howden, Subpoena, to Lake Co. Sheriff, for Jacob Bump and Others, Painesville Township, Lake Co., OH, 20 June 1843–B
Charles D. Adams on behalf of John Howden, Subpoena, Painesville Township, Lake Co., OH, to Cuyahoga Co. Sheriff, Cuyahoga Co., OH, for Cuyahoga Steam Furnace Company and Richard Hilliard, 20 June 1843–C
John Howden, Notice, Painesville Township, Lake Co., OH
14 July 1843; Painesville [OH] Telegraph, 19 July 1843, [3].
1844 (9)
March (4)
18 March 1844
Docket Entry, Decree, Painesville Township, Lake Co., OH
18 Mar. 1844; Lake County Court of Common Pleas, Journal, vol. B, p. 223, Lake County Courthouse, Painesville, OH; microfilm at FHL; handwriting probably of Charles D. Adams.
Ca. 18 March 1844
Transcript of Proceedings, Painesville Township, Lake Co., OH
Ca. 18 Mar. 1844; Lake County Court of Common Pleas, Chancery Record, vol. B, pp. 105–111, Lake County Courthouse, Painesville, OH; microfilm at FHL; handwriting of Charles D. Adams.
Ca. 18 March 1844
Docket Entry, Costs, Painesville Township, Lake Co., OH
Ca. 18 Mar. 1844; Lake County Court of Common Pleas, Execution Docket B, p. 110, Lake County Courthouse, Painesville, OH; microfilm at FHL; handwriting probably of John Howden; notations in handwriting of John Howden with signatures of Luther P. Bates, Charles B. Smythe, and Jabez A. Tracy.
Ca. 18 March 1844
Docket Entry, Cost Bill, Painesville Township, Lake Co., OH
Ca. 18 Mar. 1844; Lake County Court of Common Pleas, Execution Cost Bill Docket, 1843–1849, p. 110, Lake County Courthouse, Painesville, OH; microfilm at FHL; printed form with manuscript additions in handwriting probably of John Howden.
April (2)
23 April 1844
John Howden, Order of Sale, to Lake Co. Sheriff, Painesville Township, Lake Co., OH
Christopher Quinn and Others, Appraisal, Kirtland Township, Geauga Co., OH
Ca. 27 Apr. 1844. Not extant.
May (1)
1 May 1844
Luther P. Bates, Notice, Lake Co., OH
1 May 1844; “Sheriff Sale,” Painesville [OH] Telegraph, 8 May 1844, [3].
June (1)
Ca. June 1844
Docket Entry, Order of Sale and Return, Painesville Township, Lake Co., OH
Ca. June 1844; Lake County Court of Common Pleas, Chancery Record, vol. B, pp. 175–177, Lake County Courthouse, Painesville, OH; microfilm at FHL; handwriting of Charles D. Adams.
December (1)
18 December 1844
Luther P. Bates, Assignment of Fees, to John Howden, Painesville Township, Lake Co., OH
18 Dec. 1844. Not extant.
1845 (1)
August (1)
9 August 1845
Cuyahoga Co. Sheriff, Assignment of Fees, to John Howden, Painesville Township, Lake Co., OH
9 Aug. 1845. Not extant.
1846 (2)
June (1)
5 June 1846
Docket Entry, Motion, Painesville Township, Lake Co., OH
5 June 1846; Lake County Court of Common Pleas, Journal, vol. C, p. 70, Lake County Courthouse, Painesville, OH; microfilm at FHL; handwriting of Charles D. Adams.
July (1)
10 July 1846
Jabez A. Tracy on behalf of JS and Others, Deed for Property in Kirtland Township, Geauga Co., OH, to Alpheus Russell
10 July 1846; Lake County Deed Record, vol. E, pp. 43–44, Lake County Recorder’s Office, Painesville, OH; handwriting of Benjamin D. Chesney.
Condensed Reports of Decisions in the Supreme Court of Ohio, 331–332.
Wilcox, P. B., ed. Condensed Reports of Decisions in the Supreme Court of Ohio. Containing All the Cases Decided by the Court in Bank from Its Organization to December Term, 1831, with Cases Decided upon the Circuit and Ordered to Be Reported by the Judges; and Including All the Decisions in the Four First Volumes of Hammond’s Reports, Omitting Only the Arguments of Counsel. With a New and More Complete Index to the Whole. Columbus, OH: Isaac N. Whiting, 1832.
Bill of Chancery, ca. 19 June 1843 [Russell v. JS et al.]. Masters in chancery could investigate claims upon properties in suits to settle conveyances, including conflicting claims to a property. Judgment liens became dormant after five years from the date of judgment but could be revived if, after five years, the judgment remained unsatisfied. (An Act Directing the Mode of Proceeding in Chancery [14 Mar. 1831], Statutes of Ohio, vol. 3, p. 1697, sec. 14; An Act to Regulate the Practice of the Judicial Courts [8 Mar. 1831], Statutes of Ohio, vol. 3, p. 1684, secs. 85–86; Jeremy, Treatise on the Equity Jurisdiction, 193–194.)
The Statutes of Ohio and of the Northwestern Territory, Adopted or Enacted from 1788 to 1833 Inclusive: Together with the Ordinance of 1787; the Constitutions of Ohio and of the United States, and Various Public Instruments and Acts of Congress: Illustrated by a Preliminary Sketch of the History of Ohio; Numerous References and Notes, and Copious Indexes. 3 vols. Edited by Salmon P. Chase. Cincinnati: Corey and Fairbank, 1833–1835.
Jeremy, George. A Treatise on the Equity Jurisdiction of the High Court of Chancery. New York: Halsted and Voorhies, 1840.
History of Geauga and Lake Counties, Ohio, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Its Pioneers and Most Prominent Men. Philadelphia: Williams Brothers, 1878.
See Notice, 14 July 1843 [Russell v. JS et al.]; Notice, Painesville [OH] Telegraph, 26 July 1843, [3]; Notice, Painesville Telegraph, 9 Aug. 1843, [4]; Notice, Painesville Telegraph, 16 Aug. 1843, [4]; and Notice, Painesville Telegraph, 23 Aug. 1843, [4]. Defendants residing outside the state of Ohio could receive notice of proceedings in person or by publication. (An Act Directing the Mode of Proceeding in Chancery [14 Mar. 1831], Statutes of Ohio, vol. 3, p.1696, sec. 7; see also Editorial Note following 13 June 1843 entry in JS, Journal.)
The Statutes of Ohio and of the Northwestern Territory, Adopted or Enacted from 1788 to 1833 Inclusive: Together with the Ordinance of 1787; the Constitutions of Ohio and of the United States, and Various Public Instruments and Acts of Congress: Illustrated by a Preliminary Sketch of the History of Ohio; Numerous References and Notes, and Copious Indexes. 3 vols. Edited by Salmon P. Chase. Cincinnati: Corey and Fairbank, 1833–1835.
Docket Entry, Order of Sale and Return, ca. June 1844 [Russell v. JS et al.]. If a judgment was rendered against a person who did not have personal or real property sufficient to satisfy it, other equitable interests, including mortgaged real estate, could be seized to pay it. (An Act Directing the Mode of Proceeding in Chancery [14 Mar. 1831], Statutes of Ohio, vol. 3, pp. 1697–1698, sec. 16.)
The Statutes of Ohio and of the Northwestern Territory, Adopted or Enacted from 1788 to 1833 Inclusive: Together with the Ordinance of 1787; the Constitutions of Ohio and of the United States, and Various Public Instruments and Acts of Congress: Illustrated by a Preliminary Sketch of the History of Ohio; Numerous References and Notes, and Copious Indexes. 3 vols. Edited by Salmon P. Chase. Cincinnati: Corey and Fairbank, 1833–1835.