In a message dated 5/11/2006 6:15:21 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
jeffchip9@hotmail.com writes:
Dale never gave anything to his daughter Mary. She was given an 800
acre plantation by Vincent Stanford.
This is not proven. It is a fact that Mary Dale Harrison held land on Brice
Creek in 1679 and she was involved in a law suit with Richard Merriman over
the boundaries of this property. This land had originally belonged to Col.
Thomas Bries and through various transactions part of the land was sold to Col.
Edward Carter and the other portion of the land ended up in Mary's possession.
Edward Dale oversaw the will of Col. Thomas Bries and may have purchased
part of the property before Col. John Carter as Guardian for Martha Bries
step-children sold it for the children's benefit. Not all the deeds or documents
of Lancaster County exist. In 1751 a large group of them was assembled by the
then Clerk of the Court which is what we now have. There are some gaps so we
can never be entirely sure that Edward Dale did not give the land on Bries
Creek to Mary Dale [and probably her husband Daniel Harrison].
The deed of gift to Elizabeth Dale and William Rogers in 1677 also retained
life use of the house for Edward Dale and Diana Skipwith. This deed was a
point of contention and had to be recertified in 1695 after the death of Major
Edward Dale. There were a number of lawsuits between Edward Dale and William
Rogers in the period 1693-1695 in the Lancaster County Court and at the time
Edward Dale wrote his will he was angry at William Rogers. One of these
entries follows:
Lancaster County Court 13th of September 1693
p.262 Mr. William Rogers being arrested to this court at the suite of
Major Edward Dale for six hundred pounds of tobacco and ca: and not appearing to
answer the saide suite, and the Sheriffe not takeing security accordinge to
Acte, Order accordinge to Acte is therefore granted against the saide
Sheriffe, upon whose peticon, Attachmt is granted against the saide Rogers.
The Carters were given the entire estate because of Edward Dale's anger at
his son-in-law. Mary Dale had died and he had already provided for Humphrey
Jones. He disinherited the Harrison children also and this was probably due to
the following suit by John Pinckard:
Lancaster Court Records: March 10, 1690
Upon the peticon of John Pinckard as marrieing Ellinor Harrison, Daughter of
Mr. Daniel Harrison, decd., for the estate belonging to his said wife out of
her saide Father's estate in the possession of Major Edward Dale, It is
therefore ordered with the consent of the saide Dale that the same bee forthwith
paid by him unto the said Pinckard with costs.
Recorded March 11, 1690/1 by John Stretchley Cl. Cur.
Much of Edward Dale's later life was plagued with these suits either by or
against family members. All of this is contained in the Lancaster County
records we do have.
Edward Dale was a very proud and easy angered man especially in the period
between 1684 and his death which is demonstrated well in his will.
Regards,
MichaelAnne