Part of our October assignment for US-REC study group is the transcription of an ancestor’s will. Since the only ancestor wills I have are typewritten, I have chosen to transcribe two court reports on guardianship for the children of my 3g-grandfather Encer (Enser/Ensor) Cole.
2 Guardian Records Volume 1 Mahoning Co.
Ohio
[Left Column:]
Box 1
No 3
Fees
Bond 33
Certi[f]icate 50
Paid H Canfield 112?
Misc Acct 295
Rec. Dec. 18/54 275
[Main Content:]
Rutherman W. F. Cole and other Minors
May Term A.D. 1846 – On motion the
Court appoint Abraham Cole Guardian
to Rutheman W. F. Cole, aged 11 years, George
W.F. Cole aged 11 years, Arian F Cole, aged
9 years – Catharine Cole aged 7 years. and -
Apalina Cole aged 5 years – minor children of
E. Cole late of said county Deceased – Bond
to go in the sum of $300. with Moses Good and
Amos Ruhlman as sureties Bond filed May
11th 1846 Certificate issued same day -
Final Account of Guardian filed
Dec. 16th 1834.
??? to Record ? Feb 8th 1835
Recorded n Book A. page 328 ??
[Left Column:]
Box 1
No 6
Fees
Bond 33
Certificate 50
Paid to H.C. 112?
x.Account 280
[Main Content:]
Eli Cole Minor 20
May Term A.D. 1846. The Court appoint
John Shaffer Guardian to Eli Cole Minor
and child of Enser Cole late of Beaver in
said County Deceased – Bond in the sum of $200.
with Moses Good and Amos Ruhlman as
sureties – Bond filed May 11th 1846 – Certificate
issued same day -
Sept.22.1856 Final Account filed Nov.6.1856. Amend as
record J?p.55 Recorded in Record of Accounts B p. 303 & d
There two guardianship records are for the minor children of Enser Cole who, at the time of his death, resided in Beaver Township in Mahoning County, Ohio. [Note: Mahoning County was established on March 1, 1846 from portions of Trumbull County (to the North) and Columbiana County (to the South). Beaver Township was one of five townships (each 6 miles square) to make the move from Columbiana to Mahoning County.] On the date of these records (May 11, 1846), the Coles had been living in Mahoning County for just 72 days.
Abraham Cole (age 24, the second oldest of Enser Cole’s children was named guardian for five of his brothers and sisters (George, RuthAnn, Arian, Catherine, and Emeline). John Shaffer, likely a brother or nephew of Enser Cole’s wife, Elizabeth Shaffer, was named the guardian of the youngest son of Enser and Elizabeth Cole.
My records indicate that the Coles had a daughter named Ruth Ann, born in 1835. Twice appearing in the first record is a name that I cannot fully read. It obviously begins “Ruth…” but the rest of the name is not so obvious. My best guess is that the name is “Rutherman.” (I gave my best shot at trying to read it as Ruthann, but I could not sustain that reading.)
The “W.F.” in the names of the first two children and the “F” in the name of the third caused some extra reflection. My first guess was that the abbreviation stood for “white female” and “female.” If that is true, then a mistake was made in recording this action — George Washington Cole (my 2g-grandfather, born 24 June 1834) is listed as W.F. So, unless my initial guess is correct, I have no idea what “W.F.” and “F.” stand for. Any help out there?