Lengthy Henry Lee Legal Manuscript About Fight Over Property He and His Brother Inherited

Book Description

Light Horse Harry Lee" was an American patriot who fought as a cavalry commander in the Revolutionary War. During and after the war he also served as a member of the Continental Congress and governor of Virginia. Lee is best remembered for his famous eulogy for George Washington: "First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen". He was the father of Robert E. Lee. ADS. 6pg. 7 ¼" x 9 ¼". July 23, 1812. Westmoreland County [Virginia]. A lengthy autograph manuscript signed "H Lee Jr" at the conclusion and "Henry Lee" or " Genl H. Lee" five additional times in the text. The document states in part "The answer of Henry Lee junior, to a bill of complaint exhibited in this honorable court against him and others, by Thomas Howand. This defendant saving to himself all just exception to the said bill, for answer thereunto, or so much there of as he is advised it is material for him to Answereth and saith - that in the month of May 1809 this Defendant contracted to sell to Richard B. Lee (another defendant in this suit an estate in Loudon County commonly called 'the sugar land estate' together with an Island called 'Morton" & part of another Island called 'Colen', both situated in the river Potomac, and both adjacent to the said estate; for the sum of $20,000 - in part payment of which sum this deft. agreed to receive the assignment of a mortgage held by Judge [Bushrod] Washington (another defdt in this suit on a certain tract of land in the county of Westmoreland, commonly called Cabin Point, at that time & at this, as this deft believes, in the occupancy of the complt. Thos Howand. That accordingly on the day of 1810 this defendant did receive a deed of assignment of the said mortgage executed to him by the said Judge Washington & assigned to him, or acquiesced in by the said Rd. B. Lee which deed is now of record in Westmoreland County, & to which, as part of this answer, this defendant begs permission to refer. That the principal & interest secured by the said mortgage amounted by calculation on the 1st of March 1809 to about $10,034.28 cents. That the reside of the aforesaid sum of $20,00 has since been paid by the said Rd. B. Lee, and the conditions of the contract made in the month of May 1809, between the said Rd. B. Lee and this defendant have been reciprocally & completely performed. This defdt. Further answereth & said that by a deed recorded in the Genl. Court & bearing the day of 1790 to which this deft. refers, the before described sugar land estate with the island called Morton & the part of an island called Eden, adjacent thereto our estate in Fairfax County commonly called Langley Farm, with their property were settled on this defendant by his since deceased mother Matilda Lee. That Genl Henry Lee (another deft in this suit & this defts father, being possessed by courtesy of a life estate in all this property & having agreed to convey this left estate, to the said Rd. B. Lee offered some time in the year 1808 in consideration of this defendant's releasing to him all his right & title to the said estate in Fairfax, to surrender to this defendant immediately possession of the before mentioned estate in Loudon with the island & part of another island adjacent thereto. That in conformity to this proposition this defendant did join the aforesaid Genl H. Lee in a deed bearing date of the 5th June 1808, by which the entirety of the estate before mentioned in Fairfax was conveyed to the said Rd. B. Lee & this defendant obtained full possession of the said sugar land estate & the island & the part of another island thereto adjacent, which as before state this defendant afterwards sold for $20,000 to the said Rd. B. Lee & in consideration, in part, whereof, he became possessed of the aforementioned mortgage in Cabin Point. This defendant further answereth and saith, that he never did make use of nay property in anyway belonging to the said Genl H. Lee, toward the completion of the above recited transactions, nor did he purchase, not dies he hold the mortgage on Cabin Point for the use or benefit of the said Genl H. Lee, but solely for his own use and advantage. This defendant does not believe & never did hear, except as suggested in the bill of the complt. that he the said mortgage on Cabin Point ever was in any manner in the possession or at the disposal of the said Genl H. Lee. This defendant has long since been acquainted with the claim of the said Complt Howand to the said Cabin point estate, but was not deterred thereby from purchasing the mortgage as he knew it was executed before the existence of the said claim. And further this defendant denies all fraudulent combination ways this honorable court, to be hence dismissed with reasonable costs. H Lee Jr". Richard Bland Lee (1761-1827) was the younger brother other Light Horse Harry Lee, a planter and politician from Fairfax County, and a Congressman from Virginia. The document has the usual filing folds and one chip to the lower margin, but has dark ink and is in fine condition with tiny holes along the folds

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