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Genealogy: Finding Your Folks

Newberry Dominicks with local connections

By JUDY FOWLER KILGORE
jkilgore@thecitizennews.com

I came across a very interesting record on the Dominick family of Newberry, S.C., which mentioned several families in our area. This was in one of my newly purchased Newberry books on equity court records 1844-1862 by Edith Greisser.

We haven’t mentioned the Dominick (also seen as Dominic) family so far in the columns and I can’t help but wonder if it is the same family which was so prevalent in Cleburne County (Ala.) records later on. Although my research outside the Newberry books was very light, I hope this will help members of the Dominick family in their search for their ancestors.

The court record, filed 9 Feb. 1849 in Newberry, involves the family of David and Bathsheba Dominick (how’s that for a strange coincidence?) of Newberry who moved to Georgia. David died in 1843 (in Georgia) and Joseph Speer was appointed guardian of his minor children who were Thomas, Mary E. and William H. Dominick. Joseph Speer lived in Fayette but the court record sent to Newberry was filed in Coweta.

The widow, Bathsheba, had remarried to Robert Pilkington and lived in Pike County, Ga., along with her children with Robert Pilkington and her minor children with David Dominick. (See 1850 Pike Co. census, household no. 254.)

The legal problems arose when David Dominick’s mother (Margaret Dominick) died in Newberry (John Hair, executor, later transferred to Henry Workman) and, since David had preceded her in death, his children inherited his share of his mother’s estate. They also were entitled to a portion of the estate of their grandfather, Henry Dominick. Henry Dominick Jr. was the administrator of the estate of Henry Dominick, deceased.

The fact that all the children and their guardian were in Georgia complicated the matter. Joseph Speer (the guardian) was asking the Newberry Court to transfer all the funds belonging to the children to the state of Georgia.

In order to include all the surnames mentioned in the record, I’m going to quote a portion of it. This is on page 24 of Greisser’s book and picks up after Joseph Speer petitioned the Newberry Court to transfer funds:

“ ... John E. Bobo, husband of Ann Bobo deceased, filed a bill against H. Dominick et. al., whereby Newberry Court ordered partition of the real estate. The funds were held by the Newberry Equity Commissioner. The minors were entitled to a share in the estate of Jane Neely deceased. Robert Neely was administrator of the estate of Jane Neely and died with estate money still in his hands, some of which was distributive shares of the minor children ...

“Agnes Hilburn was a daughter of Henry Dominick and died without issue and therefore her estate reverted back to the estate of Henry Dominick of which the minors were entitled to a distributive share. Fanny Taylor was named as a daughter of Henry and Margaret Dominick ...”

In a certified letter from Coweta County, it was revealed that Joseph Speer lived in Fayette County. William Nimmons, a Justice of the Inferior Court of Coweta County, certified that Joseph had been appointed guardian of the Dominick children in September of 1843, with “Barsheba” Dominick posting a security bond.

Arthur Thompson and William Thompson gave bonds for the transfer from South Carolina to Georgia of $2194.99 in funds for the children. By the laws of Georgia, the guardian was bound to pay the wards seven percent (7%) interest annually on any funds in his hands. Robert Carmichael, John M. Thomas and others testified to all of the above.

Now, with all that said, here’s what I found with just some light searching.

According to the 1850 Pike County, Ga. census, Bathsheba Dominick Pilkington was born abt 1816 in Georgia and married Robert Pilkington about 1845. They had three children by 1850: James H.C age 4, Sarah A.F. age 2, and Mary age 8 months. Also living with her were John T. Dominick age 13, Mary E. Dominick age 11, and William H. Dominick age 9.

In the 1850 Fayette County census, I found Joseph “Sphere,” age 54, wife Elizabeth, age 47, and nine children ranging in age from 20 down to 2. Joseph was on the same page as Isaac Gay and Winston Gay, so I’m assuming they were in the south Fayette area near Brooks and Woolsey (also near Pike and Coweta).

In the 1850 Coweta census, I found two Spears, John W. and James, living near the Elmores and Morgans, so I assume they were in the Senoia area, or First District of Coweta (near Fayette, Pike and Meriwether). Also in the same area was Anderson Dominic, age 56, born in South Carolina, and several Neely families. Robert Carmichael was living next door to one of the Spears and was probably one of the persons who testified in the court case.

Now, how the Bobos and Neelys fit into this family, I don’t know. I know there were Bobos in Campbell County and they are probably connected to this family somehow. The point, once again, is that much can be learned from books on court records, and much more from court records themselves, and these books are worth ordering if one is so inclined.

There’s one more book I’ll tell you about next week. That one is on early land records in South Carolina dating from 1749.

I welcome all letters and e-mails about genealogy and info on south metro Atlanta families. Send them to The Citizen, P.O. Drawer 1719, Fayetteville, GA 30214; e-mail jkilgore@thecitizennews.com or jodiek444@aol.com. Any letters and/or e-mails I receive are subject to being used in the column.

Until next week, happy hunting!