Heslop Legacies

 

J.B.C. Chatelain. 1770.

Yesterday's post described the estate of Sarah Kenyon Heslop and the gifts arranged in her lifetime for two of the children of her younger brother Horace M. Heslop (sometimes spelled Haslop). Before I dive further into the complicated chancery cases over the disposition of the estate, I need to provide a short summary of some of the family players involved in this story.

Horace M. Heslop

Horace was born in 1785, the fifth of ten children of William Heslop and Anne Carter. He served in the Virginia Militia during the War of 1812, and after returning from service, married Sally Hart in Spotsylvania County on 23 September 1816. She died sometime before 1843. Horace then married Eleanor Long in June 1843.

Horace and family appear in the 1850 US Census in Caroline County, Virginia. At some point, he acquired a sizeable plantation in nearby Westmoreland County.

1850 US Census, Caroline County, Virginia.

Horace was a slave owner. In 1854 he published a notice for two runaway slaves in the Baltimore Sun.

Baltimore Sun. 23 Oct 1854.

Horace's second wife Eleanor died about 1853. He died in 1856, leaving a sizeable estate to his seven young children. The children were set up with guardians.

William Wirt

William was a neighbor of Horace Heslop, and a prominent landowner in Westmoreland County. He was named as the guardian of the Heslop children in 1857. Wirt sold off slaves presumably owned by Heslop, earning a total of $2833.50 to be split equally among the seven children. William was named in a chancery case settled in 1873 involving the former slave of Sarah Kenyon Heslop, gifted to Julia Heslop in 1856. Wirt was named in a separate chancery case filed in Spotsylvania County in 1858 on behalf of infant William Wirt Heslop. That case involved the sale of 107 acres from Sarah Kenyon Heslop's estate in Spotsylvania County and 20 acres belonging to Horace Heslop.

Westmoreland County Order Book. P. 57.

Guilford D. Heslop

Guilford D, Heslop was a son of Horace Heslop and first wife Sally Hart. He was living in Caroline County in 1850 and helped move the children to Ohio in 1858. Guilford and his wife Eliza took in Horace's daughters Nancy C. Heslop and Sarah E. Heslop and they were living in their household in Licking County, Ohio in the 1860 US Census.

1860 US Census. Licking County, Ohio.

Westmoreland County Probate Records. 1858.

Guilford joined the Union Army in 1862, serving in the 113th Ohio Infantry. Sadly, Guilford died in battle near Chattanooga, Tennessee on 20 September 1863.

John M. Fulton

Fulton was a former Virginia resident, living in Licking County, Ohio in the 1860 US Census. He was named as a guardian of Julia, Nancy, Joseph, Walker, Sarah and Lawrence Heslop in a chancery case filed in Westmoreland County in 1860. Fulton also filed a petition in Westmoreland County on behalf of the children in 1860 against William Wirt. That file has 81 pages of material. Fulton's petition states William Wirt was holding on to proceeds belonging to the children and would not hand it over to them. Fulton filed guardian bonds with the Licking County Probate Court on behalf of the children.

The Children

• Julia Todd Heslop, born March 1843 in Caroline County, Virginia
• Nancy Carter Heslop, born February 1845 in Caroline County, Virginia
• Lawrence B. Heslop, born 1847 in Caroline County, Virginia
• Joseph W. Heslop, born August 1848 in Caroline County, Virginia (Joseph and Walker were twins)
• Walker Heslop, born August 1848 in Caroline County, Virginia
• Sarah Elizabeth B. "Betty" Heslop, born January 1852
• William Wirt Heslop, born 1853

William Wirt Heslop was taken in by half-sister Elsa Heslop Brooks and appears in the household with her husband and family in the 1860 and 1870 US Censuses. He continued to live in Virginia, while the other six siblings moved to Ohio.

Julia married Elias Showman in Licking County, Ohio in April 1861. She remained in Ohio until her death in 1905.

Nancy married Elias Swick in Licking County, Ohio.

Lawrence seems to have died in Licking County in 1871. He was living with Julia and family in the 1870 US Census, working on a railroad.

Walker died in 1921 in Licking County, Ohio. Joseph died in the county in 1922. It is not clear what happened to Sarah E.