Seeking Descendents of Elias HURST and Jesse HURST
I'm seeking descendents of Elias Hurst and Jesse Hurst. Elias and Jesse were two male heirs of "Cap'n" John Hurst who were named in an 1830 chancery suit over John's estate who cannot be attributed to either of his known wives.
John Hurst died in Harrison County, Indiana, in 1825. He had made the mistake of bidding at an auction "as a joke" or "just to get things going" depending on which version of the story you read. He ended up owning a human being. Tradition speaks again and claims he tried to free her before leaving Virginia, but that she kept following the wagon until he relented and stopped so she could get on board.
John's family, as enumerated in the 1810 Harrison County, Indiana census, includes one slave, and one "free person of color other than an Indian". This is often code for Melungeon ancestry, which I believe this family also has, but in this case, I believe this person is a child of John and this woman, Sarah, whose name we know only, sadly, because John bequeathed her (illegally) to his wife Mary.
Other than being mentioned in the chancery suit, no record of Jesse has surfaced to date. Ditto Elias, however, an Elias HURST did marry a Nancy FORD in Crawford County, Indiana, on 7 June 1849. Whether this is the same man or not, I do not know.
So, anyone who has an African-American HURST connection they think they can trace to Southern Indiana, in particular, the counties of Harrison, Crawford, Floyd, Jefferson, or Dubois, please contact me.
Best regards,
-doug quebbeman