Probate Records for 
William Adams dec'd by 13 April 1830  
Ralls County, Missouri

[I failed to get the number of the box containing his probate packet, but his was the first name in first Wills Book Index under "A".  His probate packet was located at the very top of the wall-mounted probate boxes.  Each box contains only four or five packets, depending on the overall thickness of each packet. Ralls County was created in 1820.  The first entry in this file is from the book of wills and administrations; everything else (consisting of loose papers of varying sizes) is within the probate packet. All are true to the original as transcribed by Linda Sparks Starr  April 2007 whose personal comments are within brackets.] 

 						56
The State of Missouri
								To all To whom these presents shall come greeting:  Whereas William Adams died intestate as it is said and Lowria Adams having given Sufficient security therefore I Charles Glascock Clerk of the County Court for the County of Ralls in the State of Missouri do by virtue of the authority in me vested by law give and grant unto the said Lowria Adams full power and authority to administer all and Singular the goods and chattles rights and credits lands and tenements of the said deceased lying and being in the County of Ralls and to demand collect and in a legal manner require and receive all and all manner of debt and debts due and owing to the said deceased and well and faithfully to dispose of the same according to law
Thereby constituting and appointing the said Lowria Adams Administrator of all and singular the goods and chattles rights and credits of the said deceased. In Testimony whereof I the Clerk aforesaid have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of said Court this 
LS	eighteenth day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty.
									Chas. Glascock Clerk
Recorded September the 18th AD. 1830
				Chas Glascock Clerk 

[I suspect the next entry was the original paper packet these papers were filed in.  Strange, but the dates are written very clearly on each document:  15 October 1830 is the date the appraisers were sworn in by the Justice of the Peace; it's the same date of their appraisal Bill; and also the date of the estate sale itself. The inventory list signed by Lauria Adams is not dated; I begin with it following by the oath taken by the non-interested appraisers.]

 	6-30
papers relating
to the  Estate of
William Adams
Filed the 1st day of Nov
A.D. 1831
	Chas Glascock Cl

An Inventory of the Property of of William Adams Deceased   W1/2 of SE qr of Section No 24 township No 54  Range 11 West containing Eighty Acres Purchased of the united States one Negro Boy Jerry, money on hand ten dollars twelve & half cents two head of horses, ten head of cattle Supposed to be Sixty or Seventy head of hogs more or less the crop of corn in the field Supposed to be twelve or fifteen Acres two pair of geer two blind Bridles one mans Saddle Bridle & Blanket womans Saddle Bridle & Blanket one pot Scillet & ovin two pair of pot hooks one smoothing Iron two tin cups Bucket and bason eight Spoons four forks & knives five plates & dish thirteen cups eight Saucers two Bottles one Salt Barrel and two gunes one Sifter & Bread tray one old pail one cotton wheel and cards two hair Trunks and two bee Stands Seven chairs one bed stead and cord one granring knife one double tree two Swindle trees two clivis one Set of Shoe makers tools Some Scraps of Leather one choping axe one weeding hoe one Barshear and Shovel plough 125 lbs of pork one brier Sythe Seventy three pounds of Salt   Archibald  Rice one dollar and fifty cents in trade two bells & B one three quarter Augur three Black Bottles one tickler one Pitcher and two vials four yarn cover lids three quilts  counterpin and Blanket one Sheet two counterpins two feather beds and hand Saws one ax  Ring and Steeple two dollars worth of Leather in the hands of Coonrod Gee one churn one coffe pot one Razor and Shaving utentials two bolls & two vials Small Cake of bees wax one piper Box one modern geography two tables Jeremiah Jackson Dr to three dollars eighty Seven & half cents one potatoe patch Cotton and cabage one Pattern of Shoe Leathers Coming from H Fike the present crop of flax Jllushahon of masonry poultry and two dollars  cash and twenty cents received by me as administrator of the estate of William Adams Dec'd of which I am administrator. 		Lauria Adams

State of Missouri	}
Ralls County		}   Sct
	Personally appeared  Harter Fike John Cutright & Jacob Trumbo before me John S. McGee a Justice of the peace within and for the county aforesaid and made oath that they are not interested nor of kin to any person interested in the estate of William Adams deceased as heir at Law or devisee and that they will truly, and Justly, according to the best of their Skill and abeletees, View, apprase, and value the Slaves and other persanal estate to them produced -- Given under our hands this 15th day of October 1830. 
Sworn and Subscribed					Harter  Fike
to this day and year					John Curtright
aforsaid --						Jacob Trunbo
	John S. McGee J.P.R.C.

	Justices fee 50 cents

[The original appraisal list is in two long columns, but appears here in one long column thereby reducing much frustration on the transcriber's part.  Additionally each entry beings with an "X" tick mark; I chose to omit these marks as unnecessary distractions. I suspect they are the copier's way of making sure he didn't omit an item.]

The Appraised Bill of the estate of William Adams  De[c'd]
					$   C
one ovin and hooks		         	1.''
One pot and hooks			2.00
One Scillet				  .25
tin ware				  .37 1/2
Bason					  .50
one pail					  .50
two pails				  .25
 Cotton wheel & Cards  50 cts		3.50
Bed Stead and cord			1.50
Seven chairs				3.50
old table				  .50 
Bread tray				  .25
Salt  Barrel two gunes			  .37 1/2
 two gunes and Bees			1.50
one Bar Share plough			6.00
one Shovil plough			1.50
tea cups & Saucers			1.25
three Bottles				  .37 1/2
 one Bottle				  .12 1/2
Plates, Bolls, P. & dish			1.00
Smoothing Iron			  .50
Shaving utentials			  .75
four vials				  .12 1/2
one pound of bees wax			  .12 1/2
Two Steers			           10.00
two heifers				7.00
One Brinde cow & calf		           10.00
one pided cow & calf			8.00
one Black & white cow & calf		7.00
one lot of hogs			           30.00
 one corn field			           30.00
Cotton & Cabbage			  .75
Spoons knives & fork  BB		  .75
one Sifter				1.00
Shoe makers tools & Leather		1.50
one Trunk				2.50
one Trunk				1.50
[second column]
					$   C
one pair of geer			2.50
one pair Ditto				2.00
manes Saddle Bridle Blanket		5.00
W Saddle Bridle Blanket	           13.00
 Briar Sythe				 1.00
Bag & onion				  .25
 one Auger				  .37 1/2
one axe					1.50
one churn				  .75
 one hoe				  .75
one table & Cloth			2.50
 one Cover Lid				4.00
Ditto					3.00
Ditto					4.00
Ditto					4.00
 one Blanket				1.50
one quilt				1.00
old Counterpane			  .12 1/2
one quilt				1.00
one quilt				2.00
 m geography				1.00
125d of Pork				2.25
1 Crop of Potatoes			1.00
one bed & Clothing			8.00
one Ditto				8.00
one hand Saw				1.00	
one Sorrel Mare		          30.00
 one bay mare			          25.00
two Sows & pigs			4.50
Two Sows				3.00
Crop of flax				1.00
one Small bell	B			 .50
Cow bell				 .25
 one Ring & Steeple [?stirple]		1.25
two Clevis				  .87 1/2
 Pllushahon of Mas			  .25
two Blind Bridles			3.00
Poultry					  .50
Doubletree				1.50

 [on the back of the appraisal]
					$   C
75 pounds of Salt		  }	1}55
	Amount of A Bill	     $ 283.89 1/2

State of Missouri	}
Ralls County		}   Sct
		Personally appeared Samuel Cutright before me John S. McGee a Justice of the peace within and for the county of Ralls and State of Missouri and made Oath that  the Said list contains a true account of the Sale made by Lawrea Adams administrator of the estate of William Adams deceased at the time therein Specified --
	Given under my hand this 15th day of October 1830
Sworn and Subscribed							Saml  Curtright
to this day & year
aforesaid
	John S. McGee JPRC

A Sale Bill of the estate of William Adams Deceased this 15th of October Eighteen Hundred and thirty								$    Cents
Larken Branham to one Small Bell					    .43 3/4
Joshua Hobbs to one clivis						    .37 1/2
Richard Sailing to one Clivis						    .50
William Alterbury to one axe Ring and Staple				   1.12 1/2
James W. Roberts Set of Shoe makers tools				     .50
Eli Bozarth tin Bucket and Cups					     .18 3/4
Larken Branham   Bason					                 .50
Hastin Fike   Scillet							     .12 /12
Lowria Adams  Coffee pot					                 .12 1/2
Nelson Grogan  Cedar Bucket						     .20
Lowria Adams     Pail							     .37 1/2
John Myers    ovin and Hooks						      .50
Hastin Fike    two Bottles						         6 1/4
Richard Johnson to three vials and Bottle				      .25
Jacob Trumbo tea cups and Saucers					      .81 1/4
Eli Bazarth to one pitcher and boll					      .50
John Runkle Plates peper Box and vial					      .50
John Roberts Spoons knives and forks					      .37 1/2
John Runkle Shaveing utentials and bees wax				      .56 1/4
James W Roberts Bag Leather and Sythe				    2.18 3/4
Rease Davis Bread Tray and Sifter					    1.12 1/2
James W Roberts han Saw and Augur					    1.31 1/4
Jacob Trumbo Dinner Pot and Hooks					    1.56 1/4
James W Roberts Chopping axe					    1.90
William Moseley  Cotton wheel and Cards				    3.12 1/2
Lowria Adams  Bag and onions						      .12 1/2
     Same to     churn							      .12 1/2
John Runkl to modern Geography and masonry			                  .62 1/2
James Mappin to Smoothing Iron and Bottle				      .75
John Curtright to one Bee Stand					     1.00
John Myers to 1 Bee Stand						       .50
								       $      23.35

Henry Miller to Table and gums					        . 6
                								        .12 1/2
John W Hobbs to Dining Table and cloth				      3.42
Jacob Trumbo to weeding hoe						        .68 3/4
Andrew Duckworth to one Blind Bridle					       1.25
James Morrison to one pair of geer					       3.6 1/4
John W Hobbs Hair  Trunk						       3.77
Jeremiah Jackson Hair Trunk						        1.67 1/2
Henry Miller Blink Bridle						        1.31 1/4
Richmond Sailing Doubletrees						        1.75
Hastin Fike to Seven chairs						        2.00
John W Myers mares Saddle Bridle and Blanket			        8.12 1/2
John Runkles womans Saddle and Blanket				      15.75
Jeremiah Grogan   Bridle						          .81 1/4
Spencer Grogin  Cover Lid						        5.50
          Same            Ditto						        5.6 1/4
          Same	      Quilt						        2.00
John W. Myers to one Cover Lid					        7.00
Spencer Grogin Quilt							        1.00
	Same   to old Quilt						         .12 1/2
John C. Milligan one bed and clothing					       8.00
John M Berton one Bed and clothing					      12.68 3/4
John Roberts to one Blanket						        1.81 1/4
Salmon Humphreys  Quilt						        1.6 1/4
Larken Branham  Bed Stead and cord					        1.18 3/4
Joseph Bryan to 125 pound of pork					        2.18 3/4
Samuel Curtright to Seventy two pounds of Salt			         1.25
Jeremiah Jackson to Poultry						          .31 1/4
	Same to four Sows and Thirteen pigs				       10.50 
Hastin Fike to forty head of Hogs					       41.00
Jacob Trumbo two young Steers					       12.18 3/4
Hastin  Fike to Red Heifer						        4.52
John Roberts to Black Cow and Calf					        9.31 1/4
Hastin Fike to Brindle Cow and calf					       11.50
Branch Miller   Bell cow and calf					        8.62 1/2
									$  189.56 3/4

										$    cents
John W Myers to Sorrel Mare							30.25
James C Fox to Bay Mare							28.12 1/2
Abraham Hicklin to Shovel plough						  2.1
Hastin Fike garden Stuff Cabbage Cotton etc					  1.62 1/2
	Same to Supposed to be three acres of corn				  5.00
Robert Caldwell to Balance of field of corn					20.50
Elijah Bunting to Cover Lid							  4. 86 1/4
John Hyle to one pair of geer							  2.86
Thornton Yanse [Zanse] to Barshear plough					  4.40
Jacob Trumbo to Sixe Rows of potatoes					    .89
Samuel Curtright to Spotted Heifer						  4.6 1/4
									$        104.58 1/2
					Amount of Sale Bill			$	C
									          317  50 1/4

Lawry Adams administrator of the Estate of William Adams Returns the following and additional  Inventory of property belong to Said Estate and Included in the original Inventory and which has come to my hands Since the Return of the original Inventory to Wit one hay Sold for the Sum of one dollar & 25 cents
							Lawry Adams  Admr
							of William Adams

[The clerk originally wrote "Jackson" as her surname, but crossed it out and inserted Adams above.] 

The honorable County Court of Ralls County
	Your petitioner respectfully represent that there is an improvement of fifteen acres on the Land belonging to the estate of William Adams deceased Therefore your petitioner pray your honor to make an order to rent out Said farm and also to provide fer the  Support of a small Negro boy belonging to Said Estate.
								Lorria Adams
	1st Novr 1830							Administrator

Lawry Adams Administrator of the Estate of William Adams Deceased on this 7th day of Nov. 1831
	Wishing to make a Return of his annual Settlement of Said Estate Returns the following (to wit)
	LauLawry Adams to hire of negro boy Jeremiah For his Clothes & taxes
nathaniel L. Rice to Rent of said farm $17.25 none of which I have as yet Received
							Lawry Adams Admx
							of William Adams

[Monroe County, where William's land is now located, was created 1831, which coincidentally is the year of the last entry. I suspect there are more probate records in the Monroe Courthouse.]