Chapter 9
LIFE
AFTER DEATH – WILLIAM SHAPARD’S ESTATE AND HEIRS
After William Shapard,
Sr., died circa October of 1807, Thomas Shapard and Francis Royster attempted
to fulfill their duties as trustees in settling his estate and distributing the
remaining property between the heirs. However, a heated dispute arose between
Samuel B. Shapard and the other heirs. Samuel claimed that the money he received
in 1797 as payment for his service to his father during the war, being the
value of 200 acres of land and slave, should not have been considered an
advancement upon his inheritance, and that he should also receive an equal
portion of the remaining estate. The other heirs objected, claiming Samuel’s
position was contrary to what was stipulated by their father in the 1807 Deed
of Trust. Samuel countered by pointing out that many of the heirs had received
land or chattel from their father prior to his death, and yet, that property
was not being deducted from their expected portion of the inheritance.
Unable to resolve the
matter, a Bill of Complaint was filed in the Granville County Court of Equity
by the heirs in 1811. After numerous depositions and court appearances, the
case was finally settled on March 4, 1815. It was determined that William
Shapard’s remaining estate had a value of £3,084.0.4, of which £593.8.10 had
been used in the payment of debts, leaving a balance to the heirs in the amount
of £2,490.11.6. It was also determined that William Shapard had conveyed
property, in the form of land, slaves and livestock, in the amount of £1,272 to
his children prior to his death. As a settlement, the judge ordered that all
property conveyed by William Shapard to his children prior to his death, was to
be considered an advancement upon their respective inheritance and thus to be
deducted from each heir’s specific claim on the remaining estate. When all was
said and done, each heir received a total inheritance valued at £396.0.10,
which roughly equates to about $40,000.00 per heir by today’s standards (2016).
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