Early Cooper County Missouri William Ross Differentiation

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Prior to 1830 in Cooper County, Missouri existed 3 different William Rosses. The goal of this project is to serve as a one-stop-shop to link source documents to the appropriate "William Ross" in an effort to help differentiate the documents between the three of them. By understanding that multiple William Rosses lived in Cooper County, Missouri during this time and differentiating the documents, researchers can correctly form genealogical relationships between the correct William Ross and their research goals.

Of Note: William Ross "Sr" and William Ross "Jr" were known associates to each other as evidenced by them jointly owing Churchill B. Ross $12.93 3/4.^[1] (William Sr was a cousin to Elizabeth Ross, William Jr's wife) Additionally, there are other documents found in Cooper County at this time that have both of their signatures on them.

The Three William Rosses in question are:

1. William Ross a.k.a. "Sr" or "The Carpenter". William is the brother of Churchill B. Ross of Cooper County, in which Ross Chappell notes William and Churchill moved to Cooper County, Missouri in 1818, most probably from Shelby / Henry Counties, Kentucky. Regarding differentiation, William's original signature is most always "Wm Ross."

Timeline of Events:

1. 30 Oct 1823: W.M. Ross signs as witness to affidavit by Elizabeth Ross, administrix of Churchill B. Ross, deceased stating Churchill B. Ross owes Abraham Martin of Henry County, Kentucky $100 on Commonwealth Paper ^[2]
2. 3 Dec 1823: William Ross Sr is one of the securities on the Estate of Stephen Cole, Sr whereas William Ross, Jr is named as administrator of said estate^[3]
3. 6 May 1824: Wm Ross gives notice to Elizabeth Ross, Administrix of Churchill B. Ross Estate, that he will request a decision by the court on a note owed to him by Churchill in the amount of $296 for the construction of a schoolhouse.^[4]
4. 7 May 1824: Excerpt from a list provided by William Ross to the court for payment of items from the estate of Churchill B. Ross, "Missouri State Cooper County May 7th 1824 a accomplished previous to the above date dew to me William Ross Senr or Carpentr by Churchwell B. Ross Decd, or the Adminx on the said Estate of C. B. Ross Decd a note and diferent acomplts which I wish to state before you or prove the same are such."^[5]
5. 02 Aug 1824: Wm Ross Sr sues the Estate of Churchill B. Ross for reimbursement of items purchased for construction of a schoolhouse^[6]
6. 26 Jan 1828: William Ross (C) is named as principal administrator of the estate of Elizabeth Ross. ^[7]. This particular document compounds the complexity of the different William Rosses because the principal in this administration bond is identified as "William Ross (C)." Nevertheless, this document can be correctly attributed to William Ross, Sr for two reasons:
   1. He was Elizabeth Ross' brother-in-law; AND
   2. 100% of the original signatures found within the probate documents match that of William Ross Sr and not that of William C. Ross.^[8]

2. William Ross a.k.a. "Jr," "The Hatter," or "The Surveyor". William arrived first to Howard County, Missouri in 1816 from Christian County, Kentucky and as Howard County's first surveyor, laid out the town of Boonville in 1817. He was also on the 1822 Santa Fe Expedition where Major Stephen Cole was killed; consequently, he became the administrator of Cole's estate. Regarding differentiation, William's original signature us usually signed as "Willm Ross" with a long tilde character extending over Willm. His earlier signatures can be identified by both his first and last names being in ALL CAPITAL letters.

Timeline of Events:

1. "In the Year 1818": A story is recollected by the authors whereas "William Ross, the hatter", along with Joseph Stevens and Major Stephen Cole find a burial mound with a deceased military man within.^[9] Note: William's father, Robert Ross, was a Hatter by trade and his uncle, Francis Ross, was most-likely a hatter too.
2. 19 Jun 1819: Willm Ross witnessed a note by Churchill B. Ross which promised to pay George Cooper $100 by 1 Jun 1822.^[10]
3. 27 Nov 1823: William Ross (Surveyor) is one of the securities on the Estate of Churchill B. Ross ^[11]
4. 3 Dec 1823: William Ross Jr is named as administrator in the Estate of Stephen Cole, Sr. William Ross, Sr is one of the securities of the estate.<^[12]
5. 3 Dec 1823: Willm Ross Jr supplies an affidavit for the Letters of Administration of the Estate of Stephen Cole, Sr as to the heirs of Stephen Cole Sr, deceased.^[13]
6. 21 Jan 1824: Conducted inventory of the Estate of Stephen Cole, Sr^[14]

3. William Ross a.k.a. "William C. Ross"

Timeline of Events

1. 14 June 1839: Marcus Williams as principal administrator of the estate of William C. Ross, deceased. ^[15] Note: William C. Ross drowned in the Missouri River at Boonville, 3 Apr 1839^[16]

Sources

1. ↑ Cooper County Courthouse, Probate file 1-9-42, Estate of Churchill B. Ross; Inventory of Personal Estate Bonds and Notes of Churchill B. Ross
2. ↑ Cooper County Courthouse, Probate file 1-9-42, Estate of Churchill B. Ross; 30 Oct 1823 Affidavit of debt owed to Abraham Martin
3. ↑ Cooper County Courthouse, Probate file 1-9-43, Estate of Stephen Cole, Sr
4. ↑ Cooper County Courthouse, Probate file 1-9-42, Estate of Churchill B. Ross; 6 May 1824 Notice
5. ↑ Cooper County Courthouse, Probate file 1-9-42, Estate of Churchill B. Ross; 7 May 1824 List of items owed William Ross Sr from Estate of Churchill B. Ross
6. ↑ Cooper County Courthouse, Probate file 1-9-42, Estate of Churchill B. Ross
7. ↑ Cooper County Administration Bonds, 1819-1868, Vol A, pg 93, image number 91
8. ↑ Cooper County Courthouse, Probate Records, Estate of Elizabeth Ross, #1-14-70
9. ↑ Levens, Henry C., and Drake, Nathaniel M.. A History of Cooper County, Missouri: From the First Visit by White Men in February, 1804, to the Fifth Day of July, 1876. United States, Perrin & Smith, steam book and job printers, 1876. (https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_History_of_Cooper_County_Missouri/8H8UAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 Last Accessed: 17 Dec 2022), Page 45
10. ↑ Cooper County Courthouse, Probate file 1-9-42, Estate of Churchill B. Ross
11. ↑ Cooper County Administration Bonds, 1819-1868, Vol A, pg 55-56, image number 72-73
12. ↑ Cooper County Courthouse, Probate file 1-9-43, Estate of Stephen Cole, Sr
13. ↑ Cooper County Courthouse, Probate file 1-9-43, Estate of Stephen Cole, Sr
14. ↑ Cooper County Courthouse, Probate file 1-9-43, Estate of Stephen Cole, Sr
15. ↑ Cooper County Administration Bonds, 1819-1868, Vol A, pg 290, image number 194
16. ↑ Biography on J.W.H. Ross, M.D., found within: History of Howard and Cooper Counties, Missouri: Written and Compiled from the Most Authentic Official and Private Sources, Including a History of Its Townships, Towns, and Villages : Together with a Condensed History of Missouri, a Reliable and Detailed History of Howard and Cooper Counties-- Its Pioneer Record, Resources, Biographical Sketches of Prominent Citizens, General and Local Statistics of Great Value, Incidents and Reminiscences. United States, National Historical Company, 1883. (https://www.google.com/books/edition/History_of_Howard_and_Cooper_Counties_Mi/iNlzxphn8IcC?hl=en&gbpv=0 Last Accessed: 17 Dec 2022), Page 1107-1108.