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Introduction to Martindale v. JS et al. Capias ad Respondendum, 16 February 1837 [Martindale v. JS et al.] Special Bail, 21 March 1837 [Martindale v. JS et al.] Declaration, circa 24 April 1837 [Martindale v. JS et al.] Docket Entry, Judgment, 5 June 1837 [Martindale v. JS et al.] Docket Entry, Costs, circa 5 June 1837 [Martindale v. JS et al.] Transcript of Proceedings, circa 5 June 1837 [Martindale v. JS et al.]

Introduction to Martindale v. JS et al.

Page

Martindale v. JS, Whitney, Cahoon, and Johnson
Geauga Co., Ohio, Court of Common Pleas, 5 June 1837
 
Historical Introduction
In October 1836, JS,
Newel K. Whitney

3/5 Feb. 1795–23 Sept. 1850. Trader, merchant. Born at Marlborough, Windham Co., Vermont. Son of Samuel Whitney and Susanna Kimball. Moved to Fairfield, Herkimer Co., New York, 1803. Merchant at Plattsburg, Clinton Co., New York, 1814. Mercantile clerk for...

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,
Reynolds Cahoon

30 Apr. 1790–29 Apr. 1861. Farmer, tanner, builder. Born at Cambridge, Washington Co., New York. Son of William Cahoon Jr. and Mehitable Hodges. Married Thirza Stiles, 11 Dec. 1810. Moved to northeastern Ohio, 1811. Located at Harpersfield, Ashtabula Co.,...

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, and
John Johnson

11 Apr. 1778–30 July 1843. Farmer, innkeeper. Born at Chesterfield, Cheshire Co., New Hampshire. Son of Israel Johnson and Abigail Higgins. Married Alice (Elsa) Jacobs, 22 June 1800. Moved to Pomfret, Windsor Co., Vermont, ca. 1803. Settled at Hiram, Portage...

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signed a promissory note and became indebted to
Timothy Martindale

20 Feb. 1795–23 Oct. 1859. Farmer. Born in Greenfield, Franklin Co., Massachusetts. Son of Uriah Martindale and Chloe. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, by 1827. Married Harriet Gunn, 16 Apr. 1828, in Montague, Franklin Co., Massachusetts. Member of committee...

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in the amount of $5,000.
1

Declaration, ca. 24 Apr. 1837 [Martindale v. JS et al.]. This was one of several land transactions JS undertook in fall 1836, and the land may have served as financial security for the Kirtland Safety Society Bank. See Documents, Volume 5, Introduction to Part 5: 5 Oct. 1836–10 Apr. 1837; and Historical Introduction to Mortgage to Peter French, 5 Oct. 1836, in JSP, D5:295n60.


Comprehensive Works Cited

JSP, D5 / Rogers, Brent M., Elizabeth A. Kuehn, Christian K. Heimburger, Max H Parkin, Alexander L. Baugh, and Steven C. Harper, eds. Documents, Volume 5: October 1835–January 1838. Vol. 5 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Ronald K. Esplin, Matthew J. Grow, and Matthew C. Godfrey. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2017.

The debt apparently related to the purchase of a farm Martindale owned in
Kirtland Township

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Latter-day Saint missionaries visited township, early Nov. 1830; many residents joined Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and...

More Info
, Ohio.
2

Letter from Newel K. Whitney, 20 Apr. 1837. No deeds transferring property from Martindale to any of the four men are found in the Geauga County deed records. It is likely that the men attempted to buy the farm from Martindale but were unable to fulfill the payments, so the land reverted to Martindale. Martindale’s Geauga County taxes indicate that he owned three parcels of land containing 105 acres each in sections 7, 20, and 21 of Township 1, Range 9. He was not taxed on the property in Section 20 in 1836, which suggests that it may have been part of this October 1836 land transaction. (Geauga Co., OH, Duplicate Tax Records, 1816–1850, Tax Record for 1835, p. 16, microfilm 506,578; Geauga Co., OH, Duplicate Tax Records, 1816–1850, Tax Record for 1836, p. 20, microfilm 559,345; Geauga Co., OH, Duplicate Tax Records, 1816–1850, Tax Record for 1837, p. 27, microfilm 20,261, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

The note was due on 1 January 1837. By February, the note had not been paid, and attorney
Reuben Hitchcock

2 Sept. 1806–9 Dec. 1883. Attorney, judge, railroad executive. Born in Burton, Geauga Co., Ohio. Son of Peter Hitchcock and Nabby Cook. Moved to New Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Graduated from Yale University, 1826. Taught at Burton Academy, ca. 1826...

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, acting on Martindale’s behalf, initiated legal proceedings on a plea of
assumpsit

An action brought to recover damages for breach of a simple contract or for the recovery of money. Assumpsit was a form of trespass on the case. In Ohio law, it was “the usual remedy upon promissory notes.”

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against JS and the others in the
Geauga County

Located in northeastern Ohio, south of Lake Erie. Rivers in area include Grand, Chagrin, and Cuyahoga. Settled mostly by New Englanders, beginning 1798. Formed from Trumbull Co., 1 Mar. 1806. Chardon established as county seat, 1808. Population in 1830 about...

More Info
Court of Common Pleas.
3

Declaration, ca. 24 Apr. 1837 [Martindale v. JS et al.].)


The court issued a writ of
capias ad respondendum

Latin for “that you take until answer”; a writ commanding an officer to arrest a defendant to answer the plaintiff’s plea. A defendant arrested on this writ was committed to prison unless a bail bond was given. The amount of bail would be endorsed on the ...

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for the defendants on 16 February, and
Abel Kimball

20 Dec. 1800–24 July 1880. Farmer. Born in Rindge, Cheshire Co., New Hampshire. Son of Lemuel Kimball and Polly Cutler. Moved to Unionville, Madison Township, Geauga Co., Ohio, 27 Aug. 1812. Moved to Madison, Madison Township, Aug. 1813. Married Philena Hastings...

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, a sheriff for Geauga County, arrested JS, Whitney, Cahoon, and Johnson on 22 February.
4

Capias ad Respondendum, 16 Feb. 1837 [Martindale v. JS et al.].


The four men were released on $10,000 bail, with four fellow Latter-day Saints serving as sureties. A month later, church members
Edmund Bosley

25 June 1776–15 Dec. 1846. Miller. Born at Northumberland, Northumberland Co., Pennsylvania. Son of John P. Bosley and Hannah Bull. Married Ann Kelly of Northumberland Co. Lived at Livonia, Livingston Co., New York, 1792–1834. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co...

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and
Roger Orton

Ca. 1799–1851. Miller. Son of Roger Orton and Esther Avery. Moved to Geneseo, Ontario Co., New York, by 1810. Married Clarissa Bicknell, ca. 1822. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ordained an elder, by 1834. Participated in Camp ...

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provided
special bail

“Persons who undertake generally that if the defendant be condemned in the action, he shall satisfy the debt, costs, and damages . . . or that they will do it for him.” A plaintiff could initiate a civil suit by summons, which simply notified the defendant...

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in the March court term for the same amount.
5

Capias ad Respondendum, 16 Feb. 1837 [Martindale v. JS et al.]; Special Bail, 21 Mar. 1837 [Martindale v. JS et al.].


On 24 April,
Hitchcock

2 Sept. 1806–9 Dec. 1883. Attorney, judge, railroad executive. Born in Burton, Geauga Co., Ohio. Son of Peter Hitchcock and Nabby Cook. Moved to New Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Graduated from Yale University, 1826. Taught at Burton Academy, ca. 1826...

View Full Bio
filed the
plaintiff

20 Feb. 1795–23 Oct. 1859. Farmer. Born in Greenfield, Franklin Co., Massachusetts. Son of Uriah Martindale and Chloe. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, by 1827. Married Harriet Gunn, 16 Apr. 1828, in Montague, Franklin Co., Massachusetts. Member of committee...

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’s declaration with the court, outlining two separate claims—one for the $5,000 note, and a second for an additional $1,000, which the defendants had promised to pay Martindale on 20 February 1837, perhaps in an effort to avoid litigation on the unpaid promissory note.
6

Declaration, ca. 24 Apr. 1837 [Martindale v. JS et al.]. The plaintiff’s declaration claimed a total of $7,500 in damages. In his assessment of the unpaid debt to Martindale, Newel K. Whitney told JS that more than $6,500 was owed. (Letter from Newel K. Whitney, 20 Apr. 1837; Swan, Practice in Civil Actions and Proceedings at Law, 1:216.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Swan, Joseph R. The Practice in Civil Actions and Proceedings at Law, in Ohio, and Precedents in Pleading, with Practical Notes; together with the Forms of Process and Clerks’ Entries. 2 vols. Columbus: Isaac N. Whiting, 1845.

Whitney

3/5 Feb. 1795–23 Sept. 1850. Trader, merchant. Born at Marlborough, Windham Co., Vermont. Son of Samuel Whitney and Susanna Kimball. Moved to Fairfield, Herkimer Co., New York, 1803. Merchant at Plattsburg, Clinton Co., New York, 1814. Mercantile clerk for...

View Full Bio
and the other defendants endeavored to negotiate with Martindale, but he would not settle unless he received $2,500 and kept the farm and the defendants paid court costs.
7

Letter from Newel K. Whitney, 20 Apr. 1837.


Martindale’s terms were apparently accepted, and the case was settled out of court sometime between 24 April and 5 June 1837.
8

Docket Entry, Judgment, 5 June 1837 [Martindale v. JS et al.].


 
Calendar of Documents
This calendar lists all known documents created by or for the court, whether extant or not. It does not include versions of documents created for other purposes, though those versions may be listed in footnotes. In certain cases, especially in cases concerning unpaid debts, the originating document (promissory note, invoice, etc.) is listed here. Note that documents in the calendar are grouped with their originating court. Where a version of a document was subsequently filed with another court, that version is listed under both courts.
 

1836 (1)

October (1)

11 October 1836

JS and Others, Promissory Note, Kirtland Township, Geauga Co., OH, to Timothy Martindale
1

Note for $5,000 due 1 January 1837. (Transcript of Proceedings, ca. 5 June 1837 [Martindale v. JS et al.].)


  • 11 Oct. 1836. Not extant.
    2

    See Transcript of Proceedings, ca. 5 June 1837 [Martindale v. JS et al.].


 
Martindale v. JS et al., Geauga Co., Ohio, Court of Common Pleas

1837 (7)

February (2)

16 February 1837

David D. Aiken, Capias ad Respondendum, to Geauga Co. Sheriff, for JS and Others, Chardon, Geauga Co., OH

  • 16 Feb. 1837. Not extant.
  • Ca. 5 June 1837; in Transcript of Proceedings, Geauga County Court of Common Pleas, Common Pleas Record, vol. U, p. 107, Geauga County Archives and Records Center, Chardon, OH; handwriting of David D. Aiken.
22 February 1837

Warren Parrish and Others, Bond, Geauga Co., OH

  • 22 Feb. 1837. Not extant.
    1

    See Transcript of Proceedings, ca. 5 June 1837 [Martindale v. JS et al.].


March (1)

21 March 1837

Edmund Bosley and Roger Orton, Special Bail, before David D. Aiken, Chardon, Geauga Co., OH

  • 21 Mar. 1837. Not extant.
  • Ca. 5 June 1837; in Transcript of Proceedings, Geauga County Court of Common Pleas, Common Pleas Record, vol. U, p. 107, Geauga County Archives and Records Center, Chardon, OH; handwriting of David D. Aiken.

April (1)

Ca. 24 April 1837

Reuben Hitchcock on behalf of Timothy Martindale, Declaration, Geauga Co., OH

  • Ca. 24 Apr. 1837. Not extant.
  • Ca. 5 June 1837; in Transcript of Proceedings, Geauga County Court of Common Pleas, Common Pleas Record, vol. U, pp. 107–108, Geauga County Archives and Records Center, Chardon, OH; handwriting of David D. Aiken.

June (3)

5 June 1837

Docket Entry, Judgment, Chardon, Geauga Co., OH

  • 5 June 1837; Geauga County Court of Common Pleas, Journal, vol. N, p. 189, Geauga County Archives and Records Center, Chardon, OH; handwriting of David D. Aiken.
Ca. 5 June 1837

Docket Entry, Costs, Chardon, Geauga Co., OH

  • Ca. 5 June 1837; Geauga County Court of Common Pleas, Execution Docket, vol. G, p. 29, Geauga County Archives and Records Center, Chardon, OH; handwriting of David D. Aiken; notations in handwriting of Charles H. Foot; notation in handwriting of David D. Aiken with signature of Abel Kimball.
Ca. 5 June 1837

Transcript of Proceedings, Chardon, Geauga Co., OH

  • Ca. 5 June 1837; Geauga County Court of Common Pleas, Common Pleas Record, vol. U, pp. 106–108, Geauga County Archives and Records Center, Chardon, OH; handwriting of David D. Aiken; signature presumably of Van R. Humphrey.

1838 (1)

January (1)

11 January 1838

Fieri Facias, Chardon, Geauga Co., OH

  • 11 Jan. 1838. Not extant.
    1

    See Docket Entry, Costs, ca. 5 June 1837 [Martindale v. JS et al.].


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Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Introduction to Martindale v. JS et al.
ID #
14873
Total Pages
1
Print Volume Location
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    Footnotes

    1. [1]

      Declaration, ca. 24 Apr. 1837 [Martindale v. JS et al.]. This was one of several land transactions JS undertook in fall 1836, and the land may have served as financial security for the Kirtland Safety Society Bank. See Documents, Volume 5, Introduction to Part 5: 5 Oct. 1836–10 Apr. 1837; and Historical Introduction to Mortgage to Peter French, 5 Oct. 1836, in JSP, D5:295n60.

      JSP, D5 / Rogers, Brent M., Elizabeth A. Kuehn, Christian K. Heimburger, Max H Parkin, Alexander L. Baugh, and Steven C. Harper, eds. Documents, Volume 5: October 1835–January 1838. Vol. 5 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Ronald K. Esplin, Matthew J. Grow, and Matthew C. Godfrey. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2017.

    2. [2]

      Letter from Newel K. Whitney, 20 Apr. 1837. No deeds transferring property from Martindale to any of the four men are found in the Geauga County deed records. It is likely that the men attempted to buy the farm from Martindale but were unable to fulfill the payments, so the land reverted to Martindale. Martindale’s Geauga County taxes indicate that he owned three parcels of land containing 105 acres each in sections 7, 20, and 21 of Township 1, Range 9. He was not taxed on the property in Section 20 in 1836, which suggests that it may have been part of this October 1836 land transaction. (Geauga Co., OH, Duplicate Tax Records, 1816–1850, Tax Record for 1835, p. 16, microfilm 506,578; Geauga Co., OH, Duplicate Tax Records, 1816–1850, Tax Record for 1836, p. 20, microfilm 559,345; Geauga Co., OH, Duplicate Tax Records, 1816–1850, Tax Record for 1837, p. 27, microfilm 20,261, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL.)

      U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.

    3. [3]

      Declaration, ca. 24 Apr. 1837 [Martindale v. JS et al.].)

    4. [4]

      Capias ad Respondendum, 16 Feb. 1837 [Martindale v. JS et al.].

    5. [5]

      Capias ad Respondendum, 16 Feb. 1837 [Martindale v. JS et al.]; Special Bail, 21 Mar. 1837 [Martindale v. JS et al.].

    6. [6]

      Declaration, ca. 24 Apr. 1837 [Martindale v. JS et al.]. The plaintiff’s declaration claimed a total of $7,500 in damages. In his assessment of the unpaid debt to Martindale, Newel K. Whitney told JS that more than $6,500 was owed. (Letter from Newel K. Whitney, 20 Apr. 1837; Swan, Practice in Civil Actions and Proceedings at Law, 1:216.)

      Swan, Joseph R. The Practice in Civil Actions and Proceedings at Law, in Ohio, and Precedents in Pleading, with Practical Notes; together with the Forms of Process and Clerks’ Entries. 2 vols. Columbus: Isaac N. Whiting, 1845.

    7. [7]

      Letter from Newel K. Whitney, 20 Apr. 1837.

    8. [8]

      Docket Entry, Judgment, 5 June 1837 [Martindale v. JS et al.].

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