James STRONG

  Research Notes:

The listing of James Strong as a son of John is plausible, though certainly not conclusive. That a James existed is proven by the 1841 Deed of Trust he executed for the benefit of John Strong. While James could have been John's brother or a cousin, his presence in Lincoln County suggests a closer relationship. Then again, the Deed of Trust suggests the relationship was not as trusting as one would expect of a father-son relationship. But, since James was already in default on one of his notes to John, maybe John thought it was time to be business-like with him.

There is room for James and some of James' children in the 1840 household of John Strong. He seems a good fit for the male in the 30-40 age bracket. The 1820 census for Smith County, Tennessee shows that there was at least 1 son over the age of 16 in the household of John Strong, which could be James. Note that for John to name his first son James would follow the normal naming pattern.

No other records have been found for James.

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Deed of Trust: 1841, Lincoln County, Tennessee. ²

Dated 1 Nov 1841, Registered 28 Dec 1841, Bk N:192
A Deed of Trust to secure indebtedness to John Strong, with James Strong as Trustee and Herman Husbands as Trustor. The property given in security consisted of one bay mare, one gray mare and one bay. (A somewhat unusual aspect of the Deed of Trust was that James was paid $5, perhaps to equalize the debt and the collateral.) The recitation of facts indicated John Strong had become security for James Strong for his note to Joseph Sebastian in the amount of $56, due 25 Dec 1841. It was also stated that John Strong held two earlier notes of James Strong, one for $33.33, due 6 May 1841, and a second for $22, due 25 Dec 1839. To secure payment of his obligations to John Strong, including presumably the contingent obligation if James defaulted on the note to Joseph Sebastian, the Deed of Trust was executed. If James paid his obligations by 6 May 1842, then the Deed of Trust was to be void. If he did not make payment, the property was to be sold, his debts satisfied, and any remaining balance was to be paid to James. Signed by James (his X mark) Strong. Witnessed by Samuel Little and Andrew Flemming. Acknowledged by witnesses before the clerk of the court on 28 Dec 1841.

[The fact the Deed of Trust was registered after the due date of the note to Joseph Sebastian indicates that note was not paid. Query whether James met his obligations to John by 6 May 1842.]