David Fowler, Appraiser

The estate administrator, James H. Cassady, hired David Fowler to appraise the property of the late Jeremiah Wiggins. David spent a day doing so, and earned $2.00 for it (about $70 in today's money).

This document was submitted to the administrator to claim the $2.00, and David also noted above his signature that he received his pay:


(Click on images to enlarge)
Images courtesy of Alice Flora Smedstad.

My transcription:

James H. Cassady Dr.
To David Fowler

For 1 Day services appraising the property of Jeremiah Wiggins $2.__

October 1st, 1838.
Red [received] pay't
D. Fowler

For some unknown reason, a separate receipt was made out and signed:



Transcription:

Red Nov. 18, 1839
of James H. Cassady, Two dollars [being?] in full for 1 day's services for appraising the Estate of Jeremiah Wiggins deceased

D. Fowler

[illegible]
J.V. Johns

What the elusive J.V. Johns had to do with this, I do not know. It might help if I could read that word above his name.

Here are the two document backs; I'm not entirely sure which goes with which document.






David Fowler was born in 1797, in New York (1850 Census).[1] From information posted by a user on Ancestry.com, I gather that he spent time in Canada and Michigan. In 1836 he came to Lake County (Lake County, 1834-1872 at 38). He was married and had children, but his first wife, Mary, died sometime after 1830.

In mid-January 1840, he bought 80 acres northwest of Merrillville (Early Land Sales, Lake County at 175). Later that month, he married Rebecca Deyo (Indiana Marriage Collection), about whom I haven't been able to find much information.

Around 1850, the Fowler family moved to a farm northeast of Lowell. There David Fowler died in February 1860. According to the 1860 mortality schedule, he died of "gravel" — kidney stones, I suppose, or complications thereof.

He is buried in Lowell Memorial Cemetery. Rebecca Fowler remarried in 1863, to Alvah Brownell.

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[1] Someone has posted to Ancestry.com the image of a petition dated August 1819 in which David Fowler (whose signature resembles the one on our documents) claims to have been born in Canada.