Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-02-21
LOST FORTUNE.
Descendants Of Joseph Hart
Still Inquiring for II.

An interesting romance of a missing
fortune for somebody which had circu-
lation Just before the wal has lately
been revived and mentioned in some
Of the papers. Whilst nothing may
ever come of it, the story is somewhat
readable, nevertheless. AS it involves
families living in Tennessee and vari-
Gus other States it will bear repro
ducing in these columns.
Going back nearly a century and a
half, as tradition has it, one Joseph
Hart was raised if not born zeal Dor.
dentown, New Jersey. He moved to
Loudon county, Virginia, where be
married Nancy Stout. To them was
born an only son, Joseph Hart, in 1851.
The mother died and Joseph Hart the
first, married a second time and raised
other children, Alexander, Isaac and
Jane. These two sons are said to have
lived in Monroe county, Tennessee.
Joseph Hart, the second, removed to
Blount county, Tennessee, in 1893 and
lived there until 1921, when he moved
to Bartholomew county, Indiana,
where he lived until his death. He
raised eleven children, and their de.
scendants are widely scattered. One
of them is Samuel Hart, of Carrollton,
Mississippi, another is James Harvey
Hart, of Shawneetown, Illinois, an.
other is the Rev. Charles Hart of
Logan county, Ohio. Some of the
descendants live in Missouri and
States further West.
Mrs. Nancy Stout Hart, through
whom a fortune was thought to be
due, had two brothers, John Stout
and St. Ledger Stout. John never
married, became very wealthy, and
died somewhere in North or South
Carolina, it does not appear clearly
which, leaving his estate to his broth
er st. Ledger and to his nephew,
Joseph Hart the second. But
Joseph Hart the second had mean
time moved to the wilds of Tennessee,
married and became quite independent
after the backwoods fashion. He
heard of his fortune, but the distance
was great, and he took no steps to
secure it. Twenty-Five years ago a
notice was published in some country
paper, stating that a fortune was wait
ing the heirs of Nancy Stout. who was
married to a Mr.. Hart, and died, leav-
ing an only sou, Joseph, who had
moved to Tygert's Valley, Virginia,
when all trace Of him was lost. This
described Joseph Hart the second,
and was recognized by his older chill
dren in Indiana and elsewhere. james
h. Hart, Of Shawneetown, ILL.,, who is
still living, wrote to the paper that
published the notice, and found out
that one Daniel Stout, who had pub
lished the first notice, was dead; that he
discovered the fortune, and also the fact
that he was not a descendant of st.
Ledger Stout. His surviving family
knew nothing about it or where it was
to be found. Just before the war
some Of the children Of Joseph Hart,
the second, had taken steps to look up
the supposed property, but the family
became divided and for years there
was no correspondence. The feelings
of that unhappy period having died
out and friendship restored, some OF
the older as we'll as younger members
of the family, scattered as they are
all the way from Florida to the Pacific
coast, have concluded to renew the
search where it was left off. Some of
them are firmly of the opinion that
if not utterly destroyed by the war
there is a fine property coming
TO them yet. Be this as
it may the correspondence
has strengthened the ties of kinship
and brought up interesting and kindly
recollections of the long ago, which
otherwise would soon have persisted
beyond the possibility of being re-
vived.
Mr.. Benjamin Hart, the retired
artist, living near Memphis, who has
travelled and lived much abroad, has a
tree of the Hart family running back
nearly two hundred years. On it APP
pears the familiar given names Joseph,
Thomas, John, Samuel, Abigail, Nancy,
Elizabeth, etc., so common in
the family spoken of above. Yet
there is a hiatus between the two;
they do not exactly connect. He
thinks they are the same, and is look
ing up some old records as a mere
matter Of curiosity and pastime.