The Phares Family File. Kalar etc., Family Association.

     A Few Interesting Facts about John Pharis & his son Robert, of Pendleton County, (West) Virginia, from an Obscure Chancery Court Case.
     These original court papers of Pendleton County Virginia reside in a box of loose papers, and have been microfilmed and are available through Latter Day Saint’s Family History Centers Library system, Microfilm #186499, (see Envelope #3). These few extractions from those records were taken from 18 pages of photocopies made from that microfilm.
     In Pendleton County, then Virginia, now West Virginia, there was a law suit over monies involving John Pharis, Plaintive, and Peter Veneman, Defendant. A gray horse is often mentioned in that case, hence we call it, the “Horse Case.”

DEPOSITION OF SERAIAH STRATTON
Pendleton Se
In a Suit in Chancery Now pending between John Pharis plaintiff & Peter Veneman Def^t, I provided on the 10^th of August, 1790 at the house of Jacob Conrad to take that Deposition of Seriah Stratton who being of full age & first Sworn on the holy Evangelist of Almighty God Desposeth & Sayeth that John Pharis’ first wife Died in the last of the Year 1778, and S^d Pharis then Lived in the Abligania, And in the Year of 1779 in April or May S^d Pharis was married to his second wife & and about the same time S^d Pharis moved to Tho^s Wilmoth’s place, And this Depondent Sayeth that Geo. Walker Who was a witness to the Note of John Pharis’s to Peter Veneman had proved at a formal tryal that he witnessed the Note some time before he, the Said Walker, Moved away from the Buffello hills which the said Walker Declared an Oath to be in the Year 1778, And that this Depondent remembers that Geo. Walker Moved from the Buffello hills in the fall of the Year 1779. for this Depondent Says he built Mill & set it agoing in June in the Year 1779 ________ was a Costumer to the Mill Some time after the building of it while s^d Walker yet Lived in Buffello hills. This Depondent Sayeth that Conrod Good removed from the South branch in the fall of the year 1780 & about that time John Pharis sold a Gray horse to John Burns for One Thousand Pounds paper money and this Depondent Sayeth that he thinks S^d horse might been worth about Eight or Nine Pounds hard money at that time and further sayeth Not ~~~

Seraiah Stratton

Sworn before me the day & }
year above Written - - - }
Rob^t Poage

DEPOSITION OF THO^S COLLETT
Pendleton Se.
In a suit in Chancery now Depending between John Pharis Pln^f & Peter Venneman Def^t, I proceeded to take the Deposition of Tho^s Collett who being of full age & first sworn on the holy Evangelist of Almighty God Deposith and Sayeth that John Pharis came to Tho^s Wilmoth’s plantation in the year 1779 and further Sayeth Not ~ ~ ~

his
Tho^s + Collett
mark

Sworn before Me this 19^th of }
August 1790 ~ ~ ~ }

DEPOSITION OF ROBERT PHARIS
Pendleton Se
In a suit in Chancery Now Depending between John Pharis plaintive & Peter Veneman Defen^t I proceeded to take the Deposition of Rob^t Pharis who being of full age & first sworn on the holy Evangelist of Almighty God Deposith & Sayeth that this Depondent was at the house of Peter Veneman one Night & on returning home, P. Veneman walked some distance with him & told this Depondent he would be glad that his father would send him home the money he borrowed of him this Deponded Asked Veneman how much it was & he said it was but a trifling it was about fifty or sixty Dollars And this Deponded Sayeth that a Gray horse that Jn^o Pharis got with his first wife S^d Jn^o Pharis sold to Jn^o Burns for £1000 And further Sayeth Not ~ ~ ~

Robert Pharis

Sworn before Me this 19^th of }
August 1790 ~ ~ ~ }
Rob^t Poage

DEPOSITION OF JOHN SMITH
The Deposition of John Smith taken the 20^th Day of July one thousand seven hundred and ninety this depondant Being of first Sworn upon oath Sayth that John Phares lived on Margret Willmoth’s plantation in the Buffallo hills in the year of our lord one thousand Seven hundred and Seventy Nine to the best of his ____ and this Depondant further sayth Not ~~~ Sworn to before me this day above written ~~~

James Patterson

CONCLUSIONS
     Robert Pharis, later to live in Randolph County Virginia, is the son of John Phares, of Pendleton County Virginia. Confirmed by Rob^t. Pharis’s deposition, 19 August 1790, in Pendleton County.
     John Phares, father of Rob^t was married twice; the first wife died in “the last of the Year 1778,” and then John married his second wife in April or May 1779. From Seraiah Stratton’s deposition.
     In 1779, John Pharis moved to the plantation of Tho^s Wilmoth. In John Smith’s deposition, we see the Plantation referred to as, “Margret Willmoth’s.” It is possible but not proven here that Tho^s Wilmoth died and John Pharis married the widow, Margret Wilmoth. The plantation’s location is given as being in the Buffalo Hills, which is an area just northwest of Franklin.
     The tombstone of Rob^t Pharis is located in the Phares-Pritt Cemetery in Valley Bend, Randolph County, West Virginia. The stone shows “Robert Phares Died Oct. 2, 1823 In his 62 Yr.” therefore we place his birth as 1760/1. This and the fact that Rob^t was “of full age” in 1790, in order to give the deposition, shows that Rob^t had to be the son of the first wife of John Phares.