Person:James Connell (26)

James A. Connell, 40, born Georgia, blacksmith, with $1500 in personal property, residing with his wife, Mary A. Connell, 34, born Georgia.

James Connel, 64, born Georgia, farmer, residing with him was his wife, Mary, their daughter, Sarah, son in law, William Crowell, and granddaughter, Corah Crowell.

James A. Connell vs. Irbane A. Leonard, decided by Judge E.H. Worrill, at Chambers, in Talbotton, on October 15, 1863. In response to the October 15, 1863, petition for a writ of haebeas corpus, filed by James A. Connell, the Supreme Court of Georgia refused to overturn the decision of the trial court in favor of Leonard. Connell had been imprisoned and was being held by Leonard, sub-enrolling officer of the Confederate States for Talbot County, Georgia, "for military service, under the conscript laws" of Confederate States. Connell argued that "his detention was illegal, because he was exempt from military service on the ground that he was a blacksmith skilled and actually employed at his trade and habitually engaged and working for the public, and not selling or exchanging the products of his labor for a price exceeding the cost of production and seventy-five per cent profit thereon". Leonard in response argued that, while Connell was a good blacksmith, "during the spring and summer of the year 1863 he had worked but little", had on occasion during that time refused work offered to him, "that he kept no coal on hand", that "witnesses had passed the shop often and found Connell absent or idle" and that "up to a month or six weeks previous to the trial, Connell had done almost nothing, and only spurred up a little when the enrolling officer got after him". The Court concluded that, given that the majority of Connell's witnesses were related to him by blood or marriage, and that no bias had been shown on the part of any of Leonard's witnesses, the decision of the trial court in favor of Leonard would not be disturbed. The Court emphasized that, while it did not intend in any way to impute to Connell's witnesses, any intention to misrepresent the facts, "these witnesses may have been biased, insensibly to themselves in his favor, and have seen everything in a light most favorable to him".

"Whereas James Connell applies for the Guardianship of the person and property of James Howard, orphan of James Howard, dce'd, and whereas the said James Connell having appeared in Open Court and took the Oath required by law and entered into bond in the sum of five hundred dollars with William Connell and Joseph B. Cunningham, as his security in said bond, it is therefore ordered that letters do issue to him."

Bond of James Connell, William Connell and James B. Cunningham on behalf of James Connell, guardian of James Howard.

Returns of the Administrator The Estate of Samuel Howard reflect two payments made to James Connell, as "Guardian of James Howard, Minor", on behalf of the estate, one in the amount of $150.00, dated December 23, 1847, and one in the amount of $5.48, undated, but made during the period "from last return to January 1st 1851".