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The People Who Lived on the Land that is Now Redstone Arsenal, page 98
of the said Paul Davis, Jr., a minor, be vested absolutely in the defendant, Kate Mastin Davis, and that the Register of the Court be directed to execute and deliver to the said Kate Mastin Davis, a deed conveying to her all of such interest and that the sale be ratified and confirmed; . . . (Probate Record 4:283). (Shogren et al. 1989:242) On July 21, 1920, the court entered to record the following decree: It is therefore ordered, adjudged and decreed by the Court that the complainant is entitled to relief prayed for in the bill of complaint. And it further appearing to the Court that it is for the best interest of Paul Davis, a minor defendant as well as the complainant Clarendon Davis, and the defendant Mary Bell Davis, that the sale of the lands (677.67) acres more or less, and being known as the Homestead Plantation of the said Loundes H. Davis, described in said bill, to the defendant Kate Mastin-Davis be ratified and confirmed (Probate Record 4:288). (Shogren et al. 1989:243) Shogren et al. (1989) explain that the homestead exemption and dower interest of Mary Bell Davis, widow of Loundes H. Davis were determined by the register of the court to be $2000 for the homestead exemption and $4,776.31 for the dower interest. On January 21, 1921, the Register of the Court entered to record and ordered and decreed that Mary Bell Davis be paid the total of $6776.31 from the proceeds derived from the sale of the land. The court further ordered, judged and decreed that after this was paid, and the cost of the court proceedings were paid, the remainder of the money from the sale should be divided into two equal parts, one part to be paid to the Complainant, Clarendon Davis and the other to Edna R. Davis, as guardian of the estate of Paul Davis, Jr. (Probate Record 4:288). Shogren et al. (1989:243) state that Kate Mastin Davis received the deed conveying the 677.67 acres of Homestead Plantation to her on April 19, 1921 for the amount of $57,601.95 (Deed Record 125:431). She immediately conveyed the land to her husband, Clarendon Davis, in a quitclaim deed for $100 (Deed Record 125:431). She and her husband did not reside at Homestead Plantation. Clarendon was the President of Huntsville Bank and Trust, and he and Kate lived in Chevey Chase on Meridian Pike (the 1920-21 Huntsville City Directory, Vol. VIII). Even though they did not live at Homestead Plantation, they maintained ownership for three years until they sold it to M.G. and Bertie Chaney. This brings us to the sale of the property from Kate and Clarendon Davis to M.G. Chaney. M. G. Chaney and Bertie Chaney purchased parcel shown as A-17 on the Army Real Estate Map on November 14, 1924, for the amount of $34,000 (Deed Book 131:63). M.G. and Bertie Chaney maintained ownership of the parcel, with the exception of two acres donated for the construction of a school, until the War Department notified them the land must be sold. 98 - (4131)