An 1848 trust deed from Benjamin Catley to William Carrington included the word
"improvements," meaning a residence was on the property. The 1849 Keeler map of
Columbus shows two houses on the square where Shadowlawn is now located-in the same
position as Shadowlawn and the Hazard Home. So the ladies regrouped and decided that they
had proof enough to substantiate a claim that Shadowlawn was on the property on the 1849
map (Keeler did not show every house, only big houses) and the home was on the lot when
Catley conveyed the trust deed in 1848. But is the house older?
No one can say for sure. The entire square was owned by Catley in 1848 and a
gap exists as to the deeds before that time. Someone bought the square between 1845 and
1849, maybe Catley. But there is no proof for this and no proof that the deed, if it said
"improvements" would mean Shadowlawn.
The Avakians are now claiming, with much proof to their credit, that
Shadowlawn was built in 1848 by Benjamin Catley. Catley was a painter, born in England in
1805, who migrated to Canada before 1835 and between 1837 and 1839 moved to Columbus. His
name appears in an estate file in 1839, proving his physical presence here in that year.
He was a widower by the 1850 census and died in the early 1860s. Incidentally, the trust
deed he gave to William Carrington was never cancelled and Carrington took over possession
of Shadowlawn in 1850, making him the second owner.