I am sharing funeral cards on Friday, following a Facebook meme which you an see here.
A well known character in Papa’s family, George Emerson Fenton was know to his nieces and nephews as a fun loving practical joker on some days. He is missed at every family gathering.
You may enlarge this thumbnail for a larger view.
I am sharing funeral cards on Friday, following a Facebook meme which you an see here.
Alfred Thurston Fenton was born in Wexford County, Michigan, probably Colfax Township, and died at the age of ninety-four in Cadillac, Wexford County, Michigan. He was Papa’s granduncle, and according to the relationship calculator in my genealogy program, also Papa’s eighth cousin twice removed twice. One of Papa’s cousins told me that Alfred’s name honors his great-grandmother’s second husband, Alfred Lorraine Thurston, a circuit-riding Methodist preacher in his early days. Alfred Fenton’s parents with John Fenton and Eliza John. Eliza married Thurston after Fenton’s 1872 death.
I am sharing funeral cards on Friday, following a Facebook meme which you an see here. Today’s card is from the service of Papa’s uncle, Aldis Pratt. You may click the thumbnail to enlarge it.
Aldis and his wife Laura (Fenton) farmed and raised a family west of Saginaw, Michigan in Gratiot County. Uncle Aldis was a real gentleman. I remember going to a National Farmer’s Organization dance somewhere near his home about forty years ago. Papa was in the Army, I think it was when he was in Korea. Uncle Aldis danced with every lady in the place. He would bring one back, wait for the band to start again, and ask the next one to dance. It was probably the only time I danced the entire evening.
I remember being at the funeral, but I did not remember until I re-read the card to prepare this post that the funeral was on July 28, 1982, the day, but not the year, that Papa and I married.
I am sharing funeral cards on Fridays, following a Facebook meme which you an see here. I know the meme was for “First Fridays, but I have quite a few, and I like to move ahead when I hear a good idea. Today’s card is from the service of Papa’s grandmother, Edna Rose Fellows. You can click to enlarge the card.
Edna Rose Fellows was born on 2 December 1892 in Newaygo County, Michigan. Her parents were Henry H. Fellows and wife Belle Lamunion. Edna was the seventh child of Henry and Belle.
Edna married Ross P. Fenton on 11 Sept 1909, and they raised a family of six children. You can see a photo of Edna’s final resting place in my cemetery series.
I am posting information gleaned from land records in the areas where our family’s ancestors resided. You can read more about this project in the overview. You may also check my deed record listing, which I will update frequently, but probably not every day. This group pertain to Papa’s Fenton ancestors who resided in Wexford County, Michigan.
These deeds are recorded on consecutive pages, are the documents that complete the purchase of the two 80 acre pieces of land owned by Ross Fenton in Section 17, Colfax Township. I described one deed related to the property several weeks ago .
| Date: | 16 November 1926 |
| Liber: | 114 |
| Page: | 227 |
| Location: | Wexford County, MI |
| Grantor: | Joseph Murphy & Kate Murphy his wife of Cadillac, MI |
| Grantee: | Ross Fenton of Manton, MI |
| Witnesses: | Henry Knowlton, E.F. Parker |
| Type of deed: | Warranty |
| Rec’d and recording: | 21 March 1927 |
| Clerk/registrar: | Johnson |
| Location of land: | Colfax, Wexford, MI |
| Consideration: | $150 |
| Notes: | Deed conveyed to complete the terms of a land contract between Murphy & Dig gins & Wm. A. Jenkins dated 10 Jan 1921. Contract assigned to Wm. A. Jenkins, then on 18 Nov 1926 to Ernest F. Parker, and from Ernest F. Parker to Ross Fenton on 18 Nov 1926 by assignment. Taxes on first description 1920 & subsequent and on second description 1921 and subsequent years. |
| Description: | An undivided 1/2 interest in: the E1/2 of the NE 1/4, and the E 1/2 of the SE 1/4 all in Section 17, T23N R10W |
| Date: | 18 November 1926 |
| Liber: | 114 |
| Page: | 228 |
| Location: | Kent County, MI |
| Grantor: | Dorothy Thomson of Grand Rapids, MI |
| Grantee: | Ross Fenton of Manton, MI |
| Witnesses: | Gertrude Klein, Emma Anderson |
| Type of deed: | Warranty |
| Rec’d and recording: | 21 March 1927 |
| Clerk/registrar: | Johnson |
| Location of land: | Colfax, Wexford, MI |
| Consideration: | ? |
| Notes: | Deed conveyed to complete the terms of a land contract between Murphy & Dig gins & Wm. A. Jenkins dated 10 Jan 1921. Contract assigned to Wm. A. Jenkins, then on 18 Nov 1926 to Ernest F. Parker, and from Ernest F. Parker to Ross Fenton on 18 Nov 1926 by assignment. Taxes on first description 1920 & subsequent and on second description 1921 and subsequent years. |
| Description: | And undivided 1/4 interest in: the E1/2 of the NE 1/4, and the E 1/2 of the SE 1/4 all in Section 17, T23N R10W |
OK, a land contract was the original sale mechanism for the two eighty acre pieces of land, and William Jenkins was the original purchaser. Then the contract was sold to Ernest F. Parker, then to Papa’s grandfather, Ross Fenton. When Ross paid the taxes on the land and had that payment recorded (liber 100, page 342) it was part of his responsibility under the land contract, not because he was behind on the taxes. Since these deeds represent a total of 3/4 interest in the property, there is probably another deed somewhere under which Ross Fenton acquired the other 1/4 interest.
In order to get the complete detail of the transfer of the two 80 acre pieces, it would be necessary to do quite a bit more digging, since records in the names of Jenkins and Parker would need to be examined. The two 80 acre pieces of land are outlined in blue on this illustration, which I made using the old 1908 Atlas1.
I am posting information gleaned from land records in the areas where our family’s ancestors resided. You can read more about this project in the overview. You may also check my deed record listing, which I will update frequently, but probably not every day. This group pertain to Papa’s Fellows ancestors who resided in Wexford County, Michigan.
| Date: | 31 December 1919 |
| Liber: | 97 |
| Page: | 114 |
| Location: | Wexford County, MI |
| Grantor: | Harmon Longstreet & Susie Longstreet his wife of Colfax, Wexford, MI |
| Grantee: | Charlie Tinker & Belle Tinker of the same place |
| Witnesses: | Stephen Dassance, Ross Fenton |
| Type of deed: | Warranty |
| Rec’d and recording: | 5 Feb 1920 |
| Clerk/registrar: | Slack |
| Location of land: | Colfax |
| Consideration: | $225.00 |
| Notes: | Ross Fenton was Susie’s son, and Belle’s son-in-law. |
| Description: | NW 1/4 of the NE 1/4 Sect 17 T23N R10W |
More in Section 16. Papa’s families populated this area for much of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of the names which appear in today’s atlas are cousins, or descendents of other landowners of that time.
Here is the location of the land, which I plotted on a portion of a page from an old 1914 Atlas1 of Wexford County, here is a visual of the land in question.
I am posting information gleaned from land records in the areas where our family’s ancestors resided. You can read more about this project in the overview. You may also check my deed record listing, which I will update frequently, but probably not every day. This group pertain to Papa’s Fellows ancestors who resided in Wexford County, Michigan.
| Date: | 13 December 1919 |
| Liber: | 97 |
| Page: | 98 |
| Location: | Wexford County, MI |
| Grantor: | Ross Fenton & Edna Fenton his wife of Colfax, Wexford, MI |
| Grantee: | Charles E. inker & Belle Tinker of the same place |
| Witnesses: | N.A. Reynolds & Linda K. Reynolds |
| Type of deed: | Warranty |
| Rec’d and recording: | 19 Dec 1919 |
| Clerk/registrar: | Slack |
| Location of land: | Colfax |
| Consideration: | $225.00 |
| Notes: | N.A. Reynolds was a 1st cousin once removed of Ross Fenton [1C1R] |
| Description: | NW 1/4 of the NE 1/4 Sect 17 T23N R10W |
This is another little piece of the section 16 puzzle I am working my way through. When I started going through these deeds, I supposed that dividing they by family made the most sense. Now I see that the land was passed around between families. I should probably have divided it my location of land, ordered by the dates of the transactions.
I am going to keep plodding away, and one day it will all make sense. Why? Because I am making a new spreadsheet which I will be able to sort by section, description, grantor, grantee, or whatever else I think of between now and then. When that is done I will have the whole ball of was. [Do not hold your breath.] I also have a group of transactions for which I am going to clarify information when I make a trip up to Wexford County soon. All of this will hopefully provide a more complete picture of the land transactions and relationships of Papa’s Wexford County ancestors in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
In the meantime, from the Colfax township page of the old 1914 Atlas1 of Wexford County, here is a visual of the land in question.
The Estate of Susie Melissa (Burdick) Fenton Longstreet
Susie Melissa (Burdick) Fenton Longstreet died intestate on 20 December 1931. Her second husband, Harmon H. Longstreet predeceased her on 28 June 1931. The inventory of her estate was limited to undivided ½ interest in three pieces of property in Wexford Co., MI. Alfred Fenton, Susie’s son, had previously been granted a license to sell two of the pieces of land, the third was already sold by land contract. The Determination of Heirs for Susie lists the children we know to be hers and living at her death, Emma Barnes, Lila Fellows, Alfred Fenton, Ross Fenton and Mary Houghtalin.
The documents in the file were nearly impossible to read, they were reverse images of a microfilm sent to my by the probate court. They present no significant facts beyond the real estate deeds I have previously transcribed.
Those deeds are as follows:
The fourth document was the most significant in the probate file of Susie M. Longstreet is a letter transcribed here:
Transcribed 16 March 2003 by GrannyPam
August 25, 1932
Mr. Frank Longstreet
Bagot, Manatoba, (sic) Canada
Dear Sir:
I enclose, herewith, Agreement in the matter of the estate of your late father, Harmon H. Longstreet, interest of your father’s estate in certain real estate will amount to approximately $125. The heirs-at-law are desirous of purchasing a suitable marker for the graves of Mr. and Mrs. Longstreet with the balance of the estate after expenses have been paid. The real estate is of very little value. The administrator has an opportunity to sell one piece, forty acres, for $150. This is more than any of the heirs living in the County would be willing to pay for it. The other forty acres belonging to the estate was sold on a land contract, previous to Mr. Longstreet’s death for $150.00. There is a balance due on this contract of $100. Mrs. Longstreet in her life time held a deed for an undivided one-half interest in both pieces of real estate, which of course would become a part of her estate. Therefore you can readily understand that the entire estate of Mr. Longstreet would only amount to $125. The heirs of Mrs. Longstreet, as you will understand from this agreement are also willing to contribute the entire proceeds of their Mother’s estate to the purchase of a suitable marker for the graves of both Mr. and Mrs. Longstreet.
If this is all satisfactory with you will you kindly sign the enclosed agreement and forward same to Mrs. Adams at Georgestown , Ontario, Canada and also request her to sign the agreement and forward same to Mrs. Retta Adams and Williams, Michigan. I would suggest that you forward this letter to each so that they too will clearly understand the situation. Mr. Alfred Fenton, the administrator, Wishes you to understand that all of the heirs who reside here will get together and will decide on the purchase of the marker. He does not wish to assume this responsibility himself. If the residue of each estate was to be divided among the heirs after the expenses of administration and indebtedness were paid the amount would be very small to each.
Very truly yours,
Judge of Probate.
Notes to the transcription: No name or signature on the file copy. No evidence of a copy of the agreement, signed or unsigned was found. Whether or not the agreement was signed, markers were placed at the cemetery.
It is not clear if Mrs. Retta Adams was of Williams Michigan, but it seems so from the letter. There is a Williamsburg in Grand Traverse County , MI, a Williams Crossing and Williams Landing in Alger Co., MI, a Williamston in Ingham Co., MI and a Williamsville in Cass Co., MI. There is no Williams, MI.
The Related Deed
In Wexford County, Deed book 101, page 601 a document related to the estate of Susie M. Longstreet was filed. It described the land, and listed the heirs: Emma Barnes, petitioner and daughter; Lila Fellows, daughter; Alfred Fenton, son; Ross Fenton, son; and Mary Houghtalin, daughter. This deed is not included on my spreadsheet, but is linked above.
The many lives of Harmon H. Longstreet
I do have some information on Harmon’s previous marriages and offspring. “Retta” was probably Alfaretta Longstreet, born 26 January 1871 in Canada to Harmon and his first wife Ann Martin. Alfaretta married Frank Ames [not Adams, my emphasis] in 1888, in Kalamazoo County, Michigan. I have found Alfaretta, Frank and their family on the census in 1900, 1910, and 1920; in Alamo Township, Kalamazoo County, Michigan.
In 1880, Harmon, age 32, his wife Harriet [my emphasis] age 24, daughter Alfaretta, age 8, and brother Alford, resided in Charleston, Kalamazoo, Michigan.1
In 1881 Ann Longstreet resided in Caldeon, Cardwell, Ontario with two children, John, 12; and Francis [m], 8. Her mother Ann Martin also lived in the household.2
I have not found a marriage record for “Harriet”, or a divorce record for Harriet and Harmon, or a death record for Harriet. Who the Mrs. Adams referred to in the letter might be is beyond me.
The end of the Story
I am unlikely to further research Harmon H. Longstreet and his family, since our family descends from Susie, not her second husband. I will be happy to share my findings with descendents of Harmon.
I am posting information gleaned from land records in the areas where our family’s ancestors resided. You can read more about this project in the overview. You may also check my deed record listing, which I will update frequently, but probably not every day. This group pertain to Papa’s Fenton ancestors who resided in Wexford County, Michigan.
| Date: | 29 August 1932 |
| Liber: | 120 |
| Page: | 469 |
| Location: | Wexford County, Michigan |
| Grantor: | Lila M. Fellows; Emma V. Barnes; Alfred Fenton and Hazel Fenton his wife; Ross Fenton and Edna Fenton his wife; heirs at law to the estate of Susie Longstreet, deceased. |
| Grantee: | The estate of Harmon H. Longstreet, deceased |
| Witnesses: | Harriet Knapp, Herbert A. Snider |
| Type of deed: | Quit Claim |
| Rec’d and recording: | 1 Dec 1932 |
| Clerk/registrar: | Johnson |
| Location of land: | Colfax |
| Consideration: | $1. |
| Notes: | |
| Description: | an undivided 1/2 interest in and to the land owned by Susie Longstreet and husband Harmon Henry Longstreet in Colfax, Wexford, MI. See descriptions below. |
This is another transaction in the paper trail of the Longstreets. Susie’s heirs signed off any claim to the land in the interest of the estate of her husband, Harmon H. Longstreet.
The land was:
SE 1/4 of SW 1/4 Section 9, T23N R10W, 40 acres
S 1/2 of SW 1/4 of NW 1/4 Section 16, T23N R10W, 20 acres
N 1/2 of NW 1/4 of SW 1/4 Section 16, T23N $10W, 20 acres.
I am not posting the map, you can the location of this land on many previous posts, including these:
I am posting information gleaned from land records in the areas where our family’s ancestors resided. You can read more about this project in the overview. You may also check my deed record listing, which I will update frequently, but probably not every day. This group pertain to Papa’s Fenton ancestors who resided in Wexford County, Michigan.
| Date: | 3 December 1932 |
| Liber: | 119 |
| Page: | 530 |
| Location: | Wexford County, Michigan |
| Grantor: | Harmon H. Longstreet estate by Alfred Fenton, Administrator |
| Grantee: | Andy Burgess & Hazel Burgess his wife |
| Witnesses: | Harriet Knapp and Herbert A. Snider |
| Type of deed: | deed in pursuance to land contract |
| Rec’d for recording: | 25 January 1935 |
| Clerk/registrar: | Johnson |
| Location of land: | Colfax, Wexford, MI |
| Consideration: | $50 |
| Notes: | Hazel Burgess was the daughter of Henry Fellows and Belle Lamunion. The Fenton and Fellow families were closely associated in Wexford Co. However, Hazel was not related to Susie Burdick Fenton Longstreet, nor her son Alfred. |
| Description: | SE 1/4 of SW 1/4 Section 9 T23N R10W |
This land was the 40 acres which I have marked in blue on the thumbnail of the 1908 atlas1. It is north of the Longstreet’s two 20 acre pieces which were sold to Myron ad Edna Russ on the deed recorded in Liber 101-433, under license granted on the deed recorded in Liber 101 page 180.
According to the deed, $100 had already been paid to the Longstreets. The deed also said that the land contract was made 3 April 1931 between Harmon H. Longstreet and Susie Longstreet, his wife, and Andy Burgess and Hazel Burgess his wife. The witnesses to the land contract were Alfred T. Fenton and Hazel J. Fenton.
Next: Another deed which completes the Longstreet’s estate.
