Granny's Genealogy

Abbott Land Records, Wexford County, Michigan Liber 3 page 163

April 26th, 2010 | Posted by Granny Pam in Somebody's Ancestors - (0 Comments)

This entry is part 5 of 9 in the series Deeds from other families

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 early residents of Wexford County, Michigan with the surname Abbott. Papa’s second great-grandmother was Mary Jane Abbott; I have undertaken a study of the early Abbott deeds to look for connections to her and her family. I know that her brother Erastmus D. [E.D.] Abbott was in Wexford County, but have not connected any others to her at this time. On a recent trip to Wexford County, I was able to survey the earliest two deed index books for the county, which resulted in eight deeds with surname Abbott.

Date:	9 July 1875
Liber:	3
Page:	163
Location:	Traverse City, MI
Grantor:	United States
Grantee:	Ezra Abbott
Witnesses:	—–
Type of deed:	US Land Grant
Rec’d and recording:	22 Jul 1875 9 a.m.
Clerk/registrar:	Perry Hannah
Location of land:	Clam Lake Twp., Wexford County, MI
Consideration:	application 4318, receipt 2208
Notes:
Description:	E 1/2 of the SW 1/4 and the W 1/2 of the SE 1/4 all in Section 36 T21N R9W

This land grant not near from the Manton area where Mary Jane Abbott and husband George W. Burdick resided, to illustrate. The townships in Wexford County, Michigan are arranged like this:
wex twp

Only time will tell if Ezra Abbott has any relationship to our family. Here is the location of the land purchased by Ezra Abbott in 1875, illustrated on a small portion of the old 1889 Wexford County Atlas¹, located in the extreme southeastern portion of Wexford County. In 1889 both portions of the land were owned by one individual.

E.L. Hayes & Co., Atlas of Wexford County, Michigan / compiled by Eli L. Hayes from government surveys, county and township records, and personal investigations and observations , Eli L. Hayes, (Chicago, Ill.: E.L. Hayes & Co., 1889), page 15; digital images, The University of Michigan. Michigan County Histories and Atlases. http://name.umdl.umich.edu/3928170.0001.001 : accessed 2 November 2009.

Abbott, Land Records, Wexford Co MI

Fenton Family Land Records, Wexford County, Michigan Liber 114 page 227 & 228

March 30th, 2010 | Posted by Granny Pam in Papa's Ancestors - (0 Comments)

This entry is part 69 of 99 in the series Deeds in the Family

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.

Geo. A. Ogle & Co., Standard atlas of Wexford County, Michigan : including a plat book of the villages, cities and townships of the county…patrons directory, reference business directory…/ assisted in record work and platting by E. A. Losie. Geo. A. Ogle & Co. (Chicago, IL : Geo. A. Ogle & Co., 1908), page 45, The University of Michigan. Michigan County Histories and Atlases. http://name.umdl.umich.edu/3928168.0001.001 : accessed 2 November 2009.

Fenton, Land Records, Murphy, Thomson, Wexford Co MI

Fellows Family Land Records, Wexford County, Michigan Liber 139 page 479

March 25th, 2010 | Posted by Granny Pam in Papa's Ancestors - (2 Comments)

This entry is part 67 of 99 in the series Deeds in the Family

Date:	16 January 1947
Liber:	139
Page:	479
Location:	Wexford Co., MI
Grantor:	Mrs. Belle Tinker, widow of Colfax, Wexford, MI
Grantee:	Frank Fellows and Lila Fellows his wife of Colfax, Wexford, MI
Witnesses:	Gerald Bostick, William Paulson
Type of deed:	Warranty
Rec’d and recording:	21 January 1947
Clerk/registrar:	Thomas Brown
Location of land:	Colfax
Consideration:	$1
Notes:
Description:	E 1/2 of the NW 1/4 of the NW 1/4 of Sec 9 T23N R10W

As far as I know, this is the last of the property owned by Belle in Wexford County. She deeded it to her youngest child and only surviving son, Frank A. Fellows with this instrument. Here it is, marked on a segment of the old 1914 atlas.¹

Standard Map Company., Atlas of Wexford County, Michigan : containing complete maps of all townships, names of property owners, maps of the county, city of Cadillac, United States and State of Michigan., Standard Map Company., Cadillac Evening News (Firm) (Cadillac, Mich.: Cadillac Evening News, c1914), page 20, The University of Michigan. Michigan County Histories and Atlases. http://name.umdl.umich.edu/3928167.0001.001 : accessed 2 November 2009.

Fellows, Land Records, Tinker, Wexford Co MI

Fellows Family Land Records, Wexford County, Michigan Liber 139 page 509

March 24th, 2010 | Posted by Granny Pam in Papa's Ancestors - (0 Comments)

This entry is part 66 of 99 in the series Deeds in the Family

Date:	7 May 1945
Liber:	139
Page:	509
Location:	Wexford Co., MI
Grantor:	Charles E. Tinker AKA Charles Tinker and Belle Tinker his wife
Grantee:	Earl T. Colbert & Marie Colbert husband & wife of Manton, Wexford, MI
Witnesses:	Jno A. Muche, Harriet Muche
Type of deed:	Warranty
Rec’d and recording:	29 June 1947
Clerk/registrar:	Brown
Location of land:	Colfax
Consideration:	$800.00
Notes:	Belle signed with an X, although she has signed her name on previous deeds.
Description:	NW 1/4 of the NE 1/4 and the N 1/2 of the SE 1/4 of the NW 1/4 and the NE 1/4 of the NW 1/4 all in Section 16, T23N R10W

Under this deed, Belle and Charlie disposed of their remaining land in Section 16. I am not clear on where Belle and Charlie lived after they sold this land. Charlie died on 5 January 1946, and Belle on 27 Aug 1948. Unlike the deed I described yesterday, this one was filed in a more timely fashion. Here is the location of the land in Section 16 of Colfax township, using a page the old 1914 atlas ¹ to illustrate.

Standard Map Company., Atlas of Wexford County, Michigan : containing complete maps of all townships, names of property owners, maps of the county, city of Cadillac, United States and State of Michigan., Standard Map Company., Cadillac Evening News (Firm) (Cadillac, Mich.: Cadillac Evening News, c1914), page 20, The University of Michigan. Michigan County Histories and Atlases. http://name.umdl.umich.edu/3928167.0001.001 : accessed 2 November 2009.

Colbert, Fellows, Land Records, Tinker, Wexford Co MI

Fellows Family Land Records, Wexford County, Michigan Liber 139 page 507

March 23rd, 2010 | Posted by Granny Pam in Papa's Ancestors - (0 Comments)

This entry is part 65 of 99 in the series Deeds in the Family

Date:	7 May 1945
Liber:	139
Page:	507
Location:	Wexford Co., MI
Grantor:	Charles Tinker & Belle Tinker his wife
Grantee:	Earl T. Colbert & Marie Colbert Husband and Wife
Witnesses:	Jno A. Muche, Harriet Muche
Type of deed:	Warranty
Rec’d and recording:	24 Jan 1947
Clerk/registrar:	Brown
Location of land:	Colfax
Consideration:	$1,000
Notes:	Belle signed with an X, although She could write and had signed previous deeds.
Description:	The W 1/2 of the NE 1/4 of the NW 1/4 of Section 9 T23N R10W except a piece of land in the NW corner 10 rods N-S by 12 rods E-W and also a piece starting 12 rods E of the corner of the NW 1/4 of the NW 1/4 and running east 24 rods, south 10 rods, west 24 rods and north 10 rods to the point of beginning.

Charlie Tinker died on 5 January 1946, less than a year after the this deed was executed. I cannot explain why Mr. & Mrs. Colbert did not file this deed until 24 January 1947, but since Charlie died on 5 January, maybe that prompted them to act. I have again used a portion of the Colfax Township map from the 1914¹ Atlas to show the location of the property.

Standard Map Company., Atlas of Wexford County, Michigan : containing complete maps of all townships, names of property owners, maps of the county, city of Cadillac, United States and State of Michigan., Standard Map Company., Cadillac Evening News (Firm) (Cadillac, Mich.: Cadillac Evening News, c1914), page 20, The University of Michigan. Michigan County Histories and Atlases. http://name.umdl.umich.edu/3928167.0001.001 : accessed 2 November 2009.

Colbert, Fellows, Tinker. Land Records, Wexford Co MI

Fellows Family Land Records, Wexford County, Michigan Liber 128 page 451

March 22nd, 2010 | Posted by Granny Pam in Papa's Ancestors - (0 Comments)

This entry is part 64 of 99 in the series Deeds in the Family

Date:	16 June 1936
Liber:	128
Page:	451
Location:	Wexford County, MI
Grantor:	Charles Tinker & Belle Tinker his wife of Colfax, Wexford, MI
Grantee:	I. Fay Horton, C. Howard Horton
Witnesses:	Warranty
Type of deed:	16 June 1936
Rec’d and recording:	6 June 1936
Clerk/registrar:	Johnson
Location of land:	Colfax
Consideration:	$75.00
Notes:
Description:	Start 12 rods east of the corner of the NW 1/4 of the NW 1/4 of Section 9, T23N R10W, then east 24 rods, south 10 rods, west 24 rods, then north 10 rods to the start.

On this deed, Charlie and Belle sold a lot of about 1.5 acres to Clayton L. Babcock. I used the Colfax map from the 1914 atlas¹ to show the position of the lot descried in this deed.

Standard Map Company., Atlas of Wexford County, Michigan : containing complete maps of all townships, names of property owners, maps of the county, city of Cadillac, United States and State of Michigan., Standard Map Company., Cadillac Evening News (Firm) (Cadillac, Mich.: Cadillac Evening News, c1914), page 20, The University of Michigan. Michigan County Histories and Atlases. http://name.umdl.umich.edu/3928167.0001.001 : accessed 2 November 2009.

Babcock, Fellows, Horton, Tinker. Land Records, Wexford Co MI

Fellows Family Land Records, Wexford County, Michigan Liber 97 page 114

March 20th, 2010 | Posted by Granny Pam in Papa's Ancestors - (0 Comments)

This entry is part 63 of 99 in the series Deeds in the Family

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.

Standard Map Company., Atlas of Wexford County, Michigan : containing complete maps of all townships, names of property owners, maps of the county, city of Cadillac, United States and State of Michigan., Standard Map Company., Cadillac Evening News (Firm) (Cadillac, Mich.: Cadillac Evening News, c1914), page 20, The University of Michigan. Michigan County Histories and Atlases. http://name.umdl.umich.edu/3928167.0001.001 : accessed 2 November 2009.

Fenton, Land Records, Longstreet, Wexford Co MI

Fellows Family Land Records, Wexford County, Michigan Liber 97 page 98

March 19th, 2010 | Posted by Granny Pam in Papa's Ancestors - (0 Comments)

This entry is part 62 of 99 in the series Deeds in the Family

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.

Standard Map Company., Atlas of Wexford County, Michigan : containing complete maps of all townships, names of property owners, maps of the county, city of Cadillac, United States and State of Michigan., Standard Map Company., Cadillac Evening News (Firm) (Cadillac, Mich.: Cadillac Evening News, c1914), page 20, The University of Michigan. Michigan County Histories and Atlases. http://name.umdl.umich.edu/3928167.0001.001 : accessed 2 November 2009.

Fenton, Land Records, Reynolds, Tinker, Wexford Co MI

Fellows Family Land Records, Wexford County, Michigan Liber 86 page 212

March 12th, 2010 | Posted by Granny Pam in Papa's Ancestors - (0 Comments)

This entry is part 60 of 99 in the series Deeds in the Family

Date:	27 August 1913
Liber:	86
Page:	212
Location:	Wexford County, MI
Grantor:	Mrs. Belle Fellows of Cedar Creek, Wexford Co., MI
Grantee:	Herbert Doolittle of Ann Arbor, MI
Witnesses:	Charley Tinker, Isaac C. Wheeler, Notary Public
Type of deed:	Warranty
Rec’d and recording:	28 August 1913
Clerk/registrar:	Slack
Location of land:	Cedar Creek, Wexford, MI
Consideration:	$1,300
Notes:
Description:	NE 1/4 of the NW 1/4 Sect 5 T23N R10W

Belle’s tenure on this property in Cedar Creek was short-lived. She purchased on 21 March 1907 and sold on 27 Aug 1913. Comparing amounts on the deeds shows that she “earned” $200 for that period. It does not seem like a lot of money, until you think of it as 18.18 % of the beginning sale price of the property. I made a calculation at my favorite site for figuring value, Measuring Worth. According to the site, $1,100 in 1907 is equivalent to the following values in 1913:

$1,159.17	using the Consumer Price Index
$1,171.18	using the GDP deflator
$1,262.96	using the value of consumer bundle
$1,144.77	using the unskilled wage
$1,138.20	using the nominal GDP per capita
$1,271.86	using the relative share of GDP

We don’t know what improvements may have been made to the property between 1907 and 1913, so we can not really tell if Belle profited from the sale, or lost money after making considerable improvement.

The property didn’t move, but apparently Belle moved on. If you want to see the location of this land, you may view the map with the description of the purchase transaction.

Fellows, Land Records, Tinker, Wexford Co MI, Wheeler

Fellows Family Land Records, Wexford County, Michigan Liber 63 page 22

March 10th, 2010 | Posted by Granny Pam in Papa's Ancestors - (0 Comments)

This entry is part 59 of 99 in the series Deeds in the Family

Date:	21 March 1907
Liber:	63
Page:	22
Location:	Wexford County, Michigan
Grantor:	Harry Taylor & Olive Taylor, his wife of Cedar Creek, Wexford, MI
Grantee:	Mrs. Bell Fellows, widow, of Liberty, Wexford, MI
Witnesses:	Lillian Kotts, Isaac Cw. Culer
Type of deed:	Warranty
Rec’d and recording:	6 April 1907
Clerk/registrar:	Elon A Losie
Location of land:	Cedar Creek Twp, Wexford Co., MI
Consideration:	$1,100
Notes:
Description:	NE 1/4 of NW 1/4 Sec 5 T23N R9W 40 acres

Henry Fellows died on 19 Sept 1905. I am not sure where in Liberty Township Belle was living, but Cedar Creek Township lies just south of Liberty and the property Belle purchased is on the township line. This thumbnail illustrates the property’s location, and is taken from the old 1908 on-line atlas.¹

Geo. A. Ogle & Co., Standard atlas of Wexford County, Michigan : including a plat book of the villages, cities and townships of the county…patrons directory, reference business directory…/ assisted in record work and platting by E. A. Losie. Geo. A. Ogle & Co. (Chicago, IL : Geo. A. Ogle & Co., 1908), page 45, The University of Michigan. Michigan County Histories and Atlases. http://name.umdl.umich.edu/3928168.0001.001 : accessed 2 November 2009.

Culer, Fellows, Kotts, Land Records, Losie, Taylor, Wexford Co MI