May 05

Abbott Land Records, Wexford County, Michigan Liber 4 page 450

This entry is part 93 of 99 in the series Deeds in the Family

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 Erasmus D. [E.D.] Abbott was in Wexford County, but have not connected any others to her at this time.

Date: 21 Oct 1876
Liber: 4
Page: 450
Location: Wexford Co MI
Grantor: E.E. Abbott and Sarah Abbott his wife of Wexford Co MI
Grantee: Thomas Ferguson of the same place
Witnesses: Victoria R. Marr and Charles S. Marr
Type of deed: Warranty
Rec’d and recording: 23 Oct 1876
Clerk/registrar: Strutevant
Location of land: Colfax, Wexford, MI
Consideration: $600
Notes:
Description: W 12/ of the NW 1/4 Section 10 T23N R10W

This description is from the land patent certificate #1312, issued 20 August 1873, application #2795 on for land described as: W1/2 of the NW 1/4 Section 10 T23N R10W. I discussed both of E.D. Abbott’s Wexford County land patents here. It is outlined in red on this small portion of the Colfax Township map from the old Atlas1.

abbott patients

  1. 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 29; digital images, The University of Michigan. Michigan County Histories and Atlases. http://name.umdl.umich.edu/3928170.0001.001 : accessed 28 April 2010.

May 04

Tuesday Tools – The Bureau of Land Management Website and Records

This entry is part 7 of 8 in the series Land Records

I recently reviewed some land patents from our family. In most cases, little genealogical information can be found in land patent records. I find that land records are useful in identifying where my ancestors lived, and when.

The (United States) Bureau of Land Management has a useful website with a lot of information concerning Federal lands. Many genealogists are familiar with the Land Patent Search page. Today I will discuss the land patent search. Start from the front page of the site, and at the top, on the green bar, click Land Patent Search.

1

The land patent records on the site are for certain states, the search form clearly states that the original thirteen colonies, their territories and a “few other states” are not included. You see a search screen, which you fill in with as much information as you have. This search is for Erastus Fellows, Ohio; an ancestor we are researching. (The images below are thumbnails, which you can enlarge by clicking.)

2

The search result:
3

The result shows one patent for an Erastus Fellows in Ohio. Clicking on the name provides more information:
4

You can see that the patent was a result of a Cash Entry Sale, dated 24 April 1820, for 40 acres, land office at Wooster, Ohio. There are also some important numbers, the document number, the accession/Serial number and the BLM Serial number. Clicking the “legal land description” tab will show you the legal description of the land, which is the SW 1/4 of the NE 1/4 of Section 33 T20N R20W.

On the “Document Image” tab you may view or download a copy of the certificate granted to the patentee. This is the certificate that the new land owner took to the local court house to register his purchase. Some were not registered, but may were. You may order a certified copy of the patent if you wish, but it will not provide any more information that you can see by viewing the patent on your computer.

I have researched the local records for this family, and the evidence indicates that he is another man named Erastus Fellows, not Papa’s ancestor.

If you are inclined, you may order copies of the original land entry case file, which can be far more useful. You will need the document numbers, the name of the person who received the patent, and the land description to order the file. One patent we ordered contained the only record of the date of John Fenton’s death, 2 May 1872, we have ever found. These files are currently $40; I only order patents which I believe may contain information I do not already have. If you have identified an ancestor who patented land and you are interested in the record, you can order online or get the form here.

Next week on Tuesday I will discuss the Federal Survey Plats and survey notes section of the Bureau website.

May 03

Abbott Land Records Wexford County, Michigan – Land Patents

This entry is part 92 of 99 in the series Deeds in the Family

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 Erasmus D. [E.D.] Abbott was in Wexford County, but have not connected any others to her at this time.

I am shifting gears for on post to the Bureau of Land Management Land Patent records. Although I have found many of the purchases from the U.S. government later recorded in the local records, the two documented purchases by Erasmus D. Abbott have escaped my scrutiny to far. Before I cover deeds under which he sells property he bought from the US, I want to show the locations of the grants.

I have found two at this time.

The first, certificate #1312, issued 20 August 1873, application #2795 on for land described as: W1/2 of the NW 1/4 Section 10 T23N R10W.

The other was certificate #1766, issued 1 November 1880, application 6162, for the #1/2 of the NE 1/4 Section 4, T23N R10W. Erasmus sold this land to his brother-in-law, Papa’s ancestor, George W. Burdick in 1874. I described this sale on at the beginning of my series. I do not understand the sequence of events regarding this piece of land. Erasmus D. Abbott appears to have sold it to Burdick before he actually held a title. It would be interesting to see the application, payment receipts and proof in the land patent file. However, since the price for the files is so high, I am not likely to order the fine any time soon. Perhaps Erasmus decided he owned the land as soon as he filed the application; then later realized he needed to file the final papers. Proof was required that the land was improved, and constantly occupied. Applicants typically noted the number of acres cleared, the permanent plantings made, the house and any other buildings. The also swore they had continuously occupied the land.

Here are the location of the two pieces, marked on a thumbnail I created from the old 1889 Atlas1. You can see George Burdick’s name on the land in section 4, marked in blue.

abbott patients

  1. 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 29; digital images, The University of Michigan. Michigan County Histories and Atlases. http://name.umdl.umich.edu/3928170.0001.001 : accessed 28 April 2010.

May 02

Abbott Land Records, Wexford County, Michigan Liber 4 page 98

This entry is part 91 of 99 in the series Deeds in the Family

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.

Date: 13 March 1878
Liber: 4
Page: 98
Location: Wexford Co MI
Grantor: E.D. Abbott & Wife
Grantee: Perry Hannah
Witnesses: Jennie Skinner, Leroy T. Chamssionis
Type of deed: Warranty
Rec’d and recording: 10 April 1878
Clerk/registrar: Perry Hannah
Location of land: Antioch, Wexford, MI
Consideration: $110
Notes: Erasmus was Susie Burdick’s uncle.
Description: Starting at a point 38 rods east and 22 rods south of the NW corner of Section 6 T23N R11W and running south 8 rods, west 4 rods, north 8 rods and east 4 rods to the start

This is the same piece of land described on the deed I analyzed (to death) yesterday. That deed was dated 6 April 1875 and recorded 7 April 1875, and this one was three years later. I do not know if the Anson and Eliza Hanna on the previous deed were connected to Perry Hannah on this deed, but it seems likely. Here is the location, marked on the old 1889 atlas1, in case you do not want to look back.

4-197

  1. 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 37; digital images, The University of Michigan. Michigan County Histories and Atlases. http://name.umdl.umich.edu/3928170.0001.001 : accessed 28 April 2010.

May 01

Abbott Land Records Wexford County Michigan Liber 4 page 197

This entry is part 90 of 99 in the series Deeds in the Family

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.

 

Date: 6 April 1875
Liber: 4
Page: 197
Location: Wexford Co MI
Grantor: Anson D. Hanna and Eliza E. Hanna his wife of Wexford Co MI
Grantee: Erasmus Abbott
Witnesses: H.B. Sturtevant, J.N. Hanna
Type of deed: Warranty
Rec’d and recording: 7 April 1878
Clerk/registrar: Sturtavant
Location of land: Antioch, Wexford, MI
Consideration: $225
Notes: Erasmus D. Abbott was Susie Burdick’s uncle, and Papa’s second great granduncle
Description: Starting at a point 38 rods east and 22 rods south of the NW corner of Section 6 T23N R11W and running south 8 rods, west 4 rods, north 8 rods and east 4 rods to the start

This piece of property is in or near Sherman, an early settlement in, and the first seat of Wexford County. I do not understand why the deed was not recorded until 1878, and I do not know if Abbott actually lived on this land, or used it in any way. I did fiddle around waste spend quite a bit of time looking at the area on today’s standard maps of Wexford County. The area is currently divided into lots, but none exactly match the description given on this deed, even after converting rods to feet. The best I can say is that the lot is located south of 14 mile road and north of East Church Street, between Sherman Street on the west and Nelson Street on the east. The land may have been redivided in some way, since no description starts 8 rods (627 ft) east and 22 rods (363 ft) south of the section corner. A rod is 16.5 feet.

It is probably worth noting that this is a fractional section, where allowances were made for the earth’s curvature. Some other strange things seem to have been done with the survey, you can see that the forty on the edge of the section is actually 42.20, the the next two forts toward the east are 44 acres each. I would check out the edge of Hanover township that meets Antioch to see what the acreages there are, but I would get lost looking at fooling around studying the maps and spend another half hour hour doing something that really wouldn’t benefit my search for Abbotts in Wexford County. As illustrated on a portion of the old 1889 atlas1, the land is approximately where the red dot is.

4-197

  1. 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 37; digital images, The University of Michigan. Michigan County Histories and Atlases. http://name.umdl.umich.edu/3928170.0001.001 : accessed 28 April 2010.

Apr 30

Funeral Card Friday – Alec James Sparks

I am sharing funeral cards on Friday, following a Facebook meme which you an see here. I know the meme in for the first Friday, but sometimes I just like an idea sooo much…

Alec Sparks funeral card

Alec Sparks was a neighbor of Papa’s family for many years, and of Papa and I when we lived in the Cadillac area. You can see that he was born in Antioch Township, Wexford County, an area where Papa’s family also had roots. Alec James Sparks was the son of James Sparks and Minnie Sayer, the second of their nine children, and the oldest to survive childhood. He loved music, and he loved to dance. He was a carpet layer, at least for some part of his career, and M-in-L sometimes asked him for advice on flooring.

When our children were small, I remember taking them off to pick berries, or hunt mushrooms. We often saw Alec walking along the road, getting his exercise.

Apr 29

Treasure Chest Thursday – Dad’s Shoe Shine Kit

This entry is part 4 of 9 in the series Treasures and Curiosities

The other day I got side tracked from a little job making a couple of pairs of PJ pants for GD1, and cleaned off the shelves in the back storage room. In the process I also sorted patterns, but that is another story. A few things surfaced, which I photographed for Treasure Chest posts.

shine1

I remember this shoe shine kit well. I have no idea how I ended up with it, but it contains enough sentimental value to almost bring tears to my eyes. Dad was an undertaker, I guess I have mentioned that enough times. In the good old days undertakers and really all businessmen, wore suits, hats, overcoats, gloves, and leather shoes. There were rubbers or zip front rubber overshoes for winter. Does anyone else remember the rubbers? they were very flexible, like rubber gloves, and fit tightly over shoes. I can close my eyes and see every adult in my childhood life leaning on the wall near the door, either putting the rubbers on, or peeling them off.

Dad polished his shoes with regularity, but I do not remember if it was a certain day of the week, or just when they needed it. Dad’s extra shoes (the ones that were not on his feet) lived on shoe trees, which looked like this:

shine2

They adjust from longer to shorter by putting the handle on using the correct holes. First he wiped the shoes off, then he put on the polish. For the uninitiated, the polish came in a glass bottle, with a fleecy dabber attached to the underside of the lid with a wire stick type thing. I can see him carefully spreading the polish on the shoes, holding not the shoes, but the handle of the shoe tree on which they were installed. He was meticulous, there was never any polish on the soles of the shoes, or on the floor, or his hands. The shoes were set aside on a piece of newspaper to dry, then shined with the brush.

If you look at the handle, you can see it serves a dual purpose. It is ribbed, therefore not slippery. You can sit in a chair, put your foot up on the handle, and brush your shoes off, or shine them with a rag. I think only the shoe trees, the brush and the box are original. The polish is all newer, and I have stored it in the kit.

This post was written following the “Treasure Chest Thursday” theme over at Geneabloggers.

Apr 28

Abbott Land Records, Wexford County, Michigan Liber 3 page 209

This entry is part 6 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.

Date: 18 Oct 1875
Liber: 3
Page: 209
Location: Traverse City, MI
Grantor: The United States
Grantee: John R. Abbott
Witnesses: ——
Type of deed: US Land Grant
Rec’d and recording: 18 Oct 1875
Clerk/registrar: Perry Hannah
Location of land: Colfax, Wexford Co, MI
Consideration: $8 (second payment)
Notes:
Description: SE 1/4 of Sec 22 T23N R10W

This land is more in proximity to Papa’s Abbott and Burdick ancestors’ land. On this section of the old 1889 atlas1, the land purchased by John R. Abbott is marked in red. Papa’s Fenton and Fellows ancestors owned land within the blue outlined area, a little later on. Ross P. Fenton was the grandson of Mary Jane Abbott. The land owned by George Washington Burdick and wife Mary Jane Abbott was further north near the township line. The land marked “Geo Burdick” on this map was owned by the “other” Burdick family, with whom I have not found a connection.

3-209

  1. 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 29; digital images, The University of Michigan. Michigan County Histories and Atlases. http://name.umdl.umich.edu/3928170.0001.001 : accessed 28 April 2010.

Apr 27

Tuesday’s Tools – Saving an Image from Seeking Michigan

There are a host of professional genealogists who offer tips, shortcuts and tricks to make life easier for the rest of us. Along the way, each of us picks up tidbits of knowledge which help us survive, or at least become our own standard way of accomplishing tasks. Once in a while, when I feel like it, in very irregular fashion, but almost always on Tuesday, I will tell you how I do something related to my genealogy. If this little effort helps you, share with others, so they can be helped to. We all have a little something in our heads that can make life easier for others. One warning: I am a PC user, and I know nothing about Apple, Mac or Linux operating systems and/or computers. This is from a PC user, for PC users.

Today’s tool is a method I used to save, rather than print, records on Seeking Michigan [www.seekingmichigan.org]. I usually prefer to save files, rather than print them, and Seeking Michigan does not have a “save” button.

I conducted a search, and am using my great-grandmother, Lena Yearnd. Here is the result of searching for “Yearnd”.

seeking1

I bet you wish you had an unusual last name now, don’t you? Clicking on the image produces this:

seeking2

I have some choices, but saving the image is not among them. Darn. I click the “printable version” link and see this:

seeking3

Here is the trick, click cancel instead of print, and the print box vanishes, leaving just the image. You can see only part of it, but do not worry. Right click on the image and select “save as” from the shortcut menu:

seeking4

Here is Lena’s death record on my desktop where I saved it:

seeking5

If you are as crazy as me, you won’t want to have the record with the thick black border. That huge black border is another reason not to print, it prints out, too. Just open the image in your favorite photo editing program, and then crop off the black. Some of the images on the site are slightly crooked, you can also straighten if needed.

Here is a link to the resulting file, and nice clean version of my great-grandmother’s death certificate. If you know of any Detman/Detmann families in Michigan between 1870 and 1920, please contact me. Although I have no evidence Lena immigrated with her family, one never knows.

Apr 26

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

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.

3-163

  1. 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.