Monday, May 9, 2011

Okay, let me see if I can confuse you today.

On October 28, 1835 the General Land Office of the United States granted Nathan Myers of Clinton County, Ohio 160 acres of land in Hamilton County, Indiana the location was recorded as, “s/w quarter of section 11 township 18 north of range 3 east”. And, to my surprise, I have found this property located in Washington Township, Hamilton County not in Noblesville Township where I had always thought it to be located. The Land Grant Map mentioned below lists the date as August 27, 1834...Well this might be the day Nathan paid for the property and it may have taken the Land Office until October 28,1835 to issue the grant. Then as now, government in Washington was slow.

To completely confuse me, the Hamilton County Surveyor’s Office published an Original Land Grant Map (Revised 1999) showing two additional patents for Nathan the first for 80 acres on August 27, 1858 and one for 40 acres also on August 27, 1858 both in Noblesville Township, just to the east and northeast of Gray.. (section 16 township 18 n of range 4e) NEITHER of these patents or land grants are listed by the Federal Government (BLM). This map is located at:

http://www.hamiltoncounty.in.gov/services.asp?id=7089

Open above web site, scroll down to
ORIGINAL LAND GRANT MAP (HAMILTON COUNTY)
You will also be able to view the 1866 maps for Delaware and Noblesville Townships at this site. And, if you have an interest you can also find the 80 acres granted to George Haworth in 1837 in Jackson Township that I Posted on April 26, 2011 (section 10 township 19 n of range 5e). The Haworth property seems to have been located a few miles east and a little south of Deming. The Surveyor’s Office also lists three other Haworths in that section Mary, Levi and Margaret, the BLM lists only Margaret. I mention this because this Mary Haworth MAY be Mary Rees Haworth, George’s Mother.

While trying to find an exact location for property that Nathan owned at the time of his death (480 acres), I have come across several atlases for Hamilton County showing the townships and land owners. Well, the Myers property and home place do not seem to have been exactly where I thought they were…..but then maybe they were.

In previous posts I have mentioned that Nathan and then his wife Demaris (Mary) Myers had owned at least part interest in a saw mill. I have found a saw mill on three maps in three different locations that could have been owned by the Myers. I had thought that the mill would have had to have been located on a swift flowing stream however the mill was a steam saw mill and all that was required was a steady supply of water and, of course, fuel. On an 1866 map the Myers family (mother, sons Joseph and George W. and daughter Rachel) also owned (separately) several hundred acres near Gray, to the east and northeast. On the 1866 map a saw mill named Hamilton & Cloud was located next to the Gray Church property. Also on the 1866 map the mother (Demaris) owned 160 acres on what is now the north side of 146th street east of Hazel Dell with three structures (This is the 160 acres that I thought was the original home property.) and directly across 146th street to the south in Delaware Township she owned an additional 80 acres. Now then, if my calculations are correct, this accounts for 360 of the 480 acres owned by Nathan at the time of his death.

On the 1870 census taken on June 13th, Mary is listed as head of household having real estate worth $4,200 and personal estate as $1,000. Also in the household are George listed as a trader owning $10,000 in real estate and $1,000 in personal estate; William listed as a farmer owning $3,000 in real estate and $400 in personal estate; Mary’s daughters Elizabeth and Mary J. and son Charles and two other individuals John Britton and Pat Stewart.

On an 1880 map Mary still owned (and here the numbers on the map are a bit blurred) 58? acres of the 160 acres north of 146th street mentioned above. This property included two structures, one being a steam saw mill and to the east, 48 acres owned by her son Charles Myers. Directly across 146th street to the south were 64 acres owned by W. P. Myers (William Penn) and directly to the east of this 64 acres, a 16 acre parcel owned by M. Myers (Mary or Demaris, take your pick.) and directly to the south of this 16 acres, another 16 acre parcel owned by M. Myers.

The 16 acre parcel of land directly to the east of W. P. Myers owned by Mary is probably the 16 acres mentioned in a lawsuit that I posted on April 26, 2009, “The defendant William P. Myers for his separate answer herein denies every allegation in the complaint contained and for a separate cross complaint herein, the said William P. Myers says that he is the owner in fee simple of the 16 acres described in said complaint. That Mary Myers on the __ day of ____, 1884 was the owner of all land described in plaintiffs complaint that at said date she sold said 16 acre tract to the cross complainant for the sum of $900.00 which amount was all paid to her at the time. And the Plaintiff took possession of same and made valuable and lasting improvements and that it was the intention of said Mary Myers to execute a deed of conveyance to cross complainant in a short time for said 16 acres, but on the __ day of August, 1884 she suddenly departed this life without executing said deed of conveyance. The defendants George and Joseph Myers for answer to the cross complaint of William P. Myers say that the matter and things stated therein are true.” The court agreed and on October 19, 1886, a court commissioner’s deed was issued to William P. for the 16 acres.

On the 1880 census Mary is still living in Noblesville Township but her son George W. is listed as head of household. Also in the household are Mary’s daughter Rebecca Myers, divorced; a granddaughter of Mary’s Della Myers and Sam’L Hill who apparently worked at the Myers saw mill. The census also lists both of Mary’s parents as being born in New Jersey.

No comments:

Post a Comment