Amanuensis Monday : George Wright to Sarah Wright, Clermont County, Ohio, 1808

George Wright to Sarah Wright, Clermont County, Ohio Deed Book F-05: 397

Received this copy of a deed from fellow researcher Newell Wright from Clermont County, Ohio that deals with my maternal 5th great-grandfather, George Wright and his mother, Sarah Wright.  A previous post had listed Wright deeds in Clermont County, Ohio , believe this one belongs to Book F-05, page 397.

Know all men by these presents that I George Wright of Pleasant Township County of Clermont and State of Ohio for and in consideration of Three hundred Dollars to me in hand paid before the Delivery hereof by my Mother Sarah Wright Widow of County and State aforesaid the receipt of whereof is hereby acknowledged have given, granted, bargained, sold and by these presents do give, grant, bargain, sell, alien, release and convey and confirm to her the said Sarah Wright her heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, all my right, title, property, claim and demand of, in and to a certain piece of Land lying in Pleasant Township County and State aforesaid and is butted and bounded as follows: viz. Beginning at Moses Hicks N.E. corner at a Sugar tree, and running thence North One hundred and forty seven poles to a Lynn and Beech, thence West one hundred and five poles to a Lynn thence South one hundred and forty seven poles to a Sugar tree and two beeches thence East one hundred and five poles to the place of Beginning.  To have and to hold said granted premises with all the privileges and appurtenances thereto in any wise belonging, to her the said Sarah Wright her heirs executors administrators and assigns to her and their proper use benefit and behoof forever and I the said George Wright the said granted premises will Warrant and Defend, against the Claims or Demands of all persons claiming by from or under me my heirs or assigns as also against the heirs and assigns of Joseph Vanmeter from whom I purchased the said granted premises.  In Testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal this Tenth day of October One Thousand Eight hundred and Eight.  George Wright (seal).

 Signed sealed and delivered in presence of Wm. O'Bowlin Henry Ralston

October 15th 1808.  This day personally appeared before me Bernard Thomspson a Justice of Clermont County George Wright who did then and there acknowledge the above Indenture to be his own Voluntary act and Deed for the use of the withing mentioned, and Directed the same to be Recorded.  In Testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this day and date above written.  Bernard Thompson (seal).

Things I have learned from this document :

• George Wright's mother was definitely named Sarah, and she was a widow by 1808.
• This piece of land is the same piece of land that George purchased from Joseph Vanmeter 
• George was educated, as he signed the document and was it was sealed, not just "his mark".
• This places both George and his mother in Clermont County in 1808.  This is important as the 1810 census of Ohio is missing.

Monday is a daily blogging theme which encourages the family historian to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Amanuensis Monday is a popular ongoing series created by John Newmark at Transylvanian Dutch.

James Orcutt versus Daniel W. Stover, Delaware County, Indiana, 1903

Hartford City Telegram
Hartford City, Indiana
April 29, 1903, page 1

NEW SUITS FILED

James Orcutt vs.Daniel W. Stover, from Delaware county.

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James Orcutt (1856-1925) mentioned in this notice of a lawsuit was the husband of my paternal 2nd-great grandaunt, Samantha E. Metzner (1857-1890).  By this time, James had remarried and was living in Muncie, Delaware County, Indiana.  I found this tidbit while searching newspaper records to see if there were any mentions of the Orcutt name.

Hartford City is in Blackford County while Muncie is the county seat in Delaware County.  I believe this article is saying that the case was moved to Blackford County from Delaware County.  Will have two courthouses to search.

Surname Saturday : Andrews

The ANDREWS surname is in my paternal line.  The origins of the surname are unknown, though likely English.

Stories and history :

Ahnentafel # 1475 : Sarah Andrews (c1640-1718).  Sarah was born circa 1640, parentage unknown.  She married Exercise Conant on April 28, 1663 in Mansfield, Connecticut.  Exercise was born circa 1637 in Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts and died April 28, 1722 in Windham, Winham County, Connecticut.  Sarah died December 4, 1718 in Windham, Windham County, Connecticut.


Surname Saturday – create a post in which you discuss a surname and mention its origins, its geographical location(s) and how it fits into your genealogy research. Surname Saturday is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

Amanuensis Monday : Elizabeth Vanmeter to George Wright, Clermont County, Ohio, 1807

Elizabeth Vanmeter to George Wright, Clermont County, Ohio Deed Book F-05:230

Received this copy of a deed from fellow research Newell Wright from Clermont County, Ohio that deals with land purchased by my maternal 5th-great grandfather, George Wright.  Previous post had listed Wright deeds in Clermont County, believe this one belongs to Book F-05:230.

Know all men by these presents that we Elizabeth Vanmeter and Absalom Vanmeter Administrators of Joseph Vanmeter deceased for and in consideration of three hundred and thirty three dollars paid to said Joseph Vanmeter in his lifetime by George Wright of Clermont County and State of Ohio the receipt whereof we hereby acknowledge have given, granted, bargained and sold and by these presents do give, grant, bargain, sell, release, convey and confirm to him the said George Wright his heirs and assign all the right to the property calling and deed and the said Joseph Vanmeter his heirs and assigns of in and to a certain piece of .... lying in Pleasant Township County and State aforesaid in part of General Lawsons survey bounded as follows : Beginning at Moses Hicks S.E. Corner at a Sugar Tree thence North one hundred and forty seven poles to a Lynn and beech, thence south one hundred and five poles to a Lynn, thence south one hundred and forty seven poles to a Sugar and two beeches, thence East one hundred and five poles to the place of Beginning to have and to hold the said granted premises with all the privileges and appurtenances thereunto belonging to him the said George Wright his heirs and assigns forever promising thereby to Warrant and defend said granted premises against all persons claiming by, from or under the said Joseph Vanmeter his heirs or assigns: In Testimony whereof we hereunto set our hands and seals this 30th day of October 1807.   Administration  Absalom Vanmeter (seal)  Elizabeth Vanmeter (her mark)

Signed sealed & delivered in presence of Allen Woods Wm. White.

State of Ohio Clermont County.  I, Henry Chapman, one of the Justices of the pace acting in and for the county aforesaid do certify that William White and Allen Woods two of the subscribing witnesses to the within Indenture personally appeared before me the subscriber and under oath saith that the within named Elizabeth Vanmeter and Absalom Vanmeter did on the thirtieth day of October last acknowledge the within Indenture to be their act and deed for the purposes herein mentioned; In Testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this fifth day of November 1807.   Henry Chapman (seal).

 George Wright had been in Pleasant Township, Clermont County, Ohio since at least 1802, when he was enumerated in the census of the Northwest Territory.  Pleasant Township was part of Clermont County that was later cut out to form Brown County, Ohio in 1818, which is where later records of our Wright family are located.

The Lawson survey was part of the Virginia Military Survey in Clermont County.

Amanuensis Monday is a daily blogging theme which encourages the family historian to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Amanuensis Monday is a popular ongoing series created by John Newmark at Transylvanian Dutch.

Surname Saturday : Alexander

The ALEXANDER surname is in my maternal line.  The origins of the surname are Scottish, though I have much to discover about them.

Stories and history :

Ahnentafel # 3075 : Janet Alexander married James Henderson.  They lived in Logie, Perth, Scotland.  They had at least one daughter, my ancestor born in 1698.

This is one line that I have yet to spend any time in researching.
Surname Saturday – create a post in which you discuss a surname and mention its origins, its geographical location(s) and how it fits into your genealogy research. Surname Saturday is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

DNA : Dad's Top Ten Matches at 23andMe

Here is a screenshot of the top ten DNA matches for my dad at 23andMe.  I am obviously the closest match.  For privacy reasons, I've erased the last names of the public matches.

Dad's next closest match is Ed, who is predicted to be a 2nd to 4th cousin, sharing 1.26% DNA and 4 segments.  I've been in contact with Ed, and determined that he is my dad's fourth cousin through the common ancestors of Selah Moulton and Lydia Finel.

Dad's next closest match is William, who was predicted to be a 2nd to 4th cousin, sharing 1.07% DNA but 6 segments.  I've also been in contact with Bill, and have determined that he is my dad's second cousin once removed through the common ancestors of Luman Walker Lemasters and Mary Keziah Chew.

Dad's next closest public match, David, who was predicted to be a 3rd to 4th cousin, sharing 0.92% DNA with 3 segments.  I've been in contact with David, and have determined that he is my dad's third cousin once removed through the common ancestors of George J. Haley and Rachel Gary.

Invitations to connect have been sent out to all of this matches.

Jay County, Indiana Petit Jury List, September 1897

Portland Weekly Commercial
Portland, Indiana
September 9, 1897, page 3

The petit jury which will report on September 20, is composed as follows:

William R. Loux    ... Green

B.J. Kimble          ... Noble
John Ashcraft       ... Penn

Andrew Campbell .... Bear Creek
L.N. Metzner        ... Wayne

Joshua Armstrong ... Madison
Wesley Jordan     ... Jackson

Wilbur Milligan    ...  Bear Creek

J.E. Franklin         ... Madison

George Daugherty ... Bear Creek

M.J. Atkinson        ... Madison

Alfred Grissom      ... Knox

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This listing of the members of the petit jury in Jay County, Indiana contains a couple of names with ties to my family.

The L.N. Metzner of Wayne Township has me a bit confused.  I'm not sure which Metzner this is.  There are a couple of Lewis (or Louis) Napoleon Metzner's in the family, but one died in 1900 in Bear Creek Township, Jay County,  and the other was living in Ft. Wayne in Allen County at the time.

The M.J. Atkinson of Madison Township is Matthias Jefferson Atkinson (1863-1923), my paternal great granduncle, husband of Mary Elsie LeMasters (1873-1942).

Updating My Ancestry Tree

Have spent some time this weekend updating and adding to my personal tree at Ancestry.  I've neglected it for awhile, but with all of the work I've been doing with DNA matches, I felt I needed to get it as up to date as possible.

Many of the matches at 23andMe are in the 3rd to 4th cousin range, so I am focusing on my 4th-great grandparents and working the tree down to the present. Hopefully, this will make the tree as complete as possible for some of those closer matches, who might recognize a surname.  Most of my matches don't have a family tree online at all, but if I can point them to mine, perhaps they can find the match.

I've had great success in finding cousins through DNA autosomal matches and want to keep the momentum going.  First I have to input all the names in the trees, then I will go back and work on updating by adding photos and documents.  

If you think you and I might have a connection, the tree is available at http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/25951333/family

Surname Saturday : Allen

The ALLEN surname is in my maternal line.  The origins of the surname are Irish.

Stories and history :

Ahnentafel # 3764 : John Allen (1694-1771).  John was born August 3, 1694 in Ireland.  He married Amy Cox (1696-1778) in March 1719 in Chester County, Pennsylvania.  They raised 9 children in Chester County, Pennsylvania and were members of the Society of Friends (Quaker).  Amy was born 1696 in New Castle County, Delaware and died September 13, 1778.  John died September 16, 1771 in Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Ahnentafel # 1882 : John Allen (1720-1754).  John was born February 8, 1720 in London Grove, Chester County, Pennsylvania.  He married Phebe Scarlett (1772-1815) in London Grove, Chester County, Pennsylvania.  They raised 7 children in Chester County, Pennsylvania.  Phebe was born November 4, 1722 in Chester County, Pennsylvania and died in 1815 in Orange County, North Carolina.  John died October 1, 1754 in London Grove, Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Ahnentafel # 941 : Hannah Allen (1741-1834).  Hannah was born 7th month, 10th day 1741 in Chester County, Pennsylvania.  She married Nicholas Barker (1737-1826) on June 9, 1760 in Guilford County, North Carolina.  Nicholas was born 3rd month 8th day 1737 and died 3rd month 24th day 1826 in Randolph County, North Carolina.  They raised 7 children in Guilford County, North Carolina.  Hannah died 12th month 10th day 1834 in Randolph County, North Carolina.

Related blog posts :

• Today in my database : John Allen (b. February 8, 1719/20)

• Today in my database : John Allen (b. August 3, 1694)

Surname Saturday – create a post in which you discuss a surname and mention its origins, its geographical location(s) and how it fits into your genealogy research. Surname Saturday is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

DNA : Mom's Top Ten Matches at 23andMe

Here is a screenshot of mom's top ten DNA matches at 23andMe.  Obviously, I am her closest match.  For privacy reasons, I've erased the last names of public matches.

Mom's closest match is Ellen, who shares 0.68% DNA and 5 segments and is predicted to be a 3rd to 4th cousin.  Though we've been corresponding, I've not yet made the connection because she hasn't shared any surnames in her family tree.  Other than stating she has Quaker ancestry, I don't know anything yet.

The next closest match is Raj, who shares 0.59% DNA and 3 segments and is also predicted to be a 3rd to 4th cousin.  Through correspondence, I was able to determine that Raj is mom's fourth cousin once removed, through common ancestors Francis S. Pierce and Rebecca Page.

The next closest match is Kenneth, who shares 0.42% DNA and 3 segments and is predicted to be a 3rd to 5th cousin.  We have not yet made any connections.

The next closest match is Mary, who shares 0.40% DNA and 3 segments and is predicted to be a 3rd to 5th cousin.  We have not yet made any connections.

Invitations to connect have been made to all of these DNA matches, though half of the top ten matches have not responded.  Knowing that one is predicted to be a 2nd to 3rd cousin is intriguing, as that individual should be in my family tree database.

Bear Creek Township Sunday School Celebration, Jay County, Indiana, 1899

Portland Daily Commercial
Portland, Indiana
August 28, 1899, page 1

Sunday School Celebration

The fourth annual celebration of the Sunday schools of Bear Creek township will be held in Phillip Stolz's grove, one mile south of Westchester, and one mile east of the Emanual [sic] church, on Saturday, September 2.

It is desired and expected that each Sunday school in the township be represented.

Everybody invited to come and bring your baskets well filled and enjoy a good time.

Isaiah Weisel, Township Pres.,

W.T. Metzner, Secretary

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Found this notice in the local newspaper that mentioned my paternal 2nd-great granduncle, Wesley T. Metzner (1855-    ), son of John and Catherine (Young) Metzner.  Apparently, Wesley was serving as the secretary of Bear Creek township Sunday school association.

Wesley was married to Mary Emma Roser and had 4 children. 

Marriage License : Charles Alber and Florence Lucille Lewis, Wabash County, Indiana, 1924

"Indiana, Marriages, 1811-1959," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/27KH-TBH : accessed 21 May 2014), Clarence Alber and Lucile Lewis, 10 Sep 1924; citing Wabash County; FHL microfilm 001409333.

Located this marriage record at FamilySearch for Eileen's maternal grandaunt, Florence Lucille Lewis (1906-1984) and Clarence Alber (1902-1970).  They were married September 10, 1924 in Wabash County, Indiana.

Clarence was the son of Charles and Mary (Smith) Alber.  Lucille was the daughter of Lawrence Solomon and Ruth Alice (Sills) Lewis.

According to the license, Clarence was born in Warsaw, Indiana and his occupation was basket maker.  Lucille was born in Wabash, Indiana and resided at home.

They were the parents of at least one child, according to my database.

Obituary : William H. Summers (1844-1911)

Fort Wayne News
September 4, 1911
page 8

Summers

William H. Summers, a prominent farmer residing near Poe, Allen county, died at Hope hospital Sunday evening.  The death was due to obstruction of the bowels.  Saturday the deceased was in good health and spirits.  Sunday morning he suffered a sudden attack and was at once taken to the hospital, where death occurred in a few hours.  For many years, Mr. Summers had resided near Poe and was widely known and respected.  He leaves the widow and eight children.

Funeral services will be held Wednesday morning at 10:30 o'clock at the M.E. church at Poe.

----

William H. Summers (1844-1911) was the husband of Margaret P. (Pierce) Summers, my maternal 3rd-great grandaunt.  William was born in 1844 in Indiana, and married Margaret on September 3, 1868.  Their eight children were : Mary Lulu, Parker, Edwin, Girdon, Thance, Chauncey, Mian and Ira.

Shortly after their married they lived in Jefferson Township, Wells County, just south of Ft. Wayne.

DNA Match : Cousin Raj

Made a DNA connection with a public match at 23andMe, Raj, who is not currently sharing genomes with me.  Because we are not sharing genomes, I'm unable to compare him with others to see where we match. We share 1 segment, or 0.31% DNA and was a predicted 4th cousin. Raj was listed as my mother's predicted 3rd to 4th cousin, sharing 3 segments and 0.59% DNA.

Looking at his profile at 23andMe, there was no family tree listed, but he did list family surnames and locations, though none of them looked familiar to me.

Because he has a rather unusual name and surname (at least to my ears), I decided to see if I could "reverse engineer" a solution to seeing exactly how we were related.  With the help of Google, FindAGrave and some genealogical intuition, I was able to successfully tie cousin Raj into the family tree.

Using Google, I located him listed as a survivor in his mother's obituary that had been posted to the Iowa Gen Web.  Likewise, his father's obituary had also been posted to the same site.  His father immigrated from India, so I made the deduction that we must be related through his mother's line.

I found the listing for his maternal grandmother's obituary that had been posted to Legacy.com and FindAGrave.com  I also found his maternal grandfather listed at FindAGrave.  There was not much biographical information listed at FindAGrave for his maternal grandfather, but his maternal grandmother's obituary at Legacy.com had her dying in Ft. Wayne, Indiana about 60 miles away from where I live.  Armed with that information, I made an assumption that our connection came from the line of his maternal grandmother's side.

Fortunately, his maternal grandmother lived to be 101 years old and her obituary at Legacy named her parents and stated that she was a native of Ossian, which is just south of Ft. Wayne in Wells County.  I remembered that I had one branch of the Pierce family that had migrated there.

Through the FindAGrave website, I was able to connect Raj's maternal great-grandfather to his maternal 2nd-great grandparents, John H. Simerman and Mary Lula Summers of Ossian, Indiana.  That's when I knew we had a connection.  Mary Lula Summers was in my database (though I had the surname as Sommers), the daughter of William Henry Harrison Summers (1844-1911) and Margaret P. Pierce (1840-1920).

Margaret P. Pierce was the daughter of Francis S. Pierce (1806-1881) and Rebecca Page (1806-1893) and the younger sister of my 3rd-great grandfather, Edmund G. Pierce (1837-1875).  I had found the connection!

I quickly sent a note to Raj through 23andMe, and he wrote me back.  We've begun exchanging information, and I've kick-started my research on these branches of the family that I previously had left blank.

Knowing that I was able to make a connection where one didn't appear possible right away makes me confident that with a little persistence and as complete of a family tree as possible, I can make connections to some of these other DNA matches at 23andMe.  There are so many descendants of my 4th-great grandparents that I need to track down, as that is where many of the connections will be found.