Remember when reading those widow’s pensions, that it was in the widow’s interest to make herself, “poor, destitute, and without support.” Statements should always be interpreted with the thought that the claimant might have “shaded” comments to make things go in their favor. Same thing applies to statements made in divorce records. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
A deed may have the date it was signed, the date it was acknowledged, and the date it was recorded. Make certain you indicate which is which. They can be clues in some cases. A husband and wife executed a deed in 1814 in Kentucky and by the time it was acknowledged a month later, the wife is listed as a widow. This allowed me to approximate the date of death for the husband. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
If a family sold a deceased parent’s land after the parent died, not all of the children might have lived near where the property was located. They might have been sent copies of deed, told to acknowledge it in front of a local official, and mail back the information. That acknowledgement would have been recorded with the actual deed. That’s how a deed for my ancestor’s White County, Indiana, farm in the 1860s told me the counties in Iowa, Illinois, and Louisiana where his children were living. Don’t neglect to read the acknowledgements on a deed–they may hold clues as to where heirs are living. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
My aunt was the third wife of her fifth husband. In her Civil War pension application, she mentions having his family bible which included death dates of his wife and others. I’m wondering what happened to the Bible upon her death. It’s very possible it actually went to her family and left her husband’s family altogether. Could this have happened to one of your family items? It might be worth contacting descendants of an ancestor’s step-child to see if they have any knowledge of materials of this type. ———————————— Check out GenealogyBank’s Offer for Tip of the Day Fans!
Recent Comments