[Genealogy] Tow Hundred Dollars and Question Answers

[Michael John Neill]

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Genealogy Update 14 April 2026


** Tow Hundred Dollars

** I Just Want the Answers to My Questions

**--Don't forget to check out our trip and webinars

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Tow Hundred Dollars

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I’m not certain how much Michael Trautvetter paid for a piece of property
he purchased in Campbell County, Kentucky, in 1845.

In the context of my problem I am not certain it really matters.

[image: deed_q_campbell_page194-blog]

The amount of money obviously mattered to David Trusdell and Michael
Trautvetter. But I’m not assigning a value to the real estate for tax
purposes. I’m trying to solve a genealogical problem.

The deed is the first one where Michael purchases property in Campbell
County, Kentucky. It is dated 9 August 1845 and styles Michael as being of
that same location. Before this was located the earliest I knew Michael was
there was his 1850 census enumeration. This helps to backtrack that date of
settlement by about five years. That’s helpful when trying to locate the
German native in passenger lists.

I’m also trying to determine where the property was located in Campbell
County–at least approximately. The amount he paid is not going to impact
that analysis.The deed does mention the property as being on the waters of
a specific creek which will help in placing it.

I will transcribe the entire deed, including the metes and bounds
description of the property and the acreage. That will be helpful in making
certain I have all of Michael’s land transactions accounted for as there
are multiple purchases and sales for him in Campbell County. In the
aggregate he did not own a large amount of real property, but missed
transactions could indicate records have been overlooked (or perhaps never
recorded or improperly indexed).

Based upon the handwriting, it looks like “tow” hundred dollars to me and
that’s how I will transcribe it. I’ll put the [*sic*] after the “tow” to
indicate that’s what it looked like to me.

But it’s nothing to fret over.

It does not impact the acreage of the property. It does not impact the
boundary of the property. It does not impact the type of title being
transferred. Those are things where the wrong interpretation does matter.

The amount did matter to the buyer and the seller. I do want to transcribe
it as it appears. But sometimes there can be more than one way to read
something and the difference is not crucial. This is one of those cases.

I’m just glad that I’ve backed Michael’s residence in Campbell County back
by another five years. That increases the amount of time he lived there and
increases the chance he appears in additional county records.

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I Just Want the Answers to My Questions
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[image: 1860-henry-trautvetter]
<https://rootdig.genealogytipoftheday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/1860-henry-trautvetter.jpg>

Sometimes it is tempting to say “I just want an answer to my question. I
don’t want to research other records at all. Just tell me how to answer my
question.”

The problem with genealogy research is that sometimes one record does not
answer the question of interest and that other records are needed to
establish context which helps the researcher frame their search for the
“record that answers the question.”

Such it is with the arrival of the family of Henry Trautvetter in the
United States. The German immigrant family appears in Hancock County,
Illinois, in 1860 with their sons, a daughter-in-law, two grandchildren, a
child of unknown origin, and a farm laborer. The census makes no mention of
their arrival and the birth of the grandchildren in Illinois does allow for
an approximation of the arrival of at least the son who is the father of
those children. (*Note: the relationships among the Trautvetters in the
enumeration are known from other records–not this census entry*).

Henry does not naturalize and is dead by the 1870 census enumeration. A
complete search for information on his brothers Michael and Adam located a
reference to Henry in Campbell County, Kentucky, where Henry apparently
spent at least some time. Adam’s live in the 1850s is better documented
than Henry’s.

Adam apparently arrives in Campbell County, Kentucky, in the summer of
1850. Based upon documents located during that time frame, Adam knew where
he was headed when he arrived in the United States.

   - In July of 1850 Adam arrives on the *Marianne*, landing in Baltimore.
   ( He is listed as John Adam Trautvetter, aged 57.) It’s probably the right
   guy as the name, age, and location of origin matches.
   - On 5 September 1850, Adam (as  57-year old “Item Troutfeather”) is
   enumerated in Campbell County, Kentucky’s Second District, living in the
   household of Michael and Margaret Trautvetter.
   - On 6 November 1850, Adam and Henry Trautvetter, styled as “of Campbell
   County, Kentucky,” purchase thirty acres on four mile creek (Campbell
   County Deed Book V, p 442). No relationship between the two is given in the
   deed.

Michael Trautvetter had lived in Campbell County for at least a few years,
having purchased property there on 9 August 1845 (Deed Book  Q, page 194).
This is the earliest documented reference to a member of this Trautvetter
family living in the United States.

The information helps to establish a time frame for when Henry immigrated.
It is possible that he arrived by himself and sent for his family later.
There is no evidence indicating Barbara and the sons are in the United
States until 1860

The current goal is to locate immigration information on Henry, his wife
Barbara, and their sons Adam, George, and Christian. Their daughter,
Ernestine (Trautvetter) Mathes (wife of George Mathes), immigrated in July
of 1853 arriving in Baltimore with the family of her uncle George
Trautvetter. By 1860 Henry, Barbara and their sons were living in Hancock
County, Illinois, where other members of the family (except Michael who was
still in Kentucky) were also living. Michael remained in Campbell County
until the mid-1860s, but eventually settled in Hancock County, Illinois, as
well.

Why work on setting the time frame?

Because Henry was easily located performing simple searches of passenger
lists on his name. Broader name-based searches may be necessary. Those
searches may result in an unmanageable number of hits if the time frame is
too large.

And researching the family in an exhaustive manner may result in a record
that helps me more than I would expect.

And as I write this, I realize that I’ve not searched for declarations of
intention or naturalization for the Trautvetters in Campbell County,
Kentucky. Those records may help as well.
------------------------------------------------
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Why There?

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When a record is located for a relative, one should always ask “why there?
Why was that record in that place?”

Many times the reasons are mundane and have obvious, instant answers. The
land deed was recorded in the jurisdiction in which the property was
located. The relative died at home and the death certificate was filed in
the local records office.

The answer may be known and that answer may still be a clue. A relative may
die in the nearest hospital in a different county or a different state. A
couple may travel to a neighboring county because that county seat is
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bride. A relative may naturalize a few counties from home because his
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Or the location itself may be a clue. Many relatives of my own from Hancock
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Michael John Neill
Genealogy Tip of the Day
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