[Genealogy] Forty Years to Deliver a Horse, A Garden, A Mark, and Evidence of a Relationship, and More
Michael John Neill
mjnrootdig at gmail.com
Wed Oct 7 17:54:20 CDT 2026
Genealogy Update 6 October 2026
** Forty Years to Deliver a Horse
** new---US Local Land Records Webinar---new
** A Garden, A Mark, and Evidence of a Relationship
** new--Using AI to Maximize Your Full-Text Search
** Recorded Webinars
-----------------------------
Forty Years to Deliver a Horse
-----------------------------
The image accompanying this post is from a deed of gift of a horse from
Lewis Demoss to James Poteet. That’s really not the point of this post.
Before Lewis’ signature, the document reads (in part):
Witness whereof I have hereunto Set my hand & Seal this 22d Day of January
in the year one thousand Seven hundred thirty Six seven.
[image: dates]
<https://rootdig.genealogytipoftheday.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/dates.jpg>
After the signature of Lewis and the witnesses, it says:
On the back of which foregoing Deed of gift is there written Viz Memdum
that on the 22d day of January 1767 [??] [??] was Delivered by the …
The 7 is really above the 6 and in fact the last “digit” of the year looks
like the fraction 7/6.
Of course it’s not 7/6. The year is not meant to be 1776 or 1767 either.
The first date is 22 January 1736/7. That’s because during the time this
document was written, the start of the new year was on 25 March–not on 1
January. 22 January would have been in the latter part of 1736 according to
those who used 25 March as the start of the new year (for them 1737 would
have started in March). 22 January would have been early in 1737 for those
who used 1 January as the start of the new year.
As for the delivery date of 22 January 17 “7/6.”
That date appears to be incorrect, but not in the way one might think. It
appears that the “3” in the year was omitted. That would make the date of
delivery the same as the date the document was executed, which makes the
most logical sense. The date can’t be 1776 as delivering a horse forty
years after the date of the document seems a little bit improbable.
Sometimes what looks like errors are not errors.
And sometimes what looks like errors are errors.
We just have to think and contemplate so that we can discern the difference.
----------------------------
US Local Land Records Webinar
----------------------------
*Special Announcement*
*Land records have you confused? We have the answer.*
Reading the Deed Books: US Local Land Records for Genealogists
There are a lot of records your ancestor may have avoided being listed in.
But if he bought or sold land, there was a record created to document that
transfer and a copy of that record was probably made at the local court
house. Even if your ancestor never bought or sold the land he owned, he may
appear in local land records. Deeds are some of the most reliable records
we have, and genealogists overlook them all the time.
This presentation covers the land records kept at the county and town level
in the United States and the general structure and form of a deed itself
along with land record terminology. We'll talk about how the records are
usually organized, how to use grantor and grantee indexes (and what to do
when they fail you), and why the record you need might be sitting in a
parent county formed fifty years earlier. Local land records are not just
deeds, we'll look at mortgages, releases, powers of attorney, and the land
divisions that followed a death.
We'll also spend time on what a deed can tell you beyond the sale itself.
The legal phrasing often hides useful clues, and the details people skim
past, like witnesses, neighbors, or a wife releasing her dower, can point
to relatives and connections you didn't know about. We will look at
examples from a variety of US locations.
Searching these records can always be done onsite, but we will also talk
about accessing them where possible via FamilySearch (including manual
browsing and using full-text search where applicable).
You should be comfortable with basic research before signing up.
Presentation and handout included.
Receive recording only by 19 October 2026 for $15.99
<https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=3M24AP7JGYQG2>
Purchase recording for delivery by 19 October 2026 and participate in a
one-time question and answers session regarding land deeds on 26 October
starting at 7:30 pm central time via zoom
<https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=3M24AP7JGYQG2>
.
Michael John Neill has actively researched his genealogy forever forty
years, descends from generations of land-owning farmers, and has utilized
land records in his own research extensively during that time. He is a
former community college math instructor with a master’s degree in
mathematics.
*Special Announcement!*
Enhance your Full-Text Searching with AI!
------------------------
A Garden, A Mark, and Evidence of a Relationship
------------------------
There are several lessons in this assignment of property from John Demoss
of Harford County, Maryland.
One is that some individuals literally make a mark when “making their
mark.” That’s not an “x” John Demoss made when he “signed” this property
transfer. I cannot say if there is any significance to the fact that John’s
mark is after his name or not.
The second is that it confirms that John Demoss was the father of John
Demoss, Junr. One cannot always conclude based upon names alone that a
junior is the son of another man with the same name. This document makes it
pretty clear as John Demoss Junr. is styled as “my son.”
The third thing is that I cannot be quite clear when John Demoss executed
this property transfer to his son as it is undated. It would have to have
been before 16 July 1802 when the property was patented to John Demoss,
Junior. In some cases dates such as this may be crucial if there are not
documents that directly provide a date of death.
The patent The certificate of survey gives specific metes and bounds
description for this piece of property, “Demosses Farm.” There is also
another piece of property, “Demosses Garden,” which has a similar
assignment from John Demoss. [The first sentence of this paragraph was
edited to correctly indicate that this image is from the “certificate of
survey” rather than the patent, which a reader graciously pointed out.]
The titles of the property and the accompanying metes and bounds
descriptions may make it easier to concretely tie later records of John
Demoss in Harford County with the one referenced in this document.
[image: john-demoss]
<https://rootdig.genealogytipoftheday.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/john-demoss.jpg>
*Using AI to Maximize Your Full-Text Searching at FamilySearch*
Are you getting the most from full-text search? Are you considering all the
options? Are you feeling overwhelmed even though you know what the purposes
of all the boxes are?
AI can help organize and structure your full-text searches at FamilySearch.
It can be used to create a customized research log to track all the various
searches you perform at the site and all you need to do is indicate the
search was performed and what the results were.
It is still important for you to know how full-text search at FamilySearch
works–you cannot effectively problem solve if you don’t–but AI can make
your full-text searches more efficient. The best use of full-text search is
using it to find as much as possible–not just the low hanging fruit that
one often finds when simply typing in a name. Could there be more that you
could find with full-text search?
We will see in this presentation how to use AI to take your use of
full-text search to the next level.
You will get the most out of this presentation if you are already familiar
with how to use full-text search.
Order a copy of the AI presentation only–release date of 18 October
2026–for $16.99
<https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=QUZM9TS8GBEVQ>
(introductory rate).
Order a copy of our other full-text search presentations:
-
Full-Text Search at FamilySearch
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/2026/08/05/updated-familysearch-full-text-search-webinar/>–download
immediate
-
Full-Text Search at FamilySearch with Common Names
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/2025/11/04/common-names-at-familysearch-full-text-webinar/>–download
immediate
--------------------
Webinars
--------------------
Ready-to-Go Webinars from Michael–download immediate:
-
AI as a Genealogy Consultant
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/using-ai-as-a-genealogy-consultant/>
--New!
-
Creating Children’s Stories from Genealogy Events
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/creating-childrens-stories-from-genealogy-information/>
-
Creating Families from pre-1850 Census Records
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/creating-families-from-pre-1850-census-records/>
-
DeedMapper webinars
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/deedmapper-intro-and-more-deedmapper-webinars/>
-
FamilySearch Catalog
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/2026/02/19/using-the-familysearch-catalog-webinar/>
-
Farming Ancestor webinars–landowner and non-landowner versions
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/rooting-around-for-farmers-and-tenants-and-laborers/>
-
Full-Text Search at FamilySearch
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/2026/08/05/updated-familysearch-full-text-search-webinar/>
-
Full-Text Search at FamilySearch with Common Names
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/2025/11/04/common-names-at-familysearch-full-text-webinar/>
-
How Errors Get in Records
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/how-errors-get-in-records-webinar/>
-
Illinois Genealogy Research
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/2026/03/10/genealogy-research-in-illinois-webinar/>
-
Metes and Bounds With AI–platting and analysis
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/using-ai-for-metes-and-bounds-deed-analysis/>
-
Unburying Funeral Home Records
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/unburying-funeral-home-records/>
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Michael John Neill
Genealogy Tip of the Day
PO Box 17
Henderson, IL 61439
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