Creating a Research Log

I was using my Research Log this morning and I was thinking about how helpful it is to me for keeping track of what I’ve already searched.  I thought I might re-post this blog from 2009 to see if it could help anyone else.  Happy Researching! ~Lisa

Last week-end, I had a 3 hour car ride to contemplate what my “ideal” research log would look like.  I had printed out my notes for Joseph Scott (1832-1914, Russell County, Kentucky) and purposely did not bring along anything else so that I would be totally focused on the one family.  For 3 hours, I read and re-read the notes jotting down questions and making sure all my little scraps of paper and post-it notes were included.  I decided to create a 1 page document with Joseph’s basic vital information along with a timeline of locations for his family.  After that, I began making a list of questions I have along with a list of sources I could search to find the answers.  I also included sources I had already searched.

Of course, I used Excel to create the log so that it will be easy to update and easy to adapt to other ancestors.  I had already created a database of sources available at the Allen County Library for the counties I research in, so those sources were easy to add to the log.  I’m in the process of searching the Kentucky Archives catalog and the FHL catalog for additional sources that I don’t have access to at the library.  I’ll also add web sites that could help my research.  My ultimate goal for the log is to have a record that I can add to my ancestor’s folder so that when I grab the folder to take to the library, the log will be waiting.  I’ll know what I’ve already researched and what I want to look-up on my next trip.  I need to be able to update it quickly, especially if I read an interesting article or twitter tweet that gives me a new idea of a source to search.  But more than anything, I need to FEEL organized and confident that I have thoroughly analyzed my notes and that I don’t need to take the time to analyze them again.  That, more than anything, keeps me from working on my research.  I don’t usually work on my research unless I have a full day – which I seldom have during the school year.  So if I can take smaller chunks of time to do the analyzing – and creating the log – then I’ll be more likely to jump into my research when opportunities do present themselves.

So here my the first version of my research log.  While I don’t want this log template to become a huge project, I am trying to think if there are other things I need to add to be as effective as possible.  It just occurred to me that I should include a list of people that I know are also searching Joseph along with email and snail mail addresses.

Please feel free to comment if you think something else would be helpful!

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John M. Smith (AKA The Brick Wall)

I’ve been researching John M. Smith for years. YEARS! He definitely falls into my “Madness Monday” category!

Here’s what I know about John M. Smith

• I know that John was listed in the Russell County tax records from 1827 – 1835.
• I know that John was listed in the 1830 Russell County Census.
• In the census, John had in his home: 1 male aged 10-15, 4 males aged 20-30 and 1 male aged 50-60.  1 female aged 15-20, 1 female aged 20-30 and 1 female aged 50-60.
• If I assume that all of the younger people in this census are children, then the oldest would have been born around 1800.
• I know that John’s estate inventory was submitted to court in October 1835.
• Based on land records, I know that John had 5 children, 4 of which I can follow:

1. Sarah Smith who married Henry Payne and died before 1845. She is married before 1830, so she is not included in John’s census.
2. George A. Smith 1805-1890 (these dates are on his tombstone.  This is my ancestor.)
3. Elias Smith abt. 1810-1853
4. Jane Smith abt 1813 – 1880.  She married Thomas Simpson in 1838.
5. Solomon Smith – the only thing I know about Solomon is that he received some of John’s land after he died, but he was listed as deceased by 1842 in another deed. George and Elias submitted John’s inventory and took over his tax listings, so I assume Solomon was not the oldest son.

Last week, we had three days of no school due to icy weather so I decided to follow up this little clue that I had found.  In a published biography for one of John’s great-grandsons, there was a line that stated that the great-grandfather (John) was an early settler of Danville, Kentucky.  I had a note tucked away in my files that on another genealogy site, another great-grandson had a descendant who stated that he was told that one of John’s sons was born in Virginia and came to Kentucky with his parents and settled near Danville where his father (John) and brothers (John’s brothers?) operated a trading post. The printed biography corroborated the location in the story I’d read so I thought, Yeah!  Something new to research!

Danville is right on the boundary between Mercer and Lincoln County.  And of course, John Smith is a rather common name so I thought it might be best to start with what I could find in Danville itself.

In the book, “Early Days of Danville”, there was a John M. Smith mentioned for the formation of a Baptist church, but how can I know if this is MY John Smith?  I can find mentions of “John Smith” in other Danville books, but nothing that I’d call “proof”.  I was hoping to find a John Smith mentioned in regards to a trading post since that would be the only way I can think of to feel pretty sure I was on the right track. However, I see information on alot of John Smith’s with a middle initial and I’ve never seen more than 1 John M. Smith, so I did make a copy of this page.

I decided to try a different tactic.  I know that John M. Smith shows up in the Russell County tax records in 1827.  Was there a John Smith in Mercer County tax lists that disappeared about the same time?  The first bio I had read stated that John’s son had followed in the footsteps of his father and “became a planter whose broad acres were tilled by slave labor”. The Mercer County tax lists show about 3 different John Smiths in the time frame I’m looking for, but 2 of them had no land.  The other had 450 acres and several slaves. I followed the tax records from 1811 to 1828.  This John Smith disappeared from the tax records in Mercer county after 1824.  If my ancestor had an uncommon name, I’d be excited by this information, but with the name John Smith?  I could probably find a John Smith in just about every county in Kentucky!

Maybe I would find a lightbulb moment with the census records.  My biggest challenge is that John Smith died in 1835, so that means I can’t use the children’s information to tell one John from another.  And all of the known children of John came of age in Russell County, so I don’t expect to find their names anywhere else. I made a chart – in Excel of course – to help me compare the different Johns and I can say which ones I think are most likely, but I keep coming back to the fact that there are probably John Smiths in every county and there would probably be several that COULD fit the information that I have, so it’s purely a wishful, barely educated guessing process.

I also found a newspaper online from Mercer County in 1804 in which a Lincoln County man lived “six miles south of Danville”.  That reminded me that I have to consider Lincoln County as well to cover all of the Danville area.

I think my next step is going to have to be land records for Mercer County.  I ordered them on Saturday. I’m not holding my breath for a deed that says “John M. Smith, who is moving to Russell County, now sells this land to so and so…” so again, how will I know for sure?

I’m also looking at records at the Allen County Public Library for Wayne County, Kentucky.  John’s land was partly in Russell and partly in Wayne, and Russell County was formed in 1826 so perhaps the clue will be in Wayne Co. I’ve searched the tax records for a John Smith with land entered in the same name as the land listed in the Russell County tax lists – so far, no luck.  Just before leaving the library Saturday, I also found 2 books of records for early Mercer County – court orders and marriages.  It’s at the top of my list to look at next Saturday (or next school snow day, whichever comes first!)

So right now, my strategy is to collect and collect and collect.  Anything that seems likely based on locations and dates.  Keeping track of witnesses and neighbors and such and then hopefully, when the land records film does arrive, maybe something will click.

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Find-a-Grave Group Sheets?

Have you ever tried to create group sheets just from information found on Find-a-Grave.com?  You might be surprised at the information you can find when you aren’t focused so much on finding one person or one couple.

Simply go to http://www.findagrave.com and click on the “Search Grave Records” option.  Instead of searching for a specific person, just enter a surname, state and county.  As you begin to examine the names in the list, you might find that an entry has links to parent’s graves.  Very often, you’ll find that the entry is linked to a spouse’s grave including a maiden name.  Sometimes, an obituary is included in the entry that will give information that wouldn’t be included on other web sites.  And lists of children are sometimes included, as well as links to their graves – which link to spouses, etc.

It’s an interesting study.  It’s a great way to jump start research that has stalled.  Or if you find an unexpected hour of free time to research, but not quite enough time to pull out notes and research files. And the best thing of all is that the site is constantly being updated, so you’re almost certain to find something new every time you search!  Last week, I found the entries for 2 of my ggg-grandparents including dates that I did not have before.  Genea-happy-dance!

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Gleanings from the Land Records

I had a GREAT day of research thanks to the “Blizzard of 2011″ and I still have a day to go!  I was concentrating on land records for John M. Smith in Russell County in the 1825 – 1835 time frame.  Russell County was formed in Dec. of 1825 and John died in 1835, so I didn’t really think I’d find that much.

I decided to make a timeline with every tiny piece of information I could glean from the deeds that I have.  I only have 2 deeds with John purchasing land, so I started with those.

Dec. 1825 – formation of Russell County (The area covered in these land records would have been Wayne County before this.)

4 Apr. 1827 –  John M. Smith buys 100 acres from Lewis Faust of Wayne Co.  John M. Smith “of Russell County” indicates to me that he already lives here.

• South side of the Cumberland River
• $800.
• “An ash on the River Bank, corner to a Military Survey of 1100 acres of which the aforesaid tract is a part.”
• This land borders Claudius Buster’s land.
• Eventually (1850) this land passes from John’s heirs to his son, Elias.
• Book A:132

20 Jan. 1835 – John M. Smith buys land from James and Elizabeth Gilbert of Spencer County.

• $1000
• 1 tract – 98 acres – Beaver Creek bottom
  • This land borders Simon Stacy
  • This land borders the 1827 land purchased by John M. Smith
  • This land went from Lewis Faust to James Gilbert to John M. Smith
• 1 tract – 112 acres – in Russell County AND Wayne County
  • This land is James’ Gilbert’s interest (1/2 of the land) patented to John M. Smith and James Gilbert dated 2 June 1829.
  • Border’s William Patterson and Claudious Buster’s 50 acres.
  • There is a road on the land from the mouth of Beaver Creek to Montecello (Wayne Co.)
  • One corner is “Deanes corner”
  • This land eventually (1850) is passed to Elias Smith.
• 1 tract – 88 acres – Russell County AND Wayne Co
  • Beaver Creek
  • Neighbor – Timothy Burgess in the name of Thomas Harrison
  • Neighbor – Pattersons and Busters

I didn’t think I would be able to gather much information from these, but they did bring some things into focus and they gave me a few questions to be answered.  I put questions and notes of things to do into my list as well. Those are in red italics.

Dec. 1825 –  formation of Russell County (The area covered in these land records would have been Wayne County before this.)

4 Apr. 1827 – John M. Smith buys 100 acres from Lewis Faust of Wayne Co.  John M. Smith “of Russell County” indicates to me that he already lives here. (Check the Wayne County tax lists and land records.  Supposedly, the Smith family arrived in Kentucky in 1802.)

• South side of the Cumberland River
• $800.
• “An ash on the River Bank, corner to a Military Survey of 1100 acres of which the aforesaid tract is a part.” (Who did this military survey belong to?  Faust?)
• This land borders Claudius Buster’s land.
• Eventually (1850) this land passes from John’s heirs to his son, Elias.
• Book A:132

20 Jan. 1835 – John M. Smith buys land from James and Elizabeth Gilbert of Spencer County.

• $1000
• 1 tract – 98 acres – Beaver Creek bottom
  • This land borders Simon Stacy
  • This land borders the 1827 land purchased by John M. Smith
  • This land went from Lewis Faust to James Gilbert to John M. Smith
• 1 tract – 112 acres – in Russell County AND Wayne County
  • This land is James’ Gilbert’s interest (1/2 of the land) patented to John M. Smith and James Gilbert dated 2 June 1829.  (Can I find this in the Jillson book? Research, why would 2 men have a patent together? If Gilbert and Smith earned a patent together, I should also follow Gilbert to see where he was before Russell County.)
  • Border’s William Patterson and Claudious Buster’s 50 acres.
  • There is a road on the land from the mouth of Beaver Creek to Montecello (Wayne County)
  • One corner is “Deanes corner”
  • This land eventually (1850) is passed to Elias Smith.
• 1 tract – 88 acres – Russell County AND Wayne Co
  • Beaver Creek (See who else had land on Beaver Creek.  Related?)
  • Neighbor – Timothy Burgess in the name of Thomas Harrison
  • Neighbor – Pattersons and Busters

Next, I added in information that I had gathered about Land Grants.  All I have is the listing that there is a land grant.  So far, I don’t have the actual records. The Kentucky Secretary of State has an excellent web site with scans of land records, but so far, the records in this series have not been scanned.  Right now, I can’t afford to ask for copies, so I’ll have to wait.  But I added the information and I expect that I’ll be able to figure out more about the land using clues from deeds.

Dec. 1825 – formation of Russell County (The area covered in these land records would have been Wayne County before this.

4 Apr. 1827 – John M. Smith buys 100 acres from Lewis Faust of Wayne Co.  John M. Smith “of Russell County” indicates to me that he already lives here. (Check the Wayne County tax lists and land records.  Supposedly, the Smith family arrived in Kentucky in 1802.)

• South side of the Cumberland River
• $800.
• “An ash on the River Bank, corner to a Military Survey of 1100 acres of which the aforesaid tract is a part.”  (Who did this military survey belong to?  Faust?)
• This land borders Claudius Buster’s land.
• Eventually (1850) this land passes from John’s heirs to his son, Elias.
• Book A:132

31 Dec. 1827 – Kentucky Land Warrant (Jillson pg. 725) to John M. Smith

• Book V:514
• 112 acres
• Russell and Wayne Co
• Cumberland River

1 Jan. 1828 –  Kentucky Land Warrant (Jillson pg. 725) to John M. Smith

• Book V:515
• 88 acres
• Russell and Wayne Co
• Beaver Creek

17 Nov. 1832 – Kentucky Land Warrant (Jillson pg. 725) to John M. Smith

• Book B2:296
• 81 acres
• Russell and Wayne Co
• Beaver Creek

4 Dec. 1832 – Kentucky Land Warrant (Jillson pg. 725) to George A. Smith (my George would be 25 yrs old, seems likely to be him since it’s the page after John)

• Book B2:297
• 56 acres
• Russell Co
• Beaver Creek

20 Jan. 1835 – John M. Smith buys land from James and Elizabeth Gilbert of Spencer County.

• $1000
• 1 tract – 98 acres – Beaver Creek bottom
  • This land borders Simon Stacy
  • This land borders the 1827 land purchased by John M. Smith
  • This land went from Lewis Faust to James Gilbert to John M. Smith
• 1 tract – 112 acres – in Russell County AND Wayne County
  • This land is James’ Gilbert’s interest (1/2 of the land) patented to John M. Smith and James Gilbert dated 2 June 1829.  (Can I find this in the Jillson book? Research, why would 2 men have a patent together?)
  • Border’s William Patterson and Claudious Buster’s 50 acres.
  • There is a road on the land from the mouth of Beaver Creek to Montecello (Wayne County)
  • One corner is “Deanes corner”
  • This land eventually (1850) is passed to Elias Smith.
• 1 tract – 88 acres – Russell County AND Wayne Co
  • Beaver Creek
  • Neighbor – Timothy Burgess in the name of Thomas Harrison
  • Neighbor – Pattersons and Busters

Finally, I added in the information from the county tax records to see if the land totals correspond.  The information from the tax records tells me that I need to look for additional deeds or other reasons that land may have switched hands.

Dec. 1825 – formation of Russell County (The area covered in these land records would have been Wayne County before this.

4 Apr. 1827 – John M. Smith buys 100 acres from Lewis Faust of Wayne Co.  John M. Smith “of Russell County” indicates to me that he already lives here. (Check the Wayne County tax lists and land records.  Supposedly, the Smith family arrived in Kentucky in 1802.)

• South side of the Cumberland River
• $800.
• “An ash on the River Bank, corner to a Military Survey of 1100 acres of which the aforesaid tract is a part.”  (Who did this military survey belong to?  Faust?)
• This land borders Claudius Buster’s land.
• Eventually (1850) this land passes from John’s heirs to his son, Elias.
• Book A:132

1827 – Russell County Tax Lists – 100 acres

31 Dec. 1827 – Kentucky Land Warrant (Jillson pg. 725) to John M. Smith

• Book V:514
• 112 acres
• Russell and Wayne Co
• Cumberland River

1 Jan. 1828 – Kentucky Land Warrant (Jillson pg. 725) to John M. Smith

• Book V:515
• 88 acres
• Russell and Wayne Co
• Beaver Creek

1828 – Russell County Tax List – 200 acres  (Could this be Dec. ’27 land + ’28? If so, where is the original 100 acres?)

1829 – Russell County Tax List – 200 acres

1831 – Russell County Tax List – 250 acres (Where did the extra 50 acres come from?)

17 Nov. 1832 – Kentucky Land Warrant (Jillson pg. 725) to John M. Smith

• Book B2:296
• 81 acres
• Russell and Wayne Co
• Beaver Creek

4 Dec. 1832 – Kentucky Land Warrant (Jillson pg. 725) to George A. Smith (my George would be 25 yrs old, seems likely to be him since it’s the page after John)

• Book B2:297
• 56 acres
• Russell Co
• Beaver Creek

1833 – Russell County Tax List – 419 acres (250 + 81 + 56 = 387)

1834 – Russell County Tax List – 1200 acres (Need to find a deed with about 800 acres!)

20 Jan. 1835 – John M. Smith buys land from James and Elizabeth Gilbert of Spencer County.

• $1000
• 1 tract – 98 acres – Beaver Creek bottom
  • This land borders Simon Stacy
  • This land borders the 1827 land purchased by John M. Smith
  • This land went from Lewis Faust to James Gilbert to John M. Smith
• 1 tract – 112 acres – in Russell County AND Wayne County
  • This land is James’ Gilbert’s interest (1/2 of the land) patented to John M. Smith and James Gilbert dated 2 June 1829.  (Can I find this in the Jillson book? Research, why would 2 men have a patent together?)
  • Border’s William Patterson and Claudious Buster’s 50 acres.
  • There is a road on the land from the mouth of Beaver Creek to Montecello (Wayne County)
  • One corner is “Deanes corner”
  • This land eventually (1850) is passed to Elias Smith.
• 1 tract – 88 acres – Russell County AND Wayne Co
  • Beaver Creek
  • Neighbor – Timothy Burgess in the name of Thomas Harrison
  • Neighbor – Pattersons and Busters

1835 – Russell County Tax List (1 June) 556 acres (Check the tax list for the children to see if the land totals correspond?)

So, now I have a very clear idea of what I need to be looking for.  Is it that important to find every deed or land transaction?  I think so, because of relationships that could be mentioned.  It’s a glimpse into the lifestyle of my ancestor.  What does a man in 1830 do with 1200 acres?  It can’t all be farm land, can it?  I recall a lot of animals in the estate inventory.  Time to pull that back out and look at it with a new eye.  Plus, I’m just “type A” enough to be bothered by the missing information!  Typing it out in a timeline has forced me to examine each piece of information carefully and has opened my eyes to further things to look for.  That’s a good genealogy day – especially considering that it was an unexpected research day!

What will I discover today?  I can tell you that I’ll be using Excel once again and plan to have a new idea for it’s use!  Watch for that this week-end!

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Snow Day! What Would You Do?

I’ll let you in on a secret – teachers are almost always more excited to have a snow day than their students are!  I already have everything prepared for my classes for the day, so when I get the cancellation notification, I know that I have an unexpected day to research! So how should I spend that time?

I woke up early and started watching the school announcements on tv and I thought we might have a 2 hour delay. I decided that if I only had 2 hours, I was going to do random Ancestry research.  I pick a collateral line (usually a brother) because I know that virtually any information I find will be new in my tree. I hit the “search records” button and start attaching records.  Almost every time I do this, I end up with unexpected information that helps me in my direct line, and I did find some clues to follow up on.  I had been doing that for close to an hour when I found out there wouldn’t be a delay, but a cancellation.  Now that changes the picture!  If I have a full day, I don’t want to be doing “random” research, I want to be more focused!

I know we didn’t cancel because of the weather we got last night; it was only about an inch of snow.  But we have a blizzard warning that starts this afternoon and I think that’s why we cancelled.  So I convinced my husband that it would be safe to run to the library (he drove me, just to be safe – what a great guy!) to take a quick look at some microfilm.  I knew that John M. Smith was listed in the Russell County tax records in 1835, but his estate was inventoried on Oct. 1, 1835.  I wanted to see the date on the tax record to see if I could narrow down a date of death a little better.  The tax records were signed on June 1, so I know that John died between June 1 and September 30.  (If anyone happens to know a reasonable amount of time between a death and an inventory, I’d love to know that!)

I also printed some records for a man that several online trees say are John Smith’s father.  I’d like to disprove this line quickly, if possible and if I can’t do that, then I need to start my research plan for this new person.

I’ve got the rest of today, and probably tomorrow as well so I’m going to work on those land records I’ve got.  I’ve mapped them all out but as I was reading all those metes and bounds, I kept telling myself that I needed to come back for other “nuggets” that I was seeing – like who the neighbors were and other relationships that were mentioned.  I’m pretty sure that I saw something about the land being part of a military patent, so I need to read that again.  And when my eyes start to cross while reading the terrible handwriting, I’ll just jump back onto Ancestry and hit the random trail again!

If you found out at the last minute that you had an entire day to research, what would YOU work on?

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A Personal Library Assistant?

Have you ever dreamed of having your own personal library assistant?  Someone who would go to the library, make your copies and deliver them to you?  I want to be your personal library assistant!

My husband has been doing free-lance work for the last 2 years after being let go from his full time job.  He creates e-learning programs for a variety of corporations, but we are in a slow period right now and I’d like to supplement our income using the skills that I’ve learned while researching my family.

Let me start by saying – I’m not a certified genealogist and I can’t research for you.  But I have years of experience in my own personal research at the library and if you have a list of things you’d like copied or scanned, I can do that!

I live very close to the Allen County Public Library – home of the 2^nd largest genealogy collection in the U.S.  They have an excellent website, so if you can find the names of books or microfilm you’d like information from, I’d be willing to get that for you. My plan is this:

1)   You visit the library web site at http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/

2)   From the home page, you can use the search box to see what books are available for your area of research.

3)   Make a list of the books and call numbers you’d like information out of and let me know specifically what you’d like me to look for.  I can copy the table of contents or portions of the index if you’d like.  Then you can let me know if there are specific pages you’d like to have copied.

4)   Or go to http://genealogycenter.info/search_microtext.php to get to the Microtext Catalog to see the microfilms and fiche available.  Looking for Tom Jones in the tax records for Madison County, Indiana between 1825 – 1835?  I can find and scan those for you!

My fee is $10 per hour with a 1 hour minimum. I use PayPal as a convenient payment method and will send your information by email once I have received your payment confirmation. If you prefer a hardcopy of your materials, I offer that as well. Each page is an additional .25 plus shipping.

Think of how much money you could save compared to the costs of traveling to Fort Wayne and staying in a hotel!  I could do hours of searching and copying for you for a fraction of those costs.  If you’d like more information about my services or if you’d like to get a project going, please email me at theshygenealogist [at] gmail [dot] com. I’d love to work with you!

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From Deed to Map

To begin to draw a map of your ancestor’s land similar to the sketches made by the surveyors, you first need to understand the “code”.

Let’s use an example:  S 30 E 74 poles.  There are 3 pieces of information here.

1. The 2 letters indicate the direction.  In this example, we will be measuring a line SE from a location.  If only 1 letter is given, then the direction is directly North, South, East or West.  For example:  E 17 poles will be a line drawn directly east.
2. The number between the 2 letters indicates a number of degrees.  So we will be drawing a line that is 30^o in the SE direction.
3. The final number gives the length.  74 poles.

1 pole represents 16.5 feet, but for easy measuring, I made 1 pole equal to 1 mm on my ruler. (Millimeters are the tiniest marks on the metric ruler.  The numbers are for centimeters.)

When measuring the direction of your line, it is important to know that there are 2 locations for zero degrees – directly North and directly South. As you move toward the East or the West, the numbers get larger until you reach 90^o.

You can measure your degrees with a regular protractor from the school supply section of your local store.  Measuring is much easier if you have a round protractor, which you can pick up at most office supply stores, but even those can be confusing because they are made to measure a full 360^o going clockwise OR counterclockwise, so there are 2 different scales and you must be sure to use the correct one.

Because textbooks don’t lie flat, I’ve always made copies of the circular protractors on flexible, overhead transparency material that my students cut out and use to measure bearings in Geometry class. Because they are transparent, it’s easier to make sure you are lining things up correctly. So I used PhotoShop to create my own “surveying compass” that had only the necessary compass readings for the metes and bounds and I plan to copy it onto transparency material.  You can use the paper version as long as you hole punch the center of the  to make sure that the point you are measuring from lines up correctly. Since most people won’t have access to overhead projector film, I’ll make my illustrations with the paper version.

To draw  your map:

1. It would be nice if every surveyor measured the property in a clockwise direction starting in the NE corner, or something like that, but they didn’t.  Until you get the hang of reading these codes, it can be difficult to know where to begin on your sheet of paper.  All I can say is that eventually, you’ll be able to read through the measurements and make a super quick sketch to at least see which direction they moved while measuring.
2. Choose a point to begin your map.  You map will be similar to a dot-to-dot diagram, but you will not know where the next dot belongs until you draw a line.
   
3. Lay the protractor center on the dot that will be your beginning.  Make sure that “N” is pointed straight up.  (Using graph paper makes this much easier.)
4. Use the letters in “the code” to know which quarter of the protractor you’ll be using.  Make a small mark that lines up with the number of degrees which appears between the 2 letters.
   
5. Using the metric side of your ruler, line up the 2 dots that you have made.  Measure from the original dot the number of millimeters that appears at the end of “the code”. (You can barely see my little pencil mark across from the #4 on the ruler in the next photo.) I write the code along this line so I can make sure I don’t skip any.
   
6. The end of your line becomes the dot that goes in the middle of your compass for the next section of your boundary description.
   
7. Continue around until you get back to the beginning.
   

MOST of the maps that I’ve completed with this method have come right back to the original dot that I had made.  But on a couple of them, they do not.  I have to believe that dragging chains up and down hills and around trees had to make these surveys less than perfect and after double checking my measurements, I chose to fudge my drawings just a bit when this happens to make them align – but I make a note that I’ve done that.

As I go through the deed, I also add information like owners of neighboring properties or landmarks that could still be around today – like river banks or creeks.  Those creeks are what have allowed me to pinpoint my ancestor’s location on maps.  I can also convert those poles into feet or miles to help me have a better idea of the size of my ancestor’s property.

After I complete the graph paper version, I cut it out and transfer it to cardstock and write all of the information that I know about the piece of property.

As I’m working my way through various deeds, I’m discovering neighbors and even can see a pattern of how my ancestor expanded his property. For example, after completing my maps from two different deeds, I found that the pieces of land were connected to each other.  Something I never would have figured out without paying attention to the details found in that frustrating metes and bounds code!

If you are researching in Kentucky and are looking for some highly detailed county maps, this web site has great maps from 1950 and 1999.

http://ukcc.uky.edu/maps/

My husband says you have to be a real math geek to spend a Saturday afternoon with a protractor drawing maps like this, but I’ll let you be the judge of that!

BONUS!  If you’ve stuck with me through this entire post, I have a gift for you! If you send me a SASE, I’ll mail you my compass printed on overhead material and I’ll even cut it out with my circle cutter!  Email me at lvonlanken [at] msn [dot] com and I’ll send you my snail mail addy! When I print my own compass tomorrow, I’ll print several overheads with 6 to a sheet so I’ll have plenty to share!

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Those Ridiculous Deed Measurements

…are really pretty darn cool!  In the past, when I would start to read through a deed, my brain would go something like this:

“This indenture made this 4 April 1927 between Lewis Faust of Wayne County, KY. of the one part & John M. Smith of Russell Co., Ky of the other part. Witnesseth blah, blah…Lewis Faust…blah, blah…$800.00…blah, blah…John M. Smith, his heirs & assigns forever…giant list of blahs as the description continued with a list of trees and bushes with confusing directions here and there…Lewis Faust together with Rebecca, his wife…blah, blah.”

And for me, that was plenty.  I had 2 names, I knew the county and I knew the number of acres and amount of money and at least 1 wife’s name. SCORE!

BUT….as I started working on “the book” the other day, I thought about how I might be able to describe the land they lived on, so I went to take another look at those pesky deeds.  I wondered if my guy had inherited his land from his father or not, but how could I tell that?  I wondered if the land was on the side of a mountain or near a river or what, but how could I tell that?  I decided that maybe, that crazy secret code to describe the land just might be helpful.

So I’ll save my findings for another blog post, but what I really want to write about is how I figured out an easy way to draw an outline of my ancestor’s land. And luckily, because Russell County is COVERED with creeks and river forks, I was able to find EXACTLY where the land was!

Now I’ll admit, being a Geometry teacher for many years helped a great deal, but I think anyone can do this.  And I even created a special, simplified tool to help me interpret “the code” and I’ll share that as well!  But to write out the steps in a logical order is not something I want to rush through, so for this post, I’m going to give you a link to the web site that helped me to figure this out.

http://www.directlinesoftware.com/metes.htm

My next post will be a step-by-step guide to using my tool to draw your own map.  All you’ll need is the tool (I need a name for this thing!) and a ruler with mm markings and paper.  Oh yeah, and a deed! (If your deed has numbers over 100, you’ll want a large sheet of paper or a few sheets of paper you can tape together.)

Hoping to post this evening.  Maybe this has piqued your interest?  Go find a good metes and bounds deed and a ruler and meet me back here tonight! (Update – teenager plans have over-ridden mine!  I’ll be posting tomorrow instead. – See you then!)

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How to Start “The Book”

So I’ve been daydreaming about this “book” since I wrote my post yesterday. What would I like for it to look like?  What will be the hardest part? What types of details would I like to add?  It shouldn’t be about making it “book length” but rather about making it interesting and giving a picture of what life would have been like.  How do I feel about making up details to illustrate typical events of the time? How am I going to find those things out?

For me, the hardest part of writing is ALWAYS getting it started.  That whole “I’m looking at a blank page – now what?” panic.  So I thought I would start just by thinking what type of information I’d like to add to “Elias was born in 1845 in Russell County, Kentucky.”  I’d like to use this section to talk about his parents.  How long had they been married?  How many children did they already have?  What was George’s (Elias’ father) occupation?  Was that the most common profession of the area?  What was the area like?  How many people in the county?  Can I narrow the county down to a certain town?  How many people in that town or township?  Can I use tax records to compare this family with other families? Who was the closest neighbor?  Is it possible that the woman of that household helped Elias’ mother through childbirth?  Were there other family members in the area to help?

OK, so I’m still brainstorming.  Tomorrow is going to be my “nothing but genealogy” day – assuming I finish all my school lessons today (really only have 1 subject left to figure out, so should be doable).  I’m hoping that by football time this afternoon, I’ll be ready to start doing some “simple stuff” like analyzing census records – which I already have – to answer some of the questions I’ve listed above.  Then I can start thinking of other sources that might help me answer the remaining questions.  When I go to the library, I never leave the genealogy section.  Maybe it’s time to start looking outside of the genealogy department to see what other sources will help me find some historical info for the area.

I absolutely MUST have a first draft of this section finished by tomorrow afternoon.  Once it’s started, I’ll be more motivated to keep expanding it.  And by writing that goal on this blog, I’m holding myself accountable to get this done.

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Could I Write a Book?

Wonderful!  That’s how I feel this morning as I’m contemplating the 3 day week-end ahead of me.  Although I can’t spend all 3 days doing genealogy research, I do intend to spend 1 of the days doing nothing BUT genealogy work.  So how will I spend that day?  Trying to pick up research threads that I was working on last summer before school started?  That’s pretty tempting.  But it’s also frustrating because I know it could take me a significant amount of time to reacquaint myself with what I had found and what I was going to look for next – even though I try to do a good job of writing my notes in such a way as to be able to do that.  Do I want to spend a day getting back into the files only to put it away again before Tuesday morning?  Maybe.

But what if I decided that the best way to get “reacquainted” was to begin the outline for a book about my ancestor?  I’m not thinking of a published book or anything like that.  More like a book for my family where I take the information that I’ve found and put it into narrative form along with any pictures I have.  I have to say, I like the idea!

Now, I am not a writer by nature.  I am an Algebra teacher after all.  But my logical brain likes the idea of coming up with an outline and then filling in the pieces a little at a time.  After all, that outline could turn into a Table of Contents – right?  Creating an index of names mentioned in the book could help me to see new connections to follow up on.  And if I’m going to call it a “book”, then I’ll need details and background information too, right?  So instead of having a note that says “Elias J. Smith, served in the 8th Kentucky Cav, Co. C”, I could make that a “chapter” in my book with background information like a list of battles that company fought in.  That could expand into any information I can find on specific battles along with maps showing where the battle took place. How far is that from Elias’ home?  What might the conditions have been like at the camp?  I could make a timeline of the battles the company engaged in. Taking a look at the pension file, was Elias actually in the battle or in the infirmary with an illness?  Can I find pictures of camp life that might give a better feel of what it was like for Elias?  That’s the kind of information I’ve always wondered about, but never taken the time to find.  If I’m working on a “book” and not a “pamphlet”, then I’ll need plenty of information so I’ll need more than just what I’ve gathered specifically for Elias.

What about his children?  If each child gets a section of the book, that might give me new ideas of places to look for information.  Who were their spouses? Were they near each other in the census records?  Can I find land records that might show me how close?  Did they all stay in the area?  If not, why did they move?  Why did they go to that location?

Why not add a chapter on “the OTHER Elias Smith”?  One of my research challenges has been keeping these two men separated.  Why not include the information for the 2nd Elias.  Perhaps I’ve missed something along the way as I’ve cast aside information of the Other Elias that I need to reevaluate.  They share the same grandfather, so I really should focus a little more attention on this man as well.

And it won’t seem quite as overwhelming to be thinking of expanding a “chapter” as it would to write an entire book.  Plus, looking for background information is something I can be doing without pulling out my research files.  If I’m not focused specifically on one person, the number of resources to look at will be much greater.  And while I’m looking at these resources, new questions might come to mind about Elias’ life or I might find resources that I didn’t know existed before.

Maybe I could add side boxes with information telling my reasoning or areas I’ve searched with no results.  Maybe it could be part biography, part genealogy journal.

Me?  Write a book?  Just because it’s the beginning of a 3 day week-end? Interesting…….

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