Tree Talk by Ed Wright
June 23rd, 2003

In the coming months, we're going to to be adding Ed's musings and advice on genealogical research in the mid-Atlantic area to our website in the form of a newsletter.

The intention of our newsletter is to appraise you of on-going projects being worked on by our genealogists and authors in the mid-Atlantic region; to inform you of planned events of interest to genealogists; and to discuss various aspects of the records and methods which may help you learn more about your ancestor.

Of course, our goals will evolve as time passes and we receive feedback from you the reader. The price is right. We encourage your comments.

Following the Land...Delaware Deed Books in the Colonial Period

Deed books can prove useful in many ways. In the first centuries of the birth of this nation (1600s, 1700s and early 1800s) most families owned land. Initially the land was acquired from the proprietor (William Penn in the case of Delaware prior to its becoming a state).

That parcel or tract of land was subsequently possessed by a purchaser (grantee) or an heir. In the first instance the conveyance of land by means of a purchase would normally (but not necessarily) be recorded in the county deed book.

In the absence of a will the land would automatically transfer to the children (male and female) of the deceased equally except that the oldest son received two shares while the other children received one share. No mention would be made in the deed books of this inheritance until a sale by one of the heirs was made…at which point the county clerk would normally record the history of the land's ownership.

Upon the recording of the sale, the names of the sons and daughters and the husbands of the daughters (of the deceased)were recorded. Reference might be made to the early deaths of children and the names of their children as heirs.

Sometimes the inheritance of land is not stated explicitly but may be implied. For instance, the joint sale of land by several married couples suggests that the grantors are probably heirs and in most instances, children and their spouses. It is this history of the ownership of the land that can be especially useful in reconstructing the lineage of families. Noting that a large number of persons did not write a will this source becomes all the more important in genealogy. Because the wife held a dower right to the land the law required that a conveyance include her concurrence in the sale. She was questioned in private and her concurrence was recorded along with the deed. Thus we are able to learn the names of wives whereas we might not otherwise. A subsequent husband also becomes apparent when he and the widow convey land of her previous husband.

In the early days the deed books also served as a means of documenting important personal events. In rare instances some persons had their marriages, births of children, wills, and other personal events recorded in the deed books. A large number of marriages are recorded in the deed books of Kent County. Sussex deed books contain a few recorded births.

Most of the Delaware Land Records for the Colonial Period have survived, but not all. The records of Kent County seem to be complete, while Sussex County is missing one book and New Castle County has major gaps. We are pleased to say that virtually all the extant records have been published by Colonial Roots or our predecessors (Delmarva Roots and Family Line Publications). Here is a list of the deed books extant and those published:

I. Kent County Deed Books

Volumes A to V (1680-1775). Volume J never existed - in the Colonial Period I and J were generally treated as the same letter.

II. New Castle County Deed Books

• Volumes A to W (1673-1765) have been published with the following exceptions: Liber D is missing (1710-1715).
• Liber E (1715-1719) - The first 58 pages are missing
• Liber F is missing (1719-1722).
• Liber J never existed.
• Libers O and P were lost.
• Liber R(1752-1755) is missing and presumed lost.
• Libers X and Y (1764-1769) are nearing publication.

III. Sussex County

Volumes A to O (1681-1792) have been published except for Libers (Books) C and D. We are currently abstracting these records. Liber E is missing and presumed lost. Liber J never existed.

* Volumes indicated as published have remained in print and may be ordered from Colonial Roots.

Upcoming Genealogy Events

We will be attending most of the events listed here:

September

Federation of Genealogical Societies in Orlando, FL from Wednesday September 3rd through Saturday, the 6th.

October

Maryland Genealogical Society Annual Seminar in Baltimore, Saturday and Sunday, October 11th and 12th.

Delaware Genealogical Society Annual Seminar in Wilmington, on October 3rd (We won't be attending this event but you should go!)

Downstate Delaware Genealogical Society on Saturday, October 18th in Dover, DE.

Ongoing Projects

We are currently working on the following projects:

Delaware

New Castle Land Records. Carol Garrett is working on this project

Kent County Guardian Accounts. Mary Marshall Brewer is compiling these records.

Sussex County Land Records, Libers C-3 (1698-1702) and D-4 (1706-1721). These are the only extant records unpublished prior to 1792. We hope to get started on them sometime this year.

Sussex County Wills, 1801-1812 (or later) - in progress.

Early Settlers of St. Mary's County. Elise Jourdan is well along with this one.

Maryland Bible Records, Volume 3: Carroll County. Hank Peden has completed this and it is winging its way to the printer. Projected date of release: September 1st.

Colonial Families of the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Volume 16. Covering primarily Dorchester County came out the end of May. The following families are covered and will be added to the surname index shortly: Andrew/Andrews, Bowdle, Connerly, Covey, Dagg, Dail, Denwood, Dorsey, Geoghegan, Hackett, Henry, Hicks, Magee/ Mcghee, McNemara, Medford, Merchant, Mowbray, Muir, Navey, Nowell/Noel, Skinner, Slacombe, Stanford, Steele, Swiggett, Thomas (Talbot Co.), Trippe, Tubman, Tunis. 330 pp. DO57 - $26.00.

Colonial Families of the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Volume 17 (Primarily Old Somerset (Somerset, Worcester and Wicomico counties). Ralph Riggin and Ed Wright are nearing completion. Projected Release: late Fall.

New Jersey

Early Church Records of Monmouth County. Anna Watring is putting the final touches on two volumes. Projected release date: September 1st.

Colonial Families of Gloucester County. This project is still in the planning stages. Pattie Kehler is developing this one.

Pennsylvania

Church Records of Philadelphia.We are currently translating German Church records of Philadelphia.

Virginia

Accomack and Northampton Counties (Eastern Shore of Virginia).
We are working with Mary Frances Carey, Barry Miles and M.K. Miles in creating a new series. These three individuals have over 25 years of experience each with Accomack County families and the various local records, cemeteries and people still living in Accomack County. Mary Frances has researched and locally printed over 40 family booklets and with Barry and M.K., published the Tombstone Inscriptions of Upper Accomack County, Virginia.

The Miles cousins published Marriage Records of Accomack County, VA 1854-1896 in 1997 and Abstracts of the Wills and Administrations of Accomack County, Virginia 1800-1860 in 2000.. They have also assembled over 40,000 names in a genealogy database, representing hundreds of Accomack County families. They have 25,000 of these individuals on the Eastern Shore Public Library web page at the Miles Files 2.0. They also have a CD based Miles Files 3.0, which contains over 35,000 individuals. For more on the Miles cousins and their work, visit their web page at Miles Cousins Web site.

Westmoreland County.

Kirsten Wesley is currently identifying early settlers and accumulating data. We expect to define this project over the next few months.

Essex County - Jane Dickens is keying material which may evolve into an early settlers treatment.

That's it for this installment of Tree Talk. Stay tuned for more. - EW