52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy: Historical Documents

The prompt for Week 7 of 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy, from Amy Coffin at We Tree, and hosted by Geneabloggers, is: Historical Documents

Which historical document in your possession are you happy to have? How did you acquire this item? What does it reveal about your ancestors?




A document that I am happy to have in my possession is a deed. It is from Volume 60, page 15, from the books of deeds on file in the office of the Erie County Recorder. I obtained this document in the early 1990s. Mr. John Schaeffer, who was the Erie County Recorder from 1984-2000, made the copy of this deed for me, after I checked the Grantor Index and the Deed Book. In this deed,I learned that on May 5, 1894, the heirs of my ancestor, Patrick Larkins, transferred property to Charles Weyl. The property was in the Fourth Ward of the city of Sandusky, located in the South half of the East two thirds in Lot Number 33 on Fulton Street.

John Larkins, Ella Larkins, Mollie Larkins, Kittie Larkins, and Thomas Larkins, my great great grandfather, were the sole heirs of their father Patrick Larkins. The wives of John and Thomas Larkins, Mary and Mary Louise Larkins, each paid one dollar, and thus they released any claim to the property being turned over to Mr. Weyl.

The property sold to Charles Weyl for thirteen hundred and twenty dollars. The names of the heirs of Patrick Larkins, along with the names of two of his daughters in law, appear at the bottom left portion of the document. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the name of Kittie Larkins. Mom always told me that my Great Grandma Irene adored her Aunt Kit, who died as a very young woman. It helped me to realize that Aunt Kit/Kittie did indeed live, and she once signed an important piece of paper, after her father's death. I am still very much a beginner in understanding property records, but this photocopy of a deed from 1894 is one that I treasure!