When a Deed is More Than a Deed

Deeds can be unexpected jackpots for a researcher. How much information can there be? A seller or two, a buyer or two, a description of the parcel, a price. The usual stuff. But occasionally, situations are such that unexpected details are included that can fill in the blanks and link family members otherwise misplaced.

When Sophia Stewart passed away January 26, 1886, she was the 84 year old widow of James Stewart who had passed away 14 years prior. When scrolling through the Delaware County, Indiana, deeds, there is one listing Sophia as the grantor dated February 2, 1888 (actually mis-indexed as January). How does that happen? It takes time to settle an estate and it isn't unusual for probate to drag out for several years. 

The grantee (the buyer) was George Goings, Delaware County resident, who was paying $275 for a parcel of land described as "Lot Number two, 2, in Block Number four, 4, in S B Murphey's addition of the town of Albany, in Delaware County, Indiana, Except Sixteen & one half (16 1/2) feet front and length, off from the East side of said lot 7, seven..." Pretty standard stuff for a deed of about any time frame, Right? 

Now we get to the good part. Sometimes deeds are transferred from the administrator or executor of an estate. Usually they only list "John Doe, administrator of the estate of Mary Jones" or something similar for the grantor (the seller) information. If the case of Sophia, it didn't play out that way. Not only did the deed apparently list every heir of Sophia's estate, it included the residence of most of them. That list is as follows:

Morris R Stewart and Hannah Stewart his wife of Osage County, Kansas
James J Stewart Jr and Emma Stewart his wife of Coffee County, Kansas
Benjamin F Stewart and Minerva C Stewart his wife of Kansas
Margaret S Manifold and Joseph Manifold her husband of Woodson County, Kansas
James J Stewart Sr and Rachel A Stewart his wife of Jay County, Indiana
Elizabeth P Racer and James W Racer her husband of Jay County, Indiana
William W Fishback and Sarah C Fishback his wife of Jay County, Indiana
Martha J Scott and Thomas H Scott her husband of Jay County, Indiana
Sophia Cunningham and Hamer Cunningham of Jay County, Indiana
Lucinda Dowden unmarried of Delaware County, Indiana
Alfred E Wingate and Margaret Wingate his wife of Delaware County, Indiana
Orena B Thomas and Henry Thomas her husband of Delaware County, Indiana
Elisha R Wingate and Letta Wingate his wife of Delaware County, Indiana
Boothe W Wingate and Sarah C Wingate his wife of Delaware County, Indiana
Sarah S Krohn and John S Krohn her husband of Delaware County, Indiana
Thomas M Wingate and Sarah E Wingate his wife of Delaware County, Indiana
David W Wingate and Samantha Wingate his wife of Delaware County, Indiana
Colby C Wingate and Mary Wingate his wife of Jay County, Indiana
Margaret Pepple unmarried
Isaac W Wingate and Hannah Wingate
John Fishback & Clarinda Fishback his wife of Blackford County
Rebecca Klugh
Mary L Ray and Charles Ray her husband

Forty-three people, two states, and six counties. Research clues abound. While I am not following up on these names to determine the precise relationships to Sophia Stewart, I did want to illustrate that deeds may include much more information than one might expect. Do not flip through a index and discount records that may seem just outside of the time frame for a particular event. ALWAYS look at the original document whenever possible, a transcript if the original is unavailable, or even an extraction. DO NOT STOP at the index! You maybe missing a ton of information. Like the names of forty-three heirs.