Unfortunately, though, land and property records are among the least used by genealogists. Part of the problem is that they appear to be intimidating, from the standpoint of both the legalese used in them and the “cryptic code” of property descriptions and measurements--chains, links, rods, and so forth.

What I have found, however, is that land and property records can speak volumes about the buyers, sellers, owners, and their relationships with others. Particularly important are those records that conveyed ownership of all or part of a parcel of land from a parent to a spouse, son, daughter, or some other relative. These “deeds of gift” are the subject of the "Along Those Lines . . ." column this week.

A Deed of Gift
Among the papers that my Grandmother Morgan had in her possession was a simple handwritten document dating from 17 December 1883, a deed of gift from my great-great-grandfather, Goodlow Warren Morgan to his only living son, Rainey Baines Morgan. Rainey was my great-grandfather. He was the youngest of four children from Goodlow's first marriage. Both of Rainey's brothers, Samuel Warren Morgan and Solomon Goodloe Morgan, were killed at Gettysburg in July 1863. His oldest sister, Jennette Lee Morgan, was married to John W. Allen, and his next older sister had died on 16 August 1862, one week shy of her seventeenth birthday.

The deed of gift states that “the said G. W. Morgan having made a deed of gift to his son R. B. Morgan of the home tract of land reserving the use right control and proffitts [sic] of said home tract during his life and no longer. Now the said G. W. Morgan wishing to remove from the home tract to his Burch tract allies this my covenant and agrees with the said R. B. Morgan that he shall retain the same control management & proffitts [sic] as though he lived on the same home tract & if said G. W. Morgan should wish to return or move back to said home tract and occupy said mansion house with all the rights & franchises heretofore mentioned he is to have perfect right so to do without the consent of any one & at any & all times he is to have the free use of and control of all the fruits of all description grown on the place.”

This didn't sound like much of a “gift” to me. It sounded to me as if the father was moving out to another piece of property nearby and simply letting his son have a place to live. The father still maintained control and obtained the profits from everything produced on the land, a farm in Caswell County, North Carolina. I had to wonder why the document was even written.

Marriage Changes Everything
I began doing more research in order to understand Goodlow's motivation for moving away. Born on 21 August 1813, Goodlow married his first wife, Mary L. Woods, on 19 December 1838, when he was 25 years old. They produced the three sons and two daughters mentioned above. Mary died on 6 Sep 1882 at age 69.

In November 1883, Goodlow married a widow, Mary Cooper Murphy, aged thirty-eight. On 1 March 1885, Mary died while giving birth to their son, Bluford Warren Morgan.

Later, on 5 October 1893, Goodlow married again, this time to one Annie S. Murray, about whom I know nothing more.

Goodlow died on 27 May 1895 and is buried in the Cooper Cemetery in Caswell County, North Carolina, next to his second wife.

Reading the Clues
Property search research indicates Goodlow owned quite a bit of property in Caswell and Person Counties at the time of his second marriage. The “Burch tract” he mentioned in his deed of gift refers to a parcel of land he purchased some years before that was adjacent to the “home tract.” It would appear that Goodlow decided to move to another home with his second wife, leaving his only child, Rainey, remaining at the home place to occupy and manage the property. In fact, Rainey had been married in November 1871 and had three sons, the last of which was born in November 1883. So, rather than turn his son and his family out, Goodlow opted to move with his new wife to another piece of property.

The deed of gift was, then, an instrument that Goodlow used to protect his property ownership. He did not want any encumbrance on it that might suggest that he had abandoned the property or had relinquished rights or control to his son at that time. As it turned out, this was probably a good move because, on 13 September 1891, Rainey died at age 39 of a septic infection.

Goodlow's estate records from 1898 are contained in Box 62 at the North Carolina State Archives. They indicate that he had a substantial estate consisting of properties, money, agricultural properties and other assets. The estate was administered by his son-in-law, John W. Allen. His estate settled $150 in two parts on his widow, Annie, "as agreed to in marriage contract.” A significant portion of his estate also went to the support of his son, Bluford Morgan, who was the product of his second marriage. There are many entries in the estate's accounting reports relating to payments made for clothing, board, books, and other materials for Bluford Morgan.

Such a Gift!
When working with wills and probate records that indicate that a surviving spouse, son, or daughter may have been omitted or “slighted” in the bequests, consider that there may have been some gift bestowed on them previously. A father may have made a deed of gift to a son upon his coming of legal age. He may have given a son or daughter (or son-in-law) a parcel of land on the occasion of a marriage. There could be any number of reasons for making a gift of land and/or property, and the practice was very common indeed in other times. Deeds of gift certainly can tell us a great deal about relationships.

Whatever you do, get to know something about land and property records in the state, province, or country in which your ancestors lived. There's nothing mystical about the measurement systems used when you apply a little studying, and the records really do help put your ancestors in perspective. You'll learn about their exact proximity to towns, roads, rivers, lakes, shores, and neighbors, and possibly a whole lot more. And that helps us bring them back to life.

Happy Hunting!
George

Reading List Clarification
My column of 11 June 2004 included a review of Elizabeth Shown Mills' new book, Isle of Canes, and I gave this book an emphatic thumbs-up.

In the review, I misspoke when I said, “It is based on some of her own ancestors' lives and she the chronicle of their history has been calling her to write this book.” I received a warm e-mail from Elizabeth in which she asked me to correct the record. “I don't descend from the Metoyers or Coincoin or her grandfather, the African king,” she said. “My mother-in-law and my children descend from several of the French families in the book to whom the Metoyers also trace. But we can't lay claim to the phenomenal heritage that is the Isle of Canes.” And a phenomenal heritage it is. Thank you again, Elizabeth, for bringing this story to life!

George is president and a proud member of the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors. Visit the ISFHWE website at www.rootsweb.com/~cgc/. Visit George's website http://ahaseminars.com/atl for information about speaking engagements.

SEE LINK FOR DEED OF GIFT http://www.ancestry.com/learn/library/article.aspx?article=8723

Born:  1290    Died:  1359