Do you ever struggle documenting the children in a family? While census records can make it fairly easy to place children in a family starting with1850 and working toward the present. However, this task is more difficult for families living prior to 1850.
I know I often use the FamilySearch tree as a guide to help me figure out these families. While wills and probate records can help with this, there are times when those records don’t exist. Thus, the task becomes more difficult.
Fortunately, if the father owned land, a deed might help identify the children. For my fifth great grandfather, James Story, I believe I found such a deed. In 1831, Joseph Story purchases some Fleming County, Kentucky land from several parties, including my 4th great grandparents, Edward Ricketts and Sarah his wife. This deed identifies the following sellers of the land.
- William Story and Jane his wife
- Elijah Story and Martha his wife
- John Story
- James Story and Rebecca his wife
- Lewis Story and Anne his wife
- James Graham and Mary his wife
- Edward Ricketts and Sarah his wife
While this family group tends to agree with the FamilySearch family for James Story, thee are some discrepancies.
- FamilySearch tree has TWO children named John
- Daughter, Jane and her husband Bethel Harrison are not named in the deed
- Son, George is not named in the deed
Before I can conclude that this deed is for the children of James Story, I need to verify that James Story owned this land. However, this deed is a starting point for documenting the family structure.
Fleming County Kentucky
Deeds, 1798-1900Vols. Q-R 1830-1833
Film 343981 DGS 7897626Book Q
page 467 (image 267)This Indenture made this twenty sixth day of February
one thousand eight hundred and thirty one between James
Graham and Mary his wife James Story and Rebecca his
wife John Story and Elizah Story and Martha his wife William
Story and Jane his wife Edward Ricketts and Sarah his wife and Lewis
Story and Ann his wife of Fleming County and State of Kentucky
of the one part and Joseph Story of Fleming County and state
aforesaid of the other part witnesseth that the said James
Graham and Mary James Story and Rebecca John Story Elijah
Story and Martha William Story and Ann Edward Ricketts and
Sarah and Lewis Story and Anne for and in consideration of the
sums of fifty four dollars to Jame s Graham
& thirty eight dollars to James Story &
Sixty five to John Story fifty dollars to Elijah Story fifty dollars
to William Story fifty dollars to Edward Ricketts and fifty dollars
to Lewis story to them in hand paid by the said Joseph Story
at and before the sealing and delivering of these presents
the receipts whereof they do hereby [confess] & acknowledge have bargained
and sold and do by these presents grant bargain sell alien en
[feoss] and confirm unto the said Joseph Story and to his heirs &
assigns forever their undivided shares of a tract or parcel
of land containing by survey one hundred and nine and a half
acres more or less situated lying and being in the aforesaid
county of Fleming on both sides of Locust creek being a
part of twenty thousand cares patented inpage 468 (image 268)
the name of John Craig and bounded as follows viz
Beginning at a stake in John Hunt line thence east
116 poles to a stake thence south 4 poles 22 links to a locust stump
thence N 82 degrees E 31 poles eleven links to a dead oak thence N 4 1/2 degrees
W 51 poles to a black ash stump thence along Graham line
N 22 degrees W 129 1/2 poles to a sugar tree and black ash thence
South 63 degrees 26 poles to Hedrick corner black oak and sugartree
thence N 10 degrees W 21 poles to a black ash sugartree and hickory thence west 26 poles to a small blue ash and
hickory thence south 25 1/2 degrees W 71 poles to a sugartree thence
west 31 1/2 poles to a stake an the bank of the creek thence
S 15 degrees W 113 poles to the beginning to have and to hold the
aforesaid one hundred and nine and a half acres of land
with all the appurtenances tot he said Joseph Story and to
his heirs and assigns forever and the aforesaid Jas Graham
Jas Story John Story Elijah Story William Story Edwd Ricketts
and Lewis Story for themselves their heir executors and
administrators do covenant and agree with him the
said Joseph Story and his heirs that they the said Graham
Story and Ricketts and their heirs will and shall warrant
and forever defend the aforesaid one hundred and nine
and a half acres of land with all the appurtenances
thereunto belonging or in any wise appertaining
to the said Joseph Story and to his heirs and assigns
forever form the claim of them the aforesaid James
Graham James Story and John Story Elijah Story &
William Story Edward Ricketts and Lewis Story and
their heirs and all and every other person or persons
whatsoever claiming under them the aforesaid
James Graham James Story John Story Elijah Story
William Story Edward Ricketts and Lewis Story their
heirs executors and administrators or assigns
In Testimony whereof the said James Graham
James Story John Story Elijah Story William Story Edward
Ricketts and Lewis Story have to these presents set their
hand and seals the day and date above written.
William Story (seal)
Jane Story (seal)
Elijah Story (seal
Martha Story (seal)
John Story (seal
James Story (seal)
Rebecca (her mark) Story (seal
Lewis Story (seal)
Anne (her Mark) Story (Seal)
James Graham (Seal)
Mary (her mark) Graham (seal)
Edward Ricketts (seal)
Sarah Ricketts (Seal)Att Thos Gardner
Thos Storypage 469
Fleming County Sct September 16th 1831
As deputy Clerk of the Fleming County Court I certify
that this deed from Story & etc to Joseph Story was this day
produced to me and acknowledged by William Story and
Jane his wife Elijah Story and Martha his wife James
Story and Rebecca his wife Lewis Story and Ann his wife
and Sarah Ricketts wife of Edward Ricketts Jas Graham to be their act
and deed and the said Jane Martha Rebecca Anne &
Mary & Sarah being by me examined privily and apart from their
husbands declared that they freely sealed and delivered
said writing and wished not to retract it and ack
noweledged said writing again shown and explained to
them to be their deed and consent that the same may
be recorded And on the third of October 1831 the
same was acknowledged by Edward Ricketts to be his deed
and proven by the oaths of Thomas Story and Thomas
Guardner as to the attestations of John Story and the
same is duly recorded.
Thoms [Hurelkelap]
