Do you ever come across a land record that is in the right place and time but doesn’t match what you know about the family. That’s what I encountered when I found a deed filed in 1895 in Wapello County, Iowa for Polly Thompson.
My third great grandmother, Polly Ann (Evans) Thompson lived in Wapello County, Iowa in 1895. Also living in Wapello County in 1895 was Mary (Hogle) Thompson who went by Polly Thompson, Thus, I thought the deed I found was for one of these women.
Wapello County Iowa
DeedsDeed Record
book 43page 586
DEED RECORD — Lands . NO . 43
Filed Dec 30 AD 1895
at 2 PM
DW Bryan RecorderUnited States
To Patent
Thomas BalesThe United States of America . To all to whom these presents
shall come greeting : Whereas in pursuance of the Act of Congress
approved September 28th 1850 , entitled , ” An Act granting Bounty
Lands to certain officers and soldiers who have been engaged
in the Military service of the United States ” Warrant No919[?]
for 40 acres issued in favor of Polly Thompson widow of
David Thompson private in Captain Nash’s Company
Tennessee Volunteers War 1812 has been returned to the
General Land Office with evidence that the same has been
duly located upon the North east quarter of the South
West quarter of Section thirteen in Township Sixty seven
north of range nineteen west in the District of lands
subject to sale at Chariton Iowa Containing forty acres
according to the Official Plat of the Survey of the said
Land returned to the General Land Office by the Surveyor
General which has been assigned to Thomas Bales
Now know Ye. That there is therefore granted by the United
States unto the said Thomas Bales the Tract of land
above described ; To Have and to Hold the said Tract of
land, with the appurtenances thereof, unto the said Thomas
Bales and to his heirs and assigns forever.
In testimony whereof I Franklin Pierce. President of
The United States of America have caused these Letters
to be made Patent , and the Seal of the General Land
Office to be hereunto affixed
Given under my hand at the City of Washington
the first day of October in the year of our lord
one thousand eight hundred and fifty five
and of the Independence of the United States
the Eighteenth
By the President , Franklin Pierce
By H E Baldwin Baldwin asst Secretary
Record of Miscellaneous Military
Grants Vol 292 page 38
J N Graugh
Recorder of the General Land Office
Since the above deed refers to a patent, I decided to search the Bureau of Land Management records to see what I could find. I ended up searching by the township and range.
That search located two BALES patents. Patent #331 includes land in township 67N of Range 19W
A search of the First Landowners site confirmed that Thomas Bales was an original land owner in section 14 of township 67N or range 19W.
Unfortunately, the land description for the Polly Thompson deed does not match the land description for Thomas Bales land. Instead, it matches land first owned by Racine D. Kellogg. Another search of BLM records found the patent under Racine D. Kellogg with David Thompson and Polly Thompson names listed below his.
The patent image reveals that Thomas Bales’ name was originally on the patent but marked out and replaced with the name of Racine D Kellogg. It also confirms that Polly was the widow of David THompson who was a private in Captain Nash’s company Tennessee Volunteers in the War of 1812.
Even though I’ve identified the land and found the original patent, I still have no idea who David and Polly Thompson are. Thus, this deed is still somewhat of a mystery.