[Note: Sorry, but I couldn't get the image any larger without it going off the screen. You should be able to right click on it and Save Image onto your computer for a more readable version]
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It never ceases to amaze me that we can look at a document that is over 230 years old and see our ancestor's names on it! This is a land record from Cecil County, Maryland, and while the principle parties are Andrew Miller (our William Miller's brother) and Benjamin Pearce, it also mention William and Andrew's father, our great, great, great... grandfather, Abraham Miller (the Miller information starts about one-third of the way down).
The date is March 1779. The American Revolutionary War is still raging, but our people still live, marry, farm, buy and sell land, and conduct their lives as best they can.
Possibly more amazing is that these records survive! So many documents were destroyed, especially during the Civil War. Though we wish we had more information about our people, we are truly blessed to have several wonderful land papers for our Miller and Bradford ancestors. Some have already been published on this blog, and there will be more to come. Let us be grateful for each and every document that has survived, and for the insight that it gives us into our ancestors lives.
ADDENDUM: Adding the other two pages that are part of this land document. Page 1 is above; pages 2 and 3 are below. Kudos to anyone who wants to transcribe this unusual hand-writing!:
Actually, the first page you posted is the first page of the deed (p. 289). The next one is the 3rd page of the deed (p. 291), and the last one is the 2nd page (p. 290).
ReplyDeleteThis deed shows that Andrew Miller's wife was Mary. Their possible daughter, Elizabeth Miller McGowan and Adam McGowan's 2nd daughter and 2nd son were named Mary and Andrew. Just one more good clue.
Oh, thanks for getting the pages straight, Diane...no kidding I was sick when I posted that!
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