- Wexford County Deeds
- Liber 2 Page 403 What Does the Deed Tell Me?
- Liber 2 Page 403 Land Records, what next?
- Wexford County Deeds, Part 2
- Locating Property and Landmarks in Michigan.
- Granny’s Land Record Transcriptions
- Tuesday Tools – The Bureau of Land Management Website and Records
- Mount Carmel Cemetery, Cadillac, Wexford, Michigan – Lot F-2
Here are the basic facts from the transcription of the deed recorded in Liber 2 page 403 of Wexford County Deeds.
- The Grantor, Erasmus D. Abbott, of Sherman, Wexford, County, Michigan
- The Grantee: George W. Burdick of Cedar Creek, Wexford County, Michigan
- The witnesses: Oscar Barnes, a justice of the peace and William Briggs
- A warranty deed, received by clerk H.B. Sturtevant for recording on 20 May 1874
- The land transferred: the E1/2 of the NE1/4 of Section 4, township 23N range 10W, about 80 acres more or less.
- The deed was signed, ED Abbott, and the transaction cost George W. Burdick $200.
Since this is not a Weekly Reader test, I will omit the information that is not relevant to my genealogical research. The clerk’s name is not significant, and in this case neither is the name of one of the witnesses. I did notice that the other witness had the last name Barnes, and we do have some Barnes relatives.
I collected the location of this deed because if mentioned the surname BURDICK. At the time I collected the information, I was not researching any Abbott lines. George Washington Burdick was one of Papa’s ancestors, here is what I know about him, much of it from an old, unsourced family history. The highlighted information is the new land transaction:
| 27 April 1827 | Birth: Berlin, Rensselaer Co., NY |
| 1850 | Census: Andover, Allegany Co., NY |
| 1855 | Marriage: Mary Jane Abbott |
| 1850 | Census: Andover, Allegany Co., NY |
| 29 March 1856 | Daughter: Susie Melissa born, Andover, Allegany Co., NY |
| 1860 | Census: Andover Allegany County, New York |
| 24 Oct 1860 | Son: Fink Clement born Andover, Allegany Co., NY |
| 24 Oct 1860 – 23 Jn 1868 | Migration: New York to Pennsylvania |
| 23 June 1868 | Daughter: Mable Genevieve born, Eleven Mile, Potter Co., PA |
| 23 June -May 1870 | Migration: Pennsylvania to Michigan |
| 27 Aug 1870 | Census: Colfax, Wexford County, Michigan |
| 11 Jan 1871 | Daughter: Gertie W. born Colfax, Wexford Co., MI |
| 12 Mar 1874 | News item: The Grand Traverse Herald; Boardman, Grand Traverse County, Michigan Listed as arrivals at the Boardman River House for the week ending March 9th: (lengthy list) Geo. W Burdick, Manton. |
| 20 May 1874 |
Land Purchase: E 1/2 of the NE1 /4 Sec. 4 T23N R10W Wexford Co., MI |
| 1880 | Census: Colfax Township, Wexford County, Michigan |
| 8 Jan 1885 | News item: the Grand Traverse Herald “Geo. W. Burdick will log quite extensively in Colfax this winter.” |
| 1910 | Census: Colfax Township, Wexford County, Michigan |
| 24 Oct 1914 | Death: Irons, Lake County, Michigan |
| 26 Oct 1914 | Burial: Colfax Township, Wexford County, Michigan |
What have I learned from this exercise? What can this added information do to help me?
- George W. Burdick owned land in Colfax, Wexford, MI in 1874.
- The old family history gave the children’s birthplaces is looking better and better.
- G.W. Burdick purchased land from a man named Abbott, is he related? My marriage references are a little weak, consisting of an old family history and some obituaries, both constructed long after the date of the marriage. Perhaps there is an association between the Erasmus Abbott, from whom G.W. Burdick purchased this land and Mary Jane Abbott, that might better substantiate the marriage.
- Is Oscar Barnes related to the Barnes family which another of our families married into?
- Was GW renting land or a home before this purchase? He was on the 1870 census in this township.
In a vacuum, this purchase of 80 acres is not too significant. However, as a piece in the puzzle of the G.W. Burdick family, it can help me to know the family better. Stay tuned!
