Madness Monday - William Ballenger Land Sale

This week I am looking at the deed of sale from William H. and Lucinda Ballinger to Jeremiah Ballinger.  You can read a transcription of the deed below but the particulars are this:

The sale is dated 7 March 1854.
It was for 160 acres in Mahaska County, Iowa.
The land was sold for $300.
Samuel Ballinger was the witness.

In my post Collateral Lines Anyone? I noted that Jeremiah and Samuel were young men and had been listed in various Iowa state censuses from the 1850s sometimes in the same house with an older John F. Ballinger.  I will definitely be taking a closer look at those 3 men.

From this document, I can plot where William's land was located and begin to fill in the other neighbor's from property maps and other land transactions.

This deed has left me with lots of questions (remember I am looking for relatives of William):

1. Who are Jeremiah and Samuel and why are they transacting business with William?
2. Why did William sell 160 acres?
3. When did he buy this property?

At least this gives me an additional data point on William's timeline!


Transcription:
[left hand margin is written “34-76-15”]


Wm H Ballenger etux
To Deed
JJ Ballinger

Filed for Record April 20th 1854 at 1
O'Clock PM & Recorded April 22nd 1854

For the consideration Three hundred dollars we hereby convey
unto Jeremiah J Ballinger the following tract of land Situated
in the County of Mahaska in the State of Iowa. Viz: the South
East Quarter of section Thirty four in Township Seventy six No

[page] 557

of Range fifteen West containing one hundred and Sixty acres
And we warrant the title to the same to the said Jeremiah J Ballinger
against all Persons whomsoever. Executed this Seventh day of March
AD 1854 in presence of
Samuel Ballinger

W H. Ballinger
Lucinda Ballinger

State of Iowa, Mahaska County ss
Before me Samuel Kirby a Justice of the Peace in and
for said County personally appeared the above named William H.
Ballinger and Lucinda Ballinger personally known to me to be the
identical persons whose names appeared in the foregoing Deed as grantors
and acknowledged the above instrument to be their voluntary act
and deed for the purposes there in expressed. Given under my
hand this 1 day of April AD 1854
Samuel Kirby
Justice of the Peace

Henry Blackburn recorder Mahaska County Iowa.

[Citation:
Mahaska County, Iowa, Land Deeds, 1853-54, Volume E, 20 April 1854; Family History Library microfilm 972968.]

© 2010, copyright Michelle Goodrum