Grand Canyon -Part 2 on Wordless Wednesday

While we were visiting the Grand Canyon last month, we took a little hike down Bright Angel Trail. There's this little spot called the Mile and A Half Rest House that looked doable.

The scenery on the way down was stunning.

After a nice picnic lunch, we headed back up for the mile and a half return hike. Did I mention it was uphill? One thing I failed to notice on the way down was how steep this one section was. You can bet your bottom dollar that I noticed how steep it was on the way up!

Happy and proud to have taken this little excursion!

© 2011, copyright Michelle Goodrum

A Look at a Cash Land Entry File - Part 7

Today's document from William Ballinger's Cash Entry file, which is really a preemption file, is a preprinted oath that has actually been signed by William himself. I have not seen this document in any "plain 'ol" cash entry files so it must be related to the fact that this is a preemption file. It is important because William signed this document. When I compare the signature from this document to the signature in the Military Bounty Land Warrant File in Mahaska County, Iowa (from the series Using Land Records to Solve Genealogical Problems), there is no doubt in my mind that this is the same individual. Also, examining the composition of this family in the 1856 Mahaska County Iowa census further confirms this (but let's not get too far off track here).

I, William H. Ballinger

do solemnly swear that I will support, protect, and defend the
Constitution and Government of the United states against all enemies, whether
domestic or foreign, and that I will bear true faith, allegiance, and loyalty to
the same, any ordinance, resolution, or law of any State Convention or Legislature
to the contrary nothwithstanding; and, further, that I do this with a full
determination, pledge, and purpose, without any mental reservation or evasion
whatsoever; and, further, that I will well and faithfully perform all the duties
which may be required of me by law. So help me God.

William H Ballenger [SEAL]    [actual signature of William]

Colorado Territory

Arrapahoe Co                 ss

Sworn and subscribed to before me, this 3d day of April 1865.

CMMle[_]necott [hard to read]

Register of the Land Office at Denver City. Co T

Previous Installations:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

Subsequent Installations:
Part 8
Part 9
Summary

Artwork compliments of Free Clip Art Now
© 2011, copyright Michelle Goodrum

Grand Canyon - Part 1 on Wordless Wednesday

Last month we had company which made for the perfect excuse for a road trip to the Grand Canyon. The first glimpse of the canyon always leaves me speechless and in awe. Words cannot adequately describe the Canyon and pictures don't do it justice, although we try.

I would love to hike down to the river someday. It's a lot farther than it looks though.

On our second day at the Canyon, we went for a little hike down Bright Angel Trail. Check back next week for a couple of pictures.
© 2011, copyright Michelle Goodrum

A Look at a Cash Land Entry File-Part 6

If you would like to catch up on previous installations in this series, check out the links at the end of this article.

Today we look at the receipt from the Receiver's Office at the Denver Land Office. The transcription appears first and then an image of the document.

No. 244 Receiver's Office at Denver City, C.T. Apl 3d 1865.

RECEIVED from William H. Ballinger
of Boulder County, Col Ter. the sum of Two
hundred dollars and ----------- cents; being in full for the
S.W. 1/4,, S.W. 1/4 Sec. 17 & S.E. 1/4,, S.E. 1/4 Sec. 18 & N.E. 1/4,, N.E. 1/4
Sec. 19 & N.W. 1/4,, N.W. quarter of Section No. --- 20 --- in Township
No. One North of Range No. Seventy West containing
160 acres and ------------- hundredths, at
$125 per acre.

CBClements

Receiver:

$200.

[Stamped across the front:]

PAT Delivered by R. & R.

Previous Installations:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

Subsequent Installations:
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Summary

Artwork compliments of Free Clip Art Now
© 2011, copyright Michelle Goodrum

A Look at a Cash Land Entry File-Part 5

If you haven't been following along, you might want to read Part 3 and Part 4 in particular. Part 1 and Part 2 are about a separate Cash Entry file.
As I pointed out in Part 4, now that we have the legal description of William Ballinger's Preemption claim, we can plot the property on a map. Here's the legal description again:

• The SW ¼ of the SW ¼ of Section 17,
• and the SE ¼ of the SE ¼ of Section 18,
• and  the NE ¼ of the NE ¼ of Section 19,
• and the NW ¼ of the NW ¼ of Section 20,
• of Township 1 North
• of Range 70 West
• containing one hundred and sixty acres

We can use Google Earth to locate the township, range (outlined in orange), and some section numbers (outlined in pink). Then we can, pinpoint William’s property, which is the area within the red box, and drive out there for a look see (using a more detailed local map).

Recently, I was in Boulder helping a family member and had the opportunity to drive through my great great grandfather's land. Visiting the land my ancestors lived on has become a bit of a hobby for me. I find it exciting to stand where my ancestors lived and worked. It helps give perspective on what their lives might have been like and, it's fun!
A portion of William's land is now a school:

The rest is a very pretty residential area:

So, what did I learn? Driving through the area and back into Boulder gave me a fantastic perspective of the area the Ballinger family lived and worked in, and more importantly, what it took for them to "go to town". The land is just a few short miles from the original downtown portion of Boulder where the Ballingers would have gone to shop, socialize, or go to school. A nice horseback or wagon ride in the spring or summer. Probably a miserable, bitterly cold trip at times during the winter months.
My great great grandmother, Nancy Ballinger would have made this trip regularly; I am told she probably attended school in Boulder along with her siblings.

Stay tuned...
Oh, and one sidenote: Sections 15 and 22 contain Theodore Low’s property discussed in, Finding the Low Farm in Boulder.

Here are links to the entire series, in case you are interested:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Summary
Artwork compliments of Free Clip Art Now
© 2011, copyright Michelle Goodrum

Saguaro Blossoms - Wordless Wednesday

Every spring, in the southwest, the saguaro cactus blooms for a short period each day. The flowers typically will open up each morning and close as the afternoon wears on. Since the saguaro is so tall, it's difficult to get close enough to get a photo of this  annual event. However, we have one growing right next to our house that is how old enough to have some blooms. I was able to convince Husband to climb up on the roof for some pictures.

© 2011, copyright Michelle Goodrum

A Look at a Cash Land Entry File-Part 4

Today's document in William H. Ballinger's preemption file states that he purchased 160 acres on 3 April 1865 for $1.25 per acre totalling $200. This is consistent with the Answers.com discussion which states,

The act of 1841 permitted settlers to stake a claim of 160 acres (65 hectares) and after about 14 months of residence to purchase it from the government for as little as $1.25 an acre before it was offered for public sale.

It also contains the legal description of the property which we can place on a map. That is something we will look at in our next post, along with some current day pictures of the area.

Finally, I note that for this transaction, William's last name is spelled Ballinger instead of Ballenger as it has been spelled in other transactions. No doubt this was done to keep people like me on my toes!

First, the transcription. Then an image of the document. Oh, yes. Bonus points for whoever can figure out what the Registrar's name really is. (There will be several future opportunities to try and decipher if you can't get it on this one.)

No. 244 LAND OFFICE at Denver City, C. T. April 3d 1865.

It is hereby certified, That in pursuance of Law, William H.
Ballinger of
Boulder County, State of  Col. Ter'y on this day purchased of the Register
of this Office, the Lot or S.W. 1/4,, S.W. 1/4 Sec. 17 & S.E. 1/4,, S.E. 1/4 Sec. 18 & N.E. 1/4,, N.E. 1/4

Sec. 19 & N.W. 1/4,, N.W. 1/4 of Section No. Twenty in Township No.

One North of Range No. Seventy West containing
One hundred and sixty acres, at the rate of
One dollar and - 25- cents per acre, amounting to Two hundred
dollars and ------ cents, for which the said William H. Bal-
linger has made payment in full as required by law.

Now, therefore, be it known, That, on presentation of this certificate to the

COMMISSIONER OF THE GENERAL LAND OFFICE, the said William H.
Ballinger shall be entitled to receive a Patent for the Lot above described.

JSMMel[_]ilcott [unsure about signature] Register.

[written across the document]

Preemption act of 4^th Sept.
1841

Here are links to the entire series, in case you are interested:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Summary

Artwork compliments of Free Clip Art Now

© 2011, copyright Michelle Goodrum

After a Refreshing Rain - Wordless Wednesday

Some pretty Pacific Northwest Flowers after a recent rain.

© 2011, copyright Michelle Goodrum

A Look at a Cash Land Entry File-Part 3

Today we take a look at a land file, for William H. Ballenger, from the National Archives that is classified as Cash Entry but in reality is a Preemption File. It's files like these that can make it worthwhile to go ahead and order (or examine in person) those Cash Entry files, since you won't know until you see the file which type it really is.

Since there is much more meat and potatoes in this file, I will be including some commentary and analysis as we go through each page. If you have anything to add, please join in. This is my first time dealing with a Preemption File.

Today it's the "cover sheet" we are looking at. Transcription and image are below. I had a hard time reading a few things so I put question marks in square brackets. Suggestions are welcome!

Interesting to Note:

The notation along the right hand side contains the date of "Oct 18./92. This a few weeks before William filed the patent  on November 12, 1892 with the Boulder County, Colorado, Recorder. Yeah, I know, the patent date is December 1, 1865. There's never a dull moment with this guy. We can talk about that later...

Remember: Click on the image to view a larger version and then click on the back arrow button to return to this post. If the larger version isn't big enough try this: Windows users: hold down the Control key (Mac users hold down the Command key) and press the plus key to make it even bigger (minus key makes it smaller).

No 244

Denver City

C. T. [Colorado Territory]
Pa1841
D.L. filed Dec. 21. 1864,
Settlement Dec. 5 1864
Lee[?] M. L. 65772. unssd[?]

no conflict

Pat. Dec. 1st 1865
Rec. Vol. 1 - Page 126

Ex
Appearred Aug 30, 1865
Clark

Recorder                                
1 / 191
65772

[written along the right hand side:]

see E.J. Moratti -  Oct. 18./92 M.I.G.[?]

[Pa = Preemption Act 1841 (see Hawkins, Kenneth. Research in the Land Entry Files of the General Land Office. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration. 2009, page 13. Downloadable from NARA.)]

Here are links to the entire series, in case you are interested:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Summary

© 2011, copyright Michelle Goodrum

Still Hanging In There and Now I Can Post Comments Again!

The past month and a half in the Goodrum household have been hectic beyond imagination. So much so that Blogger's inaccessibility issues in the month of May were barely noticed by this GeneaBlogger. Then toward the end of the month, Blogger wouldn't allow me to comment on blog posts. I was so busy I didn't bother to try to figure out what the problem was but I did realize how hopelessly addicted to blog commenting I am! Even though I've had very little time to even read blogs, I find it almost impossible to keep myself from commenting.

A big thank you goes out to Lori at Family Trees May Contain Nuts. She put up a post with a link to Living in France, where there were incredibly simple instructions for fixing the problem of posting comments via Blogger. So while I'm still hopelessly behind on my blog reading, at least I can somewhat satisfied my addiction and comment on the blogs that I do have time to read.

Photo from Thundafunda

© 2011, copyright Michelle Goodrum

This Is the Face of Genealogy

Roy B. Bindon 1918 Khaborovsk, Siberia (sitting).

© 2011, copyright Michelle Goodrum

A Look at a Cash Land Entry File-Part 2

Courtesy of Free Clip Art Now

Today I present the Cash Entry file of Martin Low. Martin purchased his property, located in Gentry County, Missouri in 1847.

Below you will find first the transcript, and then an image of each of the three pages in this file. I won't be doing any analysis at this time other than to say that basically Martin went into the land office at Plattsburg, gave his money to the receiver, who prepared a receipt, and the register prepared the appropriate certificate to enable Martin to receive his patent. The patent can be viewed at http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/

5774

Plattsburg
Nov 1 1848
Vol 12 Page 67

Vol[?] Cfol[?] 1383

No. 5774 LAND OFFICE, at Plattsburg, Mo Jan 26, 1847.
IT IS HEREBY CERTIFIED, That in pursuance of Law, Martin Low,
Gentry County, State of Missouri on this day purchased of the Register
of this Office, the Lot of North West qr. of South East quarter ---
of Section No thirty, in Township No Sixty two, of Range No. thirty,.---
containing Forty acres, at the rate of
one dollar and 25 cents per acre, amounting to Fifty
dollars and _____cents, for which the said Martin Low,
has made payment in full as required by law.
Now therefore be it known, That, on presentation of this Certificate to the
Commissioner of the General Land Office, the said Martin Low
shall be entitled to receive a Patent for the lot above described.
[name is unreadable] Register.

No. 5774 Receiver's Office at Plattsburg, Mo.,

January 26th 1847
Received from Martin Low
of Gentry County Missouri the sum of Fifty
dollars and ---cents, being in full for the North West
quarter of North East quarter of Section No. thirty in Town-
ship No. Sixty two of Range No. thirty containing forty
acres, and ---hundredths at $1.25 per acre
$50--
Bela M Hughes Receiver

Citation:
Martin Low (Gentry County) cash entry file, certificate no. 5774, Plattsburg, Missouri , Land Office; Land Entry Papers, 1800-1908; Records of the Bureau of Land Management, Record Group 49; National Archives, Washington D.C.

Links to the entire series:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Summary
© 2011, copyright Michelle Goodrum