Update from Salt Lake City :: Week Two

In the “early years” of on-site research (back in the 1980s) I usually just abstracted deeds and estate records. Very seldom did I get copies of an entire estate file. The few copies that I did make back then have faded over the years and many of them are no longer legible. In addition, there are estate and other records that I “know” are there – from information obtained from published indexes or other researchers. So, I've been concentrating on obtaining digital copies of those records as well.

It's not super exciting or anything but it's nice to know that I'll be filling in some of the blanks – at least as far as some records are concerned - those that are available here at the Family History Library! As a result of that strategy (gathering records, so to speak), there still haven't been any big breakthroughs although I have found some rather interesting things – some that have generated additional questions, as so often happens.

So far I've scanned deed records for 15 ancestors as well as the complete estate files for the following ancestors, amounting to several hundred pages:

• James Ball 1830, Owen County, Kentucky
• John D. Berlin, 1879, Elkhart County, Indiana
• Susan Berlin, 1880, Elkhart County, Indiana
• Henry Bray, 1798, Nelson County, Kentucky
• Christian Schuder (Sr), 1842, Montgomery County, Ohio
• Casper Stiver (Casper Stoever III), 1821, Montgomery County, Ohio
• Eli Yarian, 1895, Elkhart County, Indiana

As Randy Seaver says, these will provide plenty of “blog fodder” in the future!

Receipt slip signed by my 2nd great-grandparents Lovina Yarian and Eli Yarian.

Elkhart County, Indiana Estate file D25. Microfilm No. 1711412.

Estate of John D. and Susan Berlin.

Susan died before John's estate was settled and her estate was combined with his.