Board for Certification of Genealogists ®

1870 Wisconsin Deed

You may want to download and print the deeds before you begin working with them.

1870 Wisconsin deed (This is in .pdf format. A larger image version is available here. After opening up the image, you can click on the image and save it on your computer as deed.jpg. You can then open the image in any graphics viewing program.)

TRANSCRIPTION | RESEARCH FOCUS | ABSTRACT | COMMENTARY | RESEARCH PLAN

TRANSCRIPTION

Source: Herman Greve and wife to Dorchen Greve, deed, 7 July 1870, digitized image at "Test Your Skills," Board for Certification of Genealogists <www.bcgcertification.org/tests/
documents/deed.pdf> citing "[Monroe County, Wisconsin] Deeds 24:433"; downloaded 27 May 2001.

Note: The deed is a pre-printed form filled in by hand. I have rendered the handwritten portions in underlined italics to distinguish them.

Herman Greve & wife - to - Dorchen Greve------24 deeds 433

THIS INDENTURE Made the Seventh (7) day of July in the year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Seventy (70) between Herman Greve and Marie Greve his wife of Sparta Monroe County and State of Wisconsin parties of the first part and Dorchen Greve of Brock near Bielefeld Prussia, Germany party of the second part

Witnesseth, That the said parties of the first part, for and in consideration of the sum of Five Thousand Dollars (5000.) to them in hand paid, tby he [sic] said party of the second part, the receipt whereof is hereby confessed and acknowledged, have given, granted, bargained, sold, remised, released, aliened, conveyed and confirmed, and by these presents do give, grant, bargain, sell, remise, release, alien, convey and confirm unto the said party of the second part her- heirs and assigns forever the following described real estate situated in the County of Monroe and State of Wisconsin to wit: The North half (1/2) of the North East quarter (1/4) of Section Twenty One (21) Town Eighteen [(18) inserted above line] Range One (1) West containing eighty (80) acres according to Government Survey

Together with all and singular the Hereditaments and appurtenances thereunto belonging or in any wise appertaining; and all the estate, right, title, interest, claim or demand whatsoever of the said parties of the first part, either in Law or Equity, either in possession or expectancy of, in and to the above bargained premises, and their Hereditaments and Appurtenances. TO HAVE AND TO HOLD the said premises as above described, with the Hereditaments and Appurtenances, unto the said party of the second part, and to her heirs and assigns forever.

---And the Said Herman Greve for his heirs, executors and administrators, does covenant, grant, bargain and agree, to and with the said party of the second part, her heirs and assigns that at the time of the ensealing and delivery of these presents, he is well seized of the premises above described, as of a good, sure, perfect, absolute and indefeasible estate of inheritance in the law, in fee simple, and that the same are free and clear from all incumbrances whatever, and that the above bargained premises, in the quiet and peaceable possession of the said party of the second part, her heirs and assigns, against all and every person or persons lawfully claiming the whole or any part thereof he will forever WARRANT AND DEFEND.

In Witness Whereof, The said parties of the first part have hereunto set their hands and seals the day and year above written.

Signed, Sealed and Delivered in presence of }

Ansel Oppenheim } ---------------H Greve (L. S )

H. Rivenburgh } -------------------Marie Greve (L. S )

STATE OF WISCONSIN, } ss.

COUNTY OF Monroe } Be it Remembered, That on the Seventh (7) day of July A. D. 1870 personally came before me the above named Herman Greve and Maria Greve his wife to me known to be the persons who executed the said Deed, and acknowledged the same to be their free act and deed for the uses and purposes therein mentioned (Seal Circuit Court) S. H. Stearns Clerk Circuit Court

Received for Record July 9^th 1870 at 11 o’clock A M. Josiah M Tarr Register

Help—Source Citation: It is common practice in the genealogical field to begin citations with the author's name (if citing to a book, chapter, journal article, etc.) or the name of the chief person involved (if citing to another kind of record). For example: John Brown, Browns of Brownsville . . . ; or John Brown household, 1850 U.S. census, . . .; and so forth. In this case, we began with "Herman Greve and wife. . .," taken from the title of the deed as it is given on the image. We followed current convention and italicized the title of the web site, enclosed the web-page title in quotation marks, and set off the URL with angle brackets.

Because we were not looking at the Monroe County deed book itself, we cited to the digitized image on this web page. However, we also included the handwritten notation of the volume identification ("24 deeds") and the stamped page number ("433") which appear in the upper left corner of the image. Because we deduced — based on evidence within the deed — that the image was made from a Monroe County, Wisconsin, record, we also included that information in our citation. We enclosed it within square brackets to indicate that this data is our addition; it is not written in or on the document.

Only if we had viewed the original volume ourselves would we have cited directly to it. In that case, we would have omitted the part of this citation that concerns the web site. In other words, we cite to what we were looking at when we made our photocopy, transcription, abstract, or other kind of research note. An applicant who had received this document in his or her final-application package, for example, would cite it thus: Herman Greve and wife to Dorchen Greve, deed, 7 July 1870, photocopy from Board for Certification of Genealogists citing "[Monroe County, Wisconsin] Deeds: 24:433"; received 27 May 2001.

Help—Transcription: Notice that we (as transcriber) added a note to explain the way we mixed typefaces to portray the deed's appearance. Because users might not have access to the deed image, our note tells them which parts of the deed are pre-printed "formula" and which parts were written in by hand.

A transcription copies everything exactly as it is in the record, including capitalization, peculiar spelling, punctuation, and word division. Notice that we copied both the handwritten and printed text exactly, including the mistake in line two of paragraph two and the rendition of Marie Greve's name given as "Maria" in the last paragraph. After the printed mistake we inserted "[sic]" to show that the error was in the deed itself — and, because "sic" was our own addition to the record, we enclosed it in square brackets (as we would anything we added to a record).

Although it is sometimes wise to use the same line divisions that are in the record, breaking the transcription at the end of each line in this deed created a peculiarly disjointed impression of the document's meaning. We elected, therefore, to follow the "flow" of the text rather than the line breaks. (Try breaking your own transcription of this deed at the ends of the lines to see if you agree with our choice.)

RESEARCH FOCUS

I will assume my focus is Herman Greve and his family.

Help: In our research, we usually have some reason for looking up a particular record. If, for example, we were to find this deed while investigating Ansel Oppenheim, we might cast our abstract, discussion, and research plan somewhat differently. For the certification test, however, applicants are presented with two documents that are unrelated to their own work. Thus, they are asked to establish a hypothetical "focus" that permits them to concisely discuss the record, target a problem, and design a research plan to resolve it.

ABSTRACT

Sale deed from Herman Greve and wife Marie of Sparta, Monroe County, Wisconsin, to Dorchen Greve (female) of "Brock near Bielefeld Prussia, Germany," 7 July 1870, for $5,000, the north 1/2 of the northeast 1/4 of S21, T18, R1W (eighty acres). Witnesses: Ansel Oppenheim, H. Rivenburgh. Signed: H. Greve, Marie Greve. Acknowledged by the sellers before S. H. Stearns, Clerk of Circuit Court, 7 July 1870.

Help—Source Citation: Regardless of what kind of research note we make — transcription, abstract, quotation, or summary — we cite our source fully and completely.

Help—Abstract: An abstract leaves out only the formula or "extra" words that are not needed for a good understanding of the record. It includes all of the information that varies from one record of the same type to the next (date, personal names, place names, circumstances, land descriptions, and so forth). Because the formula wording in this deed is printed and the variable information is handwritten, we can see clearly which is which. However, we do want to be sure to include all the important information, even if some of it is in the formula (the fact that this is an unconditional sale rather than a mortgage, for example).

Another note-taking technique — summarizing — is often confused with abstracting. A summary, however, is a brief overview, or "thumbnail sketch" of the record and omits lengthy passages not considered crucial at the time the note is taken. Summaries, for example, often leave out land descriptions in deeds or itemized bequests in wills. Abstracting, not summarizing, is the technique required of applicants for certification.

COMMENTARY

The following information is genealogically significant:

Because the buyer, Dorchen Greve, was living in "Brock near Bielefeld, Prussia, Germany" in 1870, it is possible that Brock was also Herman and/or Marie's place of origin. And, because Dorchen was still in Brock, it is also possible that Herman and Marie were fairly recent immigrants. This cannot be assumed without more substantiation than one single deed, however, for Herman could have been born in the United States and still had relatives overseas.
Unless Greve turns out to be an unusually common surname in the Bielefeld vicinity, the deed suggests (strongly) that Herman and Dorchen were relatives. The deed does not tell me, however, whether Dorchen was more likely his mother, daughter, or married/single sister — or, in fact, some more-distant relation.
The "chen" on Dorchen's name was a female diminutive form, so I would be prepared to find her referred to in other records as Dora or Doris or Dorita or some other variant.
Like most deeds of the period and place, this one does not give a "chain of title" stating when Herman bought or was granted the tract.
Herman and Marie (and their witnesses) were at least literate enough to sign their names.
Herman, Marie, and both witnesses were present at the courthouse in Sparta on 7 July 1870, the date the deed was executed, witnessed, and acknowledged. Ansel Oppenheim and H. Rivenburgh may be kin to Herman or Marie (or Dorchen).

Help: The commentary is our chance to show that we know how to distill all the information possible out of each record we examine. Many of the points listed here (nos. 2 and 3 for example) would not be known to us unless we were experienced with Wisconsin records of the period. But be assured that the photocopies the Board sends applicants are taken from areas and time periods that should be familiar to them, based on the information they provide in their Preliminary Applications.

Notice that our commentary considers what is not in the record (a statement of relationship between Herman and Dorchen, for example) as well as what is in the record (the names of the witnesses and their presence with the Greves at the courthouse, for instance.)

RESEARCH PLAN

This deed suggests several possibilities for continuing the investigation of Herman Greve and his family. The research plan below includes the sources to be examined, listed in the approximate order I would approach them. I would be prepared, however, to change the order and add to or subtract from the list, depending on information found in the first few sources. I would also expand the search in all sources to include everybody of the surname Greve (also Grieve, Grove and Grave, and even Grebe, since a handwritten "v" is sometimes read as "b" and, when spoken, they have markedly similar sounds).

The 1870 census of Monroe County for the Greves and the deed witnesses.

The 1860 and 1880 and earlier and/or later censuses, depending on results of the 1870 search.
The tract or sectional index for Township 18 , Range 1 West to find where Herman's purchase and Dorchen's sale were recorded.
The deeds identified in the tract-book search.
The grantor and grantee deed indexes, looking for other property Herman and his fellow Greves may have bought or sold.

Comment A: I would make every effort to find Herman's earliest purchase in Monroe County so I would know how early he might have come from elsewhere. This information would help when the immigration records and passenger lists are searched later on in the investigation.

Comment B: It is entirely possible that the records examined to this point might direct the search into records of other Wisconsin counties or additional states. Herman may have immigrated long before 1870.

Comment C: If Herman owned several tracts, I would try to determine which one he and Marie actually lived on—probably the first one he bought and the last one sold or still owned when he died.
The Oppenheim and Rivenburgh deeds to see if they ever were close neighbors of the Greves, and whether they were long-time associates.
Other nearby deeds to find out if the sale to Dorchen was for a normal amount or whether $5000 for 80 acres was a virtual gift.

Comment D: This deed does not "sound like" a gift, but the early 1870s was a period of wide financial upswings and downturns. In normal times, $5,000 was an exorbitant price for eighty acres of land.
The vital records indexes.

Comment E. The indexes are in the office with the deed books and indexes, so it is more efficient to check them immediately rather than waiting to find out whether any of the Greves died in Monroe County.

The indexes to probate records.

Comment F: These indexes are also at the courthouse. Normally, they would be checked before leaving in order to avoid duplicate trips.
The 1877 land ownership map to locate the tract Herman and Marie lived on, the one they sold Dorchen, and other tracts Herman may have owned.
County histories; also newspapers of the era.
Immigration records and passenger lists.

Comment G: If Dorchen came to Wisconsin, it was after July 1870 (or she was there earlier and had returned to Brock by that date). By the time I begin checking immigration records and passenger lists, my earlier research should give me a close approximation of Herman and/or Maria's arrival date.
Maps and atlases to locate Bielefeld — and Brock if it was large enough to be mentioned.
The Family History Library microfilm catalogue for records of the civil and religious jurisdictions identified in the map and atlas studies.

Help: Because some of the records mentioned in our plan appear to be out of place in a well-ordered research scheme, we have included comments to remind ourselves (or explain to a client or correspondent) why we arranged our list in this particular order.

Notice that we have included some specific sources (the 1877 land ownership map, for example) and that some that are more general (such as the 1870 census). Throughout this section, we have tried to show that we understand Wisconsin records and are familiar with the fact that large numbers of immigrants came directly from abroad. We do not have all information at our fingertips, so some parts of our plan include locating specific needed information (the average selling price of 80 acres, for example, and the location of Bielefeld).

If this were a real research problem, not a practice one, we would know that the more detailed our research plan is, and the more carefully it is targeted to what we want to know, the more valuable that plan will be in directing our research. If we were not familiar with Wisconsin records, therefore, we would add to our research plan a study of relevant portions of such publications as Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking editors, The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy, 3rd ed. (Salt Lake City: Ancestry Inc., 2006), Val D. Greenwood, The Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy, 3rd ed. (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2000), and similar sources.