Full-Text Search Reveals More About Robert Lancaster in Shelby County, Kentucky
I am working on a project to learn more about the neighborhood where Robert Lancaster lived in Shelby County, Kentucky.[1] On 5 December 1821, he purchased 231 plus acres of land from Thomas Hanna and his wife, Mary. This land was located on the waters of Floyd’s Fork and Luteses Run, being a branch of the Bullskin Creek.[2] The land description named other neighbors:
- Joseph Williams’s land was on one stretch of the property and he had purchased the land also from Hanna.
- Samuel Ellis was a neighbor
- Charles Ellis was a neighbor
- A Neal was a neighbor (first name not listed)
The land platted out looks like this.
This plat doesn’t help me locate it on a map. There are too many straight corners but the names of the neighbors will be helpful. I plan to use the full-text search at FamilySearch Labs to locate any deed that names Robert Lancaster as a neighbor. I will also look for the deeds of the neighbors listed in his deed. I have the program DeedMapper that allows me to place multiple properties on the same page and work at putting them into a puzzle that I can hopefully place on a map.
I have also looked for a topo map of the area names these waterways. I can find Bullskin Creek and Lutz Run on this 1932 map.[3] This is in the upper west corner of Shelby County, north of Shelbyville. On the map is another landmark, Dover Church. I found a record naming Robert Lancaster as one of the trustees of the church.[4] So his land was likely nearby.
Full-text search allows me to filter for only records from Shelby County. I have found deeds where he is named as a neighbor, estate sales where he has purchased items, order books where he is named on road maintenance teams, and tax lists. So far, this is from searching for “Robert Lancaster.” I have other variations to search next, such as "Robt Lancaster" or "R. Lancaster."
We have had two sessions so far in our 10-week course. The first week covered searching for deeds both forward and backward in time. This may help us place the property on a map. In the second week, we were introduced to GIS resources. Many counties have current maps of properties online that while working forward, may help place the property on a map.
As I learn more about Robert Lancaster, I’ll update this saga of the research. Note, Robert Lancaster was Mam-ma's 3x-great-grandfather and my 5x-great-grandfather.
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1. I’m taking the SLIG (Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy) course “Reconstructing Ancestral Neighborhoods & Networks” coordinated by Kimberly Powell and Jerry Smith.
2. Shelby Co, Kentucky, deed, v. S, pp 315-16, Thomas Hanna to Robert Lancaster, 1821, imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4L-Y3J9-V); IGN 007900563, image 428 of 526.
3. Kentucky-Indiana La Grange Quadrangle, 1932 Edition, surveyed in 1910, 1926, & 1928, U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior.
4. Shelby Co, Kentucky, deed, v. F2, p. 229-30, George Hamblen to Robert Lancaster, etal, 1817, recorded 1839, imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSK4-DV2Z); IGN 008141846, image 784 of 787.
The plat as plotted looks like a good beginning...I hope by the end of your SLIG course you will have been able to identify more neighbors and locate the land more specifically.
ReplyDeleteI hope you can locate his property. Good luck fitting all the pieces together!
ReplyDeleteI love it when I confined a land plat. I like the way you have drawn it out. Good luck with finding its location!
ReplyDeleteGreat land plat diagram! FamilySearch Full Text Search is great for finding the exact spot of land. :)
ReplyDeleteMaps are so much fun to use. It looks like you've made a good start at finding his property.
ReplyDelete