More on Adolphus Ames Original Land Warrant, Mc Kean, Pennsylvania

Correspondence with the Ancestral Tracks and Pennsylvania Archives explaining the history of land ownership of Adolphus Ames (my great great grandfather's land in Liberty Township, McKean, PA. originated from. Some of the correspondence got complicated. However, if there are others researching land warrants this information may assist them in locating records.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Nancy Peralta
To: <customer_service@ancestortracks.com>
Sent: Wednesday, September 22, 2010 10:48 AM
Subject: Looking for

Adolphus Ames   and Joel Rice

Liberty Township and Norwich Township

McKean County

Pennsylvania 

I am looking for plat maps or any information on land ownership of these two

Thank you 

----- Original Message -----

From: 

To: Ancestor Tracks ; customer_service@ancestortracks.com

Sent: Friday, September 24, 2010 10:54 AM

Subject: Re:Questions about Looking for Ancestor Tracks

I went back and looked but on my ancestors deeds it says the following so do I have to go back and see what the warrant number for Timothy Ledyard was to figure out how he subdivided and sold parcels?   Would I be able to figure this out?:

Adolphus Ames:  26 Sept 1850 between Timothy C Ledyard and wife ... being all that part of lot on Warrant number 173, bounded northerly by Wm Simars lot and easterly by respective boundary line of said warrant; southerly by Joseph Ames lot and westerly by center of allegany River to contain 27 acres and 112 perches

So do I have to go back and get the original warrant number of Timothy C Ledyard?  

Joseph Ames:

26 Aug 1850 bought land from Timothy C. Ledyard and wife...

His lot tract or parcel situated in the town of Liberty county of McKean PA being part of lot on warrant number 173 bounded northerly by Adolphus Ames lot and easterly ad southerly by respective boundary line of sale warrant and westerly by the center of the Allegeny river comprising 10 acres of land

On Sep 24, 2010, at 2:18 AM, Ancestor Tracks wrote:

Dear Ms. Peralta,

We think that Adolphus Ames and Joseph Ames purchased their land from one of the investors who bought vast tracts of land in the "Last Purchase" from the Indians in 1784--see http://ancestortracks.com/McKean_Resources.htm and http://ancestortracks.com/Elk_Resources.html for an explanation.  Thus, their land purchases will be on file in the McKean Co. courthouse.

A quick search online indicates that Adolphus came to McKean Co. from NY ca 1840, so he was not the first person to own his land.  You will have get the deed in the courthouse and it will probably specify which numbered tract in McKean Co. he purchased.  Then you can go to our website at http://ancestortracks.com/McKean_Resources.htm and look at the 1856 and 1871 maps to locate the tract.

We hope that helps, Ancestor Tracks Customer Service

From: "Ancestor Tracks" <customer_service@ancestortracks.com>

Date: September 26, 2010 3:38:52 PM PDT

To: "Nancy Peralta

Subject: Re: Re:Questions about Looking for Ancestor Tracks

Reply-To: "Ancestor Tracks" <ancestortracks@cox.net>

Ms. Peralta

We looked up Warrant number 173 in the Last Purchase Register (you can search this ledger online at http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/rg/di/r17-528LastPurchWarrantReg/r17-528LastPurchMainInterface.htm)  and found that a 900-acre tract (#3116) was granted originally to LeRoy and Lincklain (two large land speculators) on 13 Dec 1792.  The 900-acre tract was patented to Wilhem Willink and others, and that the survey is recorded in Survey Book C119, pg. 111 located in the PA Archives in Harrisburg.  They have posted their surveys athttp://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/rg/di/r17-114CopiedSurveyBooks/r17-114MainInterfacePage.htm (click on the survey book and page #).  Willink was another large land speculator.  Apparently the tract was then broken down into smaller parcels and sold again, undoubtedly to Timothy Ledyard who then sold it to Ames.  All of the records after it passed hands from Willink (including the transfer to Ledyard) should be in the McKean County Courthouse.   We are in Alexandria, VA and do not have access to the courthouse in northern PA so you will have to check with them. 

We did try to pinpoint the location of tract #3116 using the Library of Congress maps of McKean Co. that we have posted online at http://ancestortracks.com/McKean_Resources.htm but we didn't find it in Liberty Township, nor can we find it on the Liberty Township Warrantee Map posted by the PA Archives.  According to the description on the deed you gave us, Ames' tract was bounded on the west by the Allegheny River so it should be there but isn't.  We suggest you ask an archivist at the Pennsylvania Archives for an explanation of how to locate tract #3116 in McKean Co. Phone: (717) 783-3281 
Mail: 350 North Street, Harrisburg, PA 17120 
E-mail: ra-statearchives@state.pa.us

Please let us know what you find out.

Ancestor Tracks Customer Service

Best wishes,

Aaron McWilliams 

Pennsylvania State Archives 

350 North Street 

Harrisburg, PA  17120-0090 

717-787-8953 

amcwilliam@state.pa.us 

-----Original Message-----From: Nancy Peralta Sent: Sunday, October 10, 2010 2:07 AMTo: PH, State ArchivesSubject: Fwd: Questions about Looking for Ancestor Tracks

Can you explain to me where I can find: We did try to pinpoint the location of tract #3116 using the Library of Congress maps of McKean Co. that we have posted online at http://ancestortracks.com/McKean_Resources.htm but we didn't find it in Liberty Township, nor can we find it on the Liberty Township Warrantee Map posted by the PA Archives.  According to the description on the deed you gave us, Ames' tract was bounded on the west by the Allegheny River so it should be there but isn't.  We suggest you ask an archivist at the Pennsylvania Archives for an explanation of how to locate tract #3116 in McKean Co. Phone: (717) 783-3281 

Mail: 350 North Street, Harrisburg, PA 17120 

From: "McWilliams, Aaron"

Date: October 12, 2010 6:25:11 AM PDT

To: 'Nancy Peralta 

Subject: RE: Questions about Looking for Ancestor Tracks

Dear Ms.Peralta: 

We believe the Adolphus Ames’ land was located on John Strawbridge’s tract (warrant no. 173) in Liberty Township, McKean County. The warrant, survey, and patent information are recorded in the Northumberland Lottery register at http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/rg/di/r17-88WarrantRegisters/NorthumbLotteryPages/NorthumbLott22.pdf. The tract can be found on the Liberty Township warrantee township map under letter “A” (see http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/rg/di/r17-522WarranteeTwpMaps/r017Map2922McKeanLibertyWeb.pdf).

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at 717-787-8953 or at the email address below.

Sincerely,

Aaron McWilliams
Pennsylvania State Archives
350 North Street
Harrisburg, PA  17120-0090
717-787-8953 amcwilliam@state.pa.us

________________________________________________________________________________
Joel Rice connection to Adolphus Ames:

After receiving information from a woman PhD in Pennsylvania who claims to be the descendent of Adolphus Ames. She stated that Adolphus Ames, Joseph Ames and Roxania Ames (wife of Joel Rice) were siblings. I have been working on this theory along with another theory on my Adolphus.
The woman feels that they are siblings based upon land records of buying and selling land amongst each other. I ordered a FHL film to look at Joseph Ames land deed and was inconclusive on proving any relationship. Joel Rice purchased Joseph Ames' property in 1860. On the deed it does not give any relationships nor does it give Joel Rice' wife's name. More inconclusive evidence.
Here is a copy of the deed record:

One good measure on all of this is that I was able to find the original land warrant from the Pennsylvania Archives of where Joseph Ames, Adolphus Ames, and Joel Rice' s land came from. The correspondence was somewhat confusing but by October 12, 2010, I was able to find the original land warrant.