I wasn’t originally going to use this post as a 52 Ancestors post. Then today I was sitting here going through the Deed books for Clinton and Essex Counties in New York State. To me this is the black hole of genealogy research.

When I go through these books I look for family names. I have been working on my Beardsley/Curtis line. I am trying to find out what happened to Ada Curtis after her husband Beverly died in 1815.

So going through the books I said let me look up Beardsley, Shaver (one of of my brick walls) and Weatherwax. Even though I know a lot about my Weatherwax lines I am looking to always strengthen the connection between Jacob and his father David who I intend to file a DAR supplemental application and prove a new patriot.

So you will see this sad little branch of my tree, with George and his wife Hannah and then possibly Jacob as a father.  These blank spaces bug me, immensely.

I have very little on George except he was one of the earliest settlers of Clinton County. I got his wife’s name from the Weatherwax Genealogy book.

Then I know Jacob and Mary are the parents of my George Weatherwax as I have a copy of his death certificate listing them. I also have a copy of William Weatherwax naming them also.

Not knowing more about Mary’s family has bothered me for a while. It is sad how much women got lost into their husband’s identities when the got married. Recently, I discovered George in the 1850 census with a wife Hannah and daughter Elizabeth, their ages and place of residence fit into the Clintonville history I had read.

Then I found the 1860 census with only Hannah and now Betsey aged by 10 years. I can not find Elizabeth/Betsey in the 1870 census yet. So she may have died by then or possibly married or who knows, it will be an ongoing quest. I have not been able to find a will for George. Essex and Clinton counties again have that black hole effect for research.

Today I feel that the luck of the Irish struck me as I found several deeds with George Shaver/Shaffer buying and selling land. Some of it with a John Shaver and his wife and some with his wife Hannah. The next few weeks will be sent transcribing these deeds to see if I can discern the family relationship a bit more. I would love to expand this tree and give George and Hannah some more family.

Wish me luck since I am going to need it. Here is one of the deeds I found in the Deed books, which I will say are becoming a huge reference for me.