John Hart (1797-1864) Land Transactions

   

John Hart land purchase, found on Family Search

     While in pursuit of documentary evidence connecting John Hart to his father, Stephen Hart, to 

prove my descent from Jeremiah Hart, my patriot ancestor, so that I could join the D.A.R., I looked into land records on Family Search. This was with the help of Lil Heselton, the Registrar of my D.A.R. Chapter, who logged many hours in pursuit of such a record on my behalf. We were able to find four land transactions involving John and his wife, Sarah (a.k.a. Sally), all in the state of New York. None of them involved Stephen, however, to my disappointment. We were able to find records showing Stephen transferring lands to other of his sons, including John's brother Richard.

     The first record was dated March 19, 1829, in which John purchased fifty acres of land in the town of Pinckney from the estate of William Henderson for the price of $150.00. This was said to be a portion of Lot 32. (There is also a record dated six days later showing his brother Richard purchasing land from his father Stephen).

     John then sells fifty acres of land in Pinckney on April 18, 1844, fifteen years later, for the sum of $500.00. He is living in the town of Rodman at the time, which is about ten miles away from Pinckney. Subsequently, on September 26, 1844, he buys fifty acres of land in Hermon, St. Lawrence county for $378.00 The 1850 U.S. Census shows him living in Hermon, .with the value of his real estate being $500.00. On October 19, 1858 he sells his land for $1000.00, more than doubling his initial investment.

     Another land transaction could not be found, but on the 1860 Census he is back living in Pinckney with the value of his real estate being $250.00, and his personal estate being $951.00. Of course, by 1864, the year of his death, he has relocated to Rice County, Minnesota.

     I have not been able to find any evidence of John having purchased land or homesteaded in Minnesota. As his wife appears in the Minnesota Censuses living with their children, first with son Joel, and then with daughter Delilah, he may also have been living with Joel during his time there.