I agree with you. The red flag goes up when someone tells me "always" this will happen. Have not seen that happen too much I am looking for Porter descendants from Urbana area. Most of my family is buried in Spencer's Grove. There are actually two sets of Porter. I would like to get in touch with either side. marcia porter heinz ---------- > From: R. Sheldon <rpshel@frontiernet.net> > To: IABENTON-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Fw: [IABENTON-L] Re: great research tip > Date: Sunday, June 28, 1998 6:25 AM > > > > ---------- > > From: R. Sheldon <rpshel@frontiernet.net> > > To: nagonan@mcleodusa.net > > Subject: Re: [IABENTON-L] Re: great research tip > > Date: Thursday, June 25, 1998 4:50 PM > > > > This is in regard to the great research tip about the signature of > witnesses on old deeds. This tip would have helped me crashed so many of > my brick walls I had to follow up on it and am sharing my conclusions. > > I have checked with a couple experienced researchers and a retired > Virginia lawyer and law book editor and am sorry to report they have never > heard of a convention of the witnesses being related to the grantors of a > deed, nor is it mentioned in the "Source" guide to researchers. My > experience as notary and legal secretary was that witnesses were needed > to verify the person who signed the document was the person he/she claimed > to be and nothing more. > > > > We also agree that if such a practice existed it was regional custom and > not a law. It could be something the recorders of my adopted home state > might do and it could be the writer hit a group of deeds in which that was > the case. The key word in the item that sent up red flags was "always". > > > > > > Pat Sheldon > > Lakeville MN > > > > P.S. And by the way another fallacy to dash, the state laws of Minnesota > were written by transplanted New Englanders, Germans and Irish long before > the Scandinavians arrived and the first group still outnumber the last > group. They (Scandinavians) receive entirely too much credit (blame?) in > the media for MN customs. > > > > > > >