Dan, Thanks for your comments below. I have seen the reference to which you refer below, and I was puzzled then and am still puzzled on the origin of Butler County. The Handy Book for Genealogists state that Butler County was organized in 1856. If the county had only 27 people in it by 1860, how could it have been organized? OR, would it be safe to state that the "organized" date of 1856, was just the date at which the territorial government decided that a certain portion of the state should be a specific county, and that the county officers and offices (e.g., a county court house) may have come much later? If that is true, where did the local inhabitants, who arrived prior to the time that county offices were open to conduct business, record their marriages, divorces, land purchases, etc.? For example, since there was a McCabe Ranch in Butler County by 1859, where would I go to find out "Which" McCabe was its owner? Thanks in advance. Jim Freed, Delaware, OH jmfreed@midohio.net -----Original Message----- From: Dan <dwitulski@navix.net> To: J. M. Freed <jmfreed@midohio.net> Cc: NEBUTLER-L@rootsweb.com <NEBUTLER-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Sunday, March 19, 2000 12:42 AM Subject: Re: [NEBUTLER] Plattsmouth, Butler Co, 1860, where is it? McCabe >Hi Jim >1860 is very early in Nebraska 7 years before statehood and before the >homestead act that brought much of the settlement, so 6 dwellings and 27 >individuals may have been all in Butler County at that time (excluding >Indians that did not get counted). >According to The "History of The State of Nebraska" by A. T. Andeas >Copyright 1882, Page 448... >The first attempt to settle in the county was made in 1857 by the Waverly >Town Company, of Plattsmouth, upon the banks of Skull Creek.....near the >spot where Linwood now stands. >It also mentions that McCabe's was established on Deer Creek in 1859. >There are several mentions of McCabe in this article but no mention of >Sarah Watson. >The Plattsmouth that they refer to is the town of Plattsmouth in present >day Cass County. >At that time Plattsmouth was one of the more important towns in the >territory and was probably >the nearest post office. It is located on the East side of Nebraska, on >the Missouri River >and is just south of Omaha. >If you would like to see this article on Butler County from the Andeas >book I could copy it for you. >Hope this helps. >Dan >