I agree with this [see below] as the "law" today, but I am not sure what the law was back in the mid 1800s. I'm sure you remember that Blacks and Women did not have the right to vote back then! As I mentioned, I am not a historian and we need that input to confirm the situation! Regards, Bill ----- Original Message ----- From: Susan Pena To: NJHUNTER-L@rootsweb.com Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2005 10:53 AM Subject: Re: [NJHUNTER] Homes and Land I have been a public official in Texas. Here, it is not required to own property to be an elected official or run for public office. You can be a renter or a "live in" person to be an elected official. The criteria is that you must be a "resident" of a certain place (town or city). I would imagine this is true most everywhere in the US because you can rent property and still have a voter's registration card and vote in elections. Susan ----- Original Message ----- From: "William Hartman" <mrbill1033@comcast.net> To: <NJHUNTER-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2005 9:12 AM Subject: Re: [NJHUNTER] Homes and Land > Hi Susan, > > I cannot give you a definitive answer to your question, perhaps a > historian or scholar is watching the list and can fill in the details. > > My observations come from reading the Hunterdon Gazette and trying to > locate people using the 1852 Cornell Map of Hunterdon County. > > There does appear to be many renters or tenants, or at least people who > occupy a farm [property] location. This I derive from the many listings of > property for sale and a statement near the end of these items, in which > interested persons can view the premises by calling on so and so. So & > So's name is usually different from the subscriber - the person who has > listed the property. > > All names printed in the Gazette are listed in the Gazette Index! > > I also presume, which needs verification, that "land tax" was paid by the > owner of record, just as it is today. > > And finally, the only way to know if a "renter" exists, is to consult the > Gazette Index and hope they are noted in one of the advertisements. > > Sorry I can't be more helpful. > > Regards, Bill > > P. S.: And I have a general question to the NJHUNTER List: > > Each year there are Township and County Elections for the various > positions of responsibility. > Must the people elected be land owners [Freeholders]? > > If 'YES', this would rule out renters' or tenants' names appearing in > these newspaper items! > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Susan Pena > To: NJHUNTER-L@rootsweb.com > Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2005 7:58 AM > Subject: [NJHUNTER] Homes and Land > > > I was wondering if anyone can answer this question. In the early to mid > 1800s and before when the country was mostly rural and farmers, were there > a lot of people who rented property from someone or possibly "rent to own" > type land arrangements as we have them today. > > When you know your family lived in an area and you can't find a deed for > them or their parents, is it likely they could have "rented" property, > especially if they were young and just starting out? Also in places where > there was land tax collected, was the tax collected from the owner or from > the occupant of the land? Is there any way of knowing renter's names of > property, if they were just renting the land? > > Susan > > > ==== NJHUNTER Mailing List ==== > Visit the Updated Hunterdon County GenWeb page at: > http://www.rootsweb.com/~njhunter > > ============================== > New! Family Tree Maker 2005. Build your tree and search for your > ancestors at the same time. Share your tree with family and friends. Learn > more: > http://landing.ancestry.com/familytreemaker/2005/tour.aspx?sourceid=14599&targetid=5429 > > > > ==== NJHUNTER Mailing List ==== > This mail list is archived at: > http://newsarch.rootsweb.com/th/index/NJHUNTER > > ============================== > Search Family and Local Histories for stories about your family and the > areas they lived. Over 85 million names added in the last 12 months. > Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13966/rd.ashx > > ==== NJHUNTER Mailing List ==== This mail list is archived at: http://newsarch.rootsweb.com/th/index/NJHUNTER ============================== Census images 1901, 1891, 1881 and 1871, plus so much more. Ancestry.com's United Kingdom & Ireland Collection. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13968/rd.ashx