Louise, I have two great great grandfathers who lost land in sheriff's sales, both in Salem County. One was Isaac Richman in 1822 and the other was Henry Graham, in 1830 and 1833. In both cases, it was because of debt. I have learned that there was a depression during this time period, and lots of people really struggled. I found both of mine in land records. I have learned that the grantor (seller) is not my grandfather, but the sheriff. Even though it was my grandfather's land being sold. So, I have learned to go to the deed index and look at the Sheriff's sales in the Grantor Index. Mary E. Hill -----Original Message----- From: Louise [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, January 24, 2003 8:40 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Sheriff's Sale - Furman Sheppard land I found the following notice of a sheriff's sale on the Cumberland County website. I am descended from Furman Sheppard and his wife Hannah Maskell. From what I have read about him, I would assume he was a prosperous and well respected man. Does anyone have any ideas why his land would be taken for a sheriff's sale? Apparently he was being sued. Thanks. Louise Washington Whig, Monday, April 15, 1816, Bridgetown, NJ. " Sheriff's Sales - By virtue of a writ of Fieri Facias to me directed, will be exposed to sale at Public Vendue, on Monday the sixth day of May the ?? between the hours of 12 and 5 o'clock in the afternoon of said day; at the hotel in Bridgetown, in the county of Cumberland, A Plantation, Situate in the township of Hopewell, adjoining land of Benjamin Dare and others, said to contain two hundred acres, be the same more or less. Seized as the property of Furman Sheppard and taken in execution at the suit of Timothy Elmer and others, and to be sold by William Rose, late Sheriff, March 2, 1816." [There are two other plantations in this sale.] ============================== To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237