RE: Surnames in Cayuga County: VANATTER (VAN ETTEN) and CONNELLY To: NYCAYUGA-L@rootsweb.com Dear Subscriber, >From the Cayuga County *Grantor*s Deed Index 1793 -1956* - microfilmed by LDS, number 850914 - we determined that at least four Deeds involved our potential ancestors, Joseph Vanatter and Michael Connelly. 1. Joseph N. VAN NORTH to Benjamin Ledyard , *by assignment*, in Liber HH/HA/FA , page 30; in the year, 1794. 2. Joseph VAN NORTH or Joseph VAN ETTEN, Joseph to Forman Mount: *by assignment*, in Liber HH/HA/FA, p 35; in the year 1794. Comment: From Revolutionary War Pension Records, we know that Joseph Vanatter (Van Etten) was illiterate and that English was probably the second language spoken in his home, explaining why the writer of these Deeds had difficulty establishing the surname of the grantor. Because the Deeds include Joseph*s Military Bounty Land Record number, we now know that the grantor was Joseph Vanatter (Van Etten), baptized 17 October, 1761 in Minisink-Machackemeck Church (Deerpark, Orange County, New York) to parents Dirck Van Etten & Rusje Westfall. By 1794 the family of Joseph Vanatter & wife Hannah Unknown should have included Mary (Polly) born 1784, Jerustha b. 1785, twins John & Richard b. 1787, Henry Benjamin b. 1789, and Elizabeth b. 1791. Joseph & family left Cayuga County for Ontario, Canada about 1800-1. 3. CONNELLY, Michael to Brockholet Livingston, p. 239, Book HA/FA, in the year 1794. 4. Scudder, William to Michael CONNELLY, p 323, Book February, 1794. Comment: There are several more Deeds involving Michael CONNELLY, but the two above are representative. RSS Our Problem: When the above Deeds were executed in 1794, this area, which is nearby Owasco Lake, was apparently Onondaga County, and seems to have become Cayuga County around 1799. We therefore examined the actual Deed Records listed below: Deeds, Onondaga Co. v. A-B 1794-1795, FHL Film 852075 Deeds, Cayuga Co. v. A-C 1799-1802, FHL Film 851930 (this is the earliest Deed record listed under Cayuga County per se.) To our reading, neither of these Deed Books contained the indexed 1794 Deed records of Joseph Vanatter & Michael Connelly. We wonder if your subscribers have any suggestions as to location of early 1794 Deeds? Sincerely, Bob & Carol Swenson rswenson@stanford.edu