In a message dated 2/20/2004 8:39:39 AM Central Standard Time, [email protected] writes: > Thank you for your Excellent explanation of the procedure. It clears up > for > me why my ancestor's name was not listed with the Original Owners, yet he > Was > an original owner of Penn land -- he evidently purchased his small 100 acre > tract from an Owner of a larger tract. > > He Warrant for Survey was dated 1682, and I would really like to know if he > arranged for the 100 acres while still in England -- it isn't likely he > would > have come to America without knowing where he was going. > > Any further thoughts on this subject? > Carol > > Carol, I think you might say that ALL of the Penn settlers came to the Americas without knowing where they were going -- besides to Penn's Province, that is! (What a leap of faith!) Even folks who bought land while still in Europe didn't know what land they were going to end up with! Below is a summary of information from T.M.Potts about one of my ancestor's Penn purchase. After reading Potts' references to the Carters' purchase of his Penn land, I was left with questions, the most practical ones being: (1) Can someone could tell me what the "Minutes of the Board of Property" are? Do they still exist? If so, where they are located? (2) Carter's application for land suggests that he, his wife, and people whose rights to apply for land sold them to the Carters were each entitled to 50 acres of land. Does that tell us anything about the circumstances or conditions under which he might have emigrated/immigrated? Or, was everyone who had not purchased one of the very large plots while still in Europe limited to 50 acres per person after arriving in the Province? (3) Does anyone know what Potts refers to when he says a survey was filed for Carter in the surveyor's papers? Do these papers still exist? If so, where? Summary of Jeremiah Carter's land purchase from Penn: Thomas Maxwell Potts' book (pp. 28-30), "Bi-centennary Memorial of Jeremiah Carter. . ." which was published in 1883 describes Jeremiah's application for his Penn land. The Carters arrived in PA in 1862. Yet, they did not apply for their right to purchase Penn land until 1715 (33 years after arriving). It could not have been because he was simply saving up for it; he had purchased other land during the previous 33 years. So, I wonder about the delay but suppose I'll never know! Potts reports that on page 83 of the Minutes of the Board of Property is a record of Jeremia (sic) Carter's application to obtain a Warrant to lay out 250 acres of land. Based upon their early settlement in the Province of Pennsylvania, Jeremiah and Mary Carter were entitled to purchase 100 acres (50 acres each?), Henry Swift and his wife were entitled to purchase 100 acres (ditto?), and Richard Whigsted was entitled to purchase 50 acres. The Swifts and Whigsted sold their rights to Carter. The minutes report that the Warrant for 250 acres was granted and signed. Potts further stated that a Warrant for the survey was issued, dated "24th, 3 mo. 1715," and was on file (as of 1883 when Potts wrote his book) in the Department of Internal Affairs at Harrisburg. Since this date was listed prior to the colony's adoption of the Gregorian Calendar in 1752 when first month was changed from March to January, this warrant presumably was issued on May 24, 1715. Finally, Potts noted that a survey dated November 4, 1715, was filed among the surveyor's papers which showed 250 acres in Sadsbury Township for Jeremiah Carter. (Potts also reported that there was a family tradition that a lot in the City of Philadelphia was granted to Jeremiah Carter as well. However, considering it of little value, he never secured a title for it. Since all original purchasers of land in the Province were entitled to a lot in the City, the tradition was probably correct since Jeremiah Carter's name does not appear as a landowner in Philadelphia.) Any thoughts on this information and how it merges with other information about Penn land purchases which have been a topic of conversation on the list recently? Karen Carter Minneapolis, MN