Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-10-29
AN AACIrNr DOCUME.T.
A sheepskin Land Patent issued In 1901
Filed In the Recorders once.

Sheepskin Land Patent issued In 1sO
| Filed In tn. Recorders once.
| lFrom Morning Edition.l
| An ancient sheepskin document was flee
for record in the county recorders Office yes
terday, being land patent issued to william
Fi'zhugh, Dec. 20, 1901. The document
which is musty and brown with age, bear
the autograph signatures Of Thomas Jeffer.
son ss president, James Madison as secretary
of state, W. Dearborn as secretary Of war
and Jacob Wagner as chiet clerk of the de-
partment of state. By it, Fiikhugh is made the
beneficiary OF 900 acres OF land, situate
between the Little Miami and Scioto rivers,
! valuable services in the war OF '7G. Fitz-
hugh is named as "a lieutenant for the mill
tary OF the United States in the Virginia line,
on continental establishment" The printed
part OF the grant is all legible, but part Of
the written portion Is 80 dim and faded o. TO
be scarcely visible. With the aid OF a mag
ni'ying glass, however, it was possible to re-
store the whole document. In the part of the
has faded to dim, wst.ry yellow.
Age has detached the immense official seal,
and 1t has been pinned ia its place. 10 the
printed portion the old-iashioned IS" is used.
and the appearance OF all the letters is quaint.
The spelling contains many deviations from
the established rules of the present day, zen.
titled" in one case being spelled "inti-
tuled."
The old patent has a some what interesting
history. The land covered in the grant is
situated in Green township, and comprises
what is now known as the Smith farm. John
Jones bought the entire 900 acres iron
Lieutenant Fitzhugh in 1908, paying
five shillinRs, lawful American money,
therefor. Four years later he sold it to Seth
Smith fDr $l.5O per acre. The land re-
mained undivided in the Smith family for
many years, and much Of it is yet the prop
erty of tho heirs Of the pioneer.
The old patent had never been recorded,
except in the government land Office at
Washington, until it was filed yesterday.
The purch ,se of 227 acres of the original
grant By Robert n. Elder, recently, made a
settling OF the title necessarv. In doing
this, Abstrsctor 4. N. Campbell
found the original grant missing.
Inquiry discovered it in the hands
OF Oliver Smith, OF this city. son cf Seth
Smith, and an application secured it for re-
cord. Mr.. Smith took the ancient sheep skin
ftpa
case. in which it had come originally from
Washington. He lett the patent, but retain |
ed the case, probably as al heirloom.
Mr.. Campbell produced from the recesses Of |
the big vault in the recorders Office, a bundle
OF rusty and time-stained she.p skin land |
patents bearing different dates. One, dated |
July 20, 1914, and signed by James Madison
As president and Eiward Tiffn
As commissioner OF the general land
office, conveyed to William Ward
the land on hich the Lagouds shops are now
located. This grant was discovered BY Mr..
Campbell in the Office OF the recorder of
Champaign county, among the records of
which 1t had lain undlsturbed tor seventy
years. Another patent, dated May 4, 1913,
and issued to Joseph Butcher, also bore the
signatures OF President Madison and Com
missioner Tifiin. Another, issued to Samuel
Letiell, "assiRnee OF James Leffell," April !,
1879, was signed in the small, cramped hand
'f his fathers son, 81. z. Adams" supple
men'ed by the signature of George Graham,
As commissioner of the general land office.
Among the patents were two bearing the
signature of James Monroe as president. One
was In the name OF John Simes and the
other in that of Philip Mjnich. A grant,
lated March 3, 1872, issued to John Gregg.
of Kentucky, and bearing the signatures of
James Madison ms president, and J ,mes Mon
roe as secretary of state, completed the col
Lection.