15 Feb 2000 Proof: Benjamin Mulford is our ancestor

Good Morning, Cousins.  I spent a good part of yesterday analyzing the deeds Sandy has posted on our MyFamily web site and I want to share with you what I found. First, many thanks to Sandy who hired a researcher and has so generously shared with us what the researcher found.  Also, Sandy transcribed all those photocopies of the old hand written deeds and that alone is a hellish task, as I'm sure we all know.

    As a former township clerk who has had plenty of experience with legal descriptions and plat maps, it pains me to see that Ohio really made a hash of things when the land was platted, even numbering the townships wrong.  What is more, the original legal descriptions are in chains and poles, so I first translated those surveying terms as follows:

      1 pole = 16.5 feet

      4 poles = 1 chain

      1 chain = 100 links or 66 feet

      1 link = 7.92 inches

     80 chains = 1 mile

Here is my analysis of the deeds in chronological order:

1. Nov 19, 1801 - the original purchase in 1801 by Ezra Clark and Daniel Mulford was of 353 1/3 acres for $608.63.  Matthias Denman of Essex Co, NJ held the mortgage on this parcel and I agree with Sandy this is good evidence that Daniel was the son of Benjamin, son of Jeremiah.

     The interesting thing about this mortgage is that it excluded 110 acres belonging to Benjamin Mulford.

     I plotted the legal description and came up with a fat, short-legged "L" shaped parcel.

     In June 1806 Ezra Clark paid $221.oo on this mortgage to John Potter who was apparently assignee of Matthias Denman.

2.  May 14, 1803 - Benjamin Mulford paid $800 to Ezra Clark for 110 acres.  I'm wondering if Sandy made an error on that amount.  It seems too much.  Anyway, I plotted the legal description and discovered it too was an "L" shaped parcel and so was able to fit it into the original 353 1/3 acres in the middle on the east side.

      The legal description includes the following neighbors - Daniel Mulford on the north, Jeremiah Mills on the west, Ezra Clark on the south, Congress Reserve on the east and Elija Stites on the northeast.

      Andrew JELLY was a witness on this deed - another clue that Daniel and Benjamin were son and father.

     Finally, Benjamin Mulford was noted as being a resident of Hamilton County.

3. Jan 11, 1806 - Benjamin sold 10 acres for $60.00 to his son in law, Joseph Edwards.  That 10 acres was taken from the east side of Benjamin's 110 acres.

     Benjamin is noted as being a resident of Warren County.

     Apparently the Ohio law required that the court examine a wife privately to be sure she was not being forced to give up her dower rights when land was sold.  Because there is no wife of Benjamin mentioned in this 10-acre sale, or the following 100-acre sale, I believe Benjamin was a widower at that time.

4.  Also on Jan 11, 1806, Benjamin sold his remaining 100 acres to Joseph Crosley for $600.00. 

      Stephen Conkling is mentioned as a neighbor on the west side of the parcel.  I wonder if the Conkling’s and the Mulford’s knew that 150 years before, their ancestors had married in East Hampton, Long Island.

5.  Mortgage of above transaction.  Joseph Crosley paid Benjamin Mulford $450.00 for the 100 acres and agreed to pay $370 more before January 1810.

6.  Dec 30, 1807 - Joseph Mulford bought from Joseph Crosley 50 acres of the 100 acres Crosley had purchased from Benjamin Mulford.  He paid $275.00.The parcel was the eastern half of the 100 acre parcel and next to Joseph Edwards.

     I surmise that Benjamin Mulford died sometime between Jan 1806 when he sold his 100 acres to Joseph Crosley and Dec 1807 when Joseph Mulford bought back 50 of those acres.  This purchase connects Joseph M. to Benjamin as a probable son.

7.  June 20, 1810 - Joseph Mulford and his wife Elizabeth sold their 50 acres to Stephen Ross for $400.00.  Joseph Conklins is mentioned as a neighbor.

In summary, I surmise that the above deeds indicate that Daniel and Joseph were son of Benjamin Mulford, and that Benjamin, a widower, died 1806/1807.

Signed: Katie Jablonicky, grgrgr granddaughter of Mary Mulford Anderson, daughter of Benjamin Mulford.