How do I find a family farm?

Question

Hi all,

so I have been chugging away at my genealogy, maybe longer than I should have at times. Anyway, I have been snooping around the old Cleveland Leader and Cleveland Plain Dealer from the 1930s and 1940s when my Grandma was a little girl and found that there was a reference to the May family farm owned by James S May, Jr and Helen Maloney in Garrettsville, Portage County, Ohio in 1941.

Does anyone know how I can figure out the location of such a farm? Unfortunately, my grandparents have all passed now but I did get a picture of the farm from when I was talking to my grandma this past Christmas. It includes many people who were mostly friends with the family.

 

Any help is appreciated,

 

Mike

Comments

If they lived on the same property in April 1940, the address could be on the census (in the left margin).  

If anyone living there registered for WWII the address could be on the registration form.

People also had telephones and if they did their number could be in a telephone book with an address.

Maybe one of those ideas will be a lucky guess!  Good luck.

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Hi Vincent,

if I could do that, I would. However, my May relatives lived in Cleveland Heights, Ohio which is in a completely different county. Although, one that is bordered by Portage among other counties.

Besides a newspaper article from 1941, I am certain that Garrettsville, Portage, Ohio is where the farm was because I have a potential James May found in Garrettsville in 1920:

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDRD-25H

Also, in 1940, James May the First (last member listed in the house) is said to have lived in Garrettsville, Portage, Ohio in 1935:

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KW62-S2P

But I have not found any true address unfortunately. Although, I think it was on White St based on the 1920 Census above.

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Michael, White Street is right in the middle of the Village of Garrettsville at this time and is all built up with no farm land on it anymore but it is possible that in the 1920 to 1940 time frame it was farm land. I think your best bet would be the Portage County Recorders office and I posted the link to that in a comment below.

Answer 1

If you can find a Plat book from that time period, it should have what your looking for. You might try the library. Even if you had the deed, you would still a Plat book. Good Luck.

Comments

Where would I look for one of those?

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The Portage County seat is in Ravenna, Ohio so I would try the Portage County Recorders office. I will try to find a map of Garrettsville, Nelson Township, and Windham Township and post a link if I find one because the Garrettsville address is used for both of those township's as well as the village.

Answer 2

Dear Michael,

   Land deeds are the thing you need.  The records of land transactions are usually kept by county government.  Title search companies use them to prove a clear title when land is sold. These are public records in the USA.

   So, you may look it up yourself if you are in Portage County.  Or you could talk to a title company if you want to pay for a search. It will be harder to search by name, but should be possible.  Title companies are used to searching by Block & Lot number, or other designation of the property itself.

Hope this helps!

-NGP

Comments

Would it be possible to get this information cheap from the city?

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You could try to find out more from the County Recorders web site here

http://www.co.portage.oh.us/ISSG/DISWeb/default.aspx

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Two specific research paths:

Start in the GRANTEES index to deeds for your county in 1940 when you know your family owned the farm.  Go backward through time to find their name as a "grantee" - the person receiving the property.  Be aware that it might be another family member, or a group like "heirs of __ ".

Start in the GRANTORS index to deeds for your county in 1940 when you know your family owned it.  Go forward through time to see how the property was sold or deeded to heirs. Maybe it was broken into several pieces.  Each deed should have a description, either boundaries or block and lot, that can help you identify the property.

The online records seem to start in 1995, so not good for you. -NGP