Andersons of Colonial N. Carolina

The most notorious charlatan genealogist of the early 20th century (and late 19th/early 20th overall) was Gustave Anjou (born December 1, 1863, in Stockholm, Sweden; died March 2, 1942, on Staten Island, New York).Anjou immigrated to New York City around 1890 and established himself as a professional genealogist. He targeted wealthy East Coast families eager to claim prestigious European royal, noble, or aristocratic connections—often to enhance social status during the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. For fees reportedly as high as $9,000 (a massive sum at the time, equivalent to hundreds of thousands today), he produced elaborate, beautifully bound pedigrees and family histories.However, Anjou was a systematic fraudster:

• He invented lineages where none existed, fabricating connections to illustrious ancestors.
• He forged supporting documents, seals, and records to make his work appear credible.
• He mass-produced these fraudulent genealogies (over 100–200 identified), often recycling similar fake elements across clients.
• He even fabricated parts of his own credentials and background to bolster his reputation.

His work went largely unquestioned during his lifetime because:

• Access to original European records was limited for most Americans.
• Many clients were satisfied with the flattering results and didn’t scrutinize them.
• His pedigrees were sometimes published or cited in respectable venues.

Exposure came decades later (primarily in the mid-to-late 20th century, with major debunking in the 1990s and onward through rigorous research by professional genealogists). Today, Anjou is widely regarded as the “king” or archetype of genealogical fraud in American history. His fabricated works are flagged in major resources:

• FamilySearch’s “Fraudulent Genealogies” wiki lists him prominently.
• WikiTree has a dedicated category for “Gustave Anjou Fraud.”
• Professional organizations (e.g., National Genealogical Society, American Ancestors) warn researchers to treat any Anjou-compiled pedigree with extreme skepticism unless independently verified by primary sources.

Other early 20th-century figures have been accused of similar fraud (e.g., Frederick Clifton Pierce, J. Montgomery Seaver, or Charles Arthur Hoppin), but Anjou stands out for the scale, audacity, and lasting impact of his deceptions. Modern genealogists often describe him as a cautionary tale: always verify with original records, not just compiled family histories.

I hope everyone with a smathering of common sense now realizes that Obama’s birth certificate was faked… the Photoshopped retouching was so obvious, and so badly done,  that even an irritating Sheriff in Arizona could figure it out.  Hell, I was a professional graphic artist when it 1st came out and roared with laughter when I saw it.  Later, and to this day, I cannot lift my jaw from the floor in disbelief.  Big lies told long enough just somehow become accepted as fact… bewildering but true.  Oh, and Oswald was the lone gunman…

Why They Used “Lease and Release” Instead of a Simple Deed.  In England (and thus Virginia), the Statute of Enrollments (1535) required that any transfer of freehold land (most real property) had to be made by a formal deed and enrolled (publicly registered) in a court or registry. This was costly, public, and slow.To avoid these requirements, lawyers developed the lease and release method, which did not require enrollment because it technically involved two separate steps — a temporary lease followed by a release of the right of possession — rather than a direct sale.How Lease and Release Worked (Step by Step) – circa 1700s Virginia.

1. Step 1: The Lease
   • The seller (called the “lessor”) executed a lease (indenture of lease) to the buyer (the “lessee”).
   • The lease was usually for one year (sometimes 99 years or another short term).
   • Consideration (payment) was typically a nominal sum — e.g., 5 shillings or 1 peppercorn.
   • This lease gave the buyer possession of the land for that year, but not full legal title (ownership).
   • Because it was a lease (not a sale of freehold), it did not need to be enrolled.
2. Step 2: The Release
   • The very next day (or sometimes the same day, depending on the county), the seller executed a release (indenture of release).
   • In the release, the seller “released” (gave up forever) his right of reversion and any other claim to the land.
   • The buyer now had both possession (from the lease) and title (from the release).
   • The release also did not require enrollment because it was technically not a conveyance of freehold — it was a release of a right.
3.  Result
   • After the two documents were executed and delivered, the buyer had complete fee simple title (full ownership) without ever having enrolled a deed.
   • The two indentures (lease + release) were usually recorded together in the county deed book as a single transaction.
   • Typical Language in Virginia Deeds (circa 1730)You’ll often see phrases like:
     • “This Indenture made the first day of May… between A.B. of the one part and C.D. of the other part… Witnesseth that the said A.B. for and in consideration of five shillings… doth demise, grant and to farm let unto the said C.D. all that tract… for the term of one whole year…”
     • Followed the next day by: “This Indenture made the second day of May… Witnesseth that the said A.B. for and in consideration of the sum of [large amount, e.g., £50]… doth remise, release, and forever quit claim unto the said C.D. all the right, title, interest…”

     Why It Was So Popular in Virginia

     • Cheap and private (no enrollment fee or public notice required).
     • Avoided the Statute of Uses and other English legal traps.
     • Widely accepted by Virginia courts — clerks routinely recorded both parts as one transaction.
     • Used for almost every land transfer in Virginia from the late 1600s through the mid-1700s (and even into the early 1800s in some counties).

     End of Lease and Release

   • Virginia finally abolished the practice by statute in 1849 (Code of Virginia 1849, ch. 116, § 1), requiring direct deeds of bargain and sale with enrollment.
   • So in summary: Lease and release was the standard, clever, two-step workaround that let Virginians transfer land quietly and cheaply from ~1650 to ~1849. Almost every deed you see in Surry, Isle of Wight, Prince George, or other Tidewater counties from the 1700s that says “lease for one year” followed by “release” the next day is using this method.  …in other words, those sneaky, rabble rousing Colonists did not much care for legalese bee ess.