Fuzzy Patents
Back in the 60’s or thereabouts, the Supreme Court held session on a case involving Pornography…one of the Justices declared in his opinion: “I may not be able to define Pornography, but I know it when I see it”.
That is as good an analogy as I can come up with to demonstrate what to do when confronted by a patent that can’t be found but you know damn good and well it existed. In the two examples below I think you might agree…
…as usual, click the blue filename below the graphic to zoom in…
I am reminded of the expression: Close… as in horseshoes and hand grenades. Sometimes ‘close’ might be as good as you can get.
John Stewart sold 750 acres to Theo Pugh in 1727… go ahead… guess where it was? And where did Stewart get the 750 acres?
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…sidetracks from comments:
Bell abstract… Bertie Deed Books 1720-1757
David Dammon dug this dirt up…
http://watermelon-kid.com/family/bertiebutlers/bertiebutlers.htm
JETHRO BUTLER [1] (d. circa 1760)
Husband of Martha Ann McDaniel Butler; father of Christopher Butler, Mary Butler, Tobias Butler, Esther or Hester Butler Harrell Raby, and William Butler [1]; grandfather to Samuel Butler of Camden District, South Carolina.
Owen McDaniel to Jno. (prob. Jethro) Butler, 1734; Bertie County, NC, Court Minutes, 1724-1739,Book I, 130.
Deed of sale from Jas. Blount to Jethro Butler, 1741 or 1742; names Butler’s father-in-law, Owen McDaniel; Bertie County, NC, Court Minutes, 1724-1739, Book I, 330.
Will of Owen McDaniel proved by oath; Jethro Butler (McDaniel’s son-in-law) took oath as executor, 1743; Bertie County, NC, Court Minutes, 1724-1739, Book I, 398.
Will of Owen McDaniel, widow Ellener, son-in-law Jethro Butler executor, February 7, 1742-1743, May Court, 1743; see Abstracts of North Carolina Wills, J. Bryan Grimes, Secretary of State, 1910, 229
Deed of sale, Robert Hicks and wife Sarah of Granville County, North Carolina to David Meade of Nansemond County, Virginia, 1755-1756, regarding 534 acres of land on north side of Roanoke River, adjacent to land formerly James Blount’s, now Jethro Butler’s; also mentions four acres of land “now in Possession of Jethro Butler on which he has a corn field that was formerly James Blount’s”; Deed book H, 307.
Estate file, 1760/61; see at familysearch.org
dboyett
September 18, 2025 at 7:21 am
The link is interesting… thanks
Now I am curious if this John Butler (on my map) is the father of Jethro Butler? If he is a brother, then the father is still lurking around possibly?
anderson1951
September 18, 2025 at 7:33 am
This Butler line may have the Ballard YDNA, if so they would be related to this Butler line that carries the Ballard YDNA based on testing of descendants:
Robert Butler b. 1702 MD, d. 1769 Sampson Co, NC United Kingdom R-FTB47696 Big Y-700
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Butler-13207
dboyett
September 18, 2025 at 7:47 am
David Gammon and I are looking at the John Butler… seems he had an alias of Abell Johnson. another mystery
anderson1951
September 18, 2025 at 7:57 am
David
I will add a deed in my post above (to a Ballord)…
anderson1951
September 18, 2025 at 8:38 am
We found a deed from Able Johnson als John Butler to Jos. Hardy for 145 acres in 1718… numerous deeds over the years also follow this pattern. Our usual hunch for this use of an alias is illegitimacy or a mixed race… but this uses a different first name and his wife also uses the alias. Do you have any idea of what might explain this?
anderson1951
September 18, 2025 at 11:25 am