30 June 2009

Before You Buy that CD of Scanned Books on Ebay

Just a heads up for those who use Ebay. There are many who sell CDs of historical books, county histories, atlases, etc. Make certain these are not available for free on www.archive.org, the BYU Historical Archives, etc. You can download from there and make your own CDs.

Save yourself some money.

Archive.org has Hobart's Biographies of Hancock County


I am a big fan of Archive.org. I recently downloaded Hobart's 1908 set biographies for Hancock and Henderson Counties in Illinois. The PDF version makes for nice visuals, part of one is shown in this post.


One of the nice things that I can do on this site is a full text search. I found references to several relatives that I would not have found using only the book's index. The full text search is great. One reference was to a cousin of my great-great-grandfather who lived with another cousin of my great-great-grandfather--contained in a biography of the cousin's in-laws.
One thing I didn't notice on the site were too many old county plat books. That was what got me looking at the site initially today, until I got sidetracked.
The person shown in this image is John Habben--my great-great-grandfather.

Check out those "etal" deeds


When searching through land records it always pays to look completely at those deeds that include "Et Al" along with the initial seller. That means there are others on the deed and those kind of records have a fair chance of involving the settlement of an estate.
That's exactly what was going on when this deed was drawn up in Hancock County, Illinois, in 1906. Turns out that Louise Myers is George's aunt and his siblings are also listed as grantors on this deed.

Deed Indexes in Public Land States

This is part of a deed from 1920 in Hancock County, Illinois.
It makes an excellent point of why it is important to search for the names of all relatives and not just the direct line. George and Ida Trautvetter are my great-great-grandparents. This deed is part of the settlement of his father's estate. Had I not looked for the last names of his siblings I would have overlooked it. Because the deed lists Louisa Mundy first, that is how it appears in the grantor index. Deeds with multiple grantors (as many "heirship" deeds are) are typically only indexed by the name of the first grantor.
This deed comes from Hancock County, Illinois Deed Book 177, page 579. More discussion of this record will appear in an upcoming "Casefile Clues" column in Dick Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter.

29 June 2009

Extra Early Bird Deadline for Family History Library Research Trip May-June 2010

We have extended our early early bird Salt Lake City Genealogy Library research trip deadline until 30 June 2009. More information on the extra early price is available here.

28 June 2009

Fritz or Fred?


This is a partial list of the expenses in the accounting of the guardianship of Ommo Fooken, etal, in Hancock County Circuit Court in 1917. The documents were really copied because I needed a sample to show my trip attendees how to use the digital scanner while at the Family History Library last May.

I'm glad now that I scanned the documents. The last line on this image indicated that the guardian bought two bushels of clover seed from my great-grandfather, styled as Fritz J. Ufkes. I knew he went by Fritz as a youth, but figured by this point in time (he was married and had a child by the date of this document) he would be shown as Fred. Actually in an entry from 1918, he is styled as Fred Ufkes when he is paid $9 on Feburuary 28, 1918 for hauling sand for a dam that was built on the Fooken farm.

His brother Eielt was the guardian of the Fooken children. Their mother was Lena Ufkes one of Fred and Eielt's two sisters. Lena and her husband Poppo died while the children were small.

You Are Always Going to Forget Something

My list for the next trip to Salt Lake keeps growing.

What I thought was going to be a short project keeps growing. The probate records of John Micahel Trautvetter (died in Hancock County, Illinois in 1917) mention a mortgage on his farm and the approval of interest payments on the mortgage. The probate records make no mention of paying off the mortgage and any such payments are not included in the estate's accountings.

I thought land records would answer my question and they partially did. Turns out I also need the guardianship records for four of John's grandchildren and that may only answer another part of the question. These grandchildren were orphaned when their parents died in the Flu epidemic of 1918, less than a year after their grandfather Trautvetter died.

An upcoming column in "Casefile Clues" in Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter (paid edition) will discuss the records and proces used to see what happened to John's farm after his death.

25 June 2009

William Frame born 1816 in Lancashire

I found this christening entry while I was in Salt Lake, using the IGI as my search tool.

This William Frame was born in 1816 and christened on July 21, 1816 at St. John's Church, Old Haymarket, Liverpool. The parents are John and Rebecca Frame who appear later in County Cumberland, The John and Rebecca Frame in County Cumberland appear to be the parents of Robert Frame who lived in Cumberland from at least 1841 until his death in the 1860s. Robert is known to be my wife's ancestor.

Robert Frame was born in Spain ca. 1814 (but is always indicated as a British subject) and I was hoping that the occupation of John would indicate he was in the service, which would explain a son being born overseas, but that did not happen. A brief history of the church located online gave me a few additional clues which I can follow.

I'll be updating readers of this in an upcoming "Casefile Clues" column. Stay tuned. Suggestions are welcomed---I need them.

Jon and Kate + 8 and Genealogy

I've already had enough of Jon and Kate+8. Or is it Kate+8-Jon? Or Jon+8-Kate? I'm not certain where the "-" sign goes, but I don't think it really matters anymore. Regardless of where you put the minus sign, there's more than enough negativity.

But the "he said," "she said" and their upcoming divorce does have some relevance for genealogists.

One must always take divorce records with a grain of salt, sometimes with a shaker. This from a descendant of a woman who was divorced twice from the same man. Barbara Haase divorced Conrad Haase in Hancock County, Illinois, in 1872. They married again and he divorced her in 1884. In the 1872 divorce, her petition complained of his behavior. In the 1884 divorce, his petition complained of her her behavior. There was no response from the other party in either divorce.

Where was the truth? Somewhere in between--which is where it usually is.

In the 1884 divorce, a son testified. He indicated that mother and father both were sometimes difficult to get along with. Frankly, I'm glad the "whole" story is not in their divorce record. Some things are better left unknown.

The good news is that when your ancestor gets divorced it generated a record. Just keep in mind that the records left behind may not tell the whole story and that every statement is always told from someone's perspective.

It is worth noting too that divorce was not as uncommon as people think in the 19th century. A lot of things were not as uncommon as people think. Court records are full of these kinds of stories--search them. The real difference was that most of these "scandals" were not talked about like they are today.

I'm not certain "Conrad+Barbara+6" would have made a good reality show, but it might make for an interesting genealogy lecture.

Oh, and I do have a set of multiple births in my family. My great-aunt had triplets in the 1950s, the old-fashioned way. Identical ones and no one knew about the multiple births until the day of their arrival. Now that's a surprise--with no reality show residuals and no disposable diapers.

23 June 2009

bio

Michael John Neill has been actively involved in genealogical researchsince the early 1980s. He began his research at the age of thirteen, growing up a few miles from the courthouse in the county where many ofhis family had lived since the 1850s. An experienced courthouse, library, and archive researcher, he has researched his children’s ancestry in over fifteen states and six European countries. Michael has lead research trips to the Allen County Public Library and theFamily History Library in Salt Lake City. He has written hundreds of genealogy how-to columns, formerly for Ancestry.com and now writes a regular column, “Casefile Clues,” for Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter.


A native of West-Central Illinois, Michael has a master’s degree in mathematics and is on the faculty of Carl Sandburg College where he also conducts an annual week-long series of genealogy computing workshops. Michael has given all-day seminars and workshops on a wide variety of genealogical topics across the country. He maintains a web presence at http://www.rootdig.com/.


Topics (additional topics can be developed):


Research on a Tight Budget

This lecture discusses some no-cost and low-cost ways to expand your genealogical research. Mention is also made of those times when “free” or “low-cost” is not possible.

Researching the Entire Family

Focusing only on the direct line can cause significant information to be overlooked and larger patterns to go un-noticed. This lecture discusses via examples, the importance of researching the siblings and at least first cousins of a direct ancestor.

Ostfriesian Research

This lecture focuses on unique research opportunities and challenges in this area of northern Germany near the Dutch border. Michael is one-half Ostfriesian by ancestry.

Newspaper Research

This lecture discusses how to access papers, effective search strategies for manual versus digital searching, what types of papers to search, and what to look for in newspapers besides obituaries.

Tried and Tested Tidbits

This lecture contains a wide variety of “quick tips” geared towards genealogists at all levels. A little bit of this and a little bit of that.

An Introduction to the Courthouse

This lecture provides an overview to the records typically found in a county courthouse: land, probate, court, and vital records.

Land Records (Public Land States)

This lecture discusses the basics of how land is described in public land states and effective search strategies for records in these localities, including a discussion of basic terminology. Intended for the researcher with little or no experience in land records.


Land Records (Public Land States): Intermediate

This lecture discusses search strategies via example for land records in public land states. Not geared towards beginning researchers and with the idea that attendees are already familiar with basic land terminology and deed terms.

Organization of Information: Seeing the Patterns

This lecture discusses various ways to organize information with the hope that previously unnoticed trends become apparent. Begins with a brief discussion of family group charts and pedigree charts and continues into chronologies and other less-often used charts and organizational methods.

Locating Emigrant Origins

This lecture discusses sources and methods for possibly locating from where an immigrant ancestor originated.

Naturalization: An Unnatural Process

This lecture discusses naturalization from the colonial era until World War II with an emphasis on how history has impacted the amount of records that were created.

Documentation Roadblocks on the Information Superhighway

The internet contains a great deal of information—some of it accurate and some of it not. This lecture discusses how to assess the validity of online information and concerns about citing online sources.

Court Records (beginning or intermediate)

This lecture discusses county court records, search procedures and analysis. It can be presented at a beginning or an intermediate level. The intermediate level lecture focuses on several case studies and assumes attendees are familiar with basic terminology and how court records are organized and accessed.

Probate Records (beginning or intermediate)

The same as Court Records (see above) only for probate records.

The Search for the Parents of Francis Trautvetter (using Illinois resources)

This lecture provides an good overview of Illinois records and sources all done within the context of a case study of an Illinois native born in 1851.

Why are There Errors in Records?

Errors create a variety of problems for the genealogist. This lecture looks at the causes of errors and discrepancies in records and includes commentary on handling these issues in a genealogical database.

Notetaking, Abstracting, and Extracting

This lecture discusses procedures for notetaking, abstracting, and extracting along with a discussion of what type of source is being used.

Where Could It Be Written?

Finding that fact, date or name frequently boils down to asking “where could that fact be written?” In this lecture, we discuss an approach for determining where a record containing the information we need could be located.

Problem Solving Applied to Genealogy

George Polya designed a 4-step process for solving problems, particularly mathematics “story problems.” This approach is applied to genealogy, both theoretically and through several examples.

Researching Through Footnotes: Using Historical Books and Articles for Genealogical Research

Perhaps a historian has researched a topic extensively that is relevant on your ancestral quest. This lecture discusses how to find these academic articles and put them to use for your own family history research.

I Found it: Now What?

Part of finding something is completely analyzing it. This lecture looks at a dozen or so documents found in actual research and sees what additional sources and methods are suggested by each individual document.

Land Platting in Metes and Bounds

This lecture discusses the basics of platting property in metes and bounds, software that is available for this specific purpose and why the average genealogist would even want to bother platting a piece of property.

Beginning German Research

This lecture discusses the beginning stages of German family history research.

Effective Internet Search Techniques

Online searching is more than typing a name in a search box. This lecture looks at several suggestions for getting the most from your online time.

Where did the Farm Go?

Your ancestor owned a farm? How it was transferred from his ownership may provide more genealogical clues than you suspect.

Math for Genealogists

This lecture looks at fractions, graph theory, logic, and other mathematical concepts within a genealogical frame work. No advanced math knowledge is necessary.

Using Records from the Family History Library when You Don't Know the Language

Reading records in Swedish, German, Latin, or any other European language is not quite as difficult as it may appear on the surface. We’ll discuss a general approach to reading non-English records. Learning the script and 50 basic words will accomplish wonders.

Brick Walls From A to Z

This lecture is an alphabetical listing of “brick wall breakers.”

Preparing for your Genealogical Research Trip Using Your Computer

This lecture discusses several ways to use your computer and your genealogical database to prepare for your next family history research trip. Planning is more than typing locations into Mapquest.

Marriage Bond from New Brunswick

The number of leads on which I have not followed up just amazes me sometimes. This image is from a 1865 marriage bond in St. John, New Brunswick for my great-great-grandparents, Samuel and Annie Murphy Neill.

I made a digital copy of it a few years ago on an earlier trip to the Family History Library in Salt Lake. While reviewing my files today I realized I never followed up on the record and located the actual church records. I am working on those and will post an update as soon as I have one. The bond was dated 8 Nov 1865 and the couple were married the next day. Both were living in Simonds Parish.

22 June 2009

Michael's "page" on Facebook

I just set my "username" on Facebook. For those who are interested, it is

http://www.facebook.com/rootdig/

BYU Conference on Family History Schedule Online

I will be making four presentations at the 2009 BYU Conference on Family History at the end of July.

The complete schedule can be viewed online (PDF version). There are four registration options listed on the conference website.

My four lectures will be:

Establishing Your Own Migration Trail
100 Acres, a Mortgage, and Three Sisters
Pig Blood in the Snow: Court Records Can Solve Problems
From New Jersey to Ohio - Establishing an Early 19th Century Migration Trail

Hope to see some readers of the blog and "Casefile Clues" there.

Genealogy App for Blackberry

My searches all come up for naught. I would love to have a genealogy application that would run on my Blackberry. I know I can create a "website" and store that on my phone's memory card and browse that, but I would much rather have an actual application that would at least allow me to browse a GEDCOM file on my Blackberry.

Readers who have ideas are welcome to post them.

Signature of John Lake--Missouri-1855


This signature is from John Lake, written in 1855 when he was completing his preemption claim in Chariton County, Missouri. John died in the mid-1860s and this document is one of the few I have that provides his signature. Really kind of neat as the family has no pictures of this Kentucky native.
John is my wife's great-great-grandfather. I'm working on a column on John's federal land file for an upcoming "Casefile Clues" column for Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter.
Google searches for John are always difficult, considering the nature of his last name.

World War II Draft Registration Card

This is my grandfather's World War Two Draft Registration Card.

This record will be discussed in an upcoming column of "Casefile Clues" which appears in the paid version of Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter.


There is information on obtaining copies of Selective Service Records on their website. You can obtain these records on individuals who are deceased. You just need to show proof that they are dead.

Special Extra Early Discount for Rootdig 2010 Trip to Salt Lake

We are offering a $25 discount on the complete price on our 2010 Salt Lake Research Trip for those who make their deposit by 30 June 2009. The complete registration price for those registering by this date will be $175. The balance of the fee is due in December, just the deposit is necessary by 30 June. The deposit is $50.

There is more information about the trip on our site at http://www.rootdig.com/slctrip.html

This discount won't be posted on those pages, email Michael at mjnrootdig@gmail.com for a registration brochure with the discounted price or questions.

Thanks!

20 June 2009

Casefile Clues for Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Some readers of my blog know about my weekly column "Casefile Clues" for Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter (Plus Edition). Eastman's "Plus Edition" has a nominal charge and provides you with access to the free and the premium content with no ads on the pages. Eastman's helps me keep up on what is new in genealogy and comes out daily. Subscribers addresses are not used for spam and you are not automatically subscribed like you are with somethings.

I know this because I got my mother a short subscription to EOGN for her birthday so she read the columns without me having to send them to her. She was not autosubscribed and hasn't been getting "extra" messages--she would have told me if she had. Subscribers get a daily email with article titles and links to the articles.

Casefile Clues contains articles about original records from a variety of locations and about how those records were located, analyzed, and used for further research. I only write about my research of my children's ancestry, but that covers most states east of the Mississippi and six countries in Europe---which is enough! The intent of Casefile Clues is to help you with your research by giving you ideas and exposing you to records you might not have thought to look for.

I enjoy writing my Casefile Clues column and hearing from readers. Each column runs at least 1200 words and is geared towards all levels of researchers. Suggestions for future columns are welcome and can be submitted to me at mjnrootdig@gmail.com.

Those who have not seen Eastman's Free Edition of the newsletter can view it here.

Sit Down and Organize

I made significant headway on my wife's ancestors from County Cumberland in England while I was at the Family History Library in Salt Lake with my group last month. Some of the finds I have been posting on the website--at least the things that fall into the category of "neat" (which is not really too well-defined, but I know it when I see it.

I have even made contact with two distant cousins working on one of the same families--one cousin in the UK and another in Australia. That falls into the category of "neat" too.

The one thing I have not done is to organize what I have found and entered the information into my files. While at the library, I took notes of what I did, or scanned enough information so that I could follow my line of reasoning. What I should have done was started the data entry as soon as I got home from Salt Lake. I can still pretty much retrace my steps, but the longer it is from the time I found it, the more likely it is that I won't remember what I did.

So for now, instead of trying to find more information, I need to organize and put together what I have. Those who subscribe to Dick Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter and read my "Casefile Clues" column will read about my work in the Cumberland records as I organize what I have. Writing is a great way to help me to organize and put together my materials.

There is another reason to organize my material. I'll be presenting at the BYU Genealogy Conference at the end of July and am hoping to sneak in a little time at the Family History Library on Saturday. I can't effectively get more information if I don't organize what I already have.

17 June 2009

The Pre-emption Claim for John Lake

I wrote about the land patent for John Lake in Chariton County, Missouri, that indicates he filed a pre-emption claim. The researcher I hired to get the claim found it and it is on its way to me. Fortunately there are two affidavits in the file, including information about John's house. I will be posting more details when the claim gets here.

Need A Genealogy Speaker in 2009 or 2010?

I am currently working on my speaking schedule for 2009 and 2010. It is best to arrange dates as early as possible to provide flexibility.I would be happy to discuss the possibility of coming to present to your genealogy group or club for their workshop or seminar.Genealogy workshops and seminars are great ways for members of your group to enhance their research skills and network with other genealogists. There is a world away from the computer.

For more information on speaking availability, fees, expenses, and opportunities, send an email to me at michaeln2@winco.net. Please indicate the potential date of the seminar, typical format, and general audience level. We can go from there.

Lectures are informative, relaxed, and fun.Topics can be arranged and new lectures can be developed upon request.I have presented over fifty all-day workshops across the United States on a wide variety of genealogy and computer genealogy topics. Some have been hands on all day workshops on Ancestry.com, Genline, Family Tree Maker.

Others have been more traditional days of lectures and presentations on a wide variety of topics.I have lectured for small and large groups including NGS and FGS conferences.A list of incomplete topics is available at http://www.rootdig.com/topics.html. Most upcoming engagements are listed at http://www.rootdig.com/labels/speaking.html

James Hodgson died 1778 Castle Carrock


The image with this posting comes from the parish records of the Castle Carrock Church in Cumberland, England.
James Hodgson was buried on December 18th and listed of Garthfoot [then something I cannot read] aged what appears to be 52 years. The image posted here is just from James' entry, but when I made the image at the Family History Library in Salt Lake, I copied the entire page so that I could compare this entries to others on the same page. The handwriting appears to be the same, but the type of ink used or the pen used might have been different based upon the coloring of the entries on the microfilm.
It also allows me to compare the handwriting of the entries and the type of information contained in each one.

16 June 2009

Genealogical Society of Southern Illinois Fall 09 Conference

The Genealogical Society of Southern Illinois of Fall '09 conference page has been updated with a registration flyer. Blog readers in the area of Carlinville, Illinois, are encouraged to attend.

For information on having me present at your conference or workshop, send me an email.

Harlem Township 1827 Personal Property Tax List


This image comes from part of the "B" section of the 1827 Personal Property Tax List from Delaware County, Ohio, which I scanned while at the Family History Library a month ago.
The second to the last name on this page is an ancestor of my wife. The name before him is Daniel Bennets and the name after him is either Ira or Iva Bennets.
What would you say the name is in between? One hint is that it is not "Plum!"
The last name is actually "wrong" too. For some reason tax collectors are notoriously bad about spelling.

15 June 2009

Illinois State Genealogical Society Conference Registration Online


Registration for the October 2009 Illinois State Genealogical Conference has begun. Details on the conference, where I will be presenting are available online and registration can be done online or via US mail. For more information visit the Society's website.
Contact me for details on having me present for your group or seminar.

14 June 2009

McDonough County Illinois Genealogical Society

I will be making a presentation at the monthly meeting of the McDonough County Illinois Genealogical Society on 15 June in Macomb, Illinois. The meeting starts at 7 PM. More information is on their website.

My topic is Brick Walls from A to Z.

11 June 2009

Always Get Those Second Marriages

I'm a big fan of getting all the marriage records for any ancestor who was married more than once. This 1868 marriage record from the Parish Church at St. Mary's Church in Carlisle, Cumberland, England, is an excellent case in point.


Eleanor's first marriage to Robert Frame, nearly thirty years earlier, does provide any information on her parents, of course it does provide her maiden name of Carlisle as her marriage to Robert Frame was her first marriage.


It always pays to search all the marriage records of any ancestor.

This record came from the microfilm of the St. Mary's Church records at the Family History Library in Salt Lake.

More on Reverend Bouton



A reader graciously commented privately on my post on searching for the Reverend O. R. Bouton--the obituaries from the New York Times are free, as long as they are before 1922. All I had to do was click on the link to view it and there it was. The good thing was that I had done a screen shot which showed my search terms from yesterday, so all I had to do was to re-enter those terms.





Well, not exactly. The search I performed yesterday did not give me the same results today. This was partially due to the fact that I blogged about my search and those blog entries came up in the results. There were other differences. Fortunately, I had made a screen shot of the results page and (armed with many of the words in the "hit" from the New York Times) I was able to find the entry again for Bouton's obituary.

There is still work to do--I'm trying to find out if there might be church records anywhere. I'm not surprised he was a Methodist as the bride's family was known to be Methodist. But at least now I have a few more details about Rev. Bouton to help me search for more information on him.

10 June 2009

Rev. Bouton of Macon County, Missouri



An earlier blog post mentioned a minister who married William Rhodes/Rhodus and Lucretia Jones in Macon County, Missouri in 1860. A little googling and I might have found him.

Unfortunately, the link for "OBITUARY" comes from the New York Times and the first paragraph was unavailable. Fortunately the snippet from Google's search results provided me with at least a potential name for this man. There's a good chance it is the one I want as the marriage license is signed by O. R. Bouton--not the most common name. Back to searching.

Getting A Preemption Claim



John Lake appears on the Bureau of Land Management's database of land patents as having received a land patent for property in Chariton County, Missouri, in April of 1857. Never having seen a preemption claim, I am curious exactly what it contains. My contact at the National Archives is working on getting me a copy of the file. I'll post more when I know more and will probably use the information from the file for a future Casefile Clues column for Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter.

John Lake was in Mercer County, Kentucky, in 1850. I'm hoping there will be something in his preemption claim file that will help me pinpoint his migration into Missouri.

05 June 2009

Dates of 2010 Salt Lake City Research Trip

Somewhere on a blog post, I think there is an error about the trip dates, so here it is:

  • 27 June 2010 through 3 June 2010

More details (and correct dates) are posted at http://www.rootdig.com/slctrip.html

Thanks to DZ for pointing this out to me.

02 June 2009

Finding a Minister

Wm. C. Rhodus (Rhodes) was married to Miss Lucretia M. Jones on 19 March 1860 in Macon County, Missouri.


The minister is shown in the marriage record, but I have no idea who he is. The nice thing about making digital images of the record (which I did while viewing the film at the Family History Library in Salt Lake) is that I can zoom in on the names as shown in the second image of this post.


The name appears to be O. R. Bouton--I'll have to do some searching on him to determine if there might be church records that I can access. The Jones family were known to have been Methodist, but I'm not certain about the Rhodus/Rhodes family.



Fortunately I scanned the entire page of the marriage record, so I have my source--it was page 193 of the book. I also scanned the "title page" from the LDS microfilm so that I knew it was from Marriage Book D from Macon County, Missouri. Have to track those sources.

01 June 2009

Death Bed Care in 1869

This image comes from part of an expense submission by John Herbert to the estate of Michael Trautvetter, probated in Hancock County, Illinois, in 1869. Herbert's wife was actually Michael's niece.

Herbert was allowed $4.50 per day for taking care of Trautvetter in his final illness. I'm not certain if there was a table of rates the court used or not. Interestingly enough, just for comparision, the refreshments at the wake were $4.75--just about the same as the per day allowance for care.

So to put that in modern terms, the refreshments at the funeral cost about as much as a one-day stay in the nursing home (smirk).

Note: this image comes from the scan I made while viewing the file at the Family History Library in Salt Lake.

Clues in Receipts

Last year in Salt Lake, I scanned several complete estate files and to be honest...I haven't looked at them completely until now.
This is a receipt for the inheritance George Trautvetter received from the estate of his brother Michael Trautvetter, probated in Hancock County, Illinois in the late 1860s early 1870s.
It is signed by George Adolph Trautvetter ,"atty in fact for Geo Trautfetter[sic]." There are several reasons why George Adolph might have signed for George (George Adolph was the son of George. In this case though, it helps provide me with a clue as to when George (the father) returned to Germany.
Pays to read the entire file.