The Kiles Find a Horse in 1810

Genealogists often use estray books as evidence that a person had lived in a certain place for at least a bare minimum amount of time. Notices of strays were also published in the newspaper as well.

This 1810 notice from the Chillicothe, Ohio, newspaper (obtained on GenealogyBank.com) does more than document the existence of a lost horse. It also suggests that John Kile and James Kile were living in or near Truro Township in Franklin County, Ohio, in the late 1809-early 1810 time period.

Digital image obtained on GenealogyBank.com

James Kile found the horse and John Kile was one of the appraisers. There is nothing in the notice to indicate the men were biologically related, but the reference does suggest they were relatively near neighbors of each other in 1810.

And in some cases, a newspaper mention be the only record that a person was in a specific place at a specific point in time.

Even if the owner of the horse cannot be found.