Seeking Sisterhood: A Mitochondrial Research Project

For too long I've neglected the women.

My research has narrowly focused on my fifth great-grandfather Thomas Kirk (1778-1846). If you weren't sporting the Kirk surname or carrying the male Y chromosome, you were secondary to my genealogical investigation.

That's about to change. My Kirk family research is shifting gears and moving in a different direction. Perhaps this approach will yield previously overlooked clues that will help identify Thomas Kirk's parents.

Ladies of Suspicion 

Aside from his wife and daughters, three women have surfaced with biographies that curiously intersect with Thomas Kirk's life.

Were they related to Thomas? Could their histories help bridge the research gaps and pinpoint my Kirk ancestral origins?

The three suspects are Margaret (Kirk) Beard, Mary (Kirk) Geiger, and Ann (Kirk) Ford.

Margaret (Kirk) Beard
With no corroborating documentation, some genealogies claim that Margaret was an older sister to Thomas Kirk. Born twenty years before Thomas, indeed she would be a much older sister. Admittedly, the large age gap doesn't preclude them from being siblings, but it seems more likely - to me - that they would be aunt and nephew (or cousins).

According to an unsourced family history published in 1975 (The Beard Family Genealogy: The Beard Family From Virginia to Ohio and West by Glenneta Schott), "John Beard married Margaret Kirk who was born in Cork County, Ireland April 12, 1758 and who died July 7th 1850 in Ohio."

The Beards lived in Licking County, Ohio - where Thomas Kirk made his home - and are buried in the Beard-Green Cemetery - just steps from Thomas' final resting place. 

In 1812, the Beards sold 100 acres in Licking County to Thomas.

Before moving to Ohio, the Beards lived in Berkeley County, (West) Virginia. On June 17, 1786, they were grantors selling 25^1/2 acres in that county where, coincidentally, Joseph Kirk, a possible father to Thomas, Mary, and Ann, also lived.

Land indenture, John and Margaret Beard sell 25.5 acres
Berkeley County, (West) Virginia 17 June 1786

John Beard was tightly affiliated with Joseph Kirk and his wife Sarah. John even appeared in court with Sarah when the Kirks fell behind on their farm's rent.

Mary (Kirk) Geiger

Mary Kirk, born in about 1774, married Anthony Geiger in 1797 in Martinsburg, Berkeley County, (West) Virginia. John Beard was named a surety (bondsman) on their marriage bond, linking the Beards and Geigers.

Anthony Geiger and Mary Kirk marriage bond with John Beard as surety
Berkeley County, (West) Virginia, 26 September 1797

Mary and Anthony also lived in Licking County, Ohio, and she is buried in the Beard-Green Cemetery just steps from the graves of both the Beards and Thomas Kirk.

Perhaps most compelling of all, a handful of Thomas Kirk's descendants are autosomal DNA matches to descendants of Mary (Kirk) Geiger, confirming a genetic link that supports the theory that they were siblings.

Ann (Kirk) Ford
Ann Kirk was born in 1777, and married Hugh Ford in 1800 in Brooke County, (West) Virginia. They eventually moved and settled in Licking County.

Thomas Kirk was in the area, too, enumerated in Brooke County personal property tax records from 1799 through 1803. Did the Kirks move from Berkeley to Brooke County together?

The Fords named one of their sons Vatchel Ford. The unusual first name was also the name Thomas gave to his eldest son.

In 1838, Thomas Kirk moved from Licking Township to Monroe Township (both located in Licking County). His new farm was south of the Fords who also lived in Monroe Township. In 1847, following Thomas' death, the Probate Court appointed Hugh Ford to appraise the value of Thomas' estate.

Detail of Monroe Township, Licking County, Ohio 1847 Land Owners Map
Kirk and Ford farms

In The Genealogy of the Ford Family, a letter from their son Hugh Ford Jr. - who consulted a family bible in the possession of his sister - noted that Ann Ford was the daughter of Joseph Kirk. Of the cast of characters, this is the only one to have a parent named by an immediate family member who would be best positioned to know. Descendants of Mary Geiger often allege - without documentation that I've seen - that her father was also a Joseph Kirk.

If naming conventions are important, it's worth noting that Thomas Kirk, Margaret Beard, Mary Geiger, and Ann Ford all named a son Joseph.

Mitochondrial DNA Research Project

Could I use DNA - specifically mitochondrial DNA - to determine whether these women shared a common maternal ancestor, supporting the claim that they were sisters?

Mothers pass their Mitochondrial DNA on to all of their children. However, only a mother's daughters can pass that same mitochondrial DNA - mostly unchanged - on to her children.

This unique inheritance pattern allows us to trace a direct maternal line back in time following the path of the mitochondrial DNA.

If I can trace a living direct female descendant from Margaret Beard, Mary Geiger, and Ann Ford, we can test the mitochondrial DNA to see if they match.

If the descendants of all three women share the same mitochondrial DNA, we would know that - at some point in history - they shared a common maternal ancestor.

A match would also complement the pieces of the paper trail that hint at a closer family relationship between the three. To be clear, a mitochondrial DNA test wouldn't tell us that the women were sisters, but it could confirm that as a genetic possibility. And that's what this research project endeavors to prove.

If you are a direct female descendant of one of these women, you're eligible for a mitochondrial DNA test with Family Tree DNA. Congratulations! Reach out to familysleuther@gmail.com.

RootsTech 2019 Free Pass Giveaway!

It's been nearly four years since I attended my first RootsTech in Salt Lake City. It was a phenomenal experience!

I'm excited to share that I will be returning in 2019 as a conference attendee and Ambassador.

Why RootsTech?

As the premiere genealogy conference event of the year, RootsTech has a lot to offer attendees.

First, there are over 300 classes available plus keynotes and general sessions facilitated by experienced family historians. At my first RootsTech, I attended 26 keynotes, sessions, and social events. The speakers featured a who's who of genealogy experts and rock stars. I returned home with dozens of tips and strategies to strengthen my genealogy and better positioned to break through my brick walls.

Second, the conference is the genealogy world's largest. Don't let that frighten you! It's a tremendous opportunity to connect with like-minded folks and build your network with family historians eager to share research best practices.

Third, location, location, location! You couldn't ask for a better location. Salt Lake City is synonymous with family history (Hello?! Family History Library, millions of microfilm, and a GRANITE MOUNTAIN vault!). It's a beautiful city with the mountains jutting majestically along the skyline. Need a break from the conference, slip away to the Family History Library and research to your heart's content.

Free Pass Giveaway!

Best of all, as a RootsTech 2019 Ambassador, I get to give away one 4-day pass to a Family Sleuther follower.

If you can be in Salt Lake City, Utah to attend the conference February 27 - March 2, 2019, register for this giveaway!

The 4-day pass includes:

• Over 300 classes
• Keynote / General sessions
• Expo Hall
• Evening events

*It does NOT include any paid lunches or paid labs.
If you've already paid for the full 4-day conference registration, you can still enter and receive a refund.

Simply register below. A winner will be selected - randomly - on November 3rd. The clock is ticking!

Tracing Ownership of a Colonial Virginia Farm

Using my fledgling geometry skills, I recently translated a bewildering 18th century land description, and platted the 100 acres in Berkeley County, (West) Virginia that the Honorable George William Fairfax leased to a farmer named Joseph Kirk - my maybe sixth great-grandfather.

However, my attempts to pinpoint the property's location on a modern map hit repeated brick walls.

Can You Tell Me How To Get To Joseph Kirk's?

The April 1773 land lease recorded in Berkely County between George William Fairfax and Joseph Kirk detailed physical features of the farm's corners, the degree of each corner's angle, and the length of the subsequent border (measured in poles).

For example, one of the corners of Joseph's leased farm began "...at a stake near a black oak, white oak, and hickory, and near a corner of Joseph Evans and Michael Close..." From that corner of the property, the border extended "...thence with Close's line N55.30W one hundred and nineteen poles between a hickory and a black oak on a hill side..."

The specificity of the degree of the angles and the length of the property line guided me in drafting a beautiful box that matched the boundaries of Joseph Kirk's farm, but it provided little that could anchor the 100 acres to a map.

A member of the West Virginia Genealogy Network recommended that I "Try locating a water course in this or neighboring properties."

Fortunately, two of Joseph's neighbors were named in the boundary description: Joseph Evans and Michael Close. Both men had also leased land from George William Fairfax. All of these men leased acreage that was part of a larger tract of land called Poplar Spring. In total, the tract covered an estimated 1,700 acres in the Parish of Norborne, Berkeley County, (West) Virginia.

Over the course of some very tedious hours, I identified more of Joseph's neighbors and platted 956 of the 1,700 acres. Frustratingly, there were no water courses running through any of those properties.

I was stumped.

Without any known digitized maps or surveys of the Poplar Spring tract, I turned again to Joseph's deed to see whether I overlooked any clues.

A Land Lease With Settlement Requirements

Buried in the four-page lease were some exacting requirements of Joseph Kirk (and the other men settling in Poplar Spring).

April 1773 Land Lease, Berkeley County,
Between George William Fairfax and Joseph Kirk

Joseph was required "...within two years after the date..." of the lease to "plant upon the domised premises one hundred good apple trees and peach trees at least thirty feet distance from each other and the same will inclose with a good sufficient and lawful fence and keep them all well pruned..."

I knew that Joseph's farm produced wheat because he was required in 1781 by local authorities to provide six bushels and a half to colonial militias during the American Revolutionary War. Now I learned that Joseph's farm also included an orchard of apple and peach trees.

But that wasn't all that was required of Joseph.

The lease further stipulated that he had to "...erect and build a good dwelling house twenty feet by sixteen and barn twenty feet square after the manner of Virginia building..."

I was curious about the manner of Virginia building. I envisioned Jefferson's Monticello. However, on a much smaller scale. If those stipulated dimensions held true to the final structure, a 20' x 16' home was only 320 square feet. Now insert Joseph and his wife Sarah and their children. That's a tight squeeze!

Key takeaway? I was looking for a plot of land that had a home, barn, orchard, wheat field, and was all enclosed with a sufficient and lawful fence. At least by 1775 anyway. Would any of those features survive today? Doubtful. Although it might be possible to discern old boundaries with an aerial view on Google Maps.

Who Got the Kirk Family Farm?

What if I took a different approach and gave Joseph's 100-acre farm some genealogy treatment?

Could I trace ownership forward in time in the hopes that future land deeds would provide better coordinates that would help me identify the property on a current map?

The Poplar Spring tract of 1,700 acres was undergoing changes in ownership. George William Fairfax, the proprietor of Virginia's Northern Neck territory who originally leased 100 acres to Joseph Kirk, had inherited the land from his predecessor by a proprietary deed dated December 10, 1751. George William Fairfax in turn bequeathed the property to his nephew William Lee on July 6, 1780 in his will recorded in the general court office. I don't currently know in which county(ies) either the deed or the will were filed, but I'm on the hunt since they may include details about the Poplar Spring tract's precise location and possibly its tenants.

On October 25, 1794, William Lee sold the Poplar Spring tract to Ferdinando Fairfax, an heir to Virginia's Northern Neck Proprietary. For £1,725, Ferdinando purchased "...a certain tract of land in the said County of Berkeley called and known by the name of Poplar Spring except so much thereof as was formerly sold and conveyed to James Strode and Isaac Evans by George William Fairfax..."

October 1794 Land Deed, Frederick County Superior Court,
Between William Lee and Ferdinando Fairfax

During the changes of ownership, Joseph Kirk continued to lease his 100 acres until his death in about 1784. His widow, Sarah, then lived on the farm through at least April 1797. By the next year, though, things would change.

On September 7, 1798, Ferdinando sold both the Kirk and neighboring Close farms for $4,320 to Nicholas Roush. Aside from providing a new plot description of the combined farms (consisting of 270 acres), this deed provided the first solid clue about the land's location, stating that it was "...situated about three miles from the said Town of Martinsburg..."

1798 Berkeley County land deed; Ferdinand Fairfax leases Joseph Kirk
and Michael Close farms to Nicholas Roush

The new boundary descriptions of the combined farms were based on "...a private survey thereof made by W. David Hunter in April 1797..." Where was this survey, which was mapped when Sarah Kirk still lived on the land? Was it entered into the court record? I have yet to find it.

Using Tract Plotter (a fantastic free resource for genealogists needing to plat land), I drafted the shape of the combined Kirk and Close farms. Perhaps these new boundary measurements would be helpful in tracing the property forward in time.

Tract Plotter illustration of combined Kirk and Close farms - 207 acres

The same day that the Kirk farm was sold, Nicholas Roush turned around and sold to Ferdinando Fairfax lot 114 in the town of Martinsburg in Berkeley County for $2,000. An apparent quid pro quo that confirmed that the Kirks were off the farm and out of the picture.

1779 Martinsburg, Virginia Plat with Lot 114 in red detail

How long did Nicholas Roush hold on to the now combined Kirk and Close farms? When and to whom did he sell it?

Knots of Despair

Following Nicholas Roush’s purchase of the Kirk and Close farms in 1798, he was recorded in Berkeley County as a grantor for six subsequent land transactions spanning the years 1802 to 1811.

Most of the deeds of sale were for lots he owned in the town of Martinsburg. None were for the former Kirk land.

In 1816, an entry in the general index for Berkeley County's deeds recorded that there was a division of Nicholas Roush's lands. He must have died and his real estate was divided among his heirs. With no record of it having been sold since its purchase in 1798, the Kirk land was presumably still among Roush's holdings. Was it doled out to one of his heirs?

To my great misfortune, the deed book for much of 1816 - number 28 - was lost! Missing from the courthouse, it had never been microfilmed or digitized. Only the index survived to taunt me.

Berkeley County Index to Land Deeds, Book 28 Lost

The original deed likely included detailed descriptions of the property's provenance (naming all prior owners and the dates of each subsequent acquisition), possibly more accurate wayfinding coordinates, as well as how the land was divided among the heirs and the name(s) of who inherited which parts. All of this valuable information was lost and I was no closer to finding Joseph Kirk's farm.

What did my genealogy possibly lose? Maybe mention of Joseph Kirk or his widow Sarah Kirk. Maybe even the names of their heirs who lived on the farm with Sarah. I was left with a knot in my stomach.

Perhaps Nicholas Roush's probate package included the details recorded in the lost deed book. Frustratingly, the Berkeley County probate files are only viewable online at FamilySearch from a designated Family History Library. As a resident of Virginia, I find the restricted access particularly galling. Where's Reclaim the Records when you need them?

The question remained: who inherited the land from Nicholas Roush's estate that was once farmed by Joseph Kirk?

A hint came from a deed of sale on December 31, 1816. Daniel Lyne and "Elizabeth his wife late Elizabeth Roush one of the daughters and legal heirs of Nicholas Roush Senior late of the County of Berkeley and State of Virginia..." were selling land to Andrew Roush, presumably Elizabeth's brother.

The deed shed light on the division of Nicholas' lands. The property that the Lynes were selling was "...part of the land held by the said Nicholas Roush senior at his death the court of the county of Berkeley having appointed John Fryatt, George Porterfield, Peter Grove, George Harris, and James Maxwell commissioners to divide the lands held by the said Nicholas Roush senior at his death among his heirs and pursuant to the order of the court aforesaid did on the 11th day of April 1816 as appears by their report made a division of the lands aforesaid amongst the heirs..."

In total, Andrew Roush bought 77 acres and two rods from Elizabeth (Roush) Lyne. Fewer than the more than 207 acres that made up the combined Close and Kirk farms. But the measurements of the property being sold were strikingly similar.

Tract Plotter illustration of Elizabeth (Roush) Lyne's inherited land sold to Andrew Roush - 77 acres

After reviewing dozens of deeds, it was clear that the Roush heirs inherited - and in turn sold - fractions of once larger plots of land. The properties had been divided up beyond recognition with new angles and lengths of measurement. Finding boundary descriptions that mirrored the Kirk and Close farms was a gargantuan task.

Efforts to find deeds were further confounded by several missing deed books, including Book 37 covering the years 1827 - 1829, Book 38 covering the years 1829 - 1830, and Book 42 covering the years 1837 - 1838. In all three books, the surviving index detailed a total of eight transactions where a Roush heir was selling property. Was it land that was inherited from Nicholas Roush Sr. and once the farm of Joseph Kirk? I couldn't say, and the knot in my stomach tightened.

Many of Berkeley County's deed books do survive and are available online. Nicholas Roush's heirs are party to many deeds, including his widow Dorothy and at least five sons (Nicholas Jr, Martin, Andrew, Henry, and Conrad) and three daughters (Elizabeth Line, Catherine Faris, and Rosanna Young). Would any of these deeds share a land description with the one-time Kirk property? In short, maybe. But the time required to piece the divided land together likely outweighed the value of investing research time in finding Nicholas Roush's probate package.

Berkeley County land book from c. 1816 names some of the Roush heirs

I returned to the deed between Ferdinando Fairfax and Nicholas Roush, which suggested the Close and Kirk farms were about three miles from Martinsburg.

Three mile radius extending south of Martinsburg's Courthouse

I scrutinized Google maps trying to visualize a three-mile radius around Martinsburg. To my shagrin, a vast open-pit mine edged into my targeted research zone. Like a metaphor for my Kirk ancestry, was I searching for something that had disappeared into a cavernous void?

Open-pit mine detail south of Martinsburg, West Virginia

I remain optimistic that the answers I seek survive and patiently await discovery. The search for Joseph Kirk's land on a modern map continues. Perhaps the answers are readily available in:

• Nicholas Roush Sr.'s probate file c.1816; 
• Or in the 1751 proprietary deed that transferred ownership of the Poplar Spring tract to George William Fairfax; 
• Or in George William Fairfax's 1780 will; 
• Or maybe W. David Hunter's April 1797 land survey of the Poplar Spring tract was recorded in Berkeley County's Courthouse. 

Despite the setbacks and waves of despair, I continue climbing further into the Kirk research rabbit hole. There's no turning back now.

Locating An 18th Century Farm Using Colonial Wayfinding Descriptions

On April 9, 1773, a land indenture was signed between the Honorable George William Fairfax Esquire - a member of the landed gentry of late colonial Virginia who was a contemporary and close friend of George Washington - and "Joseph Kirk of the County of Berkeley farmer..."

Joseph has been on my radar for much of this year because I suspect he was my sixth great-grandfather. What more could I learn about him from his land?

Pre-dating the American Revolution, the agreement was drawn up when Virginia was a British colony. Over the span of three very wordy pages, the document described the location of his 100 acre property and detailed the terms of its lease.

Where is that exactly?

The land description is quite unusual. Referring to oak and hickory trees as wayfinding markers, the description left me befuddled. 

Where exactly was Joseph's Kirk's land? 

1773 Berkeley County, Virginia description of land leased
by George William Fairfax to Joseph Kirk

Joseph Kirk received 100 acres of land that was "...lying and being in the parish of Norborne in the County of Berkeley being part of a tract of land of seven [seventeen] hundred acres and called Poplar Spring the bounds as followeth:

Beginning at a stake near a black oak white oak and hickory and near a corner of Joseph Evans and Michael Close extending thence with Close's line No. 55.30" West one hundred and nineteen poles between a hickory and a black oak on a hill side Thence on No. 38.30" East one hundred and forty nine poles to a black oak in a line of the Patent Thence along the same So. 50 East one hundred and nineteen poles to a locust stake near a black oak Corner to John Evans land Thence So. 38.30" West one hundred and thirty two poles to the beginning containing one hundred acres."

Um, what? Where? I was lost with the terminology. What was a pole? What did the numbers mean? Obviously these weren't GPS coordinates.

What if I wanted to walk this land, could I pinpoint it on a map? Let's face it, this wasn't a description I could drop into Google Maps.

Land Platting

I turned to a fantastic resource to bone up on what I was reading, Locating Your Roots: Discover Your Ancestors Using Land Records by Patricia Law Hatcher.

According to Hatcher, I was reading a land description based on the metes-and-bounds system or the indiscriminate-survey system where "the land was chosen indiscriminately (independently) of the survey system." In this system, used in Virginia and the other original colonies, "...the crown gave land either to the colony itself or a major proprietor, who then transferred the title to individuals."

I quickly learned that George William Fairfax was one such proprietor who held millions of acres in Virginia's Northern Neck. 

The Library of Virginia writes that, "The Northern Neck Land Office controlled 5,282,000 acres in land grants located between the Rappahannock and Potomac rivers, which were given to seven loyal supporters of King Charles II [in 1649, after he fled England in exile following the execution of his father King Charles I]..." The Northern Neck Proprietary (or Fairfax Land Proprietary) was eventually inherited by George William Fairfax, who leased portions of the smaller 1,700-acre tract known as Poplar Spring to men like Joseph Kirk. 

Hatcher's book included a how-to section for mapping or platting metes-and-bounds land descriptions. I would need to add an important tool to my genealogy toolkit: a protractor. At long last, I had a reason for my high school geometry. 

I swung by the local drugstore, shoved some kids shopping for school supplies out of my way, and snagged the last protractor.

Following Hatcher's instructions to the T, I platted the 100 acres that Joseph Kirk leased.

Great! But now what?

In isolation, Joseph's platted land wasn't really helping me pinpoint where exactly he lived. I couldn't see the forest for the trees (black oak, white oak, hickory).

Some of the corner descriptions mentioned neighboring land owners. What if I mapped their land? Would I gain greater perspective on the Poplar Tract?

On FamilySearch, I found an index of the land leased by George William Fairfax to various men beginning in 1772 (the year that Berkeley County and Norborne Parish became official administrative units).

I began transcribing deeds and platting the land. It was a mildly tedious process.

Then, like a jigsaw puzzle with curious yet mission-critical clues like "...near a black oak, white oak, and hickory and near a corner of Joseph Evans and Michael Close..." I began to assemble the seemingly disparate pieces.

To my great delight (and surprise that my geometry skills weren't totally inept!), the pieces fit.

To-date, I've platted 956 acres of the 1,700 (still 744 to go!). In the process, I've identified Joseph's neighbors who may prove helpful in identifying other Kirk relatives and heirs. 

For example, I've already found mention of the "Widow Kirk" in the property description of an April 25, 1797 land deed between Ferdinand Fairfax (an heir to the Fairfax proprietary) and John Fryatt indicating that Joseph Kirk was definitely deceased by that year (corroborating information I've learned from reviewing Berkeley County tax records). I've even found John Fryatt's home on an 1809 map of Berkeley County in Library of Congress' collection. Do you see him just south of Martinsburg? 

But still, where was this land on a modern day map?

Seventeen Hundred Acres in Norborne Parish

Okay, so maybe I haven't pinpointed it on a map yet, but I certainly have a better idea of its general location.

On September 7, 1798, Ferdinand Fairfax did "grant, bargain and sell unto the said Nicholas Roush...a certain tract or parcel of land situated about three miles from the said town of Martinsburg, consisting of two lots which were originally leased by George William Fairfax the one to Michael Close, and the other to Joseph Kirk being parcels of a larger tract called the Poplar Spring tract..."

1798 Berkeley County land deed, Ferdinand Fairfax leases
Joseph Kirk's land to Nicholas Roush

The combined Close and Kirk plots - both platted above - consisted of just over 300 acres. This land transaction confirmed that the Kirk family was no longer living on the property Joseph leased 25 years earlier.

Followers of this blog and my Kirk research may recall that my fifth great-grandfather, Thomas Kirk, makes his first appearance in Brooke County, (West) Virginia tax records in 1799. Did the Widow Kirk pass away and the children began to fan out as the land was re-leased?

This 1798 deed also positioned the property three miles south of Martinsburg, the county seat for Berkeley. Coupled with John Fryatt's home appearing on the 1809 Berkeley County map, I have an approximate area to zero in on.

Detail of 1809 Berkeley County Map, Library of Congress

I plan to road trip to Berkeley County to scope out the area, and - hopefully - to walk Joseph Kirk's land. The pressure is on to translate the description of his property to a current day map, and hope that it's not a strip mall. Who knows, maybe those oaks and hickories still survive and are serving as modern-day wayfinders (googling life expectancy for trees...).

I welcome any recommendations on next steps to locate the land on Google.