Pine River: June 1880

June 1, 1880 the U.S. Federal Census was enumerated for Pine River.  We find George is listed with a family but not much detail:

Source:  The George Barclay Family, 1880 U.S. Federal Census Pine River, Cass Co., Minnesota, SD 3, ED 218, pg. 10, Line 1:

Barclay, George, male, 30 years old, husband, tavern keeper, place of birth unclear.  Under George’s name is written wife, age 26 place of birth not indicated, child age 7/12, male born Minnesota.  The wife is keeping house. 

This census is not very clear and lists the family members under George as “wife” and “child” with no names given.  We do know that George has a family started and is living in Pine River.  

Along with George and his family there are two other individuals:  John Eins age 32 and Thomas [Nourling] age 62.  Both men are helping in the Tavern.  John is from Norway and the other is from Kentucky. 

There is only one page for Pine River listed for this census. 

This 1880 census lists as enumeration districts for Cass County as follows with the approximate number of people in parentheses:

The Chippewa Agency (21), Clayton (18), Gull Lake (19) and Gull River (135?), Hay Creek (2), Leech Lake Indian Reservation (6), Not stated – Twps 139 and 140 with 9 pages with children and wives listed (200+), Pelican Lake (3), Pillager (18) , Pine River (5) and West Brainerd (36). 

The birthplace given for George is also obscure and has the word “Native” written above another scribble that is very faded and difficult to read.  It might indicate he refused to answer or more likely he wasn’t home?

The listings from the above census enumeration districts had lots of families listed but most of the population was north of Pine River.

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A Son is born: George Alexander Barclay 1880!

It was a happy day in Pine River the 10th of January 1880 when George and Amarilla’s son George Alexander Barclay as born. 

On my second trip to Minnesota in July of 2001, I found the actual records of George Alexander’s birth that are mentioned in the “Logsleds…” book.  I did not find the actual quote from Rev. Benjamin Whipple that they feature in the book about the baptism of young George. I did find parish records recognizing the birth of the baby boy.   The collection of the Whipple papers at the Minnesota Historical Society is large and complicated and I have tried at least twice to figure it out. 

Source: “21, baptised George Alexander sone of  Geo A. & Amanda Barclay born 10 January 1880 Sponsors parents, Rev. I.A. Gilfillan at 1/2 ____ house.” (Very difficult to read) (Vol. 10 ,P1035, Box 43 Manuscripts, P.E. Church, Diocese of Minn. Vol 8-16 MHS). 

Source:  Whipple Register of Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths 1859-1895 1 Vol., #142.F.15.3B, Minnesota Historical Society.

“Baptisms: August 21, 1880, Pine River, George Alexander Barclay, Parents:  George A. & Ammanda Barclay, Sponsors and witnesses:  Parents and Rev. I.A. Gilfillan.  (Register of Baptisms, Marriages – Whipple Records 142.F.15.3B 1859-1895 1 Vol. – MHS) 

On page 106 first column there is an interesting account of the baptism of baby George in the Logsleds to Snowmobiles book.  This account was taken from The Whipple papers at the Minnesota Historical Society.  

It reads:  “Time evening. Log hotel in the woods, kept by a frontier man and his wife. She is eight miles from the nearest white woman, and between her and Brainerd, 36 miles distant, are just two of her sex. They are happily and contented all alone in the woods with the little infant son God has given them. The Bishop assembles all hands in the dining room and proceeds to baptize the boy. “Name this child,” says the Bishop. “George Alexander,” says the sponsor, the name of the father. “Stop,” says the exulting frontiersman. “George Alexander Barclay,” giving his own name in full. He wished all present and absent to understand that the boy was a Barclay.”

Based on what I have determined, I think it was the Rev. Gilfillan who did the baptism and the journal is housed in the Whipple papers which is a collection of the Rev. Whipple’s. 

There seems to be a little confusion regarding the actions of the father.  The son was named “George Alexander” while the father was “George Angus.”  Did George Angus Barclay name is son after his brother Alexander?

Based on the information from the 1880 census we know that there weren’t that many people in Pine River in 1880 so George and Amarilla were probably far from religious gatherings so they either took this as an opportunity to have their child baptised.  The other possibility is that George was not Catholic.  We see that there are two instances in which George and Amarilla interact with the Episcopal faith, 1) their marriage, 2) the baptism of their child. 

Both Rev. Whipple and Gilfillan are very extraordinary men and no matter which of the two men it was that stopped at the Barclay Ranch is was a major event. 

For Rev. Whipple:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Benjamin_Whipple

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Amarilla’s Origins in Iowa!

Amarilla Spracklin Barclay was most likely born near Blairstown in Benton County in the state of Iowa on the 17 of November 1858. 

Amarilla’s father was Daniel D. Spracklin and her mother was Elizabeth Keller.  Daniel and Elizabeth  married 1 January 1853 in Sparta, So. Bloomfield Twp., Morrow Co., Ohio. 

Source:  Marriage Records, 1848-1951, Index 1848-1948, Morrow Co., Ohio.  General Index V1A-10, 1848-1948 #388779 Item 1, Marriages v. 1A #388779 Item 2 1848-1858. Keller, Elizabeth to Daniel Spracklin Vol. 1A, pg. 119. Pg. 60, Spracklin, Daniel D. to Keller, Elizabeth on Jan. 1, 1853 by Joel Abbott JP.

I believe Amarilla was born near Blairstown because her father Daniel had land in Leroy Twp., Benton County, Iowa which is where Blairstown is located.   He had migrated from Ohio to Iowa.  According to the 1856 Iowa State census they were in Iowa by 1855.  There are problems with the index of the 1856 census but Daniel is there along with other interesting discoveries.

Benton County was organized as a separate county in 1846 with the town of Vinton as the county seat.  Blairstown was established in 1862.  The town of Marengo was incorporated in 1859 and was more established as a town at the time.  Marengo is the county seat for Iowa County, Iowa and has been since 1845 according to this website which gives a little history of Marengo, Iowa:  http://www.marengo150.com/default.htm 

The two towns are about 9 miles from each other with Blairstown being directly north of Marengo.  I drove the highway between the two towns and it is a nice drive through a canyon and over a hilly area.  Blairstown and Marengo are situated in flat land areas between these rolling hills. 

Between Blairstown & Marengo

Blairstown, Iowa

In the photograph above you see Blairstown in the distance and the water tower to the left.

Source:  Blairstown, 1862 to 1987, History – Town History.  I obtained a copy of this history book from the Blairstown Public Library which has  a genealogical collection.  At that time they were in a temporary building in 2003 so researching was a challenge.  The librarian was very helpful.  The genealogical collection is in the care of another individual through the Benton County Genealogical Society and that information is listed at the library website.  Apparently they are in their new building now, so it would be a much better experience to do research there. 

Here is the link:  http://www.blairstown.lib.ia.us/use-the-library/genealogy2

Benton Co. 1872 Atlas

Daniel’s land in Leroy Twp. is in two 40 acre sections straddling the double line that runs the entire page above, north to south.  He is slightly to the right of the middle of this picture.  If you click on the photo it will enlarge and look for two smudgy dots on each side of that long line.  The township page above is  from the 1872 Iowa County Atlas – Benton County, Leroy Twp. which I found at the Iowa County Genealogical Society.  Blairstown is in the upper right corner of the photograph. 

Be advised that the Iowa County Genealogical Society was in the basement of the Marengo Public Library but they did some renovations a few years ago and the society is now in North English.  See the links to the right on this blog.

Daniel moved to Dayton Twp., Iowa County, Iowa after this 1872 date and he appears in the 1874 Atlas of Iowa County, Iowa published by Harrison & Warner.  Daniel purchased the land in Dayton Twp.  at the end of 1872.  The land in Dayton Township is in the northeast corner of section 19 which is right next to the Poweshiek County line southwest of Millersburg and close to Keokuk County.  Marengo is twenty miles north of Millersburg.  So Daniel put some distance between his original land purchases in Benton County and moved south to Iowa County and obtained a lot more land, all in one large piece. 

To get a better idea of the distance from Blairstown I have below a copy of an atlas page of Iowa County showing Dayton Twp. and if you focus on the white square you can see about where the land was situated.  I am using Millersburg as a reference point.  

Historical Atlas 1875 of Iowa County, Iowa

I found this atlas at the Iowa Digital Library website for The University of Iowa and I chose the page for Iowa County.  http://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/cdm4/browse.php?CISOROOT=/atlases  There are more counties listed at this website. 

I have deeds and more information regarding Daniel’s land holdings in Iowa and copies of atlas pages for Iowa County and Benton County. 

I did check newspapers around the time of Amarilla’s birth to see if I could find an announcement or discover her mother Elizabeth’s obituary for March 10, 1859 but I was not successful.  I did see obituaries but mostly news about the farming industry.  I also checked the bible records at the Iowa Historical Society in Des Moines and did not find anything to confirm my theory. 

Amarilla’s mother Elizabeth died four months after her birth. Daniel her father remarried in 1863 to Sarah Blacketer Allgood.  They had seven more children as I have mentioned in a past post. 

Amarilla was born in Iowa and was not unfamiliar with living on a farm and that lifestyle.  So in my opinion this made her adapt well to life on the frontier in Pine River, Minnesota in 1878 after her marriage to George Angus Barclay. 

Amarilla’s family the Spracklins is a very large family and I have been researching them for many years.  There are many others who have done a great deal of work on this family line.  There is Mayflower and DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) connections in Amarilla’s ancestry through both her father and her mother sides and it spans the early history of our country and if I shared all of the research that I have on her family it would take a blog all by itself and it would be a major undertaking. 

The scope and focus of this blog about the Barclay’s is about George and Amarilla’s life together.  In future posts Amarilla will be touched by her Spracklin and Keller families as events unfold in her life.

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1878: Enter Amarilla Spracklin!

As we have seen, George’s was busy with his life.  He had established a trading post on the south fork of the Pine River, then moved it to higher land, and obtained several patents for land in the area.  In July of 1878 he went to Brainerd for some reason, probably to get supplies or do business, and took time to go a courting.  He met and married Amarilla Grace Spracklin at a friend’s house.

Amarilla had left her home near Blairstown, Iowa and migrated to Brainerd, Minnesota sometime after the 1870 U.S. Census.  Her granddaughter Miriam said Amarilla arrived there about 1877.  Amarilla had been living with her father, step-mother and  half siblings since about 1863 in Iowa. 

If you look at Iowa in reference to Minnesota you would see that Iowa is just straight south of Minnesota. 

State Map of US

Miriam writes in another part of her notes, that Amarilla was not happy in her situation:

“Her father, Daniel Dare Spracklin had two families. Amarilla (Ammarilla , sometimes varied it) belonged to the first family, hated the second and left home.  Supported herself as a seamstress. ” 

“Came to Brainerd, Minn., in 1877 and earned her living as a dressmaker and milliner.” Miriam McDonald Notes circa 1980′s.

There is no state census in Iowa for 1875 so we cannot be sure if Amarilla was still at home at that time.  Miriam makes a further comment:  “Born near Marengo, Iowa, Nov. 17, 1858.”  It was probably closer to Blairstown which is north of Marengo.  In 1878 Amarilla would have been 20 years old.  

The Logsleds to Snowmobile book  makes the following statement:

“On July 27, 1878, in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Brainerd, with the Reverend Herbert Root officiating.  George Angus Barclay married Ammarilla Spracklin.  Barclay’s new bride was the first permanent white woman settler on the Pine River.  She continued to hold the distinction for 15 years.” pg. 105 

This reference implies that George and Amarilla were married in the St. Paul Episcopal Church in Brainerd, however the evidence shows that the record of the marriage from the St. Paul Episcopal Church hint that it was at the residence of a C. H. Mayo.  Click on the photo to make it larger.  

St. Paul Episcopal Church Register

Here is a copy of their marriage license.  It is one of several that were in the Civil War Pension file of George A. Barclay’s.

1902 Copy of Marriage License

A brief article found in the Brainerd Tribune dated Saturday, August 3, 1878 on page 2 on the left at the bottom also repeats this information of a marriage at a friend’s house, the home of a C. H. Mayo. 

Barclay & Sprecklin Marriage

How George and Amarilla met is  a mystery.  Miriam said that Amarilla was a milliner, a person who makes hats.  

An article in the Brainerd Daily Dispatch taken from the Centennial Edition (1871-1971) on the history of Brainerd and the Crossing states that their were 21 stores,  and 1 tailor shop.  So it might be possible that George spotted Amarilla in the town at one of these locations? 

“After a brief courtship they were married on July 27, 1878.  Following the ceremony, the new bride of 19 and her husband drove as far as Gull Lake, probably to John Bishop’s half-way house on Bishop’s Creek, where they stayed overnight.  The next day they continued on with their “tote” to George Barclay’s Ranch on the Pine River.” 

Logsleds to Snowmobiles, pg. 112

The Coroner’s Inquest file regarding the murder of George Barclay from Cass County Records had a testimony by a Andrew Whitesides, an employee of George A. Barclay since 1894.  He testified at the coroner’s inquest about George’s murder but in addition he made an interesting comment  about Amarilla – that she was “an inmate of a variety theater?” 

Now the same article I mentioned from the Brainerd Daily Disptach does indicate there were 15 saloons, and 2 billiards halls but it does not mention a theatre in Brainerd?

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George Barclay & D. McNanny – A Partnership in 1875?

Many sources point out that George A. Barclay formed a partnership with a D. McNannie.  The “Logsleds…” book has a full page picture of this man sitting in a chair and make several references to him in the book.  They suggest McNannie was a mixed blood Ojibwe. 

Studying the land laws of the United States back in 1875 might show some interesting reasons for this partnership.  The whole issue of land and the Indians is very complicated and subject to the laws of the U.S. Federal Governments. 

In checking on McNanny/Nannie at the BML website I did not find any other patents in his name, only the two he purchased with George back in 1875. 

Interestingly these two patents are in Section 8 of T137 R29 Wilson Township.  Visualize the northwest corner of Wilson Township – Section 6:  On its right to the east is Section 5.  South of Section 6 is Section 7 and to its right going east is Section 8.  So Section 8 is diagonal to Section 6 and to the southeast.  The Pine River flows through this Section 8 and the Leech Lake Military Trail follows the river. 

1.  Cass  County – 5/1/1875 - St. Cloud #7373

#7373 Patent – D. McNanny and George Barclay of Cass Co., Minnesota, ….deposited in…St. Cloud, Minnesota the South East quarter of the North East quarter of Section eight in township one hundred and thirty-seven of range twenty-nine in the District of Lands subject to sale at St. Cloud, Minnesota containing 40 acres…said tract has been purchased by the said D. McNanny and George Barclay…In Testimoney Whereof, I, Ulysses S. Grant…have caused these letters to be made PATENT.. 1 of May 1875 etc…

2.  Cass County – 5/1/1875 – St. Cloud #7374 

 #7374 Patent – D. McNanny and George Barclay of Cass Co., Minnesota, St. Cloud, Minnesota the lot numbered six of section eight in township one hundred and thirty-seven of range twenty-nine in the District of lands subject to sale at St. Cloud, Minnesota containing 32 acres and seventy-five hundredths of an acre..DO GIVE AND GRANT, unto the said D. McNanny and George Barclay…In Testimony Whereof, F.  Ulysses S. Grant…1 of May 1875, etc…

In Summary

1.  #7373 SE1/4 of the NE1/4 in Section 8 Township 137, Range 29.  This is approximately where this piece of land is located. Click on the map to make it bigger.

Patent #7373 Added

2.  Lot Six (6) in Section 8 Township 137, Range 29. My Deed Mapper software will not do lot’s.  So I do not show this patent on the above topo map. Further detail will be needed to find this particular lot being referred to in this patent.  It is in the same location as #1. 

Go back to the Minnesota Public Land Survey website and you will see a survey done in 1865 that makes this very interesting reading.  Select the township 137 and the range 29 and it will bring up this old map of the area that is very interesting and closer to what George and McNannie knew in 1875.  

http://www.mngeo.state.mn.us/glo/index.html 

Total acres:  40 + 32 75/100th = 40+32 75/100th acres

Another puzzling thing is that this is in Wilson Twp. not Barclay Twp.  as some sources suggest.  Since I could not find any more patents except these two for McNannie he would have to have purchased land elsewhere by deed.  Barclay Twp. is T138 R29 and Wilson is T137 R29. 

Our Target Area of Townships - Cass County

It is interesting to me that they spell McNannie’s name in different ways which is not a surprise but means you do have to be diligent when researching him.  It might be interesting to study the deeds of Cass and Crow Wing for McNannie.  I have not done that at this time concentrating on George and Ammarilla.

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1874: Barclay Patents Section 6

Below are two (2) patents that were assigned to George A. Barclay in 1874. They are located in Section 6, Township 137, Range 29.  Section 6 is located in the northwest corner of Wilson Township in Cass County, Minnesota. 

Most of the city of Pine River, Minnesota is located in the northwest corner of Wilson Twp. T137  R29.  To the north is Barclay Twp., T138 R29 and Pine River is in the southwest corner.

1. Patent from BML:  Cass County - 8/1/1874 – St. Cloud #7082  

Patent:  George A. Barclay of Cass County, Minnesota, Register of the Land Office at St. Cloud, Minnesota.  The southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section six in township one hundred and thirty seven, of range twenty nine in the district of lands subject to sales at St. Cloud, Minnesota, containing 40 acres, signed by U.S. Grant, 1 of August 1874, etc…(Cash Vol. # 166, Page # 167).

Cash Entry Folder Jacket: Reg. Sept. 21, 74 rect. ackd. October 3/74  – #7082 Cash Entry, Land Office at St. Cloud, Min. Sec. 6, Town. 137 Range 29. [Aff o June 20/74. F.O.B., Pd August 7^th, 1874, Rec Vol. 12, Page 167 Ex .  Notes in Tract book 3/20/34 JGS. Vol 35  g123 – Sec to S/G F. Alderman, Brainerd, Minn Sept 22/86. 

#7082 Receiver’s Office at St. Cloud, Minn. May 22, 1874, Received from George A. Barclay, of Cass County, Minn. the sum of $50.00  dollars and --- cents, being in full for the SE4 SE quarter Section No. 6, Township No. 137, Range No. 29 containing 40 acres --- at $1.25 per acre signed by J. V. Brown Receiver.

#7082 Land Office at St. Cloud, Minn, May 22, 1874. It is hereby certified ...George A. Barclay, Cass Co., State of Minn on this day purchased of the Register of this Office, the lot or SE4 SE4 Section no. 6, in Township No. 137, of Range No. 29, containing 40 acres at the rate of 1 dollar and 25 centers per acre amounting to $50 dollars and -- cents for which the said George A. Barclay has made payment in full as required by law George A. Barclay shall be entitled to receive a Patent for the lot above described signed by H. L. [Lovelace] Register.

2. Patent from BML – Cass County - 8/1/1874 – St. Cloud #7083 

# 7083 Patent:  George A. Barclay of Cass County, Minnesota has deposited in the General Land Office of the United States a Certificate of the Register of the Land Office at St. Cloud, Minnesota, George A. Barclay…The south east quarter of the north west quarter of section six, in Township one hundred and thirty seven, of Range twenty nine in the district of lands subject to sale at St. Cloud, Minnesota, containing forty acres. …Do Give and Grant to said George A. Barclay and to his heirs, the said tract of land, above described. In Testimony Whereof: U.S. Grant… first of August 1874 etc… (Cash Vol# 166 Page #168)

#7083

The photo above of Patent #7083 is a copy of the original patent.  It is the only patent that survived to this day of all the patents George purchased and is in the possession of my cousin.  She shared it with me.

Cash Entry Folder Jacket: # 7083 Cash Entry, Land office at St. Cloud, Minn Sec. 6, Town. 137, Range 29, [App] o June 20/74 F.O.B., Pd August 1st 1874. Rec Vol. 12, Page 168 Ex. Notice in Tract Book 3/20/34 JGS, Vol. 35, Pg. 123. Other side:  Pat. August 1, 1874, Vol. 12, Page 168.

#7083 – Receiver’s Office at St. Cloud, Minnesota, May 22, 1874. Received from George A. Barclay of Cass County, Minnesota the sum of fifty and —- cents; being in full for the  SE4 NW quarter of Section No. 6, in Township No. 137, of Range No. 29, containing 40 acres — at $1.25 signed by J.V. [Browner]

#7083 – Land Office at St. Cloud, Minn, May 22, 1874. It is hereby Certified that in pursuance of law George A. Barclay, Cass Co., State of Minn, on this day purchased of the Register of this office, the lot or SE4 NW4 of Section No. 6, in Township No. 137, of Range No. 29, containing 40 acres at the rate of 1 dollar and 25 cents per acre, amounting to 50 dollars and — cents, for which the said George A. Barclay has made payment in full as required by law….George A. Barclay shall be entitled to receive a Patent for the lot above described signed by H. L. [Lovelace] Register.

The 1874 Patents

The patents in bold dark lines were created using the software Deed Mapper a product of Direct Line Software at: http://www.directlinesoftware.com/  This software is used mostly for complicated state land states like Virginia.  However, it does do a perfect patent for a Federal land state like Minnesota.  The patents are approximate to the topo map Pine River Quadrangle, Minnesota, Cass Co., 7.5 Mte Series Revised 1994.

Over the next series of posts I will build on this map of patents for George Barclay. Click on the map to make it larger so you can see it better. 

 Total acres:  40 acres + 40 acres = 80 acres

Please note that preparing these patents has not been an easy task.  It can get very confusing.  So please refer to previous posts that explain how to read a patent or deed.  I am not claiming that I have it correct so if you think there is a problem write me a comment.  Just click on the title of the post and it will bring up a page where you can write a comment.  The other option is to just click on “Leave a comment” highlighted at the bottom of the post.

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George’s Patents for Land!

Back in April of 2000 I ordered all of great-grandfather George’s patents from the National Archives in Washington D.C.  I received eight (8) patents with seals embossed on them.  I followed that up by ordering the Cash Entry files for three  (3) of the patents hoping for more information in 2002. 

I have actually been to the National Archives in Washington D.C.  They house in their lobby for viewing many historical documents including the “Declaration of Independence.”   The National Archives also has branches throughout the country and I have been to the one in Seattle, Laguna Nigel (closed) and Chicago.  In Spring 2011 I will visit the Pittsfield, MA branch.  Here is their website link: http://www.archives.gov/  Their website will be revamped soon. 

National Archives Main Branch, Washington D.C.

Patents are the land an ancestor bought directly from the U.S. Government.  Once this first sale was completed land sales and purchases would then be done through county courts. This means a trip to the courthouse in the location where your ancestor lived.  On a visit to Minnesota in 2007 I again visited the Pine River area.  This time I did go to the courthouse and looked up deeds under Barclay to see what I would find.  I studied the deeds at the Cass County Courthouse and there were many.  The clerk was very kind and patient I am indebted to her. I also studied the deed books in the Crow Wing Courthouse.  Still later I decided to take a look at the track books at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. 

Today you can order patents from the National Archives in Washington D.C. or you can go to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) website and do a patent search:   http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/PatentSearch/

There you can search for patents for any person who obtained land in a land state.  You can even search for surveys and more.  Once you create a summary list you can actually click further and actually look at an original patent and obtain more detail.  It is wise to perform a variety of spelling searches on surnames and first names in you’re searching to make sure you find all the information for an ancestor.  As you can see “G.A.” was the spelling used for one of the patents.  I also tried other spelling variations of the surname Barclay and this is the list I came up with for George A. Barclay. 

Here is the summary list of George A. Barclay’s Patents. 

Patentee Name	State	County/ Parish	Issue Date	District Land Office	Doc. Nr.	Accession or  Serial Nr.
BARCLAY, GEORGE A	MN	Cass	8/1/1874	St. Cloud	7082	MN1660__.167
BARCLAY, GEORGE A	MN	Cass	8/1/1874	St. Cloud	7083	MN1660__.168
BARCLAY, GEORGE A	MN	Cass	8/1/1874	St. Cloud	7084	MN1660__.169
BARCLAY, GEORGE	MN	Cass	5/1/1875	St. Cloud	7373	MN1660__.405
BARCLAY, GEORGE	MN	Cass	5/1/1875	St. Cloud	7374	MN1660__.406
BARCLAY, GEORGE A	MN	Cass	9/23/1879	St. Cloud	7946	MN1670__.289
BARCLAY, G A	MN	Cass	5/10/1884	St. Cloud	11834	MN1740__.425
BARCLAY, GEORGE A	MN	Cass	4/5/1888	St. Cloud	16446	MN1840__.002

Numbers #7373 and #7374 George purchased with his partner D. McNanny. I tried searching on the spelling “McNannie” but I found nothing more.  These two patents are all that are in McNannie’s name.

Both sources, my Aunt Miriam and the Logsled’s book, mention the Northern Pacific Railroad and this is a warranty deed filed at the Cass County Courthouse. 

Interestingly, some of these patents that are in the search list above are also recorded in the deed books of the Cass County Courthouse in Walker, Minnesota.

This list is nice to have but it really doesn’t help us understand where great-grandfather George’s land was located so we need to get more detail and the description of the land that was written on the patent.

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Zeroing in on George Barclay’s land holdings!

In order to read the land descriptions for George’s patents and deeds we need to understand the area we are describing.

Cass County Townships - Township Atlas

The above is a map of the townships in Cass County, Minnesota.  The area we are interested in is just next to the corner of the right angle where the Barclay and Wilson Townships are located. Click on the image and it will enlarge so you can read the information.  The blank area to the south and east of Cass is Crow Wing County.

Our Target Area of Townships - Cass County

According to the Logsled’s book we are targeting Pine River, Barclay, Walden and Wilson Townships.

Another view of the Townships

The  map above gives the township description:  T138R30 for Pine River, T137R30 for Walden, T138R29 for Barclay and T137R29 for Wilson. 

According to the Cass County Heritage history book published in 1999 by the Cass County Historical Society the township names and entities were petitioned for and established around 1901 and 1910.  So George was more interested in the T138R30 format back in 1874. Using the township names helps in today’s world if you want to do comparisons.

I found the above map at the Public Land Survey Plat Maps of Minnesota website. You can see that Crow Wing County cuts right through T138R29 and T137R29.  This website gives more description, a glossary which can help and you can click and pull up the old surveys done in 1865.  http://www.mngeo.state.mn.us/glo/index.html.  

Township Grid

The above grid with numbers is how townships are laid out.  The numbers represent the sections of a township.  So we will be interested in sections 1 and 12 in Waldon Twp. top right, sections 31, 32 in Barclay Twp. bottom left, and sections 6, 5, 7, 8 in Wilson Twp. top left and possibly 36 in Pine River Twp. lower right. We might find some land spilling into Crow Wing County. 

Further defining sections

The above image is a section divided into 1/4 sections of 160 acres.  The quarter section is broken down further so NW1/4 might be quartered again with a NW, NE, SW and SE section of 40 acres. 

Now life is not that tidy so things get creative at this point because landforms get in the way like a river or a lake.  See below and click on the image to make it larger.

Sections Divided Up

This information will help to understand the patents that George A. Barclay purchased.  Don’t let the current highway #371 confused you as it slices diagonally across many of these sections. 

It has been a long time since George established himself in Pine River and things have changed dramatically.

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George Barclay Purchases Land!

Great grandfather made a critical decision to move his trading post up to the present area of Pine River, Minnesota.

Two years after building his post on the South Branch of the Pine River, George Barclay apparently decided to move and expand his activities.  He chose a site on higher, more open ground located next to land currently occupied by the Durkee Manufacturing Company.   (Logsleds to Snowmobiles, pg. 104, published 1973).

My Aunt Miriam sent this to me as part of her notes about George’s land purchases (1986).  Just click on the photo and it will open up so you can read it.  She mentions three patents and one deed. 

George's Land - Miriam's Notes

The Logsleds and Snowmobiles book published in 1973 by the town of Pine River for the Bicentennial gives these descriptions of the land holdings on page 105 at the bottom of the 1st column and top of the 2nd. 

In 1876, he moved his establishment to higher ground and started purchasing land at the intersection of four townships:  137N-29W (Wilson), 137N-30W (Walden), 138N-29W (Barclay), and 138N-30W (Pine River).  From this site grew the village.  Appropriately, this largest settlement along the river eventually took the name of the river and became “Pine River.” (Logsleds to Snowmobiles, page 1.) 

…Barclay’s land purchases may have been formally registered as early as 1875 and definitely by 1876; however, the abstract indicates that the first purchase of the NW1/4 of the NW1/4 of Section 6, Township 137, Range 29 (Wilson Township) was not recorded as purchased until July 20, 1878, and the patent not received from the federal government until 1879.  On May 15, 1883, he purchased according to record the NE1/4 of the NW1/4 of Section 6, Township 137, Range 29, from the federal government.  (Logsleds to Snowmobiles, page 105).

The final 80 acre purchase of the SE1/4 and the SW1/4 (Lot 7) of the SW1/4 of Section 31, Township 138, Range 29 (Barclay Township) was bought on June 7, 1883 from the Northern Pacific Railway Company for $329.36.  (Logsleds to Snowmobiles, page 105).

I was doing my usual poking around the internet and found that Cass County government has the 2009 Land Atlas & Plat Book for Cass County, Minnesota up for searching.  I own the 2005 published version.  Here is that link:  http://www.co.cass.mn.us/platbook/platbook_web.html  You can click on various townships and cities in Cass County and pull up great maps in today’s world. 

The online version does not seem to have the “Information About Land Descriptions” that appears on pages 8 – 10 in the 2005 published version?  It is very important to understand how to read the land descriptions.  The National Atlas has this link to an explanation of the public land survey system:  http://www.nationalatlas.gov/articles/boundaries/a_plss.html  It might help to make the above information make more sense.

I also stumbled on the Heritage Group North website and discovered they were posting excerpts from the Logsleds to Snowmobiles book.  I also noticed that they have referenced this blog! So in the spirit of sharing here is their link along with my thank you:  http://www.pineriverhistory.org/5.html.

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George Barclay On His Own: A Trading Post!

Apparently my great-grandfather George Angus Barclay was not a farmer because after 1870 he is no longer listed on the census with his brother Alexander.  George left his brother Alexander in Eureka and he must have headed west and north.  Minnesota has state census but George does not seem to appear in the 1875 version which is missing Cass and Crow Wing Counties online at Ancestry.com.  

I often ponder what drove him to this remote area and why? It was the frontier back then. I think that his experiences as a wagoner in the Civil War taught him about requisitioning supplies, driving teams, using wagons, creating supply lines and more.  Spending time like he did in the Quartermaster Department gave him the skills he needed to be a trader of goods.  George’s granddaughter Miriam said he was “ambitious.”  Well he would need it where he was going!  

George was about 28-29 years old when he arrived on that south fork of the Pine River in central Minnesota.  He was old enough to be on his own and find his own way in the world.   

Trails.com – Pine River Topo Map (You will have to move the map around to find the South Fork of the Pine River.  

Crossing the South Fork of the Pine River

The photo is about where they would cross the Pine River and George’s trading post was not far from this site. The actual site where George’s first trading post is situated on private land.   

The book Logsleds to Snowmobiles, by the town of Pine River makes this comment on page 104:  

“In 1873, George Angus Barclay, according to The Northwest Magazine of February, 1895, purchased 840 acres of land along the Pine River.”  The purchase was made under the “cash entry system” which meant that Barclay paid $1.25 per acre under an 1820 federal law designed to encourage the settlement of farmers on forest lands.  At the same time, Dennis, McNannie, believe to be an Ojibway mixed blood, settled on 80 acres near Barclay.    

In the same year, Barclay and McNannie constructed a trading post, the site of which today is marked by a hole 19 feet square and five feet deep, 140 yards north of the old Elwell Road bridge over the South Branch of the Pine River south of the village.  The post was adjacent to the Leech Lake Military Trail.  McNannie continued as Barclay’s partner or employee until December, 1875….” 

The remains of the 1st Trading Post

My hubbie is being very helpful after I teased him about his pit.  He is of Norwegian descent and his Lokensgard family came to the Minnesota in 1857 and settle near Northfield, Minnesota.  We attended a reunion several years back and they chartered a bus that took all the Lokensgards from Stillwater to Northfield and out to the farm land where they had settled.  The land is on private land as well.  There the family walked about 10-15 minutes to a forested area and when they found the depression where the location of the house had been they gathered to remember the first Lokensgards to come to America.  It was very moving.  I do not have all the memorabilia and stories that my hubbie’s family has so I was estatic to learn I also had a pit in my family history!!!!  It is amazing to me how quickly nature takes over and obscures what came before.  

The “Logsleds” book has been like a guide to me.  Trying to identify exactly when my great-grandfather came to the area of the Pine River is rather difficult.  Believe me I have tried looking at census, deeds, documents, history books and newspapers to see if I could pin it down.  They all seem to think he was there by 1873.  

Brainerd the next biggest town in the area was just becoming a town of significance in 1873.  Brainerd would play a big role in the life of the Barclay’s.  There is an article reproduced from the Centennial Edition of the Brainerd Daily Dispatch (1871-1971) “Choice of Crossing from Three Sites Meant Birth to Brainerd, Death to Crow Wing.”  This article was Web posted Friday March 5, 2004 and recently removed from the web.  Fortunately I took this quote from the article before that time. The town of Brainerd seemed to have all that is necessary to establish a trading post north of the city.  

“As of February 22, 1873, Brainerd had 21 stores, 18 hotels and public boarding houses, 15 saloons, 2 billiard halls, 1 livery stable, 1 tailor shop, 3 barber shops, 2 blacksmith shops, 1 brewery, 2 photographers, 1 newspaper, 5 churches, 4 lawyers, 3 lodges.” 

The header photo of this blog is taken at the Crow Wing State Park.  Crow Wing was the town established before Brainerd but because of the railroad Brainerd took the lead and what you see is a large grassy area.

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