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Thursday, September 30, 2010

Helping the Widow

The local banker signed as a witness to an affidavit in the widow's Civil War pension file of Nancy Rampley in 1897 in Hancock County, Illinois.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Going To Mexico

This 1921 passport application was signed by a Chicago area resident who was heading on a business trip to Mexico.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Helping Son Get a Passport

This mother is signing her son's passport application in 1919. Her son was born in Pennsylvania in 1877. Not certain about her.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Guardian for a Customer's Child

This 1926 era signature is from the guardian for a relative whose parents died with a minor child. The financial guardian was a banker and the physical guardian was the child's aunt.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Godparent for the Grandchild

This is the name of the man who was listed as the godparent for his grandchild born in Wiesens, Ostfriesland, Germany, in the 1850s.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Auctioneer at 1918 Sale

This is the name of the auctioneer at the 1918 sale of personal property for the estate of John Michael Trautvetter.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Clerking at the Sale

This signature comes from the sale bill from a 1918 auction. This is the signature of one of the clerks.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Brother Can Settle Dad's Things.

This individual is signing the petition for her brother to be the administrator to her father's estate in 1918.


Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Signing the Appraisal

This individual is signing an inventory appraisal in 1918 in Hancock County, Illinois.

The estate was used partially in writing a Casefile Clues article on the real estate of the decedent, John Michael Trautvetter. An earlier article discussed the estate sale of the personal property. 



Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Signing off on Father's Estate

This Illinois native signed off on an estate settlement in Hancock County, Illinois, in 1918.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Appraising an Estate

This individual signed the estate appraisal of John Michael Trautvetter in Hancock County, Illinois in 1918.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Signing for My Share

This signature comes from a 1918 probate document in Illinois. The signee was born in the 1880s.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Signing my Bond

This individual got into a little trouble with the law in Champaign County, Illinois in the 1870s. This is the signature from one of the records in his court case. This individual was likely born in Ohio in the 1840s.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Guarding the Neighbor's Kids

This individual was the neighbor who was initially appointed guardian in 1870 for the children in yesterday's post. He's not a relative, so I know little about him.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Guarding the kids

This likely Ohio native signed a guardianship document for his sister's children in Champaign County, Illinois, in the 1870s.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Baptizing the child

This is part of a christening entry from Castle Carrock in County Cumberland, England in 1764.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Signing My Intent Again


This German native signed his intent to become a citizen in Adams County, Illinois in December of 1854.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Becoming A Citizen


This native of northern-Germany, born in the 1790s, signed his declaration of intent in Adams County, Illinois in 1854

Sunday, September 12, 2010

The Name of the Child


This is the name of the child named in the guardianship referenced in the entries from the previous three days. This comes from an early 1920 document.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Guardian for my sister's brother's child

This is another guardian petition--this one from 1925 (the same child's guardianship from the previous two days' posts).

This individual was born in the 1870s. This one's pretty easy--for those who thought they were getting too hard.

Friday, September 10, 2010

My Sister's Child

This individual was appointed guardian for his sister's son in the early 1900s in Hancock County, Illinois.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Just One Child


The widow of a deceased landowner signs and indicates her husband only had one child on this signature from Hancock County, Illinois, in 1912.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Our Sponsor: Casefile Clues

Don't forget that Genealogy Transcriber is sponsored by Casefile Clues, my how to genealogy newsletter. Signatures and writing examples used here are sometimes discussed in more detail in issues of Casefile Clues. An annual subscription is only $17. Payment can be made via PayPal here.

My Working Papers


This native of upstate New York was born in the mid-19th century. This signature came from his employment papers in Chicago.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Settling the Neighbor's Estate

This is a signature from an estate settlement in the 1880s in Vernon County, Missouri, that I'm working on for an upcoming column of Casefile Clues.

I'm not certain of this individual's age or nativity, but he would have been at least twenty-one as he was administrating an estate. Most likely--he's older than that.

Monday, September 6, 2010

My 1860 In Law


Any thoughts on the 58 year old male living in the household of Peter Friend in Davenport, Scott County, Iowa, in 1860?

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Guarding my Grandchildren


This German native signed the guardianship application for his grandchildren in 1918 (after the parents died of the flu).

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Releasing my Guardian

Having reached the age of majority, this ward of the court signed papers acknowledging the receipt of money from his parents' estate in 1922 in Hancock County, Illinois.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Guardian of my Sister's Children

This early 20th century signature comes from a guardianship case in Hancock County, Illinois.

Regular readers of my writing might know the last name, but the first one is one I don't write about too often.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Buying Federal Land

This is a signature on an 1840 era federal land purchase. This Kentucky native was born about 1820.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Selling Dad's Farm

This 1947 signature was from a deed where the widow is selling the farm she and her husband purchased from her father's estate approximately thirty years before.
The writer was an Illinois native, born in the 1880s.