Best of safe deposit box

Old farm photo from ML

Photo not from SDB, but from ML.

On Sagitaw Farm stationery…

July 27 1963

In 1889 Grover Cleveland gave to Riley H. Fuller, SR. 171 and 8/10s acres of land in Luce County which he, his heirs and assigns were to hold forever. Lincoln’s 1862 homestead law limited the area which could be homesteaded to 160 acres but he was permitted to take title to some fractional lake lots. His homestead [certificate] now in the possession of Cassius C. Minier, was number 989 issued by the Land Office at Marquette and was one of the three earliest ones issued in Lakefield Township. The other two were issued to Robert Bryers on the west side of Round Lake and to Darbey (?) Tait for the land now occupied by Stone’s bar. The Tait certificate has been destroyed. The Bryers certificate is owned by his granddaughter, Erma Richards.

In 1841 when section 36, T45N, R12W, was originally surveyed by the U.S. there was evidence of an “Old Indian Sugar Bush” on what is now Sagitaw Farm.

The date and Paragraph 1 are typed. Paragraph 2 is handwritten by Francis F. McKinney in blue ink.

I wonder how long the “forever” of the first sentence lasted….

One comment

  1. Sherry says:

    Very cool piece of history.