The Indiana Homestead

Nathaniel Foltz (1831-1932)

Sarah Catherine Leonard (1836-1910)

Nathaniel Foltz and wife, Sarah Catherine Leonard

     

 

I enjoy looking at all kinds of maps but I’m partial to cadastral maps when working on genealogy. This type of map shows land parcels in relation to one another and to the adjoining roads. It also shows owners’ names and the size of each parcel; small black squares indicate locations of houses.

 

A portion of the 1903 Grant County, Indiana cadastral map containing the town of Swayzee and sections 9 through 25 in Sims Township is shown below. This is where Nathaniel Foltz and Sarah Leonard, along with two of their sons, Elmer and Emmet, settled in 1883.

 

1903 cadastral map of a portion of Sims Township, Grant County, IN¹ (Library of Congress)

I marked each of the Foltz properties with a red x. Section 12 shows E. Foltz (Elmer) as the owner of 128.69 acres. In Section 13,  S. C. Foltz (Sarah) is shown as the owner of a 49-acre portion, with Nathaniel owning 150.50 acres of adjacent land. E. & E. Foltz – Elmer’s brother, Emmet, and sister-in-law, Elizabeth ‒ own a parcel of 63.75 acres. In Sections 14, 15, 22, and 27, the properties marked in green were owned by some members of the Gentis and Zirkle families, also from Champaign County, Ohio. Jesse Foltz mentioned them in his letter to his niece. [See post Settling the Indiana Homestead.]

 

According to Jesse, Nathaniel Foltz’s property was located one mile north and two miles east of Swayzee, which puts it at the intersection of 200 S and 600 W. As far as I can tell from Google Maps satellite images, it appears the original house is still there. I definitely see a road trip in my future. 

 

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SOURCES

 

¹Westlake, W. B. Map of Grant County, Indiana. Madison, Ind.: W.B. Westlake, 1903. Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/2013593196/.

Howell-Richards Family History - June 2021