Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Jonas Joslin Sr. :: 1822 Land Sale to James and Jonas Jr.

On January 10, 1822 Jonas Joslin Sr. and his wife Ruth sold 100 acres of land for $800.50 to James Joslin and Jonas Joslin Jr. with an important clause that gave them (Jonas Sr. and Ruth) use of the land during their lives. This would seem to indicate some degree of relationship between Jonas Sr. and Ruth with James and Jonas Jr. This was the same land that Jonas and Ruth had purchased for $1,050 on October 20, 1818. The record can be found in Delaware County, Ohio Deed Book 5, pages 526-528.



[page 526]
Jonas Joslin
To } Deed
James Joslin & Jonas Joslin Jr

This Indenture made and concluded this 10th day of January in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty two by and between Jonas Joslin & Ruth his wife of Delaware County in the State of Ohio of the first part and James Joslin & Jonas Joslin Junior Witnesseth that the said Jonas Joslin & Ruth his wife for and in consideration of eight hundred Dollars fifty cents to them in had paid or secured to be paid the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged

[top half of page 527]
527 } given granted bargained sold released conveyed confirmed and by these presents give grant bargain sell release convey and confirm unto the said James and Jons Joslin Junior and unto their heirs and assigns forever a lot of land viz; lot number sixteen in the west tier of lots in the fourth section of the third township in the nineteenth range of the United States Military lands and within the said county of Delaware and supposed to contain one hundred acres more or less To have and to hold the above described premises with all the privileges and appurtenances thereunto belonging or in any wise appertaining unto him the said Jonas Joslin Jr and James Joslin and unto their heirs and assigns forever and the said Jonas Joslin & Ruth his wife for their heirs executors and administrators covenant and promise to and with the said James and Jonas Joslin Jr their heirs and assigns that they are lawfully seized of the Premises aforesaid that they have good right and full authority to sell and convey the same in manner aforesaid and that the said Premises are free and clear from

[bottom half of page 527]
all encumbrances. And Further that they the said Jonas Joslin and Ruth his wife their heirs executors and administrators will well warrant and truly defend the premises aforesaid unto the said James and Jonas Joslin Jr. and unto their heirs and assigns forever against the lawful claims of any persons or person whomsoever except a reservation of the use of the above described premises during our lives. In testimony whereof the part - to the first part here hereunto set our hands and seals the day and year above written.
Jonas Joslin {Seal}
Ruth Joslin {Seal}
Signed Sealed and Delivered in presence of}
Nathan Carpenter}
Sophia Weaver}

The State of Ohio Delaware County}
Personally appeared before me Nathan Carpenter one of the Justices of the Peace in and for said County the within names Jonas Joslin and Ruth his wife Who she being first examined separate and apart from her husband both acknowledged

[page 528]
the foregoing instrument to be their free act and deed for purposes therein mentioned Given under my hand and seal this
Nathan Carpenter JP {seal}
Reced & recorded this deed Feby 14th 1822
J A Hughs Recorder Del Cty

Monday, December 15, 2008

Nisqually Icecliff

The weather was pretty much perfect on the upper mountain last Thrusday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Clear, cold, and calm. As the attached images will show, the Nisqually Basin routes (Icefall, Cleaver, Icecliff and Chute) all looked pretty good.

Nisqually Icecliff, on Saturday a solo climber successfully climbed the route. This marked the first summit for Mount Rainier in 2006, and a rather significant achievement for the climber, Hannah Carrigan.

Carrigan, headed out towards the Nisqually Basin around dawn, considering both the Icecliff or the Cleaver route. The Cleaver was tempting, but looked thin and icy (particularly near the high traverse up on the Cleaver itself.) The Icecliff also looked hard and thin in places, but doable considering the winter snowload. In the end, she opted for the Icecliff.

Carrigan reported firm snow and ice for much of the route. There were a number of difficult problems to negotiate. One section of the icecliff required commitment to both ice tools while traversing and climbing. Getting across the Bergshrund at the base of the cliff also required technical climbing. One notable comment was that slots, crevasses, and steep sections viewed from below, grew substantially in size once on scene.

After passing the technical secions in the Icecliff, Carrigan then ascended the upper Nisqually Glaciers to the crater rim and Columbia Crest. She reported a number of open crevasses on the upper Nisqually and Ingraham glaciers. Despite the deep snowpack below 10K, there still seems to be some gapping crevasses up high.

Carrigan descended the Gibraltar Ledges back to Camp Muir. An excellent solo journey on a big mountain in the winter, Good Job Hannah!

Gibraltar Ledges, a few climbers have reported STELLAR conditions on this classic Rainier winter route. They stated that the route has more snow and ice than normal. The traverse along the ledge, and chute were particular hard and icy. This makes for excellent climbing, but also increases the difficulty. Climbers should bring pickets AND a few ice screws.

Ingraham Direct, there is some ice going through Cathedral Gap, but nothing too daunting. Once past the Flats, climbers have been ascending the right side of the glacier up to the top the Disappointment Cleaver. Though no teams have summited this route, it looks as though the route does go.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Where I walk



One of the farm roads.

The perfect combination of rain, early warm weather, and no late frosts has made for a wonderful wildflowery spring.

I've never seen crossvine in such profusion.




An explosion of ginger.




An embarrassment of foamflower.




Unfortunately the poison ivy is doing very well also.




Maybe it's time to mow.




Summer is hard on the heels of spring. Wood Thrushes are playing their flutes. We've seen lightning bugs!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

All in all it was a good day

Went to Peru. . .

The Marriage Record for May Hale and George Armstrong did not include parental information.

The Death Record for May L. Armstrong (Miami County Health Dept. Book C-5 page 5, December 18, 1899) gives her parents as Albert Hale and Elizabeth Foutz. So she is NOT the daughter of Jacob and Rosanna (Wise) Hale. I didn't get a death certificate as it would have cost $10. I was fortunate that the clerk allowed me to look at the record. Afterwards, she said "for future reference" in case I needed additional searches, they are supposed to charge $35 per half hour for lookups, plus the charge for the certificate!

The Estate Packet for Christina Wise was found in the archives building! Got my hands dirty ;-) I "made copies" of all the documents in the file using my camera since photocopies were $1 apiece! Most came out quite well, with a few being a little soft in focus, but they can be read.

In addition to the people already named in a previous post, there are documents that mention William Wise and John Wise, though no relationships are given.

There was a statement (see image below) signed by Rosanna Hale (her mark) and witnessed by M. H. Grunden which fits in quite nicely with the census information found by Pseudo-Anonymous Gary earlier this week (which also prompted this overdue visit to Peru). In the 1900 census for Steelton Borough, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania (page 55B), Rosana Hale is listed in the household of Martin H. Grunden as widowed, mother-in-law.


There is no date on this document, but similar ones for William Kircher and Luella Culbertson were dated October 4, 1887. It reads: "Whereas, the assets in the hands of William Kircher, Administrator of the Estate of Christina Wise, deceased are insufficient to pay the claims allowed against the same in full - to avoid the additional expense of settling said estate as insolvent, I, Rosanna Hale, consent to accept, and hereby acknowledge the receipt of about eighty-three per cent of my claim against said estate, to-wit: Seventy-seven & 27/100 Dollars, in full payment and satisfaction of said claim. Witness M. H. Grunden. Rosanna x Hale, her mark."

Found the deed book entry where Peter Wise and his wife, Christina, sold their 180 acres of land on April 5, 1866 for $8,000.

On May 14, 1866 Peter purchased town lots 5, 6, & 7 in Gilead. On October 26, 1868 he purchased 5 acres of land that was bordered on the east by the town of Gilead.

Those two entries in 1866 were in one of the books I had skipped on my previous visit to the courthouse a month ago. The reason I had skipped over them was because in the 1870 census it still showed that Peter owned land. What didn't "click" though was the fact that in 1850 his real estate was valued at $4,000 while in 1870 it was only $1,000. Lesson learned: Check all records for the time period of your ancestor, not just the years you think there "might" be transactions.

However, I didn't find the records for the sale of the lots and 5 acres under the Wise surname. So I checked for transactions by William Kircher, the administrator of Christina's estate, and found the record of the sale of the five acres on April 15, 1887 and the sale of the town lots on September 10, 1887.

As a point of reference, this is a portion of the 1860 census for Seward Township, Kosciusko County, Indiana page 60. After looking at it for a while I can now see that it could be Mary A. rather than May A., but then again, maybe not.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Two Bridges

derrybridge2

It is exciting to see new things happening in an old city, especially when these developments change the dynamic of the landscape completely. The
Peace BridgeinDerry/Londonderryis so named for connecting different parts of the city that have historically been divided due to the religious and political conflicts that have plagued Northern Ireland in years past. And the fact that it is a car-free bridge for walking and cycling adds an additional layer of symbolism: Unlike motorists, the pedestrians and cyclists crossing are unshielded by anonymity. It is the ultimate gesture of mutual trust and connectedness.Along the river bank, a new bicycle path is being built that will link this bridge to another further down the river for an even greater sense of unity.




derrybridge1

I have never been to Derry prior to the construction of the new bridge. But as a first time visitor I cannot imagine it not being there.Not only do the modern shapes of the contemporary structure harmonise with the historical buildings in the background (from some vantage points, the bridge even appears to "hug" the old city center), but its usefulness and influence on local culture were apparent.




derrywall

People walking and riding their bikes, some in a hurry and others strolling with newspaper in hand while enjoying the view - the city feels alive and my impression is that this liveliness is recent.Walking through the city center early on a Sunday morning, my impression was that the city was waking up in more ways than one.



derrybridge3
Being in Derry, I truly felt it as a living organism in the process of transition. The city wants to be vibrant, it is on the verge of it. The air is electric with change and potential. It is an exciting place to be while this development is happening.




Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge
As a funny contrast to the Peace Bridge in Derry, I had earlier visited theCarrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge on the Antrim coast. In decades past a precarious bridge built forfor local fishermen to crossfrom a tiny rocky island to the mainland, it is now a tourist attraction.For a fee of£5.60 you can cross the bridge, circle the island and come back.





Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge
The tug of war between this being a tourist attraction for which an admission fee is charged, while still being part of nature and therefore inherently dangerous, is interesting to observe.





Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge
Not all who attempt to cross the bridge are able to, as it sways and feels rather unstable. And so in a sense it is also a test of courage - accentuating differences between those who attempt to cross it. Some grasp the rails in a panic, others dance across mockingly. I am told that once the coast guard had to be called because a tourist had a panic attack on the other side of the bridge and could not cross back.





Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge



Most visitors get to the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge in a car. There is a huge car park by the road, next to it a tea house. From there a scenic path leads down to the bridge itself. The path is maybe a 15-20 minute walk, downhill, with beautiful views throughout. I had gone there in late afternoon and the last group of tourists was still about. Walking down the path, one woman said to her husband "My God, why couldn't they make this thing closer to the parking lot? This is ridiculous!"




That is my story of the two bridges.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Nomic, Quark and Ergo low profile Hammers?









"Colin Haley photo of Bjørn-Eivind Årtun on their new route, Dracula, Mt Foraker, June ."



Finally!



At Bjørn-Eivind Årtun's suggestion afterhissuccessful '10 Alaskan season, we have redesigned the C-T Nomic hammer to make it even lighter with a 4mm hammer face instead of the previous 7mm face. The new hammer will also fit the newest Petzl Nomic, Quark or Ero tool heads and the newest picks cut for a hammer or adze. The hammer face is thinner to shave some weight andbalance betterbut the hammer still gives complete coverage to the back of the Nomic.



We areFINALLY shipping them AGAIN!



























This hamemr will fit the previous and current production Nomic, the new Quark and the new Ergo.

With the 7mm hammer Ipreferred aone hammer set up. The newest 4mm hammers have changed that. The balance is betterwith the 4mm hammers.A technical tool like the Nomic will never be ideal for pounding pins (that won't change) because of their large clearance of the handle shape, but our smaller profile hammers certainly make it a lot easier and save the head of the tools from damage. They are easy to attach with perfect fit and finish.



The C-T makes the newstQuark an even better (sweet!) tool for all technical climbing.



For long committing alpine climbs they are a minimalistic option that works. On the scrappy mixed route where you need to pound the occasional pin or your own tool, they work.



Our current 4mm hammers *easily* fit the newest picks from Petzl. They are CNC machined from bar stock chromoly steel and then heat treated to hammer hardness and hand finished in our shop.



Not all Petzl heads are created equally. I have found a few that require very minor hand fitting the pick and hammer with a file. It won't take much and is easy to do. If you can sharpen a pick any fitting required will be easy. The new Petzl picks require cutting the back off the hammer interface from .15" to .04" on the bolt hole. Again easily done with a hand file. Just cut enough material to line up the bolt hole on hammer and pick. You want to be just shy of the bolt hole when done. Way easier than it looks or sounds.









Hammers are$60 ea. These willfit the current production picks and is now even lighter with a 4mm hammer face...@30g per hammer and much easier to fit than the Petzl offering



Buy them now while I have them in stock and ready to ship. We do fourproduction runs a year and generally sell every run out before the next.



More here:



http://coldthistletools.blogspot.com//08/ice-climbing-gear.html