Lake Co., MI -- General Land Office Records - 1807-1907

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Michigan Land Patents Database

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) inherited the functions of the
General Land Office when it was established by Congress in 1946. The
Michigan Land Patents Database, derived from General Land Office and
BLM information, contains deeds (primarily patents) issued by the Unit
States in the region now known as the State of Michigan between 1807
and 1907. While BLM has been referred to as "the Nations record keeper
it is the National Archives that actually keeps the files. The BLM,
maintains diagrammatic plats known as Master Title Plats, which depict
lands which are owned by the United States and lands which are patente
However, these plats do not have any information about who the lands we re
patented to. That information which has only been available after tedio us
research, it is available now in this database.

The Michigan Land Patents Database contains the following information f or
each land transaction: date, location (township, range, section),
name of person the land was patented to, county, date, and the patent
document identification number.

Using this information, you can access the Bureau of Land Management
web site and view a copy of the original document.

http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/

The document can be saved to disk, printed out, or merely viewed. Certifi ed
copies of the document can be orderd on their web site as well.

The National Archives will also send you a copy of the patent file for $ 10 from
at the following address:

Reference Branch (Lands)
National Archives
Washington, DC 20408
(202) 501-5428

You need to submit your request on a copy of Form 84. To get the form, se nd
an e-mail message to

inquire@nara.gov

In the body of the message, be sure to ask for Form 84 "Order for Copi es of
Land Entry Files", tell them how many copies you want (get at lea st 2, in case
you make a mistake) and give your name and snail address so they can se nd you
the forms.

(Or you can send a snail mail letter to above address). Sending by e-ma il takes
less than a week; by snail mail both ways takes about 2 weeks.

Meridians
All Data in this database is measured from the Michigan Meridian and base line.
See map.

Land Office Codes

Notice that there were only 15 Land Offices for the whole state. Land rec ords for
properties near the state boundaries may be found mixed in with the recor ds of
the other state. Care has been exercised to include only parcels of la nd that are
within the present boundaries of state of Michigan

01 BRONSON 08 KALAMAZOO
02 DETROIT 09 MARQUETTE
03 DUNCAN 10 MONROE
04 EAST SAGINAW 11 REED CITY
05 GENESEE 12 SAULT STE. MARIE
06 GRAYLING 13 TRAVERSE CITY
07 IONIA 14 WHITE PIGEON PRAIRIE
19 MACKINAK


PATENT_L_N PATENT_F_N PATENT_M_I SECTION_NR TOWNSHIP RANGE TO TAL_ACRE L_O_CODE DOCUMENT_# SIGN_DATE REMARKS


LITTLE HERBERT H 10 20 N 13 W 160.00 11 5646 188 4/12/20
LITTLE LATHAM M 4 20 N 13 W 0.00 11 4400 1 880/12/10
LITTLE LATHAM M 4 20 N 13 W 0.00 11 4400 1 880/12/10
LITTLE LATHAM M 4 20 N 13 W 160.00 11 4400 188 0/12/10
LITTLE WILLIAM B 10 20 N 13 W 0.00 06 64 26 1890/09/03
LITTLE WILLIAM B 10 20 N 13 W 0.00 06 64 26 1890/09/03

Notes about Ensign Beals Griffes:

According to our family history, which was initially undertaken by Laura ( Blood) Ellsworth, a niece of Ensign Beals Griffes, known as "E.B.," he di ed on 09 April 1943 at age 89 years, 6 months, and 13 days old. The dea th date on a transcribed but certified copy of the record of Ensign's dea th obtained 10 July 2003 has Ensign's death recorded as 13 March 1944 a nd his age at death recorded as 89 years, 5 months, and 7 days. A newspap er obituary states that his funeral was March 16th, but there was no ye ar of death and no date on the newspaper article.
* * *
In summer of 2003 my husband and I stopped at the Dublin Cemetery on our w ay to a family reunion in Thompsonville, Michigan. The Dublin Cemete ry is actually the Fernwood Cemetery and is in Norman Township, Elk Townsh ip, Lake County, Michigan. We found the double gravestone of Ensign Bea ls Griffes and his wife Catherine Margaret (Little) Griffes and took a pho tograph of it. Both of their birth years were engraved as 1955, but I bel ieve his birth date to be 26 September 1954. Catherine was born on 11 Jan uary 1855, so she was 19 on January 11th. When they were married on 28 Ju ne 1874, they were both 19, but he turned 20 on September 26th, so if o ne subtracts 20 from 1874, his birth date would be 26 September 1854. The refore, whoever had the gravestone engraved made a mistake on Ensign's bir th year.

Another proof that Ensign was born in 1854 is a delayed birth record of wh ich I obtained a copy in June, 2004. The delayed birth record was request ed in 1940 by my grandfather, Orson Mitchel Griffes, who was the first-bo rn of Ensign and Catherine. Both, Catherine and Ensign answered this ques tion in their own handwriting, "What was your age after your last birthd ay when your son was born?" They both answered the question "20." Ors on was born on 24 August 1875, and Ensign turned 21 on 26 September 187 5, so when one subtracts 21 from 1875, it proves that Ensign was born in t he year 1854.

Both, Ensign and Catherine (Little) Griffes were buried in Fernwood Cemete ry, Dublin, Norman Township, Manistee County, Michigan.
* * *
ARTICLE PUBLISHED OBVIOUSLY AFTER AN ORAL INTERVIEW BY REPORTER DURING O NE OF THE VISITS TO CLARKLAKE IN JACKSON COUNTY MICHIGAN

August 24, 1941
Jackson Citizen Patriot Newspaper
(Appeared with his picture)

E.V. Griffes (sic, should be E.B. Griffes)

Transcribed and mailed to me in 1991 by Alice (Sturgis) Cooper Neely, daug hter of Marian Lucene Sturgis and Gladys Eleanor (Griffes) Sturgis. Glad ys was the only living child of Orlen Augustus Griffes and Alice Lodema (P arkhurst). Orlen was married 1st to Carrie A. (Stephenson), no childre n. Orlen and Alice had three children, only one, Gladys, lived to adultho od. Orlen Augustus Griffes was the only brother of Ensign Beals Griffe s. The two sisters of Orlen and Ensign were Susan Marie Griffes (m. Arth ur Cooper), and Amy J. Griffes (m. James L. Blood). - Lois (Griffes) Korte ring

Clark Lake of Pre-cottage Era is Described by Pioneer

Clark lake today, with its booming activity as a popular summer resort a nd haven for heat-conscious city dwellers, is a far cry from conditions wh ich prevailed there some 60 odd years ago.

Verification of this statement was made by E.V. (sic, should be E.B.) Grif fes, resident of Clark lake (sic, should be Lake) from 1855 to 1874, the y ear he left for Iron (sic, should be Irons) City, Michigan where he settl ed and has been located ever since.

Spending a short vacation here with his son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and M rs. Henry Griffes, 239 E. Prospect St., the 86-year-old upstater took ti me out to reminisce about events of his early childhood which transpir ed in the lake sector.

Lived in Log Cabin

Born in New York state on Sept. 26, 1854, the aged Griffes' family mov ed to Clark's lake (sic, should be Clarklake) one year later. The family 's first home there, he admitted, was a log cabin situated approximately t hree-quarters of a mile north of the lake on the main road which has conti nued to lead to Ocean Beach pier (sic, should be Pier) and the state pa rk grounds down through the years.

Strongest implanted in his mind, he declared, is the fact that large far ms extending to the water's edge occupied the area later used for cotta ge space. Property adjacent to the lake, according to the early settle r, consisted largely of thickly wooded sections. Exceptions to this we re clearings made by farmers to permit the growing of produce, largely f or family consumption.

During the 19 years Griffes resided near the lake, he said the only buildi ng erected near the water was a tavern on the south side which in later ye ars was replaced by the Eagle Point hostelry (sic, should be Hostelry ). As near as he could remember, the tavern was built in 1872. When he l eft in 1874, he said, the lake and surrounding territory were the sa me as when he moved there - cottages had not made an appearance by that ti me.

Becoming dissatisfied with the cabin, Griffes said his family moved to a f arm located about one mile northwest of the first home. This brought h im to within a mile of the school, at the intersection of the Napoleon a nd Clarklake Rds., and he kept up his studies until attaining the age of 1 4.

To Visit Landmark

When his school years were over, Griffes disclosed he joined his fath er in building- construction work and devoted more time to tending the fa rm crops. Sunday promised to be a big day for him as he expected to vis it a barn on the old Preston property at the lake, which has withstood t he ravages of time for 70 years. He explained that it is the first buildi ng he ever constructed, and that he hewed and trimmed the timbers us ed in it when he was 16 years old.

Returning to the lake in 1899 after an absence of 25 years, Griffes sa id he was surprised to see what progress had been made toward clearing t he woods to make room for future lakeside improvements. The change astoun ded him then, he said, but the things that greet his eye today are such th at they make the old memories seem unreal.

As to the way in which the lake became converted into a popular summer res ort spot practically overnight, Griffes said he was unable to elaborate up on it as he found it difficult to keep track of its rapid growth.

The northern Michigan resident came to Jackson three weeks ago to attend t he Griffes annual reunion at Pleasant lake (sic, should be Lake). In atte ndance this year were his 42 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He h as participated in the family reunion for the last five years, vacationi ng with his son until labor day. At this time he will return home to assi st his son-in-law with the operation of a large farm and resort near Ir on City.
* * *
Grandpa Was a Good Fisherman:

Story told in about 1990 by my aunt Louise Elizabeth (Griffes), wife of Wi lliam James "Jim" Janes and youngest sister of my father, Orlon Mitchel Gr iffes:

"Ensign Beals Griffes had been a surveyor in Lake County in the early year s. He loved his garden, especially working with the fruit trees, grafti ng different varieties on one tree.

Grandpa Griffes was a carpenter and built houses and barns. he was a go od plasterer and worked at this with his sons Orson, Clarence, and Leon.

Also, Grandpa was a good fisherman, but he refused to go fishing if the wi nd was not coming from the right direction. He would always predict th at the fish would not bite and he would always be right. Someone once ask ed Grandpa why he could catch fish when no one else could. His answer wa s, 'You have to chew the right kind of tobacco!' The 'right kind' was 'Ya nkee Girl!'"

NEWSPAPER OBITUARY
Irons, Lake County Newspaper
Unknown date of publication

E.B. Griffes, County Pioneer, Dies at Age of 89 in Irons, Mich.

Funeral services were conducted March 16 at his home town of Irons, Mich ., for Ensighn (sic, should be Ensign) Beals Griffes, 89, a Jackson coun ty (sic, should be County) pioneer who until last year made regular summ er visits to relatives and friends (sic., should be friends) here and at C lark lake (sic, should be Clarklake).

Among Mr. Griffes' survivors are a grandson and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Hen ry Griffes, 239 E. Prospect Ave., with whom he last visited in the summ er of 1942.

Coming with his parents from New York state (sic, should be State) at t he age of one and one-half years, Mr. Griffes first resided in a tiny l og cabin near Clark lake (sic) and later on a farm a mile from the scho ol at the Napoleon and Clark lake (sic) road (sic) intersection.

Builds Barn at 16

At the age of 14, he assisted his father in construction work and farmin g, and a barn which he built at 16, hewing out all the timbers himself, st ill stands on the Preston property at the lake.

At 18 he went to Lake county (sic, should be County) walking the railro ad grade from Reed City in Baldwin before the steel was laid and with h is uncle he worked in the woods near Fife lake (sic, should be Lake) duri ng the winter, returning to Clark lake (sic, should be Lake) in the sprin g.

He was married in 1874 to Catherine Little, and with his wife and father-i n-law, moved to Lake county (sic, should be Lake), settling a homestead, w here they resided for 12 years before moving to a farm northwest of Luthe r. Since 1898 the family has resided on a farm on Cool lake (sic, shou ld be Lake).

Held Offices

He did much of the early surveying in Lake county (sic, should be Lake) a nd was both supervisor and treasurer of Elk township (sic, should be Towns hip) for many years. He was master of the Lake county (sic, should be Cou nty) Pomona Grange, a charter member of the Elk Grange and its master f or many years, a member of the Church of Christ, in which he taught Bib le school. He was fond of fishing, hunting and trapping, and had hunt ed 12 days of the 1943 deer season with his grandsons.

Surviving are two sons, Orsen M. (sic, should be Orson) of Muskegon and Le on B. of Bristol; one daughter, Edna B. Wicks of Irons; 17 grandchildre n, and 50 great-grandchildren.
* * *
CLARK LAKE PIONEER DIES AT IRON CITY
(sic, should read Clarklake Pioneer Dies at Irons City)

Appeared in Brooklyn (Township), not dated, transcribed and se nt to me in 1991 by Alice (Sturgis) Cooper Neely, daughter of Marian Luce ne Sturgis and Gladys Eleanor (Griffes) Sturgis and granddaughter of Orl en Augustus Griffes and Alice Lodema (Parkhurst).

One of Clark Lake's (sic, should be Clarklake) early settlers, Ensign Bea ls Griffes, died last week in his home at Iron City (sic, should be Iro ns City), Michigan. He was born in New York state (sic, should be Stat e) on September 26, 1854 and moved with his family a year later to Clar ks Lake (sic, should be Clarklake). The family's first home there was a l og cabin situated approximately three-quarters of a mile north of the la ke on the main road which has continued to lead to Ocean Beach pier (si c, should be Pier) and the state park grounds down through the years. Dur ing the 19 years that Mr. Griffes resided near the lake the only buildi ng erected near the water was a tavern on the south side which in later ye ars was replaced by the Eagle Point hotel (sic, should be Hotel or Hostelr y) In an interview some three years ago he reported that as near as he co uld remember, the tavern was built in 1872. When he left in 1874, he sa id the lake and surrounding territory were the same as when he moved the re -cottages had not made an appearance by that time.

Becoming dissatisfied with the cabin, the family moved to a farm located a bout one mile of the school, at the intersection of the Napoleon and Cla rk Lake (sic, should be Clarklake) roads where he attended school unt il he was 14. At the conclusion of his school years he joined his fath er in building-construction work and de voted more time to tending farm cr ops. While making a visit at the Lake (sic, should be lake) a few years a go he visited the barn on the old Preston property which had withstood t he ravages of time for 70- years. It was the first building he ever const ructed, and he hewed and trimmed the timbers used in it when he was 16 yea rs old.

Mr. Griffes has many relatives in this vicinity including two nieces, Mr s. Will Foster and Mrs. Gladys Sturgis, both of Brooklyn.

• Married: 28 JUN 1874 in Columbia Township, Jackson County, Michigan

1. Orson Mitchel GRIFFES b: 24 AUG 1875 in Jefferson Township, Jackson County, Michigan
2. Clarence Orlon GRIFFES b: 27 OCT 1880 in Eden Township, Lake County, Michigan
3. Leon Beals GRIFFES b: 8 OCT 1883 in Eden Township, Lake County, Michigan
4. Edna Belle GRIFFES b: 21 SEP 1896 in Eden Township, Lake County, Michigan

1. Title: Michigan Land Records
   Author: Ancestry.com
   Publication: Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 1997
   Note: United States, Bureau of Land Management, Michigan Pre-1908 Homestead & Cash Entry Patent and Cadastral Survey Plat Index, : General Land Office Automated Records Project, 1994
   Repository:
   Note: www.ancestry.com
   Media: Ancestry.com
2. Title: Obituary for Ensign Beals Griffes, Brooklyn, Jackson County, Michigan
3. Title: Article in the Jackson Citizen Patriot newspaper on Sunday, 24 August 1941
   Page: Page 11
   Text: CLARK LAKE OF PRE-COTTAGE ERA IS DESCRIBED BY PIONEER
   
   Clark lake today, with its booming activity as a poopular summer resort and haven for heat-conscious city dwellers, is a far cry from conditions which prevailed there some 60 odd years ago.
   
   Verification of this statement was made by E.V. Griffes, resident of Clark lake from 1855 to 1874, the year he left for Iron city, Michi. where he settled and has been located ever since.
   
   Spending a short vacation here with his son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Griffes, 239 E. Prospect St., the 86-year-old upstater took time out to reminisce about events of his early childho od which transpired in the lake sector.
   
   LIVED IN LOG CABIN
   
   Born in New York state on Sept. 26, 1854, the aged Griffes' family moved to Clark's lake one year later. The family's first home there, he admitted, was a log cabin situated approximately three-quart ers of a mile north of the lake on the main raod which has continued to lead to Ocean Beach pier and the state park grounds down through the years.
   
   Notes by Lois (Griffes) Kortering, great-granddaughter and author of this family history:
   
   Even though the reporter of the article erroneously stated his name "E.V. Griffes" instead of "E.B. Griffes," the picture included in the article was the same picture that was included in his obituary , which appeared in the Brooklyn Township newspaper, which did have his name as "Ensighn" Beals Griffes (sic, should have been "Ensign"), and the picture was exactly the same picture that appeared i n the article that was in the Jackson Citizen Patriot newspaper on 24 August 1941, just three years before his death at age 89 on 13 March 1944. He would have been 90 years old the following Septembe r 26th.
4. Title: Delayed birth record of Orson, their first son
   Text: In summer of 2003 my husband and I stopped at the Dublin Cemetery on our way to a family reunion in Thompsonville, Michigan. The Dublin Cemetery is actually the Fernwood Cemetery and is in Norman Tow nship, Elk Township, Lake County, Michigan. We found the double gravestone of Ensign Beals Griffes and his wife Catherine Margaret (Little) Griffes and took a photograph of it. Both of their birth y ears were engraved as 1955, but I believe his birth date to be 26 September 1954. Catherine was born on 11 January 1855, so she was 19 on January 11th. When they were married on 28 June 1874, they w ere both 19, but he turned 20 on September 26th, so if one subtracts 20 from 1874, his birth date would be 26 September 1854. Therefore, whoever had the gravestone engraved made a mistake on Ensign' s birth year.
   
   Another proof that Ensign was born in 1854 is a delayed birth record of which I obtained a copy in June, 2004. The delayed birth record was requested in 1940 by my grandfather, Orson Mitchel Griffes , who was the first-born of Ensign and Catherine. Both, Catherine and Ensign answered this question in their own handwriting, "What was your age after your last birthday when your son was born?" The y both answered the question "20." Orson was born on 24 August 1875, and Ensign turned 21 on 26 September 1875, so when one subtracts 21 from 1875, it proves that Ensign was born in the year 1854.
5. Title: Certified Copy of the Death Record of Ensign Beals Griffes
   Page: Book 2, Page 227
   Text: STATE OF MICHIGAN, County of Lake
   I, Shelly Myers, Clerk of the County of Lake, and of the Circuit Court thereof, the same being a Court of Record having a seal, do hereby certify that the following is a copy of the record of death o f Ensign Beals Griffes now remaining in my office, and of the whole thereof, viz:
   
   Record Number: Book 2, Page 227.
   Date of Death: March 13, 1944.
   Full Name of the Deceased: Ensign Beals Griffes.
   Male or Female: M.
   White, Black, Mulatto, Etc.: W.
   Marrie, Single, Widow, or Widower: W.
   Age: 89 years, 5 months, 7 days.
   Place of Death: Elk Township.
   Desease or Cause of Death: Senile Dibility following bad cold.
   Birthplace: New York State.
   Occupations: Surveyors.
   Father: Unknown; Birthplace: New York.
   Mother: Unknown; Birthplace: New York.
   In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto to set my hand and affixed the seal of the Circuit Court, the 8th day of July...A.D. 2003.
   Signed and Sealed by: Shelly Myers, Clerk.
6. Title: Newspaper obituary
   Text: "Furneral services were conducted March 16 at his home town of Irons, Michigan for Ensign Beals Griffes, 89 a Jackson County pioneer who until last year, made regular summer visits to relatives and fr iends here and at Clarklake."
   
   Also:
   
   "He hunted 12 days of the 1943 deer season with his grandsons."