February 23, 1870 - School values

The Sycamore True Republican newspaper published the value of the DeKalb county township rural schools in their February 23, 1870 edition.

Below is a closeup:

Schools in Milan township had a value of $5,850; there were a total of nine rural schoolhouses.   Most if not all the rural schools in Milan township would have been built by the time this information was published.    Considering the property for the Browne school was purchased in 1865, the Browne school was most likely in operation at the time this information was released.

Here is a county map of DeKalb county (including the surrounding counties) from 1870 which includes the 18 townships that existed that year.

1870 DeKalb, Ogle & Lee counties

February 3, 1870 - Indenture

A year following the sale of the property surrounding the location of the Browne school, the Lock family sold the property in two parcels.     The south 60 82/100 acres of the northwest 1/4 and the north 82 68/100 acres of the southwest 1/4 of section 1 in township 39 north of range 3 east of the 3rd PM, total 143 1/2 acres was sold to Lyman Truman on February 3, 1870.

On the same day, a second transaction took place with a different buyer for the southern portion of the property.    The school was once again referenced in the document.  

 The property was identified as, "The South Eighty (80) acres of the South West Quarter of Section one (1) in Township thirty-nine (39) North Range three (3) East of the Third Principal Meridian (excepting about one half acre in the South West corner of said land used for school purposes)" was sold back in the amount of $2,500 to Richard Pearse.

November 6, 1869 - Indenture

Eleven months following the purchase of land adjoining the property on which the Browne school was located, an indenture was filed on November 6, 1869.

November 6, 1869 Indenture

Edwin Pierce* paid $500 to his father, Richard Pearse resolving a mortgage dated March 16, 1858.    I do not have a copy of that mortgage but according to this indenture document, it is located in Book 13 of mortgages, page 338.   If anyone obtains a copy of the original mortgage, please let me know in the comment section.    

What makes this document unusual is that the outstanding debt was not resolved and filed prior to Richard Pearse selling the property to James Lock in February of 1869.     By today's standards, Mr. Lock would not have had clear title to the property at the time of purchase.

A secondary issue that remains unanswered is why would Edwin take out a mortgage on a property 3 years after he had already transferred the property to his father?    Documents are missing between these transactions which would explain the sequence of events.   Again, if anyone can track down the transactions involving the 'South West Quarter (SW 1/4) of Section One (1) Township Thirty Nine (39) North of Range Three (3) East of the 3rd Principal Meridian" that I have not posted (between the years 1853 and 1869), please contact me by posting a comment.

*The Pearse family changed the spelling of their name to Pierce.