When Mary Etta Hill Crowder found this old deed in a box of miscellaneous items that she had picked up at a tag sale, she decided to do a little investigating. That is how she found my post, from October 2019, about George Shields and his Maplewood Subdivision. She asked if I would like to have this deed. I said yes and she very kindly sent it along.
I notice on this deed, and also on some of the other information that I found, that his wife Margaret’s name is first. This makes me wonder if she was running the show and if that would have been unusual in the 1880s.
I also notice that the piece of property that Margaret and George sold to John L. Woolfolk in November of 1889 seems to be the same piece of property where they were living when the estate was broken up after George’s death in 1891. The dimensions of the property described in the deed are the same as the ones listed in the newspaper. If anyone feels like going down the rabbit hole on this one, I’m interested.
From the information in the newspapers we learn that George had been in failing health for nearly a year before he passed away on May 4, 1891. I wonder if his health had been failing long before that. Perhaps that is why Margaret’s name preceded his as early as December 1887 in a notice posted in the Globe-Democrat?
There is a lot more information in the original post which you can link to here.
George Shields and his Maplewood Subdivision
I admire the handwriting on old documents like this one. Good penmanship was essential.
Margaret’s name was listed first in this notice posted in December of 1887.
From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 4, 1891.
This description seems to be of the property described in the historic deed. Any opinions?
From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 19, 1891
Much thanks to Mary Etta Hill Crowder for this very interesting fragment of Maplewood history.
Spring is very nearly upon us. About time.
Doug Houser March 18, 2024