Shawn,
Thank you very much for your answer and your suggestions. I will see if I
can get the complete probate record. I wrote to Ball State University and
they returned to me "entries discussing the estate of Frncis Harris from
Probate Book 3, as indicated in the Delaware County Genealogist and
Historian". But I have read these carefully and though they discuss the
estate, they don't contain the information that was in the abstract. ?? They
gave me a number to call if I had questions, but I'm not quite sure what to
ask. Well, I will call them.
Hugh Harris, with wife and 5 children crossed the trail to Oregon, from
IL, in 1853. Four more children, including my grandfather, were born in
Oregon. Hugh died in 1888 when his wagon was hit by a train.
I have been stuck on this for quite a while and really appreciate your
suggestions.
I hadn't thought about Hugh getting his inheritance early - maybe when he
moved to Illinois - but it sounds like a good possibility. And how likely is
it that there could have been more than one Francis Harris in Delaware County
in 1831??
Sure hope this list flies. I was excited to discover it.
Thanks again.
Dot Neff in Portland, OR
DotNeff(a)aol.com