He’s Trying to Sell Our Property Instantly in 1764


Newspapers can be a genealogical wildcard. This advertisement from  the 15 April 1764 Philadelphia Gazette shows exactly why.

Inasmuch as William Norlit hath advertised 150 Acres of Land in Middletown, Chester County, to be sold on the 24 Instant; This is to give Notice to whom it may concern, that 100 Acres thereof is the Property of my Sister and self.       ANN MARSH

That’s an interesting accusation. Unfortunately Marsh does not name her sister and does not indicate if there is any relationship among William Norlit and Ann Marsh and her sister. The sisters are claiming ownership of 100 out of the 150 acres, an ownership share of two-thirds.  Their claimed claim leaves William Norlit with one-third of the property. This suggests they are all heirs of a pre-deceased owner. But suggestions are not proof–they simply suggest where research needs to go.

Additional work needs to be done. It is possible there was a court case resulting from the claim of Ann Marsh and her sister. It’s possible there is an estate settlement or probate case that could explain the connection among the three. The problem with that would be determining whose estate they were all heirs of. It might have been someone with a last name other than Norlit or Marsh. Property and tax records should also be referenced.

And the 24th instant? That means the 24th of the current month.

This item was located on Newspapers.com.


Note: I have no relationship to the individuals in this advertisement. I simply located it while searching for something else.

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2 thoughts on “He’s Trying to Sell Our Property Instantly in 1764

  1. Patty Gilbert says:

    That’s an interesting problem if someone was trying to sell something such as property that in fact may not be therirs.

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