Certificate No. 32,817

To All to Whom These Presents Shall Come, Greeting:

Whereas Jan Nowjizki, of Huron County, Michigan, has deposited in the General Land Office of the United States a Certificate of the Register of the Land Office at Detroit, whereby it appears that full payment has been made by the said Jan Nowjizki according to the provisions of the Act of Congress of the 24th of April, 1820, entitled, “An Act making further provision for the sale of Public Lands,” for

the North Half of the South-West Quarter, and the South-East Quarter of the South-West Quarter of Section Nine in Township Fifteen North, of Range Fourteen East, in the district of lands subject to sale at Detroit, Michigan containing One Hundred and Twenty Acres, according to the official plat of the Survey of the said Lands, returned to the General Land Office by the Surveyor General, which said tracts have been purchased by the said Jan Nowjizki.

Now know ye, that the United States of America, in consideration of the premises, and in conformity with the several Acts of Congress in such case made and provided, have given and granted, and by these presents do give and grant, unto the said Jan Nowjizki and to his heirs the said tract above described: To have and to hold the same, together with all the rights, privileges, immunities, and appurtenances, of whatsoever nature, thereunto belonging, unto the said Jan Nowjizki and to his heirs and assigns forever.

In Testimony Whereof, I, James Buchanan, President of the United States of America, have caused these letters of be made Patent, and the Seal of the General Land Office to be hereunto affixed.

Given under my hand at the City of Washington the Tenth Day of October, in the year of Our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Fifty-Nine, and of the Independence of the United States the Eighty-Fourth.

By the President: James Buchanan
By J.A.B. Leonard, Secretary
J.N. Granger, Recorder of the General Land Office

Land Grant Patent Certificate document identified and now located in the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records. Accessible online.

Detail from 1890 “Atlas of Huron County, Michigan :” on page 12.

*****

Jan Nowjizki, of Huron County, Michigan, was the recipient of a U.S. Land Grant Patent, Certificate No. 32,817, comprising One Hundred and Twenty Acres, to wit, the North Half of the South-West Quarter, and the South-East Quarter of the South-West Quarter of Section Nine in Township Fifteen North, of Range Fourteen East, Paris Township, Huron County, Michigan.

The Land Grant Patent was approved and issued by President James Buchanan on October 10, 1859.

By 1890, “Jan Nowjizki” was no longer listed as the owner of the North Half of the South-West Quarter, and the South-East Quarter of the South-West Quarter of Section Nine in Paris Township, as indicated in the 1890 plat map atlas for Huron County, Michigan.

Instead, three other persons named “Novicki” were the owners of the North Half of the South-West Quarter, and the South-East Quarter of the South-West Quarter of Section Nine, though configured differently, along with additional acreage, according to the 1890 plat map atlas for Huron County, Michigan.

“Joseph Novicki” was shown as the owner of the West Half of the South-West Quarter of Section Nine, containing 80 Acres.

And “Thomas Novicki” and “Frank Novicki” were listed as the owners of the East Half of the South-West Quarter of Section Nine, configured into two parcels of 40 Acres each.

By 1904, “Jos. Noweski” was still the owner of the West Half of the South-West Quarter of Section Nine, containing 80 Acres in Paris Township, according to the 1904 plat map atlas for Huron County, Michigan.

In 1904, “T. Noweski” and “F. Noweski” were still the owners of the East Half of the South-West Quarter of Section Nine, containing 80 Acres in Paris Township, configured into two parcels of 40 Acres each, as indicated in the same 1904 plat map atlas for Huron County, Michigan.

Land Grant Patent Certificate document identified and now located in the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records. Accessible online.

See also

Title: 1890 “Atlas of Huron County, Michigan : containing maps of every township in the county, with village and city plats...from actual surveys and official records” on page 12.
Author: Randall, J. S.
Publication Info: Caro, Mich. : E.R. Cookingham & Co., 1890.

Title: 1904 “Plat book of Huron County, Michigan : also patron's business and general farmer's directory of Huron Co. Mich. with biographical sketches” on page 18.
Author: Foote, E. B. (Ernest B.)
Publication info: Philadelphia, Penn. : Imperial Publishing Co., 1904.

Historic plat map atlases housed at the University of Michigan Library, Michigan County Histories and Atlases Collection. Accessible online.

“In the month of September, 1864, a disastrous fire swept over the eastern part of Huron County, obliterating the village of Sand Beach (then the site of the county court house), destroying among other valuables, all the records in the clerk’s office, and a part of the records in the Register of Deeds office.”

Other disasters included great forest fires fanning across Huron County in 1871 and 1881, literally wiping out Bad Axe, the county seat. The county records were burned. (From the 1890 “Atlas of Huron County, Michigan” on pages 1 and 2.)

Thus, the 1890 “Atlas of Huron County, Michigan” served as a sort-of replacement for the destroyed county land ownership records.

Detail from 1904 “Plat book of Huron County, Michigan :” on page 18.

*****

Jan Nowjizki, of Huron County, Michigan, was the recipient of a U.S. Land Grant Patent, Certificate No. 32,817, comprising One Hundred and Twenty Acres, to wit, the North Half of the South-West Quarter, and the South-East Quarter of the South-West Quarter of Section Nine in Township Fifteen North, of Range Fourteen East, Paris Township, Huron County, Michigan.

The Land Grant Patent was approved and issued by President James Buchanan on October 10, 1859.

By 1890, “Jan Nowjizki” was no longer listed as the owner of the North Half of the South-West Quarter, and the South-East Quarter of the South-West Quarter of Section Nine in Paris Township, as indicated in the 1890 plat map atlas for Huron County, Michigan.

Instead, three other persons named “Novicki” were the owners of the North Half of the South-West Quarter, and the South-East Quarter of the South-West Quarter of Section Nine, though configured differently, along with additional acreage, according to the 1890 plat map atlas for Huron County, Michigan.

“Joseph Novicki” was shown as the owner of the West Half of the South-West Quarter of Section Nine, containing 80 Acres.

And “Thomas Novicki” and “Frank Novicki” were listed as the owners of the East Half of the South-West Quarter of Section Nine, configured into two parcels of 40 Acres each.

By 1904, “Jos. Noweski” was still the owner of the West Half of the South-West Quarter of Section Nine, containing 80 Acres in Paris Township, according to the 1904 plat map atlas for Huron County, Michigan.

In 1904, “T. Noweski” and “F. Noweski” were still the owners of the East Half of the South-West Quarter of Section Nine, containing 80 Acres in Paris Township, configured into two parcels of 40 Acres each, as indicated in the same 1904 plat map atlas for Huron County, Michigan.

Land Grant Patent Certificate document identified and now located in the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records. Accessible online.

See also

Title: 1890 “Atlas of Huron County, Michigan : containing maps of every township in the county, with village and city plats...from actual surveys and official records” on page 12.
Author: Randall, J. S.
Publication Info: Caro, Mich. : E.R. Cookingham & Co., 1890.

Title: 1904 “Plat book of Huron County, Michigan : also patron's business and general farmer's directory of Huron Co. Mich. with biographical sketches” on page 18.
Author: Foote, E. B. (Ernest B.)
Publication info: Philadelphia, Penn. : Imperial Publishing Co., 1904.

Historic plat map atlases housed at the University of Michigan Library, Michigan County Histories and Atlases Collection. Accessible online.

“In the month of September, 1864, a disastrous fire swept over the eastern part of Huron County, obliterating the village of Sand Beach (then the site of the county court house), destroying among other valuables, all the records in the clerk’s office, and a part of the records in the Register of Deeds office.”

Other disasters included great forest fires fanning across Huron County in 1871 and 1881, literally wiping out Bad Axe, the county seat. The county records were burned. (From the 1890 “Atlas of Huron County, Michigan” on pages 1 and 2.)

Thus, the 1890 “Atlas of Huron County, Michigan” served as a sort-of replacement for the destroyed county land ownership records.