Land Records at Texas General Land Office
(C. Avis Catalog entry #138)
File 2912
Montague Co.
Fannin 3rd Class
David Avis
160 acres
Preemption
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The corners of the land of this survey do not agree with surronding surveys. They are evidently transposed and should read N10W - N80E - S10E and S80W
Mch 13/60 Hill
Taxes paid
Cert not returned
Abandoned. The evidence in affid of settlement & designation in S. Ball (S-1642) Fannin
Not signed
over
<unreadable>
4/10/16 <or 76>
c c Mch 10/60 FB
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This appears to be abandoned. David Avis being one of the witnesses to Strother Ball affidavit & designation which covers this survey & which said Ball says he intended to do See <?> & designation S-1642 Fannin March 19/76 <?name?>
Contents
1. Field notes
2. Tax receipt
Feby 25/75 <?name?>
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The State of Texas
County of Cooke
Before me this day personally appeared David Avis who declaring an oath that he believed the land upon which he has settled to be vacant and that he settled the same about the 29th day of January 1856 and that he claims a preemption of one hundred and sixty acres under the preemption law approved February the 13th 1854.
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 26th day of Nov 1856.
David Avis <signature>
Francis M. Totty, Dept Sur of Cooke L Dist
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The State of Texas Cook Land District plat and field notes of a survey for 160 acres of land made for David Avis by virtue of his preemption right situated in Montague Co. on Denton Creek about 4 1/2 miles S21W from Montague Beginning on the NW corner of Lydda Suttows survey for 160 acres.
Thence N10E 950 vrs a stake whence a cotton wood tree S56E 62 vrs.
Thence S80E 950 vrs a stake whence a P oak tree N60E4 vrs another tree S86W 5 vrs.
Thence S10E 950 vrs a stake whence a P oak tree N36E 10 vrs another tree N32E 10 vrs.
Thence N80W 950 vrs to the place of beginning bearing marked Surveyed Sept 3rd 1856
James Edward
John I. Campbell Chairman
I F. M. Totty Dept Surveyer for Cooke Land District do certify that the forgoing survey was made according to law and that the <?> boundaries and corners with the marks natural and artificial are truly described in the forgoing plat and field notes.
F. M. Totty Dept Sur for C L D
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<Note: 'vrs' probably means varas: Vara - Unit of length (the "Spanish yard") used in the U.S. southwest. The vara is used throughout the Spanish speaking world and has values around 33 inches, depending on locale. The legal value in Texas was set to 33 1/3 inches early in the 1900's.>
From the files of other people nearby:
S. Ball buys the vacant Avis land from the state in 1861. David Avis was a witness to this sale.
The files David Avis was a witness on:
1856 - J. Campbell
1859 - J. Campbell
1860 - J. Campbell
1860 - A. Campbell
1861 - S. Ball