Lot 77
of the original Darrtown plat
RIGHT: This map shows the location of Darrtown Lot 77 ... which is the second lot south of the Main Street and Oxford Street intersection - on the east side of Main Street.
RIGHT: This is a street view of Lot 69, which is the lot immediately north of Lot 77.
RIGHT: This is a street view of Lot 77
Two structures stand on Lot 77, as a result of it being divided into two equal-sized parts.
ABOVE: The first line in this exhibit verifies the earliest recorded transaction involving Lot 77. Conrad Darr sold Lot 77 to Cornelius Hinsey, in October 1817, a little over three years after Conrad established Darrtown (April 4, 1814).
The second line shows that 17 years later, in 1834, Cornelius Hinsey sold Lot 77 to Robt. Marshall. NOTE: The 1834 date is puzzling, as Ancestry.com records show Robert Marshall being born in 1844 or 1845. More research required...
> ... the northern half of Lot 77 features a private dwelling (4294 Hamilton-Richmond Road). In the 1800s, this structure served as a hostel for drovers and was, for a time, known as the Milford House.
ABOVE: This 1843 transaction, from James Walden (spelled "Waldron" in Exhibit 02, above) to Wm. Kirkpatrick, is significant - because records show that Wm. Kirkpatrick operated a tavern in Darrtown.
ABOVE: This exhibit shows that John Marshall sold Lot 77 to John D. Cooch, in May of 1858. No property record has been found to explain how John Marshall acquired Lot 77.
HOWEVER, ...Ancestry.com records show that John Marshall (1830-1897) married Elizabeth Kirkpatrick - who was the daughter of Wm. Kirkpatrick... and, as reported in Exhibit 03 above, Wm. Kirkpatrick owned Lot 77.
So, perhaps John Marshall GAINED OWNERSHIP of Lot 77 through his marriage to Elizabeth Kirkpatrick.
A HISTORY OF LOT 77 OWNERSHIP
Exhibit 01
Exhibit 04
Exhibit 05
Exhibit 06
ABOVE: The top line of this sixth exhibit (which refers to Lots 75 & 76) is included here to show that the name of John D. Cooch appears above the "do"/"do" (ditto) notation on the second line of Exhibit 06. Thus, we have confirmation that John D. Cooch sold Lot 77 and 78 to Samuel Kirkpatrick.
Exhibit 02
Exhibit 03
ABOVE: The first line in this exhibit (regarding lots 71 & 79) is included here so that James Waldron's name is displayed above the "do" "do" abbreviations that appear on the second line.
Assuming that "do" stands for "ditto," the second line of this exhibit confirms that Robt. Marshall sold Lot 77 to James Waldron, on September 19, 1834.
SOURCE: Kirkpatrick's ownership of a Darrtown tavern is verified in A History and Biographical Cyclopedia of Butler County, Ohio, (hereafter referred to as HBC). The HBC reports that "William Kirkpatrick kept a tavern in Darrtown, in 1845, in the house now occupied by his son, Samuel, as a tavern and saloon."
Lot 77 is the presumed location of Kirkpatrick's tavern.
This page is a good faith effort to provide an accurate history of Lot 77 ownership. If you have information that will improve the accuracy of this page, please inform the webmaster.
CURRENTLY (August, 2023):
> ... the southern half of Lot 77 is home to Stang's Auto and Repair (4278 Hamilton-Richmond Road). For 65 years (1918-1983), this site was home to McVicker's Garage [source: Luther McVicker's obituary].
Mary Magdalena (Flenner) Kirkpatrick, mother of Elizabeth Kirkpatrick and daugher of Georger Flenner, married three times, according to Ancestry.com records. Two of Mary's three husbands, Wm. Kirkpatrick (1814-1848) and John Cooch (1822-1900), were tavern owners.
Five of Mary's seven children preceded her in death, as did her three husbands.
Mary died December 5, 1905 at the age of 85. She was buried in the Cooch plot at the Darrtown cemetery.
Exhibit 07
ABOVE: The top line of this seventh exhibit (which refers to Lot 78) is included here to show that the name of Samuel Kirkpatrick appears above the "do"/"do" (ditto) notation on the second line of this exhibit.
Thus, we have confirmation that Samuel Kirkpatrick sold Lot 77 and 78 to C.B. Flenner. Presumably, the name should read "G. B." Flenner to denote George B. Flenner. Records show that G.B. Flenner operated the Milford House on Lot 77.
BELOW: These links provide information about Mary Magdalena Flenner and display her connection to men associated with Lot 77.
In addition to owning Lot 77, John Marshall likely became involved with tavern business, after marrying Elizabeth Kirkpatrick, who was the daugher of Mary Magdalena Flenner.
Exhibit 07 (below) shows that, in 1882, Mary Magdalena's father, George Flenner, became the owner of Lot 77 and the tavern known as the "Milford House."
OVERVIEW: Lot 77 is located on the east side of Main Street, immediately south of the Milford Township fire station. Current research (see Exhibit 11 below) suggests that Lot 77 was sub-divided into two equal parts, in 1939.
At this time (August 2023), the northern half is home to a private residence and the southern half is home to Stang’s Auto Repair. The house that stands on the northern half has a history of being a tavern / hotel. The southern half of Lot 77 was home to McVicker’s Garage from 1918 into the 1980s.
The following property ownership records (displayed chronologically, as "exhibits," in a table format) were gleaned from the Butler County (Ohio) Recorder's website. The supplemental notes that appear beneath the exhibits were written by the webmaster.
Exhibit 08
Exhibit 09
Exhibit 10
ABOVE: Exhibit nine shows ownership of Lot 77 going through three McVickers; B(enningson) to Joseph to Richard ... all on the same date: July 19, 1912.
Richard McVicker was the father of Luther McVicker (1896-1990) - who operated McVicker's Garage on Lot 77 for 65 years, from 1918 to 1983.
ABOVE: This tenth exhibit shows ownership of Lot 77 going from Richard McVicker to his wife, Mary E. (Sholl) McVicker, in April of 1920, and then going from Mary to their son, Luther Sholl McVicker, in March of 1920.
NOTE: It appears that someone in the county recorder's office entered in these dates of these two transactions in reverse order ... with April listed before March.
Exhibit 11
ALSO NOTE: This transaction is marked with the letters "Q C" - which presumably denotes a "quitclaim." Click this link for a
A Quitclaim Deed is a document that transfers ownership of real property, such as a house or piece of land, without a guarantee of ownership. Using a Quitclaim Deed form is a fast and straightforward way to transfer an owner's property interest to another party. Because there's no guarantee of ownership, Quitclaim Deeds are most often used between people who have a trusted and established relationship, such as family members. In addition, Quitclaim Deeds are mostly used for transactions that don't involve payment. A Quitclaim Deed is also known as a non-warranty deed. People commonly misspell this document as "quick claim” deed.
ABOVE: Exhibit 11 shows ownership of Lot 77 going from Mary McVicker to son, Luther Sholl McVicker, in August 1939 ... nineteen years after the 1920 quitclaim deed transaction reported in Exhibit 10 above.
NOTE: The Q C notation has been removed. However, the letters "pt" now appear - PERHAPS denoting that Luther was acquiring only the southern half/part of Lot 77.
If so, this date may mark the sub-division of Lot 77 and it may help explain Exhibit 12 (below) wherein Mary McVicker's interest in part of Lot 77 is transferred to Edna Skillman.
Exhibit 12
ABOVE: Exhibit 12 shows a transfer of part of Lot 77 from Mary E. McVicker (deceased) to Edna Skillman on July 5, 1940.
Edna Skillman was Mary McVicker's daughter - and Luther McVickers's sister.
It seems likely that the part of Lot 77 referenced in this transaction is the northern part/half. Thus, Edna became the owner of the residential dwelling on Lot 77 ... which was formerly known as the Milford House (see Exhibit 07, above).
Luther retained the southern half of Lot 77, given the transaction shown in Exhibit 11, above.
Exhibit 13
ABOVE: Currently, no record has been found to explain why the Butler County Sheriff was involved in this transaction. Edna Skillman was one of Luther McVicker's three sisters. James Alfred "Alfie" McVicker (see link at right) was one of Luther McVicker's three brothers. Luther's siblings are included his profile link at the right.
Exhibit 14
ABOVE: This 14th exhibit shows that, in 1952, Edna Skillman sold a part of Lot 77 to George Thome (George's last name is misspelled on the county record). Since Luther McVicker was operating his garage business from the southern half of Lot 77 in 1952, this transaction seems solely related to the house on the northern half of Lot 77.
Edna (McVicker) Skillman, the seller in this transaction, was one of Luther McVicker's three sisters. The other two being Edith (McVicker) Jasbring and Dora (McVicker) Thome.
Dora McVicker married Ed Thome and they had a son named George Thome, the buyer in this transaction.
Exhibit 15
Exhibit 16
ABOVE: Exhibits 15 and 16 are grouped to illustrate the highlighted similarities.
Notice the same dates and the same notations ("pt 77 rt. of way assessment"). The right of way assessment related to a county water line that was being installed, in 1971, across all properties in the area.
Notice that two different people (George Thome and Luther McVicker) are listed on separate lines, as being the owner of the same lot (# 77). This strongly suggests that Lot 77 was officially divided into two parts - even though a record of that division has not yet been found.
Exhibit 17
ABOVE: This 17th exhibit shows that Luther McVicker transferrred his half of Lot 77 to his daughter, Mary Lou (McVicker) Simison. Mary Lou's husband, Larry Simison operated the former McVicker garage for a few years, after Luther retired.
Exhibit 18
ABOVE: These records and telephone conversations confirm that Lot 77 is now (August 2023) considered one parcel of real estate. The residence, formerly known as the Milford House and the garage, formerly known as McVicker's Garage are now owned by one person.
If you are interested in Butler County property records later than 1987, you may wish to visit the Butler County Recorder's website.
ABOVE: This 1865 transaction (from Kirkpatrick to Cooch) POSES A MYSTERY, because Exhibit 04 (above) shows that John D. Cooch purchased Lot 77, from John Marshall, in 1858.
So, why, would John D. Cooch purchase Lot 77 from W.E. Kirkpatrick in 1865 ... as noted in this August 8, 1865 transaction?
The HBC source (cited in Exhibit 3, above) reports that, beginning as early as 1818, Thomas Cooch and his son, Thomas Cooch, Jr. were engaged in the distillery business near Darrtown. The involvement of the Cooches in the production and/or distribution of alcohol many be connected to the Cooches' interest in Lot 77, which was home to a tavern.
ABOVE: This eighth exhibit shows C B Flenner & wf (wife?) selling Lot 77 to Benningson McVicker in 1892.
Return to the Property Ownership Records page
