Not My Grandmother!

When Deeds Tell the Real Story

Research Goal: One mystery kept bothering me: was the Elizabeth in Robert Peterson’s 1819 deed the same woman who once married John Christopher?

The hunt for early marriages in Salem County, New Jersey, is never simple. With the 1810 census missing and marriage records scarce, I am left piecing together my family through scattered bits of evidence, tax lists, wills, and the occasional surviving church record. Every clue feels valuable, but none ever seem to tell the whole story.

One of the most stubborn puzzles has been Robert Peterson, my ancestor who lived along Oldmans Creek in what was then Upper Penns Neck Township, Salem County. Robert first appears in local records at the turn of the 19th century, a shoemaker who purchased small parcels of land from familiar neighborhood names like Curry, Pyle, and Barnes.

He married Catherine Simpkins in 1801, and together they had three children: Dean, Ezekiel, and Martha. Their family was part of the tight-knit network of Simpkinses, Pyles, and Guests who lived near Sculltown (now Auburn). But sometime before 1809, Catherine died. A later guardianship petition confirms that Robert was left to care for their children alone.

Deed excerpts transcribed, analyzed, and interpreted by Steve Peterson, 2025.
All images from public domain sources (Salem County Clerk’s Office).

Then, in 1819, a deed appears showing Robert and his wife Elizabeth Peterson selling property, proof that he had remarried sometime after Catherine’s death. The problem was, no record of that marriage has been found.

The missing census offered no help, and Salem County’s marriage books for that decade are nearly silent. So who was Elizabeth?

One promising lead was a widow named Elizabeth Christopher. She lived close to Robert, her husband had died by 1809, and Robert Peterson had served as a witness to that husband’s will. The two families moved in the same circles along Oldmans Creek and were tied to many of the same surnames.

Everything seemed to line up. Same neighborhood. Same family connections. Same time frame. It felt like the perfect fit.

But as every researcher eventually learns, “seems to fit” isn’t proof.

When I began studying the Salem County deed books, the story changed. Over and over, I found this Elizabeth described clearly as the widow of John Christopher, deceased, selling land she had inherited, signing with her mark, and continuing to use her married name year after year. She never once appeared as a Peterson.

Meanwhile, in Robert Peterson’s own transactions from 1809 to 1819, his wife appears simply as Elizabeth Peterson, releasing her dower rights on land sales, but clearly a different person from the widow Christopher. Two women. Two distinct lives.

And then came the reward of all that digging: the deeds not only separated the two women but also revealed the widow’s maiden name, suggesting she belonged to a completely different branch of the Simpkins family.

Deed excerpts transcribed, analyzed, and interpreted by Steve Peterson, 2025.
All images from public domain sources (Salem County Clerk’s Office).

It felt like a sad victory, sad because it would have been so rewarding to have finally discovered my grandmother’s surname, but a victory because I no longer have to wonder about this Elizabeth. The record is clear. The mystery, at least for her, is solved.

Deed excerpts transcribed, analyzed, and interpreted by Steve Peterson, 2025.
All images from public domain sources (Salem County Clerk’s Office).

This experience reminded me that land records aren’t just about boundaries or acreage. They’re about identity. They record who people were, spouses, widows, heirs, or neighbors, and when used carefully, they can correct assumptions that have stood for generations.

And in this case, they corrected mine.

She was not my grandmother.

Sources

Primary Records

• Salem County, New Jersey, Deed Books. County Clerk’s Office, Salem, NJ. Various volumes, 1801–1832, documenting land transactions involving Robert Peterson, Elizabeth Peterson, and the widow Elizabeth Christopher. Public domain images.
  Specific references include:

  • Robert Peterson to Jonathan Guest, 20 March 1809; recorded 29 March 1809.

  • Elizabeth Christopher (widow of John Christopher) to Henry Guest, 31 March 1832.

  • Ephraim Batcheba Barnes to Robert Peterson, 14 April 1804; recorded 18 October 1804.

• Salem County Guardianship Records, 1809. Petition naming Robert Peterson as guardian of minor children Dean, Ezekiel, and Martha Peterson, following the death of Catherine Peterson (née Simpkins).

Secondary and Contextual Sources

• Salem County Historical Society. Early Families of Upper Penns Neck and Auburn. Salem, NJ. Background on Simpkins, Pyle, and Peterson families living near Oldmans Creek.

• New Jersey State Archives. Deeds and Wills Collection, Trenton, NJ. Reference for probate connections between the Christopher and Peterson families, 1800–1830.

• United States Census Records, 1800–1820. Salem County, New Jersey. Context for landownership and family enumeration where available.

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Image Credits

• Salem County, New Jersey Deeds. Digital images from original deed volumes, County Clerk’s Office, Salem, NJ. Public domain reproductions. (Images used to illustrate Robert Peterson’s transactions and the 1832 deed of widow Elizabeth Christopher.)