The Pottawattamie County recorders office recorded this land transaction in Book 11, p6. Grantee David Lapray Grantor John Lapray Date of Instrument April 10, 1867 [The year was mistakenly recorded 1867, but John did not own it until January 1868, so the date should be April 10, 1868]. Date of filing April 17, 1868.
Warranty Deed, John Lapray to David Lapray, filed April 17, 1868 at 6 o'clock p.m. Know all men by their presents that John Lapray of Pottawattamie County State of Iowa in consideration of the sum of five hundred dollars in hand paid do hereby sell and convey unto David Lapray of Pottawattamie County and State of Iowa the following described premises situated in Pottawattamie county and state of Iowa to = wit: In the town of Crescent City, the following described property to wit: Lots 7 and 8 in Crescent City in Block one hundred and twenty three (123) and all the appurtenances thereunto belonging and I do hereby covenant to warrant and defend the title to the said premises to the said David Lapray against the lawful claims of all persons whomsoever. [Grantor General Index 1865-1869, Pottwattamie County, Iowa, FHL film #1468500 and Pottawattamie County Deeds, Book 11, p6, FHL film, item 2.
No additional filings on the land could be found on the microfilms in the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah after that one, so the question arose, what happened to John and what happened to the land? While we were attending a business conference in Omaha, Nebraska in May 2004, we drove across the Missouri River to visit the small community of Crescent, Iowa. It is located not far from the river's eastern bank and there is a railroad located on the western outskirts of town.
After our visit to Crescent City, we drove 20 miles south to Pottawattamie's county seat in Council Bluffs. The County Recorder's office didn't give us any answers as to what happened to the land after David bought it so they sent us over to a title company a couple of blocks away. The title company had been there since the 1800s. Sure enough, they had a 3 x 5 card with the information we were seeking. David Lapray abandoned his property; the taxes went unpaid, and the property was sold in a Sheriff's sale in August 1869, for $154. Apparently David purchased the land from his father, John, abandoned it and headed west. Did David buy the land so his father would have some money?
Where John Lapray goes after selling his land to his son, David is a mystery. A search for a burial for John Lapray in Crescent City has been unsuccessful. According to David's wife, Elizabeth Lapray, she said John died in Council Bluffs, but no burial spot for John and yet been found in Council Bluffs, either. I sent a letter in March 2009 to the Pottawattamie County Historical Society asking for any information on John Lapray's death or burial and they wrote back stating they had no information on John Lapray.
So the questions remain, did John take the money from the land sale and leave the area or did he remain and since he died alone without family, who would have put a gravestone on a grave. Also since he was a veteran of the war, he could have been entitled to benefits, but where would he have gone? A search for a John Lapray living in a soldier home has not turned up anything. He hasn't been found in a Civil War Veteran's cemetery. No civil war benefits were claimed for a John Lapray.
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