I'm still working on deeds for the cemetery--I'm back to 1887, when, in order to settle Garret A. Hopper's estate, the Sheriff, James D. Brinkerhoff, sold the property to Cornelius Van Saun, who in turn sold it to Andrew G. Hopper (one of Garret A. Hopper's sons). Apparently, this was the mechanism by which Garret A.'s estate was settled in order to satisfy a judgment of the Circuit Court against the heirs in favor of Cornelius W. Berdan of $528.75 and $39.24 court costs.
Without untangling it all, it looks like the estate owed Berdan money; he had to sue to get it; and the heirs had to liquidate the property to raise the cash. Van Saun bought the property and then resold it to the heirs. This would make an interesting excursion to straighten it all out, but lesson to note: a sale can be indexed under the name of the sheriff!
There can also be a buyer who serves to hold the property or facilitate a transaction. In another case, as long as the property was owned by a member of the extended family, it could be "re-purchased" when the original owner's cash position improved.
The sheriff's deed also has a "defect". It does not mention the previous transaction; so, back to the indexes to see how Garret A. Hopper (as grantee) came in possession of the property.
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