Thompson – Tuesday afternoon the body of Glen F. Crosier, who died at Tientsin, China, March 16, arrived and was taken to the home of his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. F. A. Crosier, East Jackson street, where a funeral service was held today. Rev.. Mr. Webster officiated. Burial in the family plot in Susquehanna.
Forest City – Samuel Sears, of Dayton, Ohio,, passed through here Monday on his way to visit relatives in Carbondale, whom he had not seen for more than 40 years. Fifty-five years ago Mr. Sears worked in a saw mill near town and was engaged in that vocation at the time of the breaking out of the war, when he enlisted in the 52nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. Coming home he worked awhile in the aforesaid mill, and later drifted west. H was much surprised at the progress of the town and said it was like a dream to him. He has been staying at the Soldiers Home at Dayton and is east to spend his furlough with relatives and to take in the Gettysburg celebration.
Heart Lake – Proprietor Frank T. Mack has made arrangements whereby a midnight train will convey passengers from the Lake to Montrose, on Fourth of July night.
Rush – Miss Mud McCain is the champion fisherwoman of this place, having caught nine bass during the past week.
Birchardville – Last Friday afternoon during the thunder shower, Frank Smith had three cows killed by lightning. The animals were not far from the house, away from trees or buildings that would attract an electric bolt when killed. They represent his entire herd, and many friends sympathize with him in his loss.
Lawsville – Mrs. Edith Tarbox, a few days ago, killed two blacksnakes with an axe. They were sunning themselves in her back yard and she didn’t like to have’em hanging around. The largest was 6 feet long and the smaller one about 5 feet.
Choconut – John Haney suffered a compound fracture of the right leg when a team of horses, attached to a mowing machine, runaway. The horses became frightened at a big black snake and dashed across the field, colliding with a tree. The young man was found unconscious a few minutes later and physicians were summoned to attend to his injuries.
South Montrose – Percy Ballantine has installed an automatic milking device for his large dairy at Louden Hill Farm. The method of milking is rapidly coming into favor, both for cleanliness and lessening labor. The cows take kindly to the milking device, as well, the steady suction drawing the milk evenly and doing away with many of the annoyances that are incident to hand milking. Mr. Ballantine is also building a cottage at Elk Lake.
West Auburn – We are glad to state that the apple orchard of Allen Jayne, which is located on a hill farm, escaped the frosts and will be loaded with fine fruit. Mr. Jayne sprays his orchard thoroughly. Also At Shannon Hill, O. F. Conaty was a railroader for 16 years, but the back to the soil appeal became too strong to be resisted and he recently moved back to the old homestead farm. Also G. W. Bunnell, who has, no doubt, expected to get in the swim and buy an auto, will probably now depend on a fancy pair of horses, which have just arrived at his farm. Well, after all, a matched pair and a fancy rig attached, are better under all circumstances than a balky auto.
Brooklyn – Our enterprising merchant, Wade H. Barnes, has installed a soda fountain in his store, which is being well patronized. Also C. A. Ring has the nicest field of potatoes in town.
Susquehanna – Dr. Washburn, of Jacksonville Florida, will arrive here July 3rd and open an office specializing in eye, ear, nose and throat troubles. Also M. J. Lannon, of Jackson avenue, who, some weeks ago was appointed Sealer of Weights and Measures for Susquehanna County, has taken up his duties. If the county has any dishonest businessmen so far as weights and measures are concerned, they will feel the weight of the law.
Montrose – People from the cities have been coming to Montrose this week in considerable numbers. Rosement is opened for the season ad a umber of Southern families are there.
Hallstead – On Monday morning the members of the graduating class of the Hallstad high school, Wm. Kirby, Karl Blair and the Misses Mary Callow and Helen Tingley, left for a sight seeing rip of ten days to the National capitol.
Great Bend – Fred Simpson, up-to-date liveryman, has recently repaired his hacks and carriages and is now turning out some of the neatest rigs in northeastern Pennsylvania. Fred believes in keeping up-to-date and if you want anything in is line he can fit you out on short notice.
Mary Evans, Susquehanna County Recorder of Deeds, brought to my attention that there are companies soliciting real property owners for purposes of acquiring “real estate property records.” In particular, the correspondence is addressed to a property owner and suggests that the property owner acquire a copy of their “current grant deed” along with a “property profile.” The solicitation goes further to suggest that the property profile includes: (1) the property address; (2) owner’s name; (3) comparable values; (4) and legal description or parcel identification number. You can get all this amazing information for one easy payment of $83.00!
Let’s take a look at what you are really getting for your $83.00 payment. First, the company will get you a copy of your current deed – a strange use of words given that deeds do not change on their own and the current deed would be the same deed as when you purchased your property. Moreover, after purchasing your property, the Recorder’s Office mailed the original deed back to you for your records. In other words, a property owner already possesses the original deed to the property – why would a property owner need to get a copy of something that they already possess?
Well, perhaps a property owner has a filing system like mine and that property owner lost the deed. This is the reason that deeds are recorded – you are protected and can get a copy anytime from the Recorder’s Office. Even assuming that you have a very lengthy deed containing numerous pages, the Recorder’s Office can provide you with a certified copy of your deed for under $10. That is right – and the certified copy comes with a very pretty gold seal stamped and signed by the Recorder herself – or her designee. The $83 proposed solicitation does not even promise that the copy of the deed that you will get will be certified, i.e., no fancy gold seal on it confirming its authenticity. In other words, it does not make a lot of sense to pay $83 for a simple copy of the deed to your property.
As to the other items mentioned, you possess most of that information without paying the $83 for it. First, if you live at your property, then I suspect that you do not need the property’s address. In fact, the solicitation that the Recorder provided to me went to the deeded address. It would be a rare property owner indeed who did not know the address of their property. If you cannot remember it, the United States Postal Service will tell you for free – don’t bother paying $83 to find out your own address.
Second, I am not sure why you have to pay $83 to find out the “owner’s name.” I suspect a property owner knows his or her name – unless they have forgotten they own property or forgotten their name. Third, the legal description for the property is contained within the deed – and the parcel identification number can be obtained from the tax assessment office. If you can stand the anticipation, simply wait until your next tax bill comes – that will have the parcel number on it. No need to pay $83 bucks in addition to your property taxes!
Finally, the only thing that this service allegedly provides that arguably you would not have readily available to you by a simple visit to the courthouse – or a simple trip to your filing cabinet – would be the “comparable values” component. Frankly, I am not sure what you get for “comparable values,” and it might be worth $83 to you to satisfy that curiosity. On the other hand, the only time you really need this information is when you are considering selling your property – and your realtor will gladly provide that information to you as part of the service in helping you sell your property.
The problem with the solicitation that the Recorder provided to me is that is has the appearance of an official document – and makes it seem like you need to respond and do something to protect your property. You need to read it carefully in order to understand that it is simply a bunch of hooey. At the very end of the solicitation – in big bold letters – there is a concession that you can likely get a copy of your deed for a lot less money. I suspect that the service that created this solicitation were banking on many people simply responding quickly without getting to page two – and then they would have spent $83 largely for information they already possess or simply do not need. Be cautious!
Please submit any questions, concerns, or comments to Susquehanna County District Attorney’s Office, P.O. Box 218, Montrose, Pennsylvania 18801 or at our website www.SusquehannaCounty-DA.org or discuss this and all articles at http://dadesk.blogspot.com/.
“A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken.” ~James Dent
The Main Library at Montrose is super busy. There are many reminders to jot on your calendar, such as:
The Summer Reading Program—“Dig Into Reading”.
This is a free program and you can register online at: www.susqcolibrary.org or stop by any Branch and the Staff will be glad to assist in the sign-up.
The Blueberry Festival – Preparations for this annual event are well underway. Donations for the White Elephant booth will be accepted from 9am-2pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the months of June and July (through July 23rd- except 7/4). There is a new Drop-off Location: the Montrose Area High School at the back maintenance building--there are signs. Large appliances, large furniture, exercise equip. and clothing will not be accepted. Donations of books may only be dropped off at your local Library Branch.
Shurfine Community Rewards --Were you aware that your “Gold Card” can help your Local Library Association? You just fill out the registration form, and with every Shurfine or Western Family item you purchase at Rob’s Market or Ray’s Shurfine, three cents are donated, at no cost to you, the shopper. You may think three cents isn’t enough to bother with, but, just recently, the Association was presented with a check for $3827.70!!
The 2013 Library Lottery -- You have a chance to win up to $50,000 and help the Library Building Fund at the same time! Tickets for the 2013 Library Lottery Raffle are on sale for $100.00 each. Pick up an application at any Library Branch. Your ticket will be mailed to you. The drawing will be held at 3pm during the free Cabot picnic on Saturday, July 20, 2013 at the Harford Fairgrounds.
As you will recall, I have designated the month of June, “Patron Appreciation Month” here in the column. This week the Main Library in Montrose wishes to send special thanks to all of their Patrons and would like to honor the following individuals:
Betty Marshall, who used to work at the Montrose location and now, as a valued Patron, volunteers her time weekly in the Tech Services Department of the Library. We look forward to seeing her every week!
Carol Winkleblech, a “Jill of all trades”, is not only a beloved Patron but also a Volunteer in the Outreach Dept. of the Library. She does the painstaking work of shelving along with many other tasks. Carol has also manned the Fresh Blueberry Booth at the Blueberry Festival for many years. Beth Vaccaro is also a faithful Patron of the Library, and a cherished Volunteer. She volunteers at the Blueberry festival, assists our children's librarian, participates in “Susquehanna County Reads” activities as well as serving on the panel and helping with events.
Your dedication and support does not go unnoticed. You are all appreciated!
As I enjoy the scent of the wild white roses by the mailbox—I leave you with this thought:
“Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.” ~Sam Keen
Fresh-Picked Strawberries—Kayaking—Super Moon
Enjoy!!
