According to the Marriam-Webster website a Chattel is an item of tangible movable or immovable property except real estate and things (such as buildings) connected with real property.

With that definition in mind and while seeing this Chattel Mortgage book come up for sale on eBay one day we decided to jump at the opportunity to bid on and subsequently win this rare piece of Keith County, Nebraska history. From the moment we learned that we had the winning bid we began working on a plan to digitize and ultimately built a database of the people whose names appear on these pages.

The oldest chattel mortgage is dated 24 March 1890 and was between Lars P. Nelson and Robert B. Howell of Keith County, Nebraska. Mr. Nelson mortgaged two red and white heifers with calves for $30.00 for three months making the note due on 24 June 1890. The document specifies the location of the chattel (Sec. 28, Twp 13, Rng 39) and indicates that Mr. Larson is in possession of the property and has full rights to mortgage it. The chattel mortgage document signing was witnessed by James Barrett.

Most of the contracts in this books are similarly written but obviously the chattels will change. We are relatively certain that a family researcher will find the information both useful and interesting and may even add some little known details about their ancestors for their research project.