I have access to the Frederick Co deed index. This is quite an interesting index, I hope I can keep it around for a while as there may be many interesting things in it.

I had only a few minutes to look at it, and put a few entries here. I did in fact find the Helm listings also, but there are pages and pages; I'll have to scan that part. It's not an easy index to use, the quick index was filmed badly and you have to pick thru it to find the names.

The Ben Rankin entries:

1766	7 Sep 1766	Rankin	Benjamin	from	George Johnston ux	deed	11	162
1771	08 May 1771	"	"	"	William Davis ux	deed	14	57
1792	02 Oct 1792	Rankins	Benjamin	"	Denny Fairfax	lease	23	303
1792	02 Oct 1792	Rankins	William	"	Denny Fairfax	lease	24a	152

The 2 entries after 1787 are interesting; perhaps they are related to the ferry, as the Fairfaxes held some of the land around the Shenandoah, but how is Benjamin Rankin involved after his death? Or is this going to hint at another Rankin family connection, like the case of David Fulton?

There are other Rankin transactions, with Hugh &al, but will have to wait for later.

George Johnston
This is a well-known name & landholder in this territory, in the years before the revolution. However, if we look at O'Dell's map 3 and tract 14, we see Johnston was the owner of land along the Shenandoah as of 1760, right in the place where I claim Mount Hammond lay. Not conclusive until we see the deeds tho. But it could mean that "Mt Hammond" was the first land Rankin acquired. Almost certainly his son-in-law James Hammond added acreage to it.

This might smooth over the obvious problem we have with Judy Beeler -> Judith Rankin; if true, she lost her "own" land, some of it might possibly have gone to her step-daughter. But if she retained possession of the family plantation this exchange might have been acceptable to her. Julie thinks, however, that the tract Thomas R Hammond inherited, and that James L Hooff (his nephew) lived on in 1852, is the Beeler dower share. The size is a pretty good fit for Judy Beeler's share. The Frederick and 1790's Berkeley deeds will have to answer this.