Why Is George Armstrong Custer Mentioned In A Lapeer County Deed Book?

While abstracting a few more deeds in Lapeer County (MI), I thumbed through Liber "W" and the name George Custer caught my eye. George Custer? He was born in Ohio, but Monroe County, Michigan, claims him as its own. Why was he mentioned in a Lapeer County deed? The short answer is that his father-in-law, Judge Daniel Bacon, owned property in Lapeer County.

Lapeer County, Michigan, Deed Liber "W"/Page 698, is a copy of the Will and Probate of Will of Daniel S. Bacon of Monroe County, Michigan, Recorded 20 December 1866. One item stipulated that the Trustees of the Presbyterian Church, Monroe, were to provide seats in said church for my wife and daughter or either of them if so requested by them; Will and Bequeath to my son-in-law Maj General George A. Custer city lots 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122 on the Bacon Plat...Monroe; only remaining child, Elizabeth C. Custer, wife of George A. Custer...Lot 5 w/ of Monroe Street...being my homestead, also the south 1/3 of Lot 4 adjoining and part of homestead....; mentions papers, library, etc.; wife, Rhoda D. Bacon...; appoint Walter C. Bacon of Grand Traverse my trustee and executor; 1/10 of the Grand Traverse property to the American Bible Society of New York. Additional information in this article regarding the Grand Traverse property (Bacon, Custer, etc.). Also mentioned was his brother, George W. Bacon of Indiana. The will was witnessed by Constan Luce and Herman? J. Redfield. Probated in front of Talcott Wing, Judge of Probate, Monroe Co., Michigan. [Recorded in Liber of Wills, Fol 114]

Once the authority for the executor of Daniel Bacon's will, Walter C. Bacon, had been established in Liber W, Page 698, the Lapeer County property could be properly sold by the said executor.

Liber W, Page 700
Daniel S. Bacon by Executor
To
William Clark of Lapeer
Made: 18 December 1866
Recorded: 20 December 1866
Between Walter C. Bacon, executor and trustee...Last Will and Testament of Daniel S. Bacon, late of Monroe....undivided 1/2 of E 1/2 of NW 1/4 of Section 25 and 5 acres off from the W 1/2 of NW 1/4 of Section 25, all in Town 7 North of Range 9 East, 85 acres more or less....conveyed by Smith Titus to William Hemmel 24 Aug 1836 and by Hemmell and wife to John T. Converse 1 Sept 1837 by Converse and wife to Levi S. Humphrey and Daniel S. Bacon November 1841..
Witnesses: M. T. Doyle and Ira R. Grovesnor of Monroe Co., Michigan.

My Richmond Family blog has an entry about Elizabeth (Bacon) Custer's relationship to the Richmonds of Grand Rapids. Additional information about Elizabeth, including the 1850 Census listing Daniel, Eleanor and Elizabeth Bacon, can be found here. More details can be found here, a connection to a Google book site. Judge Bacon died 18 March 1866, in Monroe Co., Michigan. His second wife, Rhoda (Potts) Bacon is mentioned in his will.