Tad's Hidden Blade

April 2026 Update – Major Breakthrough!

April 21, 2026

It’s been a while since our last update, but I’m excited to share some very significant progress on the provenance of the mahogany bureau I purchased from Greg Hoover’s estate sale in Alliance, Ohio in 2013.

Last week, the Vermont State Archives and Records Administration (VSARA) delivered the complete 73-page probate and estate file for Frances Mantley, who passed away in 1983. After carefully reviewing every page, here are the key discoveries:

• Frances Mantley is explicitly identified in the official court records as the step-daughter of Lincoln Isham (grandson of Robert Todd Lincoln).
• The official estate inventory repeatedly lists “1 Mahogany Bureau” valued at $100.00 (along with a matching mahogany chest) across multiple court-stamped schedules and supplements.
• The Vermont Probate Court formally accepted the inventory and ordered the final distribution of all estate assets in late 1983 / early 1984.

This is exactly the direct, documented link we’ve been working toward for so long. It shows that the mahogany bureau was still in the Lincoln-Isham family line as late as 1983 — right at the moment when Greg Hoover in Alliance was actively acquiring and selling high-quality Isham family heirlooms.

I’ve already shared the full file with Anne Christopher and offered it to Ellen Driscoll of Ancestry Sisters ahead of our upcoming May research appointment. We are also still awaiting responses from the Alliance Historical Society and the Stark Library genealogy team.

This has been a long and patient journey, but we are now standing on much firmer ground with official court documentation instead of just family stories and secondary sources. The paper trail is getting stronger and clearer with each new piece.

Thank you all for following along on this fascinating provenance quest!