Monday, October 6, 2014

Amanuensis Monday - Post 238: 1871 Deed of Land in Taylor County, Iowa from Devier and Abbie Smith to A.H. Owens

Genea-blogger John Newmark (who writes the excellent TransylvanianDutch blog) started a Monday blog theme years ago called "Amanuensis Monday."  John offers this definition for "amanuensis:" 

"A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."

The subject today is an 1871 deed in the Taylor County, Iowa deed books for Devier J. Smith and Abbie Smith selling land to A.H. Owens:


The transcription of this deed is (handwritten text in italics, form fields underlined):

01 DEED RECORD, TAYLOR CO., IOWA
=================================================
02 Devier J. Smith           }       Filed for record:  March 18th A.D. 18 71
03                                       }                             at    5    o'clock,    P.  M.
04 To:   A.H. Owens         }      WARRANTY DEED.
05                                        }                             E.G. Medford, Recorder
06                                                                                Taylor County, Iowa.
=================================================
07 Know all Men by these Presents:
08 That      We Devier J. Smith and Abbie A. Smith    
09 of the County of   Taylor   and State of    Iowa   in consideration of
10 the sum of    Ten Hundred                                              Dollars,
11 in hand paid by         A.H. Owens                     
12 of     Taylor     County and State of     Iowa    do hereby SELL AND
13 CONVEY unto the said        A.H. Owens              
14 the following described premises, situated in the County of   Taylor    and State of   Iowa   
15 to-wit:
16        Lot No. Three (3) of fractional Section Number Eighteen (18) in Township
17    Number Sixty Seven (67) North of Range Thirty three (33) West.  Containing Sixty
18    acres and seventy nine (79/100) hundredths of an acre     

19 and   We   hereby covenant with the said     A.H. Owens                         
20 that   We   hold said premises by good and perfect title, that   We   have good right and lawful authority
21 to sell and convey the same, that they are free and clear of all liens and incumbrances whatsoever,
22 And   We  covenant   to WARRANT AND DEFEND the said premises, against the lawful claims of all per-
23 sons whomsoever.  And the said    Abbie A. Smith                   hereby
24 relinquishes her right of dower in and to the above described premises.

25 Signed this    18^th      day of     March     A.D.  18  71 
26 IN PRESENCE OF          {   U.S. Revenue Stamp  }       Devier J. Smith     
27                                                                                                  Abbie A. Smith       

28 STATE OF IOWA          }
29     Taylor       County       }  SS
30  On this   18th   day of    March    A.D. 18 71  , before me
31                   R.B. Kinsell                          a    Notary Public      
32 within and for said County, personally came   Devier J. Smith & Abbie A. Smith      
33                                     personally known to be the identical person s whose name s are  
34                                     affixed to the above instrument as Grantor s , and acknowledged the
35                                     same to be   Their   voluntary act and deed, for the purposes therein
36                                     expressed.
37                                       In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name and affixed
38                                   my official seal at     Bedford      on the date
39                                   last above written.
40                                                                                             R.B. Kinsell.            
41                                                                                              Notary Public        
============================================
42      I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the original deed, as filed for record
43  on the     18th      day of      March       18 71  
44                                                             E.G. Medford          Recorder.

The source citation for this Deed is:

Taylor County, Iowa, Taylor County, Iowa, deed records, 1855-1953; index, 1855-1902, "Deed Records (Land) v. M-N (1869-1872), v. O to p. 311, 1872-1873)" Volume M, page 600 (stamped), Deed of Devier J. and Abbie A. Smith to A.H. Owens, 1871; accessed 4 February 2014 on FHL US/CAN microfilm 1,535,634.

Devier J. Smith bought the 60.79 acres in Section 18 in Township 67 North Range 33 West from Tobias and Lydia Denny on 10 December 1867, along with 160 acres in the southwest quarter of Section 23 in Township 68 North of Range 34 West, for $1400.  He sold the Section 18 lot in the present transaction for $1000.  It's not possible to tell explicitly what his profit on the sale of this property is.

Devier J. and Abby A. Smith are my second great-grandparents.  By 1875, they were residing in Concordia, Cloud County, Kansas.  Subsequently, they moved to McCook, Red Willow County, Nebraska in 1885, and then bought land in Cheyenne County, Kansas before Devier died in 1894 in McCook.  Abby came to San Diego to live with her daughter's family in the early 1890s.


Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver


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