Monday, October 13, 2014

Amanuensis Monday - Post 239: 1871 Deed of Land in Taylor County, Iowa from A.A and Rebecca Hancock to Devier J. Smith

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 A.A. and Rebecca Hancock selling land to Devier J. Smith. 


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

01 DEED RECORD, TAYLOR CO., IOWA
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02  A A Hancock           }       Filed for record, this    20   day of  December A.D. 18 71
03                                       }                             at    2    o'clock,    P.  M.
04 To:   D.J. Smith            }      
05                                      }                             E.G. Medford, Recorder
06                                                       
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07 Know all Men by these Presents:
08 That      We A A Hancock and    
09    Rebecca Hancock   of the County of   Taylor   and State of    Iowa   
10 in consideration of the sum of    Three Thousand                                        Dollars,
11 in hand paid by         Devier J. Smith                     
12 of     Taylor     County and State of     Iowa    do hereby SELL AND CONVEY
13 unto the said        Devier J. Smith     the following       
14 described premises, situated in the County of   Taylor    and State of   Iowa    to wit:
15       The South East Quarter of the South East Quarter of Sect. No Eleven
16     (11) and the North East Qr of the N E 1/4 of Sect. fourteen (14)     
17    all in Township No Sixty Seven (67) Range Thirty three (33) West.  
18 and   We   hereby covenant with the said     Devier J. Smith                        
19 that   We   hold said premises by good and perfect title, that   We   have good right and lawful authority to sell
20 and convey the same; that they are free and clear of all liens and incumbrances whatsoever, And We covenant 
21  to WARRANT AND DEFEND the said premises, against the lawful claims of all persons whomsoever.  And the said   
22   Rebecca Hancock                     
23 hereby relinquishes her right of dower in and to the above described premises.
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24 Signed this    18th      day of     December     A.D.  18  71 
25 IN PRESENCE OF          {   $ 3.00 U.S. Rev.Stamp     }        A A Hancock       
26                                          {Annexed and Cancelled by }       Rebecca X Hancock     
27                                            { A A H & R H 18 dec 71    }
28 STATE OF IOWA,     Taylor       County        SS
29  On this   18th   day of    December    A.D. 18 71  , before me    James P. Hick    
30  a    Notary Public      within and for said County, personally came   A A Hancock  & 
31    Rebecca Hancock       personally known to be the identical person s whose 
32                    name s are  affixed to the above instrument as Grantor s , and acknowledged the same
33                   to be   Their   voluntary act and deed, for the purposes therein expressed.
34                  In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name and affixed my 
35                  official seal at     Bedford  Iowa     on the date last above written.
36                                                                               J.P. Hick            
37                                                                                Notary Public        
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38      I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the original deed, as filed for record on the
39       20      day of      December      18 71  
40                                                             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. O (cont'd), 1873-1874, v. P 1871-1873, v. Q (to p.391)" Volume P, page 91 (stamped), Deed of A A and Rebecca Hancock to Devier J. Smith, 1871; accessed 4 February 2014 on FHL US/CAN microfilm 1,535,635.

This is a new purchase of land.  Devier J. Smith had sold many of the lots in Section 23 of Section 68 in the months previous, and he then bought these two parcels. 

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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