Monday, January 5, 2015

Amanuensis Monday - Post 250: Appraisal of Real Estate of Simon Gates (1739-1803) Estate

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 the 1803 Appraisal of Real Estate for the estate of Simon Gates (1739-1803) of Gardner, Worcester County, Massachusetts in Worcester County Probate File 23252:




The transcription of the Appraisal is:

[image 80]

Pursuant to a Warrant to us directed by the Honourable
Nathaniel Paine Esquire Judge of Probate of Wills &c for the
County of Worcester

We the Subscribers having been first Sworn as the said Warrant directs
having appraised all the Real Estate whereof Simon Gates late of Gardner
in said County of Worcester Died Seized and possessed within the Common-
Wealth as follows (viz)

The hom????? farm lying in the Northeastwardly part of Gardner in Said
County Containing Ninety Eight Acres and Seventy three rods of Mowing
Plowing Orcharding Pastureland and Woodland together with Two
dwelling Houses Barn and other out buildings, Said land bounded as fol-
loweth: Beginning at the Southwestwardly Corner a Stake and Stones
Being the Southeastwardly Corner of Josiah Kendalls Land thence North
Eighty Seven Degrees forty five Minutes East twenty one rods one link by a
Town way to Mr. Daniel Hows land a Stake and Stones thence North
one Dregree West one rod to a Stake and Stones thence North Eighty
Seven Degrees forty five Minutes East by Said Hows land and Widow Rays
Dower fifty nine rods four links to a Stake and Stones thence North
two degrees fifteen Minutes West thirty Six rods twenty three links
by a road Called Dun's Road to a bend in the wall thence North Tw-
enty one Degrees fifteen Minutes East four rods seventeen links
by Said road to a bend in the wall thence North two Degrees
Thirty minutes West fourteen rods and four links by Said road
to a bend in the wall thence North four Degrees forty five Minutes
West forty four rods fourteen links by said Road to a bend in
the wall thence North fifteen Minutes East fifteen rods four
links by said road to a bend in the wall thence North thirty
five Degrees forty five Minutes East five rods two links by said road
thence North nine Degrees East five rods fifteen links by said road to
a Corner of a Wall thence North Sixty five Degrees fifteen Minutes West
four rods nine links by John Dunns land a Corner of the fence thence
North four Degrees West thirty four rods by said Dunn's land to a Stake
and Stones thence South Eighty Seven Degrees West Sixty one rods
Eighteen links by Lucas Dunn's land to a Stake and Stones thence
South Eighty Seven Degrees thirty two Minutes West Sixty three rods twelve
links and an half by Said Dunn's land and Edward Jacksons land to a
Stake and Stones thence South three Degrees East Eighty two rods
by said Jacksons land to a Stake and Stones thence North Eighty five
Degrees fifteen Minutes East thirteen rods twenty links by Josiah Kendalls
land to a Stake and stones thence North nine Degrees forty five Minutes
East Six rods and fifteen links by Said Kendalls land to a Stake and Stones
thence North Eighty five Degrees East three rods by said Kendalls land
to a Stake and Stones South Seventeen Degrees East Six rods fifteen
links by said Kendalls land to a Stake and Stones thence North
Eighty five Degrees East twenty four rods twenty five links by Said
Kendalls land to a Stake and Stones thence South two Degrees
thirty three Minutes East Seventy Nine rods Eight links

[image 81]

by said Kendalls land to the first Mentioned Corner bound amount-
ing to the Sum Two thousand five hundred and twenty five Doll-
ars --------------------------------------------------------------------$2525=00

Also another tract of land lying in the Eastwardly part
of said Gardner Called the Conant land Containing accord-
ing to Deed thirty acres of Pasturing and Woodland
Butted and bounded as followeth (viz): Beginning at a
Stake and Stones the Northeastwardly Corner of Said premises
thence Westwardly bounded northwardly by a Town way
to a Stake and Stones thence Southwardly bounded west-
wardly by land of John Peirce and William Chappel
to a Stake and Stones thence Eastwardly bounded South-
wardly on fourth Divisions thence Northwardly by boun-
ding East by Edward Jacksons land to the first mentioned
Corner bound amounting to the Sum of three hundred
and thirty Dollars ------------------------------------- $ 330=00

Also another tract of land lying in the Southeastwardly
part of Said Gardner Called the Marshel Lott Containing
Forty Eight Acres one hundred forty nine rods of mow-
ing Pasturing and woodland bounded as followeth (viz):
Begining at a Stake and Stones at the End of a wall adjoining
a Town leading from said Gardner to Westminster and being
the Northwestwardly Corner of Said premises thence runing
South forty Six Degrees West one hundred fifty two rods by land of
David Sheeds to a Stake and Stones within three rods of the
Southeastwardly Corner of the Brattle Lott So Called thence South
Thirty Seven Degrees forty minutes East twenty four rods Eightteen
Links by said Reeds Land to a Stake and Stones thence North
Forty four Degrees fifteen Minutes East forty two rods fifteen
links by Ephraim Pratts land to a Stake and Stones thence
South Seventy four Degrees East thirty nine rods five links by
said Pratts land to a Stake and Stones thence North forty nine
Degrees East Ninety Six rods by John Peirce's land and Jabez
Biglows land to a Stake and Stones thence North two De-
grees twenty Minutes West Nineteen rods five links by
William Pennemans land to a Stake and Stones by said
Road thence North Sixty Eight Degrees twenty Minutes
West twenty five road ten links by said road to a bend in
the wall thence North Sixty Nine Degrees West Seven
Rods thirteen links by said road to a bend in the Wall
thence North fifty one Degrees fifteen Minutes West
Eighteen rods thirteen links by Said road to the first
Mentioned Corner bound Amounting to the Sum
of four Hundred and Ninety Dollars ------------------ $ 490=00

Also two fourth Division Lotts Number Ninety nine
and One Hundred Containing or by Deed thirty seven acres
be the same more or less Butted and bounded as followeth (viz):
Beginning at a Stake and Stones thence Westwardly bounded on
Lott Number One hundred and one One hundred and
Eighteen rods to a Hemlock Tree Marked thence Southeastwardly
thirty Eight rods to a Spruce tree Marked thence South-
eastwardly Twenty one rods fifteen links to a Spruce tree

[image 82]

Marked thence Eastwardly about twenty five rods to a Stake
thence Eastwardly about fifty five rods by land belonging
to Aaron Wood Esq to a Hemlock tree Marked thence North-
wardly about Twenty five rods by lott Number thirty to the
first Mentioned Corner bound Amounting to the Sum of
One hundred and Eighty give Dollars -----------------------185=00

Also another tract of swamp land lying in the North-
wardly part of Westminster in said County of Worcester
Containing Eighteen Acres one Hundred and nine rods
Called the Coburn Swamp butted and bounded as follow-
eth (viz): Begining at a Stake and Stones the Southwest-
wardly Corner of said premises and northwestwardly Corner
of Lt Biglows land thence runing North three degrees
West forty seven rods seven links by Jewel and
Wilkinsons land to a Stake and Stones thence North-
Sixty Eight Degrees forty nine Minutes East fifty
Two rods by David Cowee's land to a Stake and Stones
thence South Sixteen Degrees East forty Eight rods
Sixteen links by Baldwins and Maynards land to
a Stake and Stones thence South forty six Degrees
three minutes West twenty one rods by lott Num-
ber one hundred twenty two fourth Division land to a
Spruce tree Marked thence Eight Eight Degrees forty
three Minutes West forty four rods by Lieutenant
Biglows land to the first mentioned Corner bound
Amounting to the Sum of One hundred and Ninety
Dollars ------------------------------------------------------- $190=00

Also a Pew in Said Gardner Meeting house Number fifteen
on the Lower floor appraised at forty four Dollars ----- $ 44=00
Also a Pew in the Galleries in Said Meeting House Appraised
at Twenty Seven Dollars ------------------------------------- $ 27=00
Also a Horstable Near Said Meeting House Appraised at
five Dollar ------------------------------------------------------- $5=00

Amounting in the Whole Sum total of three thousand
Seven hundred and Ninety Six Dollars --------------------$ 3796=00

One third of which is One Thousand two hundred
Sixty five Dollars thirty three Cents and one third
of a Cent ------------------------------------------------------- $ 1265=33-1/3

The source citation for the appraisal of the real estate is:

Massachusetts, Worcester County, Probate Files, 1731-1925, Case 23252, Simon Gates Estate, 1803, Appraisal of Real Estate; digital images, FamilySearch.org,(https://familysearch.org: accessed 12 August 2014); in "Case no 23243-23330, Gates, Sarah-Gay, William, 1731-1881" (images 80-82 of 1069); original records in Worcester County, Mass. Courthouse.

This is the fourth of several transcriptions from the Estate packet for Simon Gates (1739-1803), my 5th great-grandfather.  He died 11 March 1803 in Gardner, Worcester County, Massachusetts.  

There are five plots of land, two pews and a horse stable appraised in this document, and the sum of the real estate is $3796.00.  

In the next post, I will transcribe the remainder of this document wherein the appraisers will divide this Real Estate between the named heirs - the widow and the children of Simon Gates.

I need a Deed Mapping program in order to plot out the four land parcels described in this document, and to try to find the location of these parcels in present-day Gardner and Westminster.


Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver


1 comment:

Ric said...

While you didn't ask I really like DeedMapper 4.2 http://www.directlinesoftware.com/deedmapper_42 to plot land records. They also have a Deed Data Pool on-line that was very helpful in my research. I am not affiliated in anyway with the company, just a happy customer that has used the software and purchases the upgrades when they are issued.

Ric Tobin