Monday, February 3, 2014

Amanuensis Monday - Post 204: 1756 Deed of Isaac and Ruth Buck to Joseph Graves in Southborough, Mass.

Genea-blogger John Newmark (who writes the excellent TransylvanianDutch blog) started his own Monday blog theme many months ago called Amanuensis Monday. What does "amanuensis" mean? John offers this definition:

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

The subject today is a land deed in Worcester County, Massachusetts dated 30 December 1756, recorded on 29 October 1765, transferring one tract of land in Southborough, Worcester County from Isaac and Ruth Buck to Joseph Graves for 3 pounds (middle of the right-hand page on the first image below to top of the left-hand page on the second image below):





A transcription of the deed recorded in the Worcester County Deed Books by the Deed Registrar is (transcribed line by line):

[page 46]

[left-hand margin] Isaac Buck & wife to Joseph Graves 

1  To all People to whom these Presents shall come we Isaac Buck of Southborough
2  in the County of Worcester husbandman and Ruth his wife Send Greeting
3  Know ye that we the said Isaac and Ruth for and in consideration of the sum
4  of three Pounds in lawfull money to us in hand at and before the unsealing
5  and Delivery hereof paid by Joseph Graves of said Southborough yeoman the Receipt
6  whereof we do hereby acknowledge and for divers other good Causes and Con-
7  siderations whereunto Moving have Remised Released Sold and forever
8  Quit Claims and by these Presents for ourselves and our Heirs do Remise
9  Release Sell and forever Quit Claim unto the said Joseph Graves and his
10 Heirs and assigns forever all our Right and Share in and unto all the Estate
11 both Real and Personall whereof our Honoured Father Thomas Graves late of
12 said Southborough yeoman Deceased died Seized of in said Southborough ^or elsewhere^ together
13 with all the Estate Right with Interest, Use Property Claim and Demand
14 whatsoever of us the said Isaac Buck and Ruth his wife and our Heirs
15 which we now have or at any Time heretofore had of, in, and to the afore-
16 mentioned Premises with the appurnces or to any Part thereof or which
17 at any Time heretofore has been held used occupied or Enjoyed as Part
18 or Parcel of the Same.  To Have and To Hold all the aforegranted and
19 bargained Premises with the appurnes to him the said Joseph Graves
20 his Heirs and Assigns forever with the Reversion and Reversions Remainder
21 and Remainders thereof or any Part thereof forever so that neither we
22 the said Isaac Buck and Ruth his wife nor our Heirs nor any other Person or
23 Persons Claiming from or under us or them, or in the Name Rights, Head
24 of us or them Shall or will by any ??? as ago or Have Claim Challenge

[page 47]

25 or Demand any Estate Right Title or Interest of in and to the aforesaid
26 Premises with the appurnces or any Part or Parcel thereof forever
27 But we the said Isaac Buck and Ruth his wife do for ourselves
28 and Heirs Execrs and Admrs Covenant to and with the sd Joseph
29 Graves and his Heirs and Assigns to the said Granted and Released
30 Premises with the Profitts Privileges and appurnces thereto
31 belonging to the said Joseph Graves and his Heirs & assigns
32 forever to Warrant Secure and Defend against the lawfull Claims
33 and Demands of any Person or Persons Claiming under us
34 or our Heirs as aforesaid forever by these Presents.  In Witness whereof
35 we the said Isaac Buck and Ruth his wife have hereunto set our
36 Hands and seals this thirtieth Day of December Anno Domini
37 one Thousand Seven Hundred and Fifty six and in the Thirtieth
38 year of his Majestys Reign.   Isaac Buck {seal}  Ruth X Buck {seal}
39 Signed Sealed and Delivered in presence of Isaac Buck Jr.  Eben^r Buck

40 Worcester SS Oct^r 19^th A D 1757 the within named Isaac Buck and Ruth
41 Buck his wife both personally appeared and acknowledged their
42 Signing Sealing and Delivering the within written was their free
43 act of sd Deed.    Before me William Ward Justice of the peace.

44 Received Oct^r 29, 1765 accordingly Entered & Examd  

45                                                             J ? Mc????? Reg^r

The source citation for this deed record is:

"Massachusetts, Land Records, 1620-1986," digital images, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 26 January 2014), Worcester County, "Deeds, 1765-1767, Vol 55-56," images 46-47 of 618, in Volume 55, pages 61-62, Isaac and Ruth Buck to Joseph Graves deed, dated 30 December 1756.

Ruth Buck was a sister of Joseph Graves, and both had inherited property in Southborough from their father, Thomas Graves (1686-1756).  This deed transfer's Ruth's property to her brother.

This deed shows two other significant relationships:

1)  Ruth Graves (1710-????), daughter of Thomas Graves, married Isaac Buck (1706-1780?) and they resided in Southborough in 1756.

2)  The two witnesses are Isaac Buck Jr. and Ebenezer Buck.  While the deed does not identify them as sons of Isaac and Ruth (Graves) Buck, I believe that they are.  They would have an interest in the deed executed in late 1756.  I have found some information for Ebenezer Buck (1738-1827) and his descendants.  The only other piece of information I've found for an Isaac Buck Jr. was in a memoir book by Ellery Crane that said Isaac Buck Jr. was the son of Isaac and Ruth (Graves) Buck.  

There are no other Isaac Buck persons in the vicinity of Southborough in the 1755 to 1760 time frame - I've looked carefully.  The Isaac and Ruth (Graves) Buck family (including children Susanna and Joseph) of Framingham was welcomed into the home of Joseph Richards in Southborough on 25 March 1756.  Isaac, Ruth, Joseph and Susanna Buck were warned out of Southborough on 5 May 1756.  They ended up in Framingham in the 1763-1764 time frame.  

Then, an Isaac Buck was named in the birth record of Isaac Buck (1757-1846), born to Mary Richards (1733-????), daughter of Joseph Richards (1703-1748) of Southborough and sister to Joseph Richards (1731-????), on 27 September 1757 in Southborough.  

I believe that the father of Isaac Buck (1757-1846) was the Isaac Buck Jr., the deed witness, and not Isaac Buck [senior] who would have been age 52 at conception of Isaac 1757, with a wife and younger children still residing in the Richards home.  


Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver




1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Randy I notice you number the lines when you transcribe a document. Is this common practice or just what you like to do? I'm new to genealogy.