Monday, October 20, 2014

Amanuensis Monday - Post 240: 1872 Deed of Land in Taylor County, Iowa from Devier J. and Abbie A. Smith to Alexander John

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 1872 deed in the Taylor County, Iowa deed books for Devier J. and Abbie A. Smith selling land to Alexander John. 


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

DEED RECORD, TAYLOR CO., IOWA
=================================================
FROM:  D.J. & A.A. Smith   }       Filed for record, this    6th   day of      June     A.D. 18 72 at
                                                  }                               6    o'clock,    P.  M.
TO:         Alex John                }      
                                                  }                             E.G. Medford, Recorder
                                                      
=================================================
Know all Men by these Presents: That      I. Devier J. Smith and Abbie   
    A. Smith wife       of the County of   Taylor   and State of    Iowa   
in consideration of the sum of    Thirty two Hundred ($3200)                                    Dollars,
in hand paid by         Alexander John                     
of     Taylor     County and State of     Iowa    do hereby SELL AND CONVEY
unto the said        Alexander John        the following       
described premises, situated in the County of   Taylor    and State of   Iowa    to wit:
      The North Half of the South West Quarter of Section No. Twenty Three   
    (23) in Township No Sixty Eight (68) North in Range Thirty four (34) 
   West.                                                                                                                         
and   We   hereby covenant with the said     Alexander John                            
that   We   hold said premises by good and perfect title, that   We   have good right and lawful authority to sell
and convey the same; that they are free and clear of all liens and incumbrances whatsoever, And We covenant 
 to WARRANT AND DEFEND the said premises, against the lawful claims of all persons whomsoever.  
And the said       Abbie A. Smith                        
hereby relinquishes her right of dower in and to the above described premises.
======================================
Signed this    5th      day of     June          A.D.  18  72 
IN PRESENCE OF          {   $ 3.50 U.S. Rev.Stamp     }        Devier J. Smith       
                                            {Annexed and Cancelled by }         Abbie A. Smith     
                                            { D.J. & A.A.S.                        }
STATE OF IOWA,     Taylor       County        SS
On this   fifth   day of    June       A.D. 18 72  , before me    E.G. Medford      
a    Notary Public      within and for said County, personally came    Devier J. Smith     
   and Abbie A. Smith     personally known to be the identical person s whose 
                        name s are  affixed to the above instrument as Grantor s , and acknowledged the same
                        to be   Their   voluntary act and deed, for the purposes therein expressed.
{ N P  }           In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name and affixed my 
{ seal }            official seal at     Bedford  Iowa     on the date last above written.
                                                                              E.G. Medford            
                                                                               Notary Public        
============================================
     I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the original deed, as filed for record on the
     6th      day of      June      18 72  
                                                            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 290(stamped), Deed of Devier J. and Abbie A. Smith to Alexander John, 1872; accessed 4 February 2014 on FHL US/CAN microfilm 1,535,635.

Devier J. Smith purchased the entire Southwest quarter of Section 23 in Township 68 North, Range 34 West (160 acres) on 10 December 1867, along with 60 acres in Section 18 of Township 67 North, Range 33 West, for $1400.  In the present deed, he sells the northern half (80 acres) of Section 23 for $3200.  This is a tidy profit (perhaps about $2700) after five years of holding and improving this land, which may have had their farm house on it.  

Devier J. and Abbie A. Smith are my second great-grandparents.  By 1875, they were residing in Concordia, Cloud County, Kansas.  Subsequently, they moved in 1885 to McCook, Red Willow County, Nebraska in 1885, and then bought land in Cheyenne County, Kansas before Devier died in 1894 in McCook.  Abbie 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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