Monday, April 20, 2015

Amanuensis Monday - Post 264: 1804 Deed of Josiah Sawtell to Samuel Hale in Brookline, N.H.

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 1804 land record of Josiah Sawtell (1768-1847) selling land in Brookline, New Hampshire to Samuel Hale.




The transcription of this deed is:

[Volume 61, page 114, starting about 1/4 down the page]

Sawtel } Know all men by these presents
to Hale } that I Josiah Sawtel of Townshend in the
county of Middlesex and commonwealth of Mas-
sachusetts husbandman that for the consideration
of one hundred and sixty dollars and eighty six
cents to me in hand paid by Samuel Hale of Pep-
perill in county and commonwealth aforesaid
merchant. The receipt whereof I do hereby acknow-
ledge do hereby give grant sell and convey to the said
Samuel a certain piece of land situated in the southwes-
terly part of Brookline in the county of Hillsborough
and state of New hampshirecontaining about twenty
acres, be the same more or less bounded as follows (viz.)
beginning at the northwesterly corner of the premises
at the southwest corner of Samuel Russels land in
the east line of the corner of Mason thence southerly
on said Mason line about fifty three rods to land of
Nathaniel Patten thence easterly by said Pattens land
about fifty rods to the road thence northerly by said
road about fifty five rods to said Russels land thence
west about forty rods by said Russels land to the
place of beginning. To have and to hold
the same with all the privileges and appurtenances
there unto belonging to him the said Samuel his his heirs
and assigns forever and I the said Josiah Sawtell
do for myself my heirs executors and administrators
covenant with the said Samuel his heirs executors
and administrators that I am lawfully seized of
the above granted premises in fee simple and that
the are free of all incumbrance and that I have
good right to sell and convey the same to the said

[Volume 61, page 115, ending about half way down the page]

Samuel in manner aforesaid and that and
my heirs executors and administrators will
warrant and defend the same to the said Samu-
el his heirs and assigns against the lawful
claims and demands of all persons forever. In
witness whereof I have here unto set my hand and
seal together with my wife as a token of her
relinquishing her right of Dower and power
of thirds in the premises this twentieth day of
February in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred
and Four. Signed sealed and delivered in presence
of Shobal C. Allen               Josiah Sawtel {seal}
Jno Barnard                       Hannah Sawtel {seal}
Middlesex SS Feb'y 20th 1804

Personally appeared the within named Josiah
Sawtell and acknowledged the within instru-
ment by him subscribed to be his free act and
deed before me ---- Daniel Adams Just peace

Rec'd & recorded 21Feb'y 45 min. past 6 O'Clock
1804 & exam'd by Isaac Brooks Reg'r.

The source citation for this record is:

Hillsborough County, N.H. Registrar of Deeds, Deed Records, (1771-1901): "Deeds, Volume 61-62 1804," Volume 61, pages 114-115, deed of Josiah Sawtel to Samuel Hale, 1804, accessed on FHL microfilm US/CAN 15,961.

I obtained this deed image from FHL microfilm back in 2010 at the Family History Library using the microfilm scanner machine at rthe Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

Josiah Sawtell (1768-1847) is my 4th great-grandfather.  With this deed, I now know that he owned  about 20 acres of land (and probably resided on it) in the southwestern part of Brookline, N.H. on the line with the town of Mason.  He was enumerated in Mason in the 1800 U.S. Census.  When he sold this land, he was a resident of Townsend, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.  I need to find his land records there also.  


Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver



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