Amanuensis Monday - Post 271: 1794 Deed of Humphrey White to Eli Handy in Bristol County, Mass.

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 1794 deed of Humphrey White of Westport, Massachusetts granting land to Eli Handy in Westport, Massachusetts.

The transcription of this deed (the top deed on the left-hand page) is:

Know all Men by these presents that I Humphry White of Westport County

of Bristol Commonwealth of Massachusetts yeoman, for & in consideration of the

Sum of Two Thousand Eight hundred & Ten Spanish Milled Dollars to me in hand paid

by Eli Handy of the same Westport Physician, the recept whereof I do hereby acknowlidge

and do by these presents, give, grant Sell & Convey & Confirm unto the sd Eli Handy & to

his heirs & assigns forever, A certain Tract or parcel of Land & Salt marsh in sd Town-

ship of Westport, and on the west Side of Acoakset River, near Hixes Bridge containing

one hundred & three acres by estimation be the same more or less Bounded as follows.

Begining at the River Side at the water fence, thence West two degrees North forty nine rods

then Westerly in the line of the highway one hundred & fifty Three rods & a half, thence North

nine degrees & a half West forty rods, thence North fifteen degrees West ninteen rods to a Corner

of a Wall then East Six degrees North eight rods to another Corner, thence North three degrees

& half East Seventeen rods, then Easterly as the wall runs untill it comes unto the said End of

a Wall between my Land & my father Jonathan White, & from the End of sd Wall East five &

half degrees North to Stephen Kirbys land, from thence in sd Kirbys line unto the River,

reserving unto my father Jonathan White, a prevalidge of passing & repassing through the

west End of sd Land unto the highway from his Land, and to Come out to the highway where

the Bars now are over the Crossway at the foot of the high hill so called. To have & to hold the

said Granted Land & premises to the said Eli Handy his heirs & assigns to their use and

behoof forever, (except the drift way now through Land) I the sd Humphry White do

covenant with the said Eli Handy his heirs & assigns that I am lawfully seized in fee of

the premises that they are free of all Incumbrances, that I have good right to sell and

Convey the same to the said Eli Handy and that I will warrant & defend the same premises

to the said Eli Handy his heirs & assigns forever, against the lawfull Claims & demands

of all persons. In Witness whereof I the sd Humphry White have hereunto Set my hand

and Seal this Twenty Sixth Day of March AD 1794. Humphry White {seal}

Signed Sealed & Delivered Sibel White {seal}

in presence of Bristol Ss Westport March 26^th Day 1794 then personally

Saml Taber appeared the above Subscriber, namely Humphry White

Stephen Peckham Jr. acknowlidged the above & foregoing Instrument to be his

Volentary act & Deed, before me William Davis Justice pacis

Recd April 21^st 1795. And recorded by James Williams Regr.

The source citation for this land record is:

"Massachusetts, Land Records, 1620-1986," digital images, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 20 May 2015), Bristol County > Deeds, 1793-1795, Vol. 72-73 > Volume 73, page 483 (image 572 of 634), Humphrey White to Eli Handy, dated 26 March 1794, recorded 21 April 1795. 

This deed grants the land given by Jonathan White, the father of Humphrey White, to Humphrey White earlier in 1794, to Eli Handy.  The description of the land in the transcription above sounds like it was the same tract of land that Humphrey received from his father. It was on the west side of Hixes Bridge in what is now Westport, Massachusetts.  

Two thousand, eight hundred and ten Spanish milled dollars sounds like a lot of money in those times.  This transaction probably provided the wherewithal for Humphrey and Sibel White to move their growing family to Glocester, Providence County, Rhode Island in 1794.

Humphrey and Sibel (Kirby) White are my fourth great-grandparents.  

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