Amanuensis Monday - Deed Records for Shubael Seaver (1640-1730) in Roxbury, Massachusetts - Part 1

This week's document for Amanuensis Monday is from the Suffolk County, Massachusetts deed records for Shubael Seaver (1640-1730) of Roxbury, Massachusetts:

The transcription of this record is:

[middle of left-hand page]

[in margin] Seaver to Weld jun^r

This indenture made the third day of January 1729/30

Between Shubael Seaver of Roxbury in the County of Suffolk in New

England, Wheelwright on the one part & Edmund Weld Jun^r of the

Town & County aforesaid Joyner on the other part. Witnesseth that

the said Shubael Seaver for and in Consideration of the Sum of five

Shillings to me in hand paid by the said Edm^d Weld Jun^r for the sure

making & better settling of his Real Estate to & among his Children

after his decease & for diverse other Causes & Considerations him

thereunto moving, Hath Given granted & doth hereby give grant

bargain sell Aliene Enfeofe Convey & Confirm unto him the said

Edmund Weld jun^r All that his the said Shubael Seaver Messuage

Dwellinghouse Together with the Gardens & orchard with the Land

thereunto Adjoyning Containing by Estimation between Three & four

Acres situated near Stoney River in Roxbury afores^d & fronting on the

publick Road leading to Dedham. As also a piece of pasture

Land Containing by Estimation between fourteen & fiftenn Acres

fronting also upon the Road aforesaid about a Quarter of a Miles

distance from aforesaid Seavers house, Together with a barn &

yard thereto belonging over against the said Seavers Mansion

house As also Two acres of Saltmarsh lying at a place called

the Island below the Tyde Mill in Roxbury aforesaid

[right-hand page]

To have and to hold the said Mansion house Barn & several pieces

of Land aforementioned however they are or may be bounded to him the

said Edmund Weld jun^r His heirs forever but to & for the Use & Uses in Trust

& Trusts hereafter mentioned & no other Trust or use whatsoever that is

to say to & for the Use of him the said Shubael Seaver for & during the

Term of his Natural Life & from & after his decease to & for the Use of

his two sons Joseph & Shubael Seaver & his three Daughters Hannah

Gregory Abigail Cole & Thankful More them & their heirs forever part &

part alike Save only a double part & portion to the said Joseph Seaver

to be divided as the Law of this province directs & appoints. In Witness

whereof the said Shubael Seaver hath hereunto set his hand & seal the

day & year first abovewritten Shubael S Seaver his mark & seal.

Signed Sealed & Delivered in presence of us John Bowles Eben^r Pierpont

Ebenezer Newell Suffolk Ss Roxbury the 3^d day of January 1729/30

Mr. Shubael Seaver personally appearing Acknowledged this Instrument

to be his free Act & Deed before me John Bowles Just peace January 4^th

1729. Received and accordingly Entred & Examined

                                                                           John Ballantine Reg^r

The source citation for this record is:

"Massachusetts, Land Records, 1620-1986," digital images, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : , Suffolk County, "Deeds, 1729-1731, Vol. 44-45," Volume 44, page 45 (image 54 of 680), Indenture of Shubael Seaver to Edmund Weld, Jr., written 3 January 1729/30, recorded 4 January 1729/30.

In this document, the 89 year old Shubael Seaver granted all of his real estate in trust to Edmund Weld, Junior, who paid 5 shillings for the privilege, for support of Shubael for the rest of his natural life and to distribute the estate fairly to Shubael's children.  I don't understand why Edmund had to pay something, but perhaps it was because the grantee had to pay something.  It was a small amount - not worth the value of the property in question.  Edmund Weld may have been allowed the use and profits from the property during the time he had it.

The document defines Shubael Seaver's occupation as wheelwright, and defines the real estate holdings he had at the time of the writing.  The location of the mansion house is poorly defined as "...near Stoney River in Roxbury & fronting the publick road to Dedham..."  The children of Shubael Seaver are listed as sons Joseph Seaver and Shubael Seaver, and daughters Hannah Gregory, Abigail Cole and Thankful More.  

Shubael Seaver died on 18 January 1729/30 in Roxbury, only two weeks after this document was recorded.  He essentially requested Edmund Weld Jr. to sort out a fair distribution of his estate.  He must have trusted Edmund Weld implicitly to perform this important task.  I would have thought that he would have rewarded Edmund Weld for fulfilling his request.  Perhaps he was paid for the task outside of the indenture.  

There is another record in the Deed books that distribute Shubael Seaver's property to the heirs which I will post next week.  These documents are essentially a probate record put into a land deed record book for some reason.

Shubael Seaver (1640-1730) and his wife Hannah (Wilson) Seaver (1647-1722) are my 8th great-grandparents, through their son Joseph Seaver (1672-1754) who married Mary (Read) Bigelow in 1702.

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NOTE:  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."

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