Monday, May 7, 2018

Amanuensis Monday - 1794 Deed of John Pray to Humphrey White in Glocester, R.I.

This week's document for Amanuensis Monday is from the Glocester, Rhode Island Deed Records for Humphrey White (1757-1814):

a)  Glocester R.I. Deed Records, Volume 12, page 480:


b)  Glocester R.I. Deed Records, Volume 12, page 481:




The transcription of this deed is:

[page 480]


Know all Men by these Presents that I John Pray of Glocester
in the County of Providence and State of Rhode Island Esq^r for and in
Consideration of the Just sum of one Thousand and Eighty Pounds Lawful
Money to me In hand paid before the Delivery hereof by Humphrey White
of Dartmouth in the County of Bristol and Commonwealth of Massachu-
setts yeoman the Receipt Whereof I do hereby acknowledge & have Given
Granted bargained and sold and do by these presents Give Grant bargain
Sell aliene and fully freely and Absolutely Convey & Confirm unto him
the said Humphrey White and to his heirs and assigns forever a Cer-
tain tract or parcel of Land situated & lying in Glocester in the County
& State aforesaid containing by Estimation two hundred & twenty four
Acres be the same more or less and is butted and bounded as followeth
/viz/ beginning at a Green oak tree being the northeat corner of the old
Fenner Lott from thence South ten Degrees West one hundred and
twelve Rods to a White oak tree on the South side of the new Road from
thence West by said Road about Sixty three Rods to a stake and stones
by the Corner of the said new Road; from thence about north fifty
nine Rods to a stake and stones being the N.E. Corner of ^Esqr^ W^m
Arnold land from thence West about five Degrees north by
said W^m & Jabez Arnold Land one hundred & fifty five Rods
to a stake and stones from thence north twelve D^s West 52
Rods to a heap of stones from thence West Seventeen Degrees
South 60 Rods to a stake and stones from thence North

in Hopkins and Dexters line to a stake & stone Seventy

[page 481]

three Rods and an half; from thence East two Degrees South
Eighteen Rods to an antient White oak Bound from thence north
forty Degrees East forty Eight Rods in said Dexters antient line to
a stake and stones; from thence east two Degrees South ninety three
Rods to a White oak tree being the Corner of the Fenner lot; from
thence South thirteen Degrees East Seventy Rods to a heap of stones;
from thence South forty one Degrees East fifty seven Rods to a Green
oak tree; from thence East twenty Degrees north seventy nine Rods to a
heap of stones being the Corner of a lot of Land I purchased of Jacob
Ballard; from thence north twenty Degrees East thirteen Rods to a
heap of stones; from thence East twenty eight Degrees ^South^ forty one Rods to
White oak tree With Stones from thence a straight Course to the first men-
tioned Corner /viz/ the Green oak tree Including the Lot of Land ^that^ I
purchased of Jacob Ballard. To Have and to Hold the said
Granted and Bargained premises together with appurtenances free
of all Incumbrances Whatsoever to him the said Humphrey White and
to his heirs and assigns as an absolute Estate of Inheritance In fee simple
forever. And the said John Pray for my self my heirs Executors and
administrators do covenant and engage to Warrant secure & Defend the
above Demised premises to him the said Humphrey White & his
heirs and assigns forever against the Lawful Claims and Demands
of all persons Whatsoever hereafter. In Witness Whereof I the said
John Pray and Deborah Pray have hereunto set our hands and seals the
Eleventh Day of April Anno Dom. One thousand seven hundred &
ninety four. And the Eighteenth of the Independence of the United
States of America.
Signed sealed & Deliv^d                         John Pray {seal}
in presence of     }                               Deborah Pray {seal}
Nathaniel Wade }
David Cushing  }

Providence Ss Glocester the Day & year Within-
Written personally Appeared John Pray the Signer to
this Instrument & Acknowledged the same to be his
act & Deed before me Nath^l Wade Just. Peace

Recv^d the 19^th Day of June AD 1794 and Recorded by

                         Richard Steere Jun^r Assist. Town Clk.

The source citation for this document is:Glocester [R.I.] Town Clerk, Deed Records 1730-1893, General index to Deeds 1730-1856, "Deed Records Vol. 12-13, 1791-1799," Volume 12, pages 480-1, John Pray to Humphrey White, 11 April 1794, recorded 19 June 1794, accessed on FHL US/CAN Microfilm 941834.

On 11 April 1794, John Pray sold 224 acres of land in Glocester, Providence County, Rhode Island for 1,080 pounds "lawful money."  The description of the land in Glocester town on a highway and is basically metes and bounds, but property of William and Jabez Arnold, the Fenner lot, Hopkins and Dexter, and Jacob Ballard.  Nathaniel Wade and David Cushing witnessed the deed.  The deed was recorded on 19 June 1794.

Before 1794, Humphrey and Sibel (Kirby) White resided in Dartmouth and then Westport, Massachusetts (after it was set off from Dartmouth in 1787).  Humphrey's father, Jonathan White (1732-1804), gave him 103 acres in Westport on 27 February 1794, which Humphrey White sold to Eli Handy on 26 March 1794.  Humphrey had bought other lands in earlier years.  During 1794-1796, Humphrey sold the Westport lands and bought this tract of land in Glocester, R.I. and, subsequently, bought more land in Glocester.  

Humphrey and Sibel (Kirby) White are my 4th great-grandparents, through their son Jonathan White (1803-1850), who subsequently moved to Killingly, Connecticut, and married Miranda Wade (1804-1850) there.  

This set of Glocester, Rhode Island deeds are available on FamilySearch digital microfilm in the Library Catalog, but cannot be accessed from home.  I used my iPhone to take the images above from the microfilm reader at the Family History Library in early February 2016.

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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."

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2018/05/amanuensis-monday-1794-deed-of-john.html

Copyright (c) 2018, Randall J. Seaver


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