Monday, April 1, 2019

Amanuensis Monday -- 1843 Deed of Zachariah Hildreth to James Hildreth in Townsend, Massachusetts

This week's document for Amanuensis Monday is the 1843 deed of  Zachariah Hildreth to James Hildreth of Townsend in the Middlesex County, Massachusetts Land Records: 

[Volume 429, pages 200-201]

The transcription of this deed is:

[Volume 429, page 200, starts at middle of left-hand page]

[in left-hand margin]

Zachariah Hildreth

        to 

James Hildreth

[body of text]

                                      Know all men by these presents that

I Zachariah Hildreth of Townsend in the County of Middle-
sex in the State of Massachusetts Yeoman in consideration of
three hundred dollars to me paid by James Hildreth of said
Townsend Yeoman the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged do
hereby give grant bargain sell and convey unto the said James
Hildreth his heirs and assigns forever a certain piece of land with
the buildings on the same situated in the southeasterly part of
said Townsend containing three and one fourth acres more
or less and bounded beginning at a stake with stones on the
road leading from said Zachariah Hildreths house to Lunen-
berg at a corner of Isaac Spauldings land; thence northerly
by said road about fourteen rods to a stake & stones; thence
northerly about seven rods to a stake and stones; thence east-
erly about two rods and ten feet to the aforesaid road thence
northerly by said road about six and a half rods to a stake &
stones at land of said Zachariah Hildreth; thence southwest-
erly by said Z. Hildreth land about thirty nine rods to a

[Volume 429, page 201]

stake and stones; thence southerly by said Z Hildreths land
about four rods to a stake and stones at land of said Isaac Spaul-
ding; thence southeasterly by said Spauldings land about forty rods
to the bounds first mentioned.  To Have and to Hold the above-
granted premises with the privileges and appurtenances thereto
belonging to the said James Hildreth his heirs and assigns to his
and their use and behoof forever.  And I the said Zachariah
Hildreth for myself and my heirs executors and administra-
tors do covenant with the said James Hildreth his heirs and as-
signs that I am lawfully seized in fee of the afore granted prem-
ises, that they are free from all encumbrances; that I have good
right to sell and convey the same to the said James Hildreth
as aforesaid; and that I will and my heirs executors and ad-
ministrators shall warrant & defend the same to the sd
James Hildreth, his heirs and assigns forever against the law-
ful claims and demands of all persons.  In Witness Where-
of, the said Zachariah Hildreth and Hannah wife of the
said Zachariah in token of her full and free release of dower
in said premises have hereunto set our hands and seals this
twenty third day of March in the year of our Lord eighteen
hundred & forty three.                     Zachariah Hildreth  {seal}
     Executed & delivered in   |           Hannah Hildreth   {seal}
    presence of us                    |    Middlesex ss March 23^d A.D.
    Paul Gerrish                     |     1843.  Then personally appear
    Elisabeth Hildreth           |     ed the above named Zachari-
ah Hildreth  acknowledged the above instrument to be his
free act & deed before me   Paul Gerrish Justice of the Peace
     Middlesex ss June 16^th 1843 Rec^d & Recorded by
                                                          W^m F. Stone Reg.

Here is the approximate shape of the parcel of land sold, drawn by hand to a scale of 12 rods per inch, but the plot does not "close" properly because the directions are not exactly northerly or southwesterly, etc.  Still, it provides a clue as to where the land might be when compared to a map of the area.

The source citation for this recorded deed is:

"Massachusetts, Land Records, 1620-1986," digital images, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 2 February 2019), Middlesex County, "Deeds, 1843, Vol. 429," Volume 429, pages 200-201 (image 103 of 285), Deed of Zachariah Hildreth to James Hildreth, executed 23 March 1843, recorded 16 June 1843.

Zachariah Hildreth sold this 3 acre piece of land to his son, James Hildreth, for 300 dollars on 23 March 1843.  The land is in the southeastern part of Townsend, Massachusetts, along the road to Lunenburg, and is bounded by the road, land of Isaac Spaulding and Zachariah Hildreth.  The deed was acknowledged on 23 March 1843, and recorded on 16  June 1843.

It may be that this land was obtained from Hannah (Sawtell) Hildreth's father, Josiah Sawtell because of the dower statement, either by deed or by probate, although Josiah Sawtell did not die until 1847.


Zachariah Hildreth (1783-1857), who married Hannah Sawtell (1789-1857) in 1810, is my third great-grandfather.  I am descended from their son, Edward Hildreth (1831-1899) who married Sophia Newton  (1834-1923) in 1852.

                                     =========================================


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/2019/04/amanuensis-monday-1843-deed-of.html

Copyright (c) 2019, Randall J. Seaver


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