This week's document for Amanuensis Monday is a 1785 deed of Nathan Miles of Westminster selling land to John Palmer and Josiah Kendall of Berlin and Simon Gates of Gardner in Princeton, Massachusetts in the Worcester County, Massachusetts Land Records:
The transcription of this deed is:
[page 442 on left-hand page]
[in top margin]
Miles Nathan to John Palmer &tc
[body of text, handwritten text in italics]
To all People to whom these Pres-
ents shall come, Greeting. Know ye That I Nathan Miles of West-
minster in the County of Worcester & Commonwealth of Massachusetts yeoman
For and in Consideration of the Sum of forty seven pounds ten shillings & five pence
to me in Hand before the ensealing hereof, well and truly paid by John Palmer yeoman Josiah Kendall Gentleman both of Berling in said County of Worcester
& Simon Gates of Gardiner in said County of Worcester yeoman
the Receipt whereof I do hereby acknowledge, and my self therewith fully satisfied and contented; and thereof,
and every Part and Parcel thereof, do exonerate, acquit, and discharge them the said Jn^o Palmer Josiah Kendall
& Simon Gates, their Heirs, Executors, and Administrators, forever by
these Presents: HAVE given, granted, bargained, sold, aliened, conveyed, and confirmed; and by these Presents, Do freely, fully
and absolutely give, grant, bargain, sell, aliene, convey and confirm, unto them the said Jn^o Palmer Josiah Kendall
& Simon Gates their Heirs and Assigns forever, A certain
piece of land lying in Princeton in said County of Worcester and
bounded as follows viz. begining at a Stake and stones being the
Southwest Corner of Jonathan Smiths pasture then running East
by land of said Smith twenty eight Rods to a stake and stones thence
East Sixteen degrees south one rod to a heap of stones thence cornering
and running Southeasterly to the South line of said land to land
of John Marble such a point as will contain twenty two Acres
from thence West thirty four degrees North to a heap of stones
by land of John Marble to the Corner of William Dodds land
from thence by land of said William Dodds to the Corner first
mentioned --
To HAVE and to HOLD the said granted and bargained Premises, with all Appurtenances, Privileges and Commodities to the
same belonging, or in any wise appertaining to them the said John Palmer Josiah Kendall
and Simon Gates their Heirs and Assigns forever, to them and their
only proper Use, Benefit, and Behoof forever. And I the said Nathan Miles
for my self, Heirs, Executors
and Administrators, do Covenant, Promise and Grant, to and with them the said John Palmer Josiah
Kendall & Simon Gates their Heirs and Assigns, that before the ensealing hereof, I am the
true, sole, and lawful Owner of the above bargained Premises, and am lawfully seized and possessed of the same in my own
proper Right, as a good, perfect, and absolute Estate of Inheritance in Fee Simple: And have in myself good Right,
full Power, and lawful Authority, to grant, bargain, sell, convey and confirm said bargained Premises in Manner as aforesaid:
And that the said John Palmer Josiah Kendall & Simon Gates their Heirs and Assigns, shall
and may from Time to Time, and at all Times forever hereafter, by Force and virtue of these Peresents, lawfully, peacably, and
quietly Have, Hold, Use, Occupy, Posses and Enjoy the said demised and bargained Premises, with the Appurtenances, free and
clear, and freely and clearly acquitted, exonerated, and discharged of, from all and all Manner of former or other Gifts, Grants,
Bargains, Sales, Leases, Mortgages, Wills, Entails, Jointures, Dowries, Judgments, Executions, or Incumbrances, of what Name
or Nature soever, that might in any Measure or Degree, obstruct or make Void this present Deed.
Furthermore, I the said Nathan Miles
for my self my Heirs, Executors, and Administrators, do Covenant and Engage the above demised Premises to them
the said John Palmer Josiah Kendall & Simon Gates their
Heirs and Assigns, against the lawful Claims or Demands of any Person or Persons whatsoever, forever hereafter to Warrant, Secure
and Defend by these Presents. In witness whereof I the said Nathan Miles and
Susanna my wife in token of her free consent and relinquishment of
her right of Dower in the premises have hereunto set our hands and
seals this thirteenth Day of May Anno Domini one thousand seven
hundred and eighty five. Nathan Miles {seal}
Sign^d seal^d & deliver^d Susanna Miles {seal}
In presence of us } Worcester ss Westminster May y^e 13^th 1786 the within named
Anna Dodds } Nathan Miles personally appeared & Acknowledged the
William Dodds } within instrument by him signed & sealed to be his free Act and Deed.
Rec^d May 17^th 1786 Enter^d and Examin^d pr Dan^l Clap Reg. Before me Abner Holden Justice Peace
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 13 January 2015), Worcester County, "Deeds, 1785-1786, Vol. 98-99," Volume 99, Page 442, image 573 of 685, Deed of Nathan Miles to John Palmer, Josiah Kendall and Simon Gates, executed 13 May 1785, recorded 17 May 1786; citing records in land offices and county courthouses, statewide in Massachusetts.
By 1785, Simon Gates has been a resident of (what was then) Gardner for almost 20 years, and he is part of this deed with two men from Berlin buying land in Princeton, Massachusetts from Nathan Miles of Westminster. Perhaps Simon Gates was making an investment for his growing family. We will have to see if he sells his portion of this land in a later deed.
Note that this particular record is on a printed form wherein the particulars are written in blank areas, which contributes to the "messy" transcription above. Some blank areas were not written in on some lines. The wording of this deed is much more complex than later deeds in the same County. With this form, a reader can see that there is punctuation and capitalization on the printed form.
Simon Gates (1739-1803), son of Amos and Mary (Hubbard) Gates, who married Susanna Reed (1745-1833) in 1766, is my 5th great-grandfather. I am descended from their son, Nathan Gates (1767-1830) who married Abigail Knowlton (1774-1855) in 1790.
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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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