Monday, November 18, 2019

Amanuensis Monday -- 1787 Deed of Clark Stone Selling Land to Simon Gates in Worcester County, Massachusetts

This week's document for Amanuensis Monday is a 1787 deed of  Clark Stone of Sutton selling land in Gardner to Simon Gates of Westminster, Massachusetts in the Worcester County, Massachusetts Land Records: 

[Volume 101, page 618]

The transcription of this deed is:

[page 618 on left-hand page of image]
[in top margin]

Stone Clark to Simon Gates

[body of text, handwritten text in italics]

To all People to whom these Pres-
ents shall come, Greeting.  Know ye That Clark Ston of Sutton in 

the  County of Worcester & State of the Massachusetts Bay 
yeoman
For and in Consideration of the Sum of thirty pounds to me 

in Hand before the ensealing hereof, well and truly paid by  Simon 
Gates of Gardner in the Town and County and State aforesaid 
yeoman
the Receipt whereof I do hereby acknowledge, and my self therewith fully satisfied and contented; and thereof, and of
every Part and Parcel thereof, do exonerate, acquit, and discharge them the said Simon Gates

his 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 him the said Simon Gates & his
                                                      Heirs and Assigns forever, A certain 
message of land beeing in Gardner being thirty seven Acres and is

the Southwesterly part of lot Number ninety two in the third
Division and it bounds 85 rods on lot N^o 73 N.W. seventy rods
on lot number ninety one N.E. on the remainder of said lot
and S.E. 70 rods on lot N^o 93.  Containing as aforesaid thirty
seven Acres and is third Division Number 92 as aforesaid.

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 him the said Simon Gates and his
                                                 Heirs and Assigns forever, to his and their
only proper Use, Benefit, and Behoof forever.  And I the said Clark Stone
                                                  for my  Heirs, Executors
and Administrators, do Covenant, Promise and Grant, to and with him the ^said^ Simon Gates & his

                                            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^ Simon Gates and his                                     Heirs and Assigns, shall
and may from Time to Time, and at all Times forever hereafter, by Force and virtue of these Presents, 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 Clarke Stone
for my self  Heirs, Executors, and Administrators, do Covenant and Engage the above demised Premises to him
the said Simon Gates and his
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 have hereunto set my 

hand and seal thirteenth day of March A D 1787                       
Sign^d seal^d & deliver^d                                                
Clark Stone  {seal}
In presence of  us      }  Worcester ss Westminster March 10^th  1787 
Nathan Miles            }  personally appeared the within named Clark Ston 
John Fosket             }  and acknowledged the within Instrument to be 

                                     his free Act & Deed.      Before me,
                                                                Abner Holden Justice Peace

Rec^d June 9^th 1787  Entered & Examined pr Dan^l Clap  Reg.  

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, 1786-1787, Vol. 100-101," Volume 101, Page 618, image 672 of 694, Deed of Clark Stone to Simon Gates, executed 13 March 1787, recorded 9 June 1787; citing records in land offices and county courthouses, statewide in Massachusetts.

This deed is for a tract of land of 37 acres on lot 92 in the proprietor's books for Westminster (which later were in the town of Gardner).  Simon Gates bought it for 30 pounds from Clark Stone of Sutton.

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.

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

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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Copyright (c) 2019, Randall J. Seaver


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