Amanuensis Monday -- 1798 Deed of Josiah Sawtell Selling Land to Zabdiel Adams in Middlesex County, Massachusetts

This week's document for transcription is the  1798 Deed of Josiah Sawtell selling land to Zabdiel Adams for $346.66 in Middlesex County, Massachuswetts.

*  Middlesex [Massachusetts] Deeds, 1798-1799 - pages 122-123, image 72 of 287:

The transcription of this document is (based on the FamilySearch Full-Text Search, with corrections as required, including line breaks):

[starting on the left-hand page of the image, about 20% down page 122]

Josiah Sawtell     }

       to                    } Know all men by these Presents 

Zabdiel Adams    } That I Josiah Sawtell of Townshend , in the Coun-

ty of Middlesex & Commonwealth of Massachu-

setts yeoman in consideration of three hundred & 

Forty six Dollars & sixty six Cents paid by Zab-

diel Adams of Lunenburg in the County of Wor-

cester & Commonwealth of Massachusetts Clerk 

The receipt whereof I do hereby acknowledge do here-

by give grant sell and convey unto the said Zad-

diel Adams his Heirs and Assigns forever A Certain 

Farm or Messuage situate situate here in the wester-

ly part of said Townshend Containing one hun-

dred acres more or less being the whole of the two 

divisions or house lots N'o 33 & 60 laid out to Sam-

uel Waldo on the south side of Squannicook Ri-

ver as by a referance to the Proprietors Records 

will more fully appear excepting two acres 

& half off the westerly part of said Premises now 

in the occupation of Hezekiah Richardson and 

which he holds by Deed from William Hobart & 

also excepting all roads Thro said granted Pre-

mises. To have & to hold the aforegranted 

Premises to the said Zabdiel Adams his Heirs & 

Assigns to his and their use & Behoof forever and 

I do covenant with the said Zabdiel Adams his 

Heirs & Assigns that I am lawfully seized in 

Fee of the aforegranted Premises That they are free 

of all Incumbrances that I have good right to 

sell and convey the same to the said Zabdiel 

Adams and that I will warrant and defend the 

same premises to the said Zabdiel Adams his 

Heirs & Assigns forever against the lawful Claims 

[page 123] 

and demands of all Persons. Provided neverthe-

less that if the said Josiah Sawtell his Heirs Executors 

or Administrators pay to the said Zabdiel Adams 

his Heirs Executors Administrators or Assigns the 

sum of three hundred and Forty six Dollars & 

sixty six Cents by the twenty fourth day of October 

next with Interest for the same annually untill

paid and the further sum of twenty four Dol-

lars and twelve cents  on demand with Interest

for the same untill paid Then this Deed as al-

so two certain notes of hand bearing even 

date with these presents given by the said Jo-

siah Sawtell to the said Zabdiel Adams to pay 

the same sums and interest at the times aforesaid 

shall both be void otherwise shall remain in 

full force. In witness whereof I the said Josiah Sawtell 

have hereunto set my hand & seal this twenty fourth 

day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand 

seven hundred & ninety eight Josiah Sawtell  & 

seal Signed sealed and delivered in presence of 

us Samuel Dana  Luke Dodge      Middlesex ss 

June 30th 1798. Then the above named Josiah Saw-

tell   personally appeared and acknowledged the a-

bove instrument to be his free act and Deed be-

fore me Aaron Brown Just of Peace 

Middlesex ss .  Cambridge July 23d 1798 

Received and entered 

                       by Samuel Bartlett Reg'r

The source citation for this deed is:

Middlesex County Massachusetts, Deed Records, deed of  Josiah Sawtell to Zabdiel Adams, dated 23 June 1798, recorded 30 June 1798; imaged,  "Middlesex , New Hampshire, United States records," FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9Z7-KXPS?view=fullText : accessed May 25, 2025), Image Group Number: 007448513, "Middlesex. Deeds 1798-1799," pages 122-123, image 72 of 287; Original records: Middlesex County (Massachusetts). Register of Deeds.

This is a Derivative Source (because it is a court clerk's transcription of the original deed with Primary Information and Direct Evidence of the names of the two parties, and the dates of the deed execution, signing and recording.  

Note that this is a mortgage deed - Josiah borrowed money from Zabdiel Adams and he retains the land if he pays the notes, with interest, back by 24 October 1798.

Josiah Sawtell (1768-1847) was born 24 January 1768 in Groton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony, the son of Ephraim and Abigail (Stone) Sawtell. He married Hannah Smith (1768-1827) on 5 October 1789 in Amherst, Hampshire County, Massachusetts.  Josiah died 7 December 1847 in Townsend, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.  They had nine children.

Josiah and Hannah (Smith) Sawtell are my 4th great-grandparents, through their daughter Hannah Sawtell (1789-1857) who married Zachariah Hildreth (1784-1857) in 1810 in Townsend, Massachuseetts.

Read other transcriptions of records of my relatives and ancestors at Amanuensis Monday Posts.

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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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