Welcome to Bidwell Lore number 156! This week we a bit more about Agrippa’s land purchases in Stockbridge. After this installment, we are off for a couple of weeks and will be back to continue Agrippa’s story in September.
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Agrippa Purchases More Land
Rick Wilcox, 2022
On November 1, 1790, John Taylor deeded 71 rods of land to Agrippa which abutted lands Agrippa had previously purchased from Taylor. [1] Always interesting, the language in deeds often reveals something about the buyer or seller or even the scribe of the deed, be they a lawyer, surveyor, or just someone literate enough to draft a deed. We shared two Deeds between John Taylor and Agrippa at the end of the previous installment of Bidwell Lore. In the first Deed, Taylor was a gentleman. However, in the deed, he had been reduced to a Yeoman. The colonialists continued to use the English caste system, well after the Revolutionary War. A Husbandman generally held one piece of property and would be a farmer. A yeoman had two or more parcels of land. Other people were identified by their trade. Esquire was at the top of the social hierarchy, with Gentleman a close second. “One certain Tract of Land lying in Stockbridge & is bounded as follows (viz.) Beginning at Stake & Stones at the South corner of the said Agrippa’s home lot [2] running thence Eastwardly seventeen rods to a black Ash Staddle [3] marked on the bank of the brook, thence down the said brook to a butternut tree marked, thence to the first mentioned bounds containing seventy-one rods of Land.” [4]
On November 22, 1792, Agrippa purchased a parcel of land from Nehemiah Ide on the south side of what is now Cherry Hill Road, directly across from the land he purchased from Peter Maynard in 1789. For seven pounds & sixteen shillings, Agrippa acquired three and one quarter acres from Nehemiah Ide of Stockbridge, a Gentleman: a certain tract or parcel of Land lying in Stockbridge aforesaid bounded and described as follows (viz.) beginning at a Staddle [5] in the easterly line of the road thence running east 4 degrees South twenty four rods & 5 ½ links to a stake thence north 36 degrees east twenty nine rods & 20 links to the road thence north 63 degrees West eleven & one half rods to a stake in the line of the road thence South 75 ½ degrees West eighteen rods & nineteen links to a stake thence South 40 degrees West sixteen rods to a stake thence South 21 degrees W eight rods to the first bounds bounded Southerly on land of John Taylor easterly on land of Enoch Thayer [6] and upon all the other sides upon the road leading from the house now owned by said Thayer to Monument Mountain [7] so called containing three acres and one quarter -– As a researcher, I find comfort in reading a deed which provides the different owners’ information on all four sides, as it often provides clues for another parcel of land I am seeking. For the surveyor, its degrees, minutes, rods, links, and even chains that allow them to place the land in the exact location it was, in this case, in 1792. I knew it was south on Cherry Hill Road from Agrippa’s land, which was at the corner of current Cherry Hill Road and Castle Hill Road. The phrase “Thayer to Monument Mountain” told me it was east of Sky Farm Road. Every time I tried to draw a sketch of the parcel, my eyes crossed. To the rescue came Rob Hoogs of Monterey, the immediate past president of the Bidwell House Museum, who worked for many years in the surveying business. In short order, I had a sketch of the property. What I later learned was that the property’s east border abutted the property of Mum Bett, aka Elizabeth Freeman. Combined with an 1802 Town of Stockbridge road survey it was determined that she owned and lived at what is now 25 Cherry Hill Road.
Below are two complete Deeds between Nehemiah Ide and Agrippa Hull from 1791 and 1792, with an image of the second Deed in between. The bolded paragraph in the first deed is the same as the italicized section above.
Ide, Nehemiah to Hull, Agrippa, Book 38, Page 664 (1792)
Nehemiah Ide to Agrippa Hull 664
To All People to whom these Presents shall come Greeting. Know Ye, that I Nehemiah Ide of Stockbridge in the County of Berkshire Gentleman For and in consideration of the Sum of seven pounds & sixteen shillings to me in Hand paid before the Ensealing hereof by, Agrippa Hull of the Same Stockbridge Yeoman the Receipt whereof I do hereby acknowledge and fully satisfied, contented and paid, HAVE given, granted, bargained, sold, aliened, released, conveyed and confirmed, and by these Presents, do freely, clearly and absolutely give, grant, bargain, sell, aliene, release, convey and confirm unto him the said Agrippa Hull his Heirs and Assigns forever, a certain tract or parcel of Land lying in Stockbridge aforesaid bounded and described as follows (viz.) beginning at a Staddle in the easterly line of the road thence running east 4 degrees South twenty four rods & 5 ½ links to a stake thence north 36 degrees east twenty nine rods & 20 links to the road thence north 63 degrees West eleven & one half rods to a stake in the line of the road thence South 75 ½ degrees West eighteen rods & nineteen links to a stake thence South 40 degrees West sixteen rods to a stake thence South 21 degrees W eight rods to the first bounds bounded Southerly on land of John Taylor easterly on land of Enoch Thayer and upon all the other sides upon the road leading from the house now owned by said Thayer to Monument Mountain so called containing three acres and one quarter –
TO HAVE and to HOLD the before granted Premises, with the Appurtenances and Privileges thereunto belonging to him the said Agrippa his Heirs and Assigns to his and their own proper Use Benefit and Behoof forevermore. And I the said Nehemiah Ide for my self my Heirs, Executors, and Administrators, do Covenant, Promise and Grant unto and with the said Agrippa his Heirs and Assigns forever, That before and until the Ensealing hereof, I am the true, sole, proper and lawful Owner and Possessor of the before-granted Premises, with the Appurtenances. And have in me good Right, full power and lawful authority to give, grant, bargain, sell, aliene, release, convey and confirm the same as aforesaid; and that free and clear, and freely and clearly executed, acquitted and discharged of and from all former and other Gifts, Grants, Bargains, Sales, Leases, Mortgages, Willis, Intails, Joyntures, Dowries, Thirds, Executions and Incumbrances whatsoever.
AND FURTHERMORE, I the said Nehemiah for my self my Heirs, Executors and Administrators, do hereby Covenant, Promise and Engage the before-granted Premises with the Appurtenances unto him the said Agrippa his Heirs and Assigns forever, to warrant, secure and defend against the lawful Claims or Demands of any Person or Persons whatsoever. In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my Hand and Seal this 22nd Day of November in the year of our Lord, one Thousand seven hundred & Ninety two. Nehemiah Ide & Seal
Signed, Sealed, and Delivered, in Presence of Ebenezer Tolman, Henry W. Dwight}
Berkshire SS Nov 22nd 1792 Personally appeared Nehemiah Ide & acknowledged the within Instrument to be his act and deed before Henry W Dwight Just Peace
Received January 17th 1800 Recorded from the original Samuel Quincy Regr.
Ide, Nehemiah to Hull, Agrippa, Book 38, Page 666 (1791)
{Nehemiah Ide to Agrippa Hull}
To All People to whom these Presents shall come Greeting. Know Ye, that I Nehemiah Ide of Stockbridge in the County of Berkshire Gentleman For and in consideration of the Sum of forty three shillings & nine pence current money of the Commonwealth to me in Hand paid before the Ensealing hereof by, Agrippa Hull of the Same Stockbridge Yeoman the Receipt whereof I do hereby acknowledge and fully satisfied, contented and paid, HAVE given, granted, bargained, sold, aliened, released, conveyed and confirmed, and by these Presents, do freely, clearly and absolutely give, grant, bargain, sell, aliene, release, convey and confirm unto him the said Agrippa Hull his Heirs and Assigns forever, One Acre & fifteen rods of Land bounded and described as follows VIZ. lying in Stockbridge aforesaid bounded southerly & westerly on the way leading from Enoch Thayers house to Bennetts Mills east on sd Agrippa’s own land & north on the Land of Theodore Sedgwick Esqr.
TO HAVE and to HOLD the before granted Premises, with the Appurtenances and Privileges thereunto belonging to him the said Agrippa his Heirs and Assigns to his and their own proper Use Benefit and Behoof forevermore. And I the said Nehemiah Ide for my self my Heirs, Executors, and Administrators, do Covenant, Promise and Grant unto and with the said Agrippa his Heirs and Assigns forever, That before and until the Ensealing hereof, I am the true, sole, proper and lawful Owner and Possessor of the before-granted Premises, with the Appurtenances. And have in me good Right, full power and lawful authority to give, grant, bargain, sell, aliene, release, convey and confirm the same as aforesaid; and that free and clear, and freely and clearly executed, acquitted and discharged of and from all former and other Gifts, Grants, Bargains, Sales, Leases, Mortgages, Willis, Intails, Joyntures, Dowries, Thirds, Executions and Incumbrances whatsoever.
AND FURTHERMORE, I the said Nehemiah for my self my Heirs, Executors and Administrators, do hereby Covenant, Promise and Engage the before-granted Premises with the Appurtenances unto him the said Agrippa his Heirs and Assigns forever, to warrant, secure and defend against the lawful Claims or Demands of any Person or Persons whatsoever. In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my Hand and Seal this twelth day of October in the year of our Lord, one Thousand seven hundred & Ninety 0ne. Nehemiah Ide & Seal
Signed, Sealed, and Delivered, in Presence of Theodore Sedgwick, Eli P. Ashmun,}
Berkshire SS October 12, 191 Personally appeared Nehemiah Ide & acknowledged the within Instrument to be his act and deed before Henry W Dwight Just Peace
Received January 17th 1800 Recorded from the original Samuel Quincy Regr.
Bidwell Lore will be off for the next couple of weeks and returning in September to continue Agrippa’s story, this time with information about the home of Elizabeth Freeman.
1. John Taylor to Agrippa Hull, Book 30, Page 44 (1790) Berkshire Middle Registry of Deeds, Pittsfield.
2. Goodrich Street on the south side of Konkapot Brook, aka Peggy’s Brook.
3. Upright piece of stone or wood as a boundary marker.
4. About ½ acre of land.
5. As before, an upright piece of wood or stone used as a property marker.
6. Owner of Cherry Cottage, north side of Cherry Hill and Cherry Street intersection.
7. Cherry Hill Road to Sky Farm Road (Right turn would be Castle Hill Road).