The Winterthur Library

 Edward Deming Andrews Memorial Shaker Collection

Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum

5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur, DE  19735

302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883

 

 

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

 

Creator:         Hancock Shaker Community                                     

Title:               Real estate records

Dates:             1761-1847

Call No.:         ASC 740

Acc. No.:        [various – see detailed description]

Quantity:        50 items

Location:        legal box and oversize box, 29 B 5

 

 

 

 

SCOPE AND CONTENT

 

Documents include deeds, manuscripts concerning title transfers of land, and recollections about land use and ownership.  Most of the documents refer to land around Pittsfield and Hancock, both in Berkshire County, Massachusetts.  However, other documents refer to land in Scituate, Rhode Island, and in various places in New York, but mostly in Canaan, Columbia County.

 

           

ORGANIZATION

 

By size (legal or oversize), and then in accession number order.

 

 

LANGUAGE OF MATERIALS

 

The materials are in English.

 

 

RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS

 

Collection is open to the public.  Copyright restrictions may apply.

           

 

PROVENANCE

           

Gift of Mrs. Edward D. Andrews.

 

Part of the Edward Deming Andrews Memorial Shaker Collection.

 

 

ACCESS POINTS

 

Topics:

            Shakers.

            Shakers - Massachusetts - Hancock.

            Religious communities - Massachusetts - Hancock.

            Real property - Massachusetts - Hancock.

            Real property - Rhode Island - Scituate.

            Real property - New York (State) - Columbia County.

           

 

 

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

 

Location: legal box and oversize box, 29 B 5

 

 

Legal size box: various accession numbers:

 

SA 845.1         statement from Gideon Turner, Jr., about the farm in Hancock, [Mass.], which his father had purchased from Solomon Lotrip and David Nobles in 1773, and the subsequent addition he purchased from Charles Goodrich in 1780.

 

SA 845.2         statement from Gideon Turner about “what I know conserning a piece of land now is dispute between Hammond and Wadams,” next to land he purchased from Charles Goodrich, not dated

 

SA 845.3         statement of William Andres about the condition of the same piece of land as mentioned above in 1791

 

SA 846.1         quit claim, Ezra Sanford, Hancock, Mass., to Samuel Johnson, West Stockbridge, Mass., for land in Hancock, February 8, 1781

 

SA 846.2         printed form, David Smith, yeoman of Hancock, Mass., sells land to Samuel Johnson, yeoman of Hancock, November 24, 1787

 

SA 847.1-.2     statements of Samuel Barrit of Hancock, Mass., about purchase of land from Gideon Turner, and the condition of the land mentioned in the dispute above in 1790

 

SA 847.3         deed, Samuel Barret of Canaan, Columbia County, N.Y., to Elisha Wood, Hancock, Mass., for land in Hancock, January 2, 1797, with acknowledgment of February 3, 1809

 

SA 848.1         agreement between Moses Chauncey of Galway, Saratoga County, New York, and Hannah Chauncey of Hancock, Mass., pertaining to property in Canaan, New York; also mentions Gideon Chauncey, February 10, 1805

 

SA 848.2         deed, Moses Chauncey of Galway, Saratoga County, New York, to Hannah Chauncey of Hancock, Mass., for property in Canaan, New York, which used to belong to Moses’ father David; February 19, 1805

 

SA 848.3         deed, Hannah Chauncey of Hancock, Mass., and Dolly Chauncey (widow of David) of Canaan, New York, sell property in Canaan to Nathan Cole of Canaan, February 21, 1805

 

SA 848.4         deed, Dan Higley of Hancock, Mass., sells land in Canaan, New York, to Solomon and Lydia Higley of Canaan, May 29, 1800

 

SA 848.5         deed, Caleb Eddy, Jr., yeoman of Pittsfield, Mass., sells land in Hancock to Dan Higley, yeoman of Hancock, October 25, 1803, with recording date of 1805

 

SA 849.1-.2 – these are in oversize box

 

SA 850.1         deed, Jacob Adams, yeoman of Hancock, Mass., sells three parcels of land in Hancock to Eli Porter and Lemuel Bacon, trustees of the East Family of the Shakers in Hancock, June 25, 1829; Lydia Adams, wife of Jacob Adams, signed that she agreed to the sale

 

SA 850.2         deed, John Smith, yeoman of Hancock, Mass., sells land to Joseph Allen and William Thrasher, trustees of the East Family at Hancock Shaker Village, October 13, 1847

 

SA 851.1         memo about the dispute involving Charles Goodrich’s land, see SA 845.1-.3, not dated or signed

 

SA 851.2         memo as above, not signed, but probably statement of Gideon Turner, with a further note on the back, and also a poem or hymn (“Such loving faces then was seen/It was a very pleasant seen [sic]/We felt as if transported been/The kingdom will be ours.”)

 

SA 851.3         surveying notes, mentioning Turner’s land

 

SA 851.4         “plat of land lying on the mountain north easterly from the poole and between Enus [sic] Waddamses & Elisha Fannings on the north side of the rode….”

 

SA 852.1         deed, Talmag [sic] Bishop, yeoman of Pittsfield, Mass., sells a parcel of land in Pittsfield to John Bishop, also a yeoman of Pittsfield, January 3, 1775

 

SA 852.2         deed, Charles Goodrich of Pittsfield, Mass., sells land in Hancock to Elisha Wood of Hancock, May 12, 1800, with endorsement dated from Columbia Country

 

SA 852.3         printed form, deed, Thomas Stocking [also spelled Stockin], husbandman of Pittsfield, Mass., sells property in Hancock, Mass., to Caleb Eddy, farmer of Pittsfield, November 8, 1806

 

SA 1549 [or possibly 15.49]   deed, Philip Bonesteel [also spelled Bonestell], yeoman of Pittsfield, Mass., a member of the Shaker community, sells his land in Pittsfield to Eliasaph Wood and Calvin Cogswell, deacons in the Shaker community; Bonesteel had bought the property from Sanford and Jedediah Tracy, and it had formerly belonged to Ezra Tracy, February 21, 1817

 

 

 

These accession numbers begin with SA 844; these are in oversize box:

 

.1         printed form, Thomas Taylor, husbandman of Scituate, Providence County, Rhode Island, sells land to Amos Hammond, a yeoman also of Scituate, January 8, 1761

 

.2         description of 114 acres of land surveyed by Charles Harris for Captain Amos Hammon [sic, i.e. Hammond], Oct. 21, 1764, recorded in Book 2, fol. 227, Oct. 2, 1775, by Jabez Bowen; the land was on the “west side of the seven mile line within the original purchase of Providence, and lyeth in the township of Scituate ….”

 

.3         printed form, John Hammond, cordwainer of Warren, Bristol County, Rhode Island, sells land to Amos Hammond, yeoman of Scituate, Providence County, Rhode Island, April 8, 1763

 

.4         printed form, Hezekiah Hammond, yeoman of Scituate, Providence County, Rhode Island, selling land to Amos Hammond, Jr., a yeoman of Scituate, November 20, 1771

 

.5         Hezekiah Hammond, yeoman of Scituate, Providence County, Rhode Island, selling land to Captain Amos Hammond, Jr., also of Scituate, November 28, 1768

 

.6         printed form, John Fiske, of Scituate, Providence County, Rhode Island, selling land to Amos Hammond, Jr., also a yeoman of Scituate, November 20, 1771

 

.7         sheriff’s deed to Amos Hammond, Jr.: notice of results of a public vendue sale conducted by sheriff Paul Tew; land in Scituate was sold by Amos Hammond to satisfy his creditors; land was purchased by Amos Hammond, Jr., a yeoman of Scituate, January 8, 1773;

The document refers to laborers John Baker, Nathaniah Atwood, William Ford, Peleg Collins, and Richard Silvester; Stephen Hopkins, esq.; merchants Nicholas Brown, Joseph Brown, John Brown, and Moses Brown; apothecary Jabez Bowen; ironmaster Rufus Hopkins; and deputy sheriff James Williams

 

.8         printed form, Nathan Battles, yeoman of Scituate, Providence County, Rhode Island, selling land to Amos Hammond, Jr., a yeoman of Scituate, October 16, 1773

 

.9         quit claim, Jacob Lobdell, yeoman of Steven Town, Albany County, New York, to Amos Hammond of Hancock, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, April 22, 1780; more about the quit claim is on the back of the document

 

.10       quit claim, Jacob Lobdell, yeoman of Steven Town, Albany County, New York, deeds land to Amos Hammond, Jr., of Hancock, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, April 22, 1780; endorsed on back: Berkshire [illegible], January 31st, 1801, received and recorded in book no. 7, pge 140, attest Timothy Whitney, regr.”

 

.11       “deed from Jacob Lobdell to Amos Hammond,” Jacob Lobdell, yeoman of the grant of Charles Gutler[?] in Berkshire County, Mass., sells land to Amos Hammond of Scituate, Rhode Island, November 16, 1773; also signed with the mark of Ruth Lobdell, wife of Jacob; also signed by Peleg Fisk, justice of the peace for Providence, R.I.

 

.12       surveyor Richard Steere describes land of Amos Hammon [sic, i.e. Hammond], Jr., in Scituate, [Rhode Island,] April 24, 1765; recorded in Records of the Proprietors, page 226, book no. 2.

 

.13       surveyor Richard Steere describes land of Amos Hammon [sic, i.e. Hammond], Jr., in Scituate, [Rhode Island,] April 24, 1765 [a different piece of property from that in .12]

 

.14       quit claim deed from Levi Calvin, a yeoman of Charlestown, Kings County, Rhode Island, to Amos Hammond, Jr., a yeoman of Scituate, February 5, 1768

 

.15       Amos Hammond, of Stephentown, Albany County, New York, sells land to Amos Hammond of Hancock, Berkshire County, Mass., May 6, 1782

 

.16       Amos Hammond, Jr., carpenter of Stephentown, Albany County, New York, sells land to Amos Hammond, Jr., yeoman of Hancock, Berkshire County, Mass., June 8, 1786; the land being sold is in Scituate, Rhode Island

 

.17       quit claim deed, Daniel Westcot, yeoman of Scituate, Rhode Island, to Amos Hammon, Hancock, Mass.; refers to land in Scituate, June 24, 1786

 

.18       memorandum of an agreement between Amos Hammond and Elisha Fanning, about land between Pittsfield and Stephentown, March 3, 1802

 

.19       statement that Elisha Fanning has reached an agreement with Amos Hammon [sic, i.e. Hammond], about land in Hancock, Mass., March 16, 1802

 

.20       agreement that Amos Hammond of Canaan, Columbia County, N.Y., is to sell land in Hancock, Mass. to Elisha Fanning, also of Canaan, March 20, 1802

 

.21       Amos Hammond [also spelled Hammon] of Canon [i.e. Canaan], Columbia County, New York, sells land in Hancock, Massachusetts to Elisha Fanning of Hancock, Dec. 29, 1802, with description of property

 

.22       statement from Elisha Fanning of Hancock, Mass., agreeing to purchase land in Hancock from Amos Hammond of Canaan, Columbia County, New York, with description of property, Dec. 29, 1802

 

.23       articles of agreement between Amos Hammond and Elisha Fanning, for Fanning to purchase property in Hancock from Hammond, Dec. [no day], 1802

 

.24       agreement between Amos Hammond and Elisha Fanning, for Fanning to purchase property [probably in Hancock] from Hammond, April 25, 1803

 

.25       wrapper for deed, Jacob Lobdell to Amos Hammond, Jan. 1780[?], with note on back: “inquire where the records is kept that was recorded 20 or 30 years ago”

 

 

 

These accession numbers begin with SA 849; these are in oversize box

 

.1         “general conveyance of lands in Hancock from several of the brethren to Morrell Baker and Daniel Hawkins, 1815”

            The names in the indenture are Amos Stowers [or Stowes], Amos Hammond, Israel Tallcott, Constant Mosely, Dan Higley, Rufus Clark, John Porter, Samuel Ellis, Nathan Cole, and Asa Tallcott, all members of the Shaker community of Canaan, Columbia County, New York.  Morrell Baker and Daniel Hawkins were trustees of the community.

 

.2         “deed, Theophilus Higley to Joseph Allen, Feb. 13, 1838”

            Higley of the Hancock Shaker community sells his land to the Shakers; Allen was a trustee of the East Family at Hancock.   Higley’s land was in Greene, Chenango County, New York.  Attached is a printed form from Columbia County attesting that the judge’s signature (that of John Bull, Jr., of Columbia County) is genuine. 

 

 

SA 866.1         deed, Gideon Franklin, Jr., of Scituate, Rhode Island, to Consider Luther (or Lauther), of same place, for land in Scituate; Dec. 7, 1770.  Witnessed by Jonah9?0 Harris and Thomas Harris.

                        This deed might not belong to the rest of the documents in this group.  It was found with a document, SA 866.2, which seemed to pertain to Canaan, New York, and which was placed in ASC 752.