Confirmation Deed from Tunxis Indians to Certain Proprietors at Indian Neck
Whereas, there was by ancient proprietors and first settlers of the Town of Farmington in the year 1650 ceded to the Tunxis Tribe of Indians, so-called, then living in said Farmington, a large tract of land containing about seventy-three acres and a half, lying in Farmington Meadow at a place ever since known by the name of the Indian Neck, which parcel of land was butted south and east by the river, north, partly land called Wells’s Farm and partly by land formerly belonging to Captain John Hart, and west on land formerly belonging to Doctor Isaac Moore, all which land has been since sold by the native, and about fifty-six acres and a half of said land was sold to the persons under whom the present possessors now claim, without the consent and approbation of the General Assembly of this Colony, and, whereas, the General Assembly of this Colony at their session at Hartford in May 1769 by their Special Act[1] did appoint and enpower Messrs. Elnathan Gridley and Fisher Gay, both of said Farmington, to be a committee in conjunction with Elijah Wampey and Solomon Mossuck, two of the Natives and descendants of said Tunxis Tribe, with full power to make and execute a deed or deeds in the name and behalf of said Tribe of said fifty-six acres and half of land sold and purchased as aforesaid to the present possessors of said lands, they paying for the same for the use and benefit of said descendants of said tribe twenty shillings lawful money, and the said present possessors of said land, having secured the aforesaid sum of twenty shillings per acre for said land, as aforesaid.
Be, therefore, known unto all men that w, the said Elnathan Gridley and Fisher Gay, the committee aforesaid, together with Elijah Wampey and Solomon Mossuck, above mentioned two of the Natives and descendants of said tribe, for the consideration of fifty-six pounds, ten shillings lawful money, secured as aforesaid in pursuance of and by virtue of said Act of Assembly, and in the name and behalf of the descendants of said tribe of Indians, have remised, released, and claim quitted, and by these presents do fully and absolutely remise, release, and forever quit claim unto the present possessors, and to their heirs and assigns forever. And now in their possession and seizen all the right, title, property, claim, and demand, which said descendants of said Tunxis Tribe ever had, now have, or, in time to come, might or could have, to the abovesaid fifty-six acres and half of land above mentioned with all the appurtenances thereof in the manner and proportion, namely, to Lieutenant Giles Hooker five acres and three roods, to William Wadsworth five acres, to Thomas Smith six acres, to Robert Porter one acre, to William Hooker one acre and one rood, to Solomon Whitman, Jr., one acre, to Solomon Cowles fifteen acres and one rood, to Solomon Thompson three roods, to Ezekiel Cowles four acres and three roods, to Elijah Cowles six acres, to Thomas Hart Hooker three acre and a half, to William Porter three acres, to Joseph Kellogg one acre, or to such other persons as hold and claim the same under the persons above named, all which pieces or parcels of land are butted and bounded, as by the records of the former deed under which they claimed appear, reference thereto being had.
To have and to hold the above granted, remised, and released premises with all the appurtenances thereof to them, the said grantees, and to their heirs, and assigns forever, to them and their own proper use and behoof as a good indefeasible estate in fee simple by them to be possessed and enjoyed as their own forever. And, furthermore, we, the aforesaid committee of the descendants of said Tunxis Tribe, promise to warrant and defend the above granted. remised, and released premises to them, the granted, and to their heirs and assigns forever from any person or persons claiming the same from by or under any of the aforesaid Tunxis Tribe of Indians.
In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands and seals,
Elnathan Gridley, seal
Fisher Gay, seal
Solomon Mossuck, seal
Elijah Wampey, seals
July 3, 1769, in the ninth year of the reign of Our Sovereign Lord, George III of Great Britain, etc., King
|
Witness:
|
Signed, sealed, and delivered in presence of John Crane, Amos Cowles,
|
|
Certification:
|
Then personally appeared Elnathan Gridley and Fisher Gay, Solomon Mossuck, and Elijah Wampey, signers and sealers of the foregoing instrument, and acknowledged the same to be their free act and deed before me, Solomon Whitman, Justice of the Peace, Hartford County in the District of Farmington, July 2, 1769
|
|
Recording:
|
A true entry of a deed received for record, July 3, 1769, per Solomon Whitman. Registrar
|
|
Cataloguing:
|
214, 215
|
[1] See Resolution of the Connecticut General Assembly on the Petition of Solomon Cowles, 13 PRCC, 192-193.
Document Links
Tribes
Commentary
Loss of Tunxis Land: Getting to the Root of the Matter