Powhatan County, VA
Updated November 24, 2022
23 Feb 1821
This indenture made the 23rd day of February one thousand eight hundred and twenty-one between Edward Johnson and Caroline M. R. Johnson his wife, of the county of Powhatan and state of Virginia of the one part and John GILLIAM of the said County and state aforesaid (formerly a resident of Cumberland County,) of the other part; witnesseth, that the said Edward Johnson and Caroline his wife in consideration of the sum of Twenty two thousand one hundred and eight dollars, lawful money of Virginia to him, the said Edward Johnson and Caroline his wife in hand paid the receipt whereof they the said Edward Johnson and Caroline his wife doth hereby acknowledge, hath granted, bargained, sold and confirmed and by these present doth grant, bargain sell and convey unto the said John GILLIAM, his heirs and assigns a certain tract or parcel of land being the lower part of tract commonly called Maiden’s Adventure (and surveyed by Benjamin Watkins County surveyor) beginning at the lower part of tract on James River, adjoining the land of William Pleasant,
and running with his line S 85, W 151 chains to pointers, thence
S 15, W 28 chains to pointers, thence
with the line of Bennet Goode’s estate S 64, W 32 chains to pointers thence
with the line of the said Edward Johnson N 3/4, E 148 chains on the spring branch of the lands herein conveyed to a stone planted for the purpose thence
on the west side of said branch or ditch N 6, W 9 1/2 chains to a walnut, thence
N 10, E 6 1/2 chains to a stone planted for the purpose _____ said branch of ditch at the commencement of the low grounds of James River, thence
N 60, W 43 chains and thence
links to a stone on the bank of the canal, thence
with said canal to James River, thence
down the said river as it meander to the beginning
containing seven hundred and twenty four acres in which is comprehended two hundred and thirty acres of James River low grounds to have and to hold the said tract on parcels of lands with the messuages terraments and appurtenances, thereto belonging or in any wise appertaining to the same to him the said John GILLIAM, his heirs and assigns to the only proper uses and behoove of him the said John GILLIAM his heirs and assigns forever and the said Edward Johnson and Caroline his wife do for themselves their heirs warrant and defend the right and title to the said land against the cain of themselves and their heirs and against all persons claiming under them and against the cain of all and every person of person whatever: In Testimony whereof the said Edward Johnson and Caroline his wife hath here unto set their hands and affixed their seal the day and year first above written
Signed, sealed and delivered in the presence of:
Edward Johnson
Caroline M. R. Johnson
Powhatan County, to wit;
We James M. Harris and William Ligon, Justices of the Peace of said County and state of Virginia do hereby certify that Caroline M. R. Johnson, wife of Edward Johnson, parties to a deed for the conveyance of real estate to John GILLIAM, bearing date 23 day of February 1822 and here on witnessed, personally appeared before us in our County aforesaid and being examined by us privily and apart from her husband and having the deed aforesaid fully explained to her, she, the said Caroline M. R. Johnson, acknowledged the same to be her act and deed, sealed and acknowledged the same and that she did not wish to retract it given under our hands and seals this 23rd day of February 1822
James M. Harris
William Ligon
Powhatan County Court Clerk’s Office, February the 27th, 1822
This day the foregoing indenture of bargain and sale was acknowledged before me in the office aforesaid by Edward Johnson, a party thereto, to be his act and deed and thereupon the same, together with a certificate of the acknowledgment and privy examination of Caroline M. R. Johnson, the wife of the said Edward Johnson, taken before two magistrates of the County of Powhatan, and thereto annessed was admitted to record.
Teste. William S. Dance.
[This tract was purchased by Edward Johnson from Edward Cox, et al.]
Indenture Edward Cox
27 Apr 1816
Powhatan County, VA
This indenture made this 27th day of April in the year one thousand eight hundred and sixteen, between Edward Cox and Elizabeth A. his wife (formerly Elizabeth A. Harris) in right of the said Elizabeth A, Obedience A. Harris, John P. Barritier Harris, Marcella Harris and Caroline Harris, which said Elizabeth A., Obedience A., John P. Barritier, Marcella and Caroline are infants and co-heirs of Thomas Harris deceased, by the said Edward Cox, their guardian duly assigned them by the Judge of the Superior Court of Chancery of the Richmond District, of the one part, and Edward Johnson, of the county of Powhatan, of the other part; Whereas by a decree of the said Superior Court of Chancery pronounced on the 19th day of January 1816 in a suit therein depending between the said Edward Johnson plaintiff and Caroline Matilda Harris, widow of Thomas Harris, deceased, Edward Cox and Elizabeth A, his wife, Obedience A. Harris, John P. Barritier Harris, Marcella Harris, and Caroline Harris infants under the age of twenty one years, which said Elizabeth A., Obedience A., John P. Barritier, Marcella, and Caroline are the next heirs of the said Thomas Harris deceased, William A. Turpin, Edward Cox and Caroline Matilda Harris, acting executors and executrix of the said Thomas Harris deceased and Wilson Cary Nicholas and Margaret, his wife.
Debts: it was among other things ordered and decreed that the co-heirs of the said Thomas Harris deceased should convey to the said Edward Johnson with general warranty the inheritance of certain tracts of land covenanted to be conveyed by the said Thomas Johnson and hereinafter more particularly described; now this Indenture witnesseth, that the said Edward Cox and Elizabeth A., his wife; Obedience A. Harris, John P. Barritier Harris, Marcella Harris, and Caroline Harris, by the said Edward Cox their guarding duly appointed by the decree aforesaid, for and in consideration of the premises, and for the further consideration of the sum of one dollar to them in hand paid at or before the ensealing and delivery of these presents, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, have granted, bargained, and sold and by these presents do grant, bargain, and sell, alien, and confirm unto the said Edward Johnson, his heirs and assigns a certain tract or parcel of land in the said decree mentioned, lying in the County of Powhatan aforesaid, called “Maiden’s Adventure” containing one thousand acres, be the same more of less; it being the same tract of land heretofore conveyed by Wilson C. Nicholas to the said Thomas Harris deceased by indenture bearing date the 24th day of November 1795 and duly recorded in the District Court held in the Capital in the city or Richmond; also one other tract or parcel of land in the County of Powhatan, above Fine Creek, on the South side of James River,
containing by estimation four hundred acres, be the same more of less and bounded as follows,
beginning at a corner Red Oak on Flemings line; running thence
South 47 1/2 degrees, East, 64 poles red oak, thence
North 89 degrees, East, 47 poles to dead tree, thence
South 10 degrees, East 4 poles to two pines, thence
South 46 degrees, East, 17 poles to a pine, thence
North 85 degrees, East 18 poles to a hickory, thence
South 43 1/2 degrees East, 206 poles to pointers, thence
South 44 degrees, West 41 poles to a white oak, thence
South 10 1/2 degrees, West 84 poles to a white oak, thence
South 44 degrees, West, 53 poles to a Spanish oak, thence
South 3 degrees, East 42 poles to a white oak, thence
North 70 degrees, West, 51 poles to a pine, thence
North 98 poles to a black oak, thence
North 20 degrees, East 108 poles to a pine thence
North 60 degrees, West 108 poles to two red oaks, thence
South 20 degrees, West 216 poles to pointers thence
North 60 degrees, West 136 poles to a hickory, thence
North 18 poles to two white oaks and a Spanish oak and thence
North 21 1/2 degrees, East 242 poles to a red oak, thence
North 43 degrees, East 30 poles
to the beginning;
being the same tract of land heretofore conveyed by James Pleasants to the said Thomas Harris deed by Indenture bearing dated 30th July 1794, and duly recorded in the County Court of Powhatan.
Also one other tract or parcel of land, lying in Powhatan County aforesaid, adjoining the lands of the said Thomas Harris deceased, containing by survey four hundred and seventy one acres and four fifths acres and bounded as followeth, to wit,
beginning at a large post oak stranding on the West side of Maiden’s Adventure Road, corner to Bennett Goode thence
with the said Goode North 61 degrees, West 23.70 links to a hickory, thence
North 6 degrees, West 4.20 links to a post oak thence
North 14 degrees, East 18.7 links to pointers with Maiden’s Advent thence
on the M. Adventure line North 16 degrees, East 44.75 links to a line poplar on the west side of a branch, thence
North 41 degrees, East 5.80 links to two white oak stumps in the plantation thence
South 58 1/2 degrees, East 17.50 links to pointers thence
North 89 degrees, East 11 chains crossing a branch to pointers thence
[margin additions]
*South 44 degrees, East 5.59 links to a pine, thence
*North 80 degrees, East 3 links to a dogwood, thence
*South 55 degrees, East 47.8 line crossing a branch to pointers, thence
South 12 degrees, East 6 chains to pointers, thence
South 44 degrees, West 10.20 line crossing a branch to pointers thence
South 5 degrees, West 30.49 links crossing two branches to a corner white oak with Samuel Pleasant thence
with his line South 44 1/2 degrees, West 13.73 links to a pine thence
South 10 degrees, East 10.57 links to a corner stump thence
North 75 degrees, West 6.10 lines to a red oak thence
South 75 1/2 degrees, West 6.60 links to pointers thence
North 1 degree, West 27.50 links to pointer thence
North 17 degrees, East 28 chains to pointers, thence
North 62 degrees, West 27.25 links to pointers, thence
South 20 degrees, West 53.66 links to pointers, thence [N.B. In the original. the words and figures “53.66 links to pointers, thence N 61, W” interlined on 3rd page before signing]
North 61 degrees, West 11.168 links to the beginning;
being the same tract heretofore conveyed by James Pleasants to the said Thomas Harris deceased by Indenture bearing date 15 March 1797 and duly recorded in the County Court of Powhatan;
Also one other tract of parcel of land, lying in Powhatan County aforesaid; containing by estimation 94 1/2 acres, more or less, bounded as followeth, to wit;
Beginning at pointers thence,
North 17 degrees, East 112 poles with the line of the land purchased by said Harris of James Pleasant to pointer, thence
North 62 degrees, West 109 poles to pointers, thence
South 20 degrees, West 159 poles with said Harris line to pointers, thence
South 85 degrees, East 118 poles to the beginning;
being the same tract of land heretofore conveyed by Samuel Pleasant to the said Thomas Harris deceased by Indenture, bearing date 13th January 1802
To have and to hold the said several tracts of land and their and each of their appurtenances, free from the claim or claims of all and every person and persons whatsoever unto him, the said Edward Johnson, his heirs forever: I witness hereof the parties have heretofore set their hand and seals the day and year first above written.
N.B. In the original. the words and figures “53.66 links to pointers, thence N 61, W” interlined on 3rd page before signing
Sig: Edward Cox
Elizabeth A. Cox
Obedience A. Harris
John P. Barritier Harris
Marcella Harris
Caroline Harris
Signed, sealed and delivered in presence of John Robertson
Received of Dr. Edward Johnson, the bonds of Dr. Philip Turpin for sixty thousand Dollars, payable as follows--one for fifteen thousand dollars on the 25th of December 1816,
one for fifteen thousand dollars on the 25th of December 1817,
one for ten thousand dollars on the 25th of December 1818,
one for ten thousand dollars on the 25th of December 1819,
one for fifteen thousand dollars on the 25th of December 1820, which (with twenty thousand dollars paid us on the ____ day of January late) is in full of the purchase money for the lands conveyed by the within indenture witness our hands and seals this 27th April 1816
W. A Turpin
Edward Cox
Caroline M. Harris
Executors and Executrix of Thomas Harris deceased.
Powhatan County Court Clerk’s Office
April the 30th 1816
This day the foregoing indenture of bargain and sale was acknowledged before me in the office aforesaid by Edward Cox a partly thereto for himself and as guardian of the other parties to the Same, to be his act and deed, and thereupon the said Indenture, with the receipt thereon endorsed, and admitted to record.
Teste
William S. Dance
To all to whom these presents shall come: Caroline Matilda Harris sendeth greeting:
Whereas by certain articles of agreement entered into between Thomas Harris, of the County of Powhatan
Sources
- Powhatan County, VA, Deed Book 8, page 18.