13th of March 1664 Deed between Joseph Cook of Stanianary?, Co. Essex, England to John Adams of Camb 13a meadow to upland in Menotomy Camb in New England.
13th of March 1664 Deed between Joseph Cook of Stanianary?, Co. Essex, England to John Adams of Camb 13a meadow to upland in Menotomy Camb in New England.
Description:
Deed between Joseph Cook of England and John Adams of Menotomy, for 13 acres of land in Menotomy. At the top left, "This(?) Indenture" is written in large, decorated blackletter. The first letter, in the upper left corner, contains a crowned double Tudor Rose. There are 44 lines on the front, numbered in pencil, but large amounts of the ink is faded and some of the writing only visible under UV light. A large, 3" hole in the bottom right was probably an original scar on the skin that was filled before the deed was written, but the fill has been lost. The top edge of the deed is cut in a wavy pattern, there are stitching holes on both the left and right edges, and there are two security lacings on the bottom edge. Signatures include Joseph Cooke over the left lacing and Elizabeth Cooke over the right lacing. On the back side is an additional paragraph dated 1665 with two unclear signatures. A brief description in pencil in the top center, probably dating from close to the time the deed was donated, reads: "13th of March 1664 Deed between Joseph Cook of Stanianary?, Co. Essex, England to John Adams of Camb 13a meadow to upland in Menotomy Camb in New England." High resolution images taken before and after restoration while deed was at conservation lab. Additional images available on server. Related to 2021.FIC.95. Description before conservation: Deed is made of a heavy material, possibly vellum, and is folded so that only the summary is visible. Folded, it is about 8.5x9". A second summary has been written in pencil. The summary implies that it may have been written in 1665 instead, and formally signed in 1666.
