Purchase of Burnt Coat Group of Islands
The following is the agreement, deed and
receipt of payment for the Burnt Coat group of islands, between
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and James Swan. These
interesting documents, which show what islands were included in
the original purchase, were found in the Lincoln County records,
in which county this group of islands was then included.
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
This Agreement made this twenty-fifth
day of February, A. D. 1785, between the Committee appointed by
a Resolve of the General Court of the twenty-eighth of October,
A. D. 1783, on the subject of un-appropriated Lands in the
County of Lincoln, in behalf of this Commonwealth, of the one
part, and James Swan, of Dorchester, in the County of Suffolk,
Esq., of the other part.
Witnesseth, that the said Committee do agree to
sell and convey to the said James Swan, to hold in fe, a certain
Island commonly known by the name of Burnt Coat Island, in the
said County of Lincoln, and all the Islands, the center thereof
are within three miles of any part of the said Burnt Coat
Island, and a good Deed thereof to be given to the said James
Swan as soon as the same Islands can be conveniently surveyed
and a return thereof had. And the said James Swan agrees on his
part to pay on the nineteenth Day of March next, the sum of
nineteen hundred and twenty Pounds in the consolidated
securities of this Commonwealth to said committee, to the Use of
said Commonwealth, and the further sum of three shillings in the
said securities per Acre for every Acre that shall be found to
be contained in the said Islands over and above the number of
twelve thousand eight hundred acres (to be paid for by the first
said Payment) on an accurate survey thereof in one year from
this date. Any Islands the whole thereof is a barren rock, to be
excepted, but no allowance to be made for any Bogs, Ponds, or
waste Lands, and on the delivery of said Deed to give
satisfactory securities for the said last mentioned Payment. In
witness thereof the parties aforesaid set their hands the day
and year first above mentioned.
S. Phillips, Jr.,
Nathan Dane,
James Swan,
Samuel Page,
Committee.
Receipt
March, 19, 1785. Received of James Swan,
Esq., the first within mentioned sum of Nineteen hundred and
twenty Pounds.
Nathan Dane.
January 19, 1786. Received of the
hon'ble Samuel Phillips, Esqr., the above sum, which was
overpaid on the within Lands purchased of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, say one hundred and twenty Pounds.
James Swan.
Deed
Know All Men By These Presents, That We,
Samuel Phillips, Jun., Nathaniel Wells and John Brooks,
Esquires, a committee appointed by two Resolves of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts of the 28th of October, 1783 and
30th of November, r785, on the subject of un-appropriated Lands
in the County of Lincoln, and by those and other Resolves of
said Court, empowered to sell and convey the un-appropriated
Lands of the said Commonwealth in said County, for and in
consideration of the sum of one thousand four hundred and
forty-three Pounds, nine shillings, in the consolidated
securities of said Commonwealth, to us paid by James Swan, of
Boston, in the County of Suffolk and Commonwealth aforesaid,
Esquires, have given, granted, bargained, sold and conveyed and
by these presents in behalf of the said Commonwealth do give,
grant, bargain, sell and convey unto the said James Swan, his
Heirs and assigns, the following Islands lying and being in the
County of Lincoln and Commonwealth aforesaid, and situated
southerly and south eastly of a Point of main Land known by the
name of Naskig Point, being the south eastly Point of N IV
Township between the Penobscot River and Union River granted by
the General Court of the late Province of Massachusetts Bay, to
David Marsh and others, on the second Day of March, one thousand
seven hundred and sixty-two, and south westly of the Island
called Mount Desert, viz.:
Barnt Coat or Burnt Coal Island,
containing five thousand eight hundred and seventy-five acres;
Island P, sixteen Acres;
Island I, six acres 57 Rods;
Island K five acres, 136 Rods;
John's Island twenty Acres, 10 Rods;
Island N, twenty-three Acres, 64 Rods;
Island B, four Acres;
Hatt Island, twenty Acres;
Harbor Island, one hundred forty-four Acres, 16 Rods;
Marshal's Island, eight hundred forty-three Acres, 80 Rods;
Little Marshal Island, forty-two Acres, 40 Rods;
Island W, ten Acres;
Island A, twenty-one Acres;
Island C, forty-four Acres, 60 Rods;
Island D, sixteen Acres;
Island F, twenty Acres;
Island G, thirty-three Acres;
Loud Island, one thousand one hundred thirty-two Acres, 130
Rods;
Pond Island, two hundred and seven Acres;
Island U, seventeen Acres, 100 Rods;
Island V, three Acres;
Westly Calf Island, two hundred fifty-six Acres, 140 Rods;
Eastern Calf Island, one hundred sixty-two Acres, 80 Rods;
All of which Islands belong to and
comprise the Division of Islands called Burnt Coat division,
surveyed for the Commonwealth, aforesaid, Anno Domini, 1785,
according to a Plan thereof, returned into the aforesaid
committee's office by Rufus Putnam and entered in the Plan Book,
page 118, in which Plan the several Islands aforesaid, with
their Magnitudes, Bearings and distances from each other, as
well as from Naskig Point are laid down, which Division of
Islands are separated from other Islands and bounded as follows,
viz.:
Southerly by the Atlantic Ocean; Westley
by Jerico Bay, which separates them from Isle of Holt and Deer
Island Division, Northerly by a line drawn due East from the
southern extreme of Naskig Point into Placentia Bay, which Bay
divides them from the Great Placentia Islands, and other islands
lying Southerly of Mount Desert. Also two other Islands lying
Easterly of Placentia Bay, aforesaid, surveyed and included in
Mount Desert Division of Islands, entered in the aforesaid Plan
Book, Page 132, viz.: Great Placentia Island containing four
hundred forty-seven Acres, 155 Rods; and is Scituate North
eastly of said Burnt Coat Island about three hundred and seventy
rods, and Black Island, containing two hundred ninety-two Acres,
55 Rods, lying southerly of Great Placentia Island and distance
there from about two hundred and forty Rods. Both of these as
well as all the other Islands before described being within
three miles of some part or other of the great Island first
mentioned.
The before described Islands containing
in the Whole, Nine thousand, six hundred twenty-three acres and
three rods by Measure, according to the several Plans of the
same in the aforesaid Committee's office, Together with the
rights Members Profits Privileges and Appurtenances whatsoever,
thereunto belonging, or in any wise appertaining. To have and to
hold the said bargained and granted Premises with the
Appurtenances unto him, the said Swan, his Heirs and Assigns to
his and their proper Use, and behoove forever. And the said
Committee, in behalf of said Commonwealth covenant and agree
with said Swan, his Heirs and Assigns, that at the Time of
ensealing thereof the said Commonwealth of Massachusetts is
seized and possessed of said granted Premises in fee, and that
they, the said Samuel Phillips, Junr., Nathaniel Wells, and John
Brooks, have good Right in their said Capacities and in behalf
of said Commonwealth to sell and convey the same in manner
aforesaid, the Premises being free of all Encumbrances, and that
the said Commonwealth shall warrant and defend the same granted
Premises, to the said James Swan, his Heirs and Assigns forever
against the lawful claims and Demands of all Persons.
In witness whereof the said Committee
hereto, set their hands and seals this seventh Day of July, in
the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-six.
Samuel Phillips, Junr. [seal]
Nath'l Wells. [seal]
J. Brooks. [seal]
Signed, sealed and delivered in presence
of
Leonard Jarvis.
Geo. R. Minot.
Suffolk ss. July 7, 1786.
Then the within named Samuel Phillips,
Junr., Nath'l Wells and John Brooks personally appeared and
acknowledged the before written Instrument by each of them
signed to be their free Act and Deed, before me.
Stephen Metcalf, Justice of the Peace.
Source: A History of Swan's Island,
Maine, by H.W. Small, MD, Ellsworth Me, Hancock County
Publishing Company, Printers, 1808
|