![\"Lease,](\"https:\/\/goodspeedhistories.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/1718-Reading-Howell-1.jpg\")
<\/a>It was a perfect example of serendipity. When he read my article he realized that I was talking about the same property described in the deed he had found. So he sent me the above\u00a0photograph, and I knew right away I would have to write about it, because it is another great example of wonderful recitals in old deeds.<\/p>\n
The deed is from John Reading of Amwell Township, only son and heir of John Reading, yeoman, deceased, and is dated November 8 and 9, 1718. It is in the form of an Indenture of Lease (on the 8th<\/span>) and a Release (on the 9th<\/span>). This was the style of land conveyance at the time. The wavy line at the top indicates the practice of making two copies of an Indenture (as in the word \u2018indent\u2019) and separating them with an uneven line, so that they will match up and thereby prove their validity.<\/p>\n The grantee (buyer) is Joseph Howell of Philadelphia, carpenter, who paid \u00a350 current silver money for 147 acres in Amwell Township. Here is an abstract (not a quote and omitting the boilerplate) of the recital found in the Release dated November 9th, as best I can transcribe it:<\/p>\n Samuell Robeson Son & heir of Andrew Robeson late of Philadelphia Gent. Deceased, had one full proprietary share, which Andrew\u00a0Robinson bought from Edw.\u00a0Byline & trustees in 1676, and<\/p>\n Samuel Robeson agreed to sell to John Reading the full propriety, but he died before the transaction could be completed. And sd Samuel Robeson made a will on 1 Sept. 1699, naming as executors Patrick Robeson and Andrew Robeson, and ordered them to make Sale of his Estate both Real & personal,\u00a0And Patrick Robeson also died before this conveyance could be completed,<\/p>\n And the surviving executor, Andrew Robeson did on November 1 & 2, 1701, sell the whole propriety to sd John Reading ye Elder, who died intestate ,\u00a0whereby ye Rights in Law to ye Same became Invested in John Reading party to these presents his only Son & Survivor<\/p>\n Now, the sd John Reading, for \u00a350, conveyed to sd Joseph Howell 147 acres, minus allowances for highways, in Amwell twp., being surveyed out of the 4th Dividend of the sd Propriety<\/p>\n Beginning at a Hickory tree, near the Quachechioke [Wickecheoke] Brook, corner to other lands of John Reading, thence by his line<\/p>\n 1) \u00a0South 11 degrees East, 38 1\/2 chains, to a corner to Dimsdale\u2019s land, thence by same<\/p>\n 2) \u00a0East, 40 chains, to a corner, thence along land of Samuel Green<\/p>\n 3) \u00a0North 10 degrees West, 24 chains, to another of Samuel Green\u2019s corners, thence<\/p>\n 4) \u00a0North 70 degrees East, 22.00 chains, to a corner in line of land commonly called ye Lotting Purchase, by sd line<\/p>\n 5) \u00a0North 80 degrees West, 65 chains, to the beginning<\/p>\n [Signed by] \u00a0Jno. Reading,<\/p>\n Witnessed by Daniel Howell, Mary Howell, Joseph Wood (his mark)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n This deed clarifies that the property was in the possession of John Reading, Sr. at the time of his death in 1717, and that it was conveyed to Joseph Howell by his son John Reading, Jr., acting as administrator of the estate. It also means that Howell may have been living on the property from 1719 to 1727 when he sold it to John Wright. Since the deed also contains this very early description, we can verify that it is the same property that was eventually sold to Gershom Lambert in 1815.<\/p>\n Most of the recital concerns the ownership of the proprietary rights that allowed John Reading to have the property surveyed to him. The recital goes back to the original purchase of one full proprietary share which Andrew Robeson had purchased from Edward Bylling and the Quaker trustees in 1676. To be in a position to make this sort of purchase shows that Robeson was very well-to-do. The cost of a full share was \u00a3350.<\/p>\n Unlike some of the proprietary purchasers, Robeson intended to move to America. He appears in Gloucester County, New Jersey as early as 1685. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to figure out who had the prominent positions in West New Jersey, Andrew Sr. or his nephew Andrew Jr., since they came to the Province together, and they are not always distinguished between each other. Since Andrew Sr. was the holder of the proprietary share, it makes sense that he was the one who was among the first members of the Council of West Jersey Proprietors when it was formed in 1688.<\/p>\n But which Andrew was named Surveyor General of the Province in 1686? It appears to have been Andrew Jr., as he was still recognized as such after the death in 1694 of Andrew Sr. In 1686, Robeson met with the other Surveyor Generals of East New Jersey and New York to settle on the northwestern boundary point of New Jersey, and thereby the border with New York. Although the surveyors met frequently, their report was ignored.1<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n In the 1690s, Andrew Robeson, Sr. moved to Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, to a plantation he named \u201cShoomac Park.\u201d He died there in 1694, having made a will naming his wife Elizabeth sole executrix.2<\/a><\/sup> She died the next year, according to Quaker records.3<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n In his will, Andrew Robeson left a legacy to his nephew Andrew Robeson, yeoman of West Jersey, consisting of land on Raccoon Creek. The will (or at least the abstract of it that I saw) did not mention son Samuel Robeson, but the recital in this deed makes it clear that Samuel was his son. This Samuel Robeson wrote his own will in Philadelphia on September 21, 1699.4<\/a><\/sup> He named friend Patrick Robinson and cousin Andrew Robeson executors, and left legacies to his father\u2019s brothers Thomas and David Robeson living in Scotland. It appears from the context of his will that he did not marry, or if he did, then his wife predeceased him and he had no living children.<\/p>\n So, it was left to cousin Andrew Robeson of West New Jersey to finish the process of conveying one full proprietary share in the Province to John Reading, which happened, as the recital states, on November 1st and 2nd, 1701.5<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n Andrew Robeson, Jr. was born in Scotland in 1654, and came to West New Jersey with his uncle Andrew Robeson, Sr. probably in the late 1670s or early 1680s. In 1687, he (or his uncle) was named the first tax assessor for Gloucester County. A deed of April 20, 1688 identified Andrew Robeson as being \u201cof Clonmel, Gloucester County, West Jersey.6<\/a><\/sup> In 1689 as Surveyor General of West Jersey, he received a warrant from Commissioner John Reading for a survey of land for Thomas Chaunders.7<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n By 1692, he appears to have been dividing his time between Gloucester County and Philadelphia, as he was described as being of Philadelphia that year when he sold land in Gloucester to Richard Lawrence,8<\/a><\/sup> and accepted the position of Pennsylvania\u2019s Chief Justice (a post he held until 1699). And yet, in 1697, he was named to the Governor\u2019s Council for West New Jersey, and served in that position until 1701.<\/p>\n On Sept. 21, 1699, Samuel Robeson of Philadelphia wrote his will and named \u201ccousin Andrew Robeson of West Jersey\u201d executor along with Samuel\u2019s \u201cfriend\u201d Patrick Robinson. The will was recorded on Oct. 16, 1699. As the recital above explained, Patrick Robinson died soon thereafter, leaving Andrew Robeson to manage the estate alone. In 1701, when Robeson conveyed the proprietary rights to John Reading, he was identified as a resident of \u201cGlocester\u201d County, in West New Jersey. A deed dated December 1, 1701 was also recorded in Gloucester, in which Andrew Robeson of Greenwich, Gloucester County, executor of the estate of Samuel Robeson of Philadelphia, gent., dec’d, conveyed part of a share of West Jersey sold by Edw Bylling et al to Andrew Robeson, father of said Samuel, on March 1, 1676-77.9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n It was around 1701 when this Andrew Robeson settled permanently in Pennsylvania, specifically at the estate known as Shoomac Park in Amity Township that was established by Andrew Robeson, Sr., and then inhabited by his son Samuel, until his death in 1699. Andrew Robeson, Jr. wrote his will in early 1719\/1720, naming his sons and daughters, but not his wife, who had died on November 12, 1716. His death is recorded on February 17, 1719\/20 at Chester, Pennsylvania.10<\/a><\/sup> The Robeson Genealogy of 1916 stated in its title that Andrew Robeson’s wife was Mary Spencer, but in fact she never existed. A Robeson descendant informed me that researchers had discovered that Mary’s maiden name was actually Helm. She was the daughter of Israel Akesson Helm<\/span> of the New Sweden Colony. The discovery was made by Dr. Peter Craig of the Swedish Colonial Society of Philadelphia.<\/p>\n 2\/12\/2021: See comment below from Nancy Brookins explaining that Mary Spencer did exist and was most likely the wife of Andrew Robeson.<\/em><\/p>\n I have not researched the Roberson\/Robeson\/Robinson family in Hunterdon County to any great extent, but there must be some connection between these Scottish Robersons of Gloucester County and Philadelphia and the family that lived in Kingwood Township. The Hunterdon Robesons\/Robersons originated with Thomas Roberson and wife Catherine Pierce. Bellis wrote of Thomas:<\/p>\n \u201cI have no information as to where he came from or the place of his nativity, but am inclined to the opinion that he came from Scotland or was of Scottish descent.\u00a0There has been a tradition handed down in the family that his ancestors came over in the Mayflower in 1620, but no one by that name was on board of the celebrated vessel.\u201d11<\/a><\/sup><\/p><\/blockquote>\nWho Were the Robesons of Hunterdon County?<\/h3>\n