Document Analysis
These documents provide snapshots of Natick during the eighteenth century. They introduce us to eighteenth-century residents of Natick and the built and natural landscapes that surrounded them. The documents demonstrate the shifting social and political dynamics in the town and who bought, sold, and owned land. Viewing these documents as a collection allows us to begin to track changes in local and national politics, land ownership, and ethnic and gender dynamics.
This exhibit contains six different types of deeds typical of the eighteenth century. Additionally, this exhibit includes surveyors' maps as well as deeds for land outside of Natick.
What did these land documents mean to eighteenth-century Natick residents?
A common type of 18th-century land document is a Deed of Sale. It is a receipt stating that the sellers of a parcel of land received money from the buyers of the land. The borders of the sold parcel of land are described in proximity to other properties, and the natural and built landscapes. These types of deeds almost always transferred inheritance rights from the seller to the buyer of the land. They also included a statement about releasing the seller and all of their descendants from any debts on the property. The deeds are signed by the seller(s) of the land in the presence of witnesses who were sometimes relatives or neighbors of either the buying or selling parties. Wax seals often accompanied the signatures. (It is rare to find documents with their wax seals still intact in the twenty-first century) The final element is a note stating that the seller acknowledged that they signed the deed by free will. The majority of the deeds of sale in this exhibit are exclusively about Natick, but a number came from other communities. In this category, you will see deeds between Indigenous sellers and Indigenous buyers. You will also see deeds between English sellers and English buyers. You will find deeds between Indigenous and English parties in the next category.
Deed of Sale approved by the Massachusetts General Court and English Guardians. This type of deed always occurred between Indigenous sellers and English buyers. These deeds are nearly identical to the Deeds of Sale. They include similar statements, language, and content. The major difference is these deeds state that the sale was approved by the Massachusetts General Court with the advisement and consent of the Guardians. This approval often came years in advance of the actual land sale. Additionally, the signatures of the Guardians appear alongside the signatures or written marks of the Indigenous sellers. As you look through this exhibit, you will see the names and signatures of Guardians on many documents.
English Guardians Sale of Indigenous Estates Guardians frequently inherited the land and property of the Indigenous person over whom they held guardianship. These documents are also similar to the most common deeds of sale. These deeds are unique because they do not involve a party selling their own property or right of inheritance. They demonstrate a unique political and social dynamic in Natick and other Indigenous communities in New England.
With the adoption of the proprietorship system, the proprietors held Common Right. Proprietors had the right to sell and/or divide the community's land that had not been parcelled into private lots.
Individuals, or in some cases groups, sometimes sold their Right of Inheritance to all of a deceased relative’s properties within the town of Natick. Often these sellers lived elsewhere and may not have wanted or been able to use any of the property. In short, the necessity of selling their rights likely outweighed any benefits of inheriting the property.
Other documents discuss Debt without relation to a specific land sale. This exhibit includes a deed that legally acknowledges that an English settler, Benjamin Morse, relinquished all of his debt to another English settler, Hezekiah Broad. The deed does not mention a land sale.
Surveyors' Maps are another group of documents in this exhibit. The maps displayed the boundary lines of properties in Natick. Maps served to provide a visual of land divisions.