Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness: Northern Liberties Lot Indenture

I received an email from Russ Bennett, a complete stranger, a few months ago. He had stopped in an antique store in Cleveland, Ohio, and found a large 22-1/2 inches by 13-1/2 inches framed document which looked to be a deed. Russ took photographs of the document, noted the names, dates and city mentioned. Then came home and Googled those names. Russ found my blog and email address and wanted to know if I was interested in the deed.

Of course I was! It transpired the antique store owner would not ship so Russ offered to buy the deed in my stead and ship it to me. Not only did he make that kind offer, he negotiated 25 percent off the price!

Thank you Russ!

Russ Bennett at the grave of his great great grandfather;
provided and used with the permission of Russ Bennett

Now that I have digitized, transcribed and added the deed to my family tree, I hope to be able to donate it to an appropriate historical society. As a result I am communication with the Historical Society of Philadelphia as the lot described in the document was located in the Northern Liberties neighborhood of Philadelphia which is just north of the city center bounded on the east by the Delaware River.

Digitized copy of the 22-1/2 inch by 13-1/2 inch Indenture; personal collection

"This Indenture. Made the Nineteenth day in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and six Between Samuel Blair of Germantown in the County of Philadelphia Doctor of Divinity and Susanna his wife of the one part and William Shippen of the City of Philadelphia Doctor of Physick of the other part,

WHEREAS Doctor William Shippen of Germantown by his Indenture bearing date of the fifth day of September in the year of our Lord 1799 did grant and Convey unto Jane Dring in fee -- A Certain Lot or piece of Ground situate on the North side of Nobel Street between Delaware front and Second Street in the Northern Liberties of the city of Philadelphia Containing in breadth East and West Thirty eight feet and in length or depth extending North and South fifty feet more or less, Bounded Westwards by ground of William Shippen, Northwardly by ground estate of Isaac Leech deceased Eastward by ground granted to Jacob Fryberger and Southward by Noble Street aforesaid -- Subject to an annual Ground rent of fifty Spanish milled silver Dollars and two thirds of such a Dollar payable to the said William Shippen and his Heirs

City Center and Northern Liberties neighborhoods on 1808 Philadelphia map
by John Hills; courtesy of Philadelphia GeoHistory Network[1]

Northern Liberties neighborhood map showing the area where the Shippen-
Blair lot was located; 1895 Philadelphia Atlas Plate 7 courtesy of  Greater
Philadelphia GeoHistory Network[1]

AND WHEREAS the said Jane Dring on the first day of December 1803 by Deed of Assignment on the aforesaid Indenture for the Consideration of Four hundred Dollars did sell and Convey to the above named Samuel Blair and Susanna his wife their Heirs and Assigns the before described Lot of piece of ground with the buildings there Erected Subject to the Ground rent aforesaid

AND WHEREAS the said William Shippen, Samuel Blair and Susanna his wife parties hereunto the [**?**] Legatees of the said William Shippen by their Deed of Partition bearing date the Thirty first day of July 1802 parted and divided his Estate, undisposed of by his last will and the aforesaid ground rent issuing out of the Lot or piece of ground

INTER ALIA marked in the said Deed of Partition S.

B. No. 15 was allotted to the said Samuel Blair and Susanna his wife their Heirs and Assigns

NOW THIS INDENTURE WITNESSETH that the said Samuel Blaire and Susanna his wife for and in Consideration of Nine hundred Dollars to them paid by the said William Shippen at the Execution hereof the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged

HAVE and by these presents DO grant bargain sell alien[?] onfeoff[?] release and confirm unto the said William Shippen his Heirs and Assigns All the above described Lot or piece of Ground free and clear of the said Yearly Ground Rent situate on the North side of Noble Street between Delaware front and second Street in the Northern Liberties aforesaid containing in breadth East and West Thirty eight feet and in length or depth North and South fifty feet more or less butted and bounded as aforesaid Together with the buildings there on erected

TO HAVE AND TO HOLD the said Lot or piece of Ground with the buildings and appurtenances forever free and clear of the said Rent charge and all arrearages thereof to the only proper use and behoof of the said William Shippen his Heirs and Assigns forever AND Samuel Blair doth Covenant promise and agree to and with the said William Shippen and his Heirs that the said Samuel Blair and his Heirs shall and will forever Warrant and Defend the Premises hereby granted clear of all Incumbrances unto the said William Shippen his Heirs and Assigns forever

In Witness whereof the said parties have hereto set their hands and seals the day and year first above written

Witnesses at signing
Thos. Gordon
Samuel Betton

Received on the day of the date of the above written Indenture of the above named William Shippen Nine hundred Dollars being the full consideration money above mentioned.

[Signed by] Samuel Blair"

The back of the deed also included old, faint handwriting:

Digital copy of the reverse side of the Indenture; personal collection

"The twenty third day of May Anno Domini 1806 Before me the Subscriber one of the Justices of the Peace in and for the County of Philadelphia came the within named Samuel Blair and Susanna his wife and acknowledged the written Indenture to be their Act and Deed and desired the same to be recorded as such -- the said Susanna being of full age separate and apart from her husband by me privately examined, and the full contents thereof made known unto her, she thereunto voluntarily consenting witnesses my and hand and seal the day and year foresaid

***

Samuel Betton

DEED

Samuel Blair and Wife
Dr. William Shippen

Lot on North side of Noble St. between Del. front & Second Sts.

***

Recorded in the office for Recording Deeds
for the City and County of Philadelphia in Deed Book J.A.M. No. 8 page 546

Witness by hand and seal of office this 11th day of February 1870 A.D.

Thos. Horesman [?]
Recorder

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[1] Thanks to the Greater PhiladelphiaGeo Network for the interactive overlay of historic maps with a current Internet-based map application.

Samuel Blair was by 6 times great uncle, son of Rev. Samuel Blair and Frances Van Hook.

"Crossing the Pond" with Edward Shippen (1639-1712)
Pray Together, Stay Together
Revolutionary War Chaplain, Rev. Samuel Blair (Jr.)

Germantown, Pennsylvania

Germantown is now a neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, part of which is included in the Germantown Historic District. It was originally established by German Quaker and Mennonite families on 6 October 1683. The borough was absorbed into the city in 1854. Germantown is located about 6 miles from the city center. Today, German-American Day is celebrated on the same day as Germantown's founding.

The abolitionist movement began in Germantown in 1688 when four men met and wrote a two-page condemnation of slavery, which they sent to their Quaker governing body. It was not until 1770 that Pennsylvania passed the first Abolition Act in the British American colonies.

During the British occupation of Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War, they housed some of their troops in Germantown. The Continental Army attacked on 4 October 1777. Citizens joined the fighting by firing on British troops as well. In the confusion caused by the battle American troops began firing on themselves and quickly retreated. The battle was initially considered a loss for the American side, but news soon arrived that British General Burgoyne had been defeated at Saratoga with the French recognizing the United States soon thereafter. The loss at Germantown was quickly forgotten.

Engraving of the Battle of Germantown by Christian Schussele; courtesy of
Wikipedia

My six times great uncle, Rev. Samuel Blair lived in Germantown with his wife, Susan (Shippen) Blair and their children during the Battle of Germantown. In fact, one of their daughters, Frances Van Hook Blair, named for her father's mother, was born seven short months before the battle. And president George Washington stayed at the Deshler-Morris House during the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1793. The house is now part of the Germantown White House National Park.

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Shippen-Blair House
Pray Together, Stay Together
Revolutionary War Chaplain, Rev. Samuel Blair (Jr.)
British Surrender at Saratoga
1793 Philadelphia Yellow Fever Epidemic

Shippen-Blair House

Rev. Samuel Blair, Jr., was my six times great uncle and son of Samuel Blair and Franjinke "Frances" van Hook, who were my six times great grandparents. Like his father, Samuel Blair, Jr., was an accomplished Presbyterian minister. He was a graduate of what is now Princeton University and had been a pastor at the Old South Church in Boston. During the Revolutionary War, he served as the chaplain of an artillery brigade and later as the chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives.

He married Susan Shippen on 23 September 1767 in Germantown, which is now a historic district in northwest Philadelphia. Susan was the daughter of Dr. William Shippen and Susan Harrison. Dr. Shippen was a physician, civic and educational leader, who represented Pennsylvania in the Continental Congress. Upon the marriage of his daughter, Susan, Dr. Shippen gave the couple the house at 6403 Germantown Avenue together with 57 acres.

The Shippen-Blair House, 6403 Germantown Avenue, undated lantern slide
courtesy of Bryn Mawr College

The house came to be known as the Shippen-Blair House. It was three and a half stories, stone with wood trim in the Federal style. The Revolutionary War battle of Germantown left traces in the woodwork and Mrs. Washington was entertained here when George Washington was in Germantown. The original property was thought to also house another two story building, a large greenhouse, a wash house, and a barn complex including cow and horse stables, a dung shed, a threshing floor, a wagon house and a coach house.

In 1832 the house was purchased by James Ogilbe, who operated it as Congress Hall, a hotel. When Chief Black Hawk stayed at the hotel the next year. In 1851 the house was owned by actress Charlotte Cushman and in the later part of the 1800s was a popular boardinghouse known as The Laurens.

The exterior of the house has been much altered since it was originally built.

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Pray Together, Stay Together 
Revolutionary War Chaplain, Rev. Samuel Blair, Jr. 

Pray Together, Stay Together

I've heard the expression, "Couples that pray together, stay together." What about four generations of several interconnected families?

Ministers in an interconnected family; created using Microsoft PowerPoint

Rev. Samuel Blair (1712-1751)

Rev. Samuel Blair was my 6 times great grandfather. He and his brother, Rev. John Blair emigrated from Scotland to the colonies in the 1720s and settled in Pennsylvania. Samuel Blair was ordained by the Presbytery of Philadelphia in 1730, after studying at Log College in Bucks County. The brothers became prominently identified with Presbyterian institutions and were early trustees of the College of New Jersey, now known was Princeton University. Rev. Samuel Blair served as acting-president of the college for a year, became vice president of the same institution, and the first professor of theology of Princeton Theological Seminary. He eventually became the minister at Faggs Manor in Chester County, Pennsylvania, and began a college for classical and theological studies. One of his students, Rev. Samuel Davies, considered the "Apostle of Virginia," thought Samuel Blair was the finest preacher on two continents. "None was better than he at the exposition of God's word."

Faggs Manor Church, now known as Manor Presbyterian Church, the second
oldest Presbyterian church in the U.S.; courtesy of Ancestry.com member
CarlCrowleyAtlanta

I have written about his son, Rev. Samuel Blair, Jr. (1741-1818) previously in the post entitled, Revolutionary War Chaplain, Rev. Samuel Blair, Jr. He was a pastor at the Old South Church in Boston, chaplain for an Revolutionary War artillery brigade, and the second chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Rev. David Rice, Jr. (1733-1816)

I have also written about Rev. David Rice, Jr. (1733-1816) before in the post entitled, Apostle of Kentucky. David Rice, Jr. served in the Virginia Militia during the Revolutionary War. He married the daughter of Rev. Samuel Blair, Mary Blair. His family was Episcopalian but he converted early to Presbyterianism and studied at the College of New Jersey. Rev. Rice spent over 20 years in Bedford County, Virginia, working among the slaves with Rev. Samuel Davies. As a result of that work and his basic human dignity, he became an ardent abolitionist. However, the powerful planter lobby in Virginia forced him out of the state. He settled in Kentucky in 1783 and joined its abolitionist society. During the 1792 Kentucky Constitution Convention he gave a speech entitled, "Slavery: Inconsistent with Justice and Good Policy."

Pamphlet of speech given by Rev. David Rice, Jr. at the 1792 Kentucky
Constitution Convention; courtesy of Internet Archive

His son was Dr. David Rice, III, and his daughter, Frances Blair Rice married Rev. James Mitchell.

Rev. James Mitchell (1747-1841)

James Mitchell was born in Pequea, Pennsylvania, and removed to Bedford County, Virginia, with his parents and siblings. He became a licensed Presbyterian minister in 1781 and preached until the year before his death 60 years later. John B. Smith, president of Hampden-Sydney College, said that Mr. Graham on his visit, preached the greatest sermon he had ever heard, except one, and that was preached by this powerful weak, gentle and strong old man, Rev. James Mitchell. Rev. William Foote in his Sketches of Virginia, wrote of James Mitchell: "He pleads a cause, and has pleaded but one all his active life; pleads it in simplicity and earnestness and with success; pleads it in his daily life, and from the pulpit. That cause is the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ, the message of mercy to sinful man; that he pleads always, and every where, with a warm heart and trumpet voice." The church at the Peaks of Otter asked him to become their minister in 1786 and he remained at that congregation's minister until his death. Three sons-in-law and one grandson followed him into the ministry.

Covered bridge in the outskirts of Pequea, Pennsylvania; personal collection

One daughter, Sarah Dodridge Mitchell, married her first cousin, Rev. Samuel Davis Rice, son of Dr. David Rice, III, and Jane Holt.

Rev. Samuel Davis Rice (1795-1864)

Samuel Davis Rice was named after Rev. Samuel Davies, the "Apostle of Virginia," and student of David Rice's grandfather and good friend of his father, Rev. David Rice, Jr. He was the pastor of Diamond Hill Presbyterian Church in Gladys, Virginia, from 1853 through 1863.

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Rev. Samuel Rice (1712-1751) was my 6 times great grandfather; his son, Rev. Samuel Rice, Jr. (1741-1818) was my 6 times great uncle; and his son-in-law, Rev. David Rice, Jr. (1733-1816) was my 5 times great grandfather. Rev. James Mitchell (1747-1841) was my 4 times great grandfather and his son-in-law, Rev. Samuel Davies Rice (1795-1864) was the husband of my 4 times great aunt.

Revolutionary War Chaplain, Rev. Samuel Blair, Jr. 
Apostle of Kentucky

Revolutionary War Chaplain, Rev. Samuel Blair (Jr.)

Rev. Samuel Blair (1712-1751) was my six times great grandfather. He was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Philadelphia in 1730. Eventually, he became the minister at Faggs Manor, where he began a college for the classical and theological studies for pastoral training. One of his students, Samuel Davies, considered the Apostle of Virginia, thought Blair the finest preacher on two continents -- "none was better than he at the exposition of God's word."

Rev. Blair took as his wife and helpmate, the granddaughter of an early New Amsterdam settler, Francijnke "Frances" Van Hook. Their first son, Joseph Blair, died at the age of 13. Their second son, also named Samuel Blair followed his father into the ministry. He was considered by many to be the "most accomplished and promising young minister in the Presbyterian church" and known as Dr. Blair.

Rev. Samuel Blair, Jr.; courtesy Wikipedia

Rev. Samuel Blair, Jr., attended the College of New Jersey (now Princeton,) and graduated with honor at 19 years of age. He remained in Princeton where he tutored for several years before being licensed to preach by the Presbytery of New Castle.

He was called to Old South Church in Boston in 1764. On the journey north, he was shipwrecked. Though, he survived, he lost all his clothes and sermon manuscripts and suffered health problems as a result. He remained one of two pastors at Old South Church for two years until ill-health forced him to resign.

Old South Church, circa 1835; courtesy of Wikipedia

He moved to Germantown (now part of Philadelphia), Pennsylvania, planning to devote the rest of his years to study and married Susan Shippen in 1767. She was a descendant of Edward Shippen, considered the first mayor of Philadelphia under William Penn's 1701 charter.

But Rev. Blair's active, public life was not yet completed. During the Revolutionary War, he served as a chaplain to a brigade of artillery. From 1790 through 1792, he was the chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives, the second minister to ever serve in that capacity. Rev. Blair died on 23 September 1818 and was interred at Ivy Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.

Rev. Samuel Blair, Jr., headstone; courtesy of Find A
Grave member Crypt Tonight

Rev. Samuel Blair, Jr.'s older sister, Mary Blair was my five times great grandmother. She married another Presbyterian minister, Rev. David Rice, who became known as the Apostle of Kentucky.

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[1]Sprague's American Presbyterian Pulpit, The Log College, by A. Alexander

Apostle of Kentucky