Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1905-03-29
VALUABLE PARCHMENT.

VALUABLE PARCHMENT.
Three Souvenirs Of Early Years In
the History Of Our Country.
The Rugby 'Optimist: Mr.. I. N.
Hartman of this place, while rummag-
ing through q trunk containing some
Of his personal effects, recently
brought to light three old parchment
deeds, which In point of antiquity and
curiosity, are undoubtedly without
parallel in this section OF the country.
They are deeds to certain tracts and
parcels Of land, lying and being in
the commonwealth of Virginia, and
are written upon the genuine old
fashioned sheepskin parchment, such
as was commonly used in years long
gone by, in the days of our great
great grand-fathers, and are colored
a deep yellow from their long ex-
istence.
The oldest and for several reasons,
the most valuable of the trio, Is a
parchment bearing the date of the
third day of May, seventeen hun
dred and eighty-two, being deed to
Thomas Farley, Esq, conveying to
said Thomas Farley certain tract
or parcel of land, containing one hun
dred acres, lying and being in the
county of Montgomery, on a branch
of Walkers Creek" The most high
ly priced feature of this document is
the signature Of the then governor Of
the commonwealth of Virginia, Pat
rick Henry, Esquire. Notwithstand-
ing the fact that this document Is
very nearly one hundred and twenty
three years old, the signature of that
great man, Patrick Henry, is as plain
today as it ever was, apparently, and
the whole body of the instrument
! which was undoubtedly written with
the old-fashioned quill pen, in small
writing, Is quite easily read, barring
the quaint old-fashioned phrases and
expressions then in vogue. Mr.. Har-
man values this document very high
ly, as indeed he should, as the sigma
ture of Patrick Henry is one very
rarely discovered in these days. Mr..
Farley was an ancestor of Mr..
Harman's, and this paper has been
handed down through generation after
generation and carefully preserved
by all of them.
The next oldest one is a deed from
the commonwealth of Virginia to
Jesse Bane, conveying a tract of ten
acres, situated in the county of Giles,
ION the south side OF Kimberlins
Fork Of Walkers Creek, branch OF
New river, as follows, to-wit: Be-
ginning on the top of little knoll on
his own line at a white oak and pine,
thence N 70, w 4S to two pines on
the point Of q ridge, CORNER to his
own land, thence etc. The instru-
ment is signed by James Peasants,
Esq, governor Of the commonwealth
Of Virginia, and dated May II, 1923.
The third and last is deed bearing
the date fourteenth day of November,
one thousand, eight hundred and
forty-eight, and granting to Henry
Hartman "a certain tract or parcel
of land, containing two hundred and
eight acres in the county OF wythe,
on the waters Of Walkers Creek on
the north side Of walkers Mountain,
and bounded as follows. Beginning
at two white oaks, a poplar and chest
nut oak" etc. This deed is signed
by John B. Floyd, Esquire, who was
at that time governor OF that com.
mon wealth.
It Is rare pleasure to peruse these
old instruments Of conveyance fur.
nishing glimpse as it were. into the
dim and distant past, when our coun-
try was new and the methods of such
transactions were exceedingly print
tive, and causing one to wonder what
the signers of these documents would
think could they see the wonderful
advance and progress Of this great
country which they, by their sterling
qualities OF manhood and womanhood
helped to start SO well. Mr.. Hartman
has indeed valuable prize in these
old papers, and were they ours 1t
would take a fabulous sum to get
them from us.