1781 EARLY DEED * GREENLAND, NEW HAMPSHIRE * WEEKS * ALLEN * 18th Century For Sale

1781 LAND DEED GREENLAND, NEW HAMPSHIRE
21 ACRES ON ROAD TO GREAT BAY
In this 7 1/2 by 12" deed, Jonathan Allen, husbandman of Greenland, sold to Dr Ichabod Weeks, physician, 21 acres and 48 rods on the road to Great Bay which is today Bayside Road. The two men were neighbors, and the doctor was simply adding to his property. He had a history of buying parcels of land to add to his property. He particularly liked the land near Great Bay and along the Winnicut River that flowed by his home which still stands. Weeks paid Allen one hundred fifty nine pounds, eighteen shillings for the land.Jonathan Allen signed the deed 15 September 1781, and the document was witnessed by Samuel Penhallow and Samuel Penhallow Jr of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The wax seal with paper covering is present, and it was attested by Samuel Penhallow JP. Samuel Brooks received and recorded the document dated Portsmouth, 19 April 1783 in Rockingham County Records.Of special note is the fact that Weeks paid Allen in pounds. While the Revolution was over and the former colonies had begun printing their own state money, pounds and shillings were still acceptable with each state determining its own rate of exchange. New Hampshire had a rate of 6 shillings for each continental dollar.
No early Greenland family, other than Brackett, was as important as the Weeks family. Dr Ichabod Weeks (1737-1807) was a wealthy landowner whose probated will reflects legacies to his six children and third wife Abigail (March). He was a very prosperous, popular landowner who was very involved with the town of Greenland, and was a the great grandson of immigrant Leonard Weeks who was born 1639 in Compton-Martin, co.Somerset, England. Dr Ichabod Weeks is buried with other family members in the old part of the Hillside Cemetery in Greenland.The document is in good condition for its age. The script is dark and perfectly legible. As noted, the wax seal is present and solid.There are fold marks but all intact. There are also areas of splitting but all attached. The edges are ragged and there is toning and foxing. Overall, a nice piece of early coastal New Hampshire history. The deed will be mailed first class carefully folded along an existing fold. I will be listing more 18th and early 19th century Maine and New Hampshire documents as time permits. I will always combine shipping. Please ask any questions you have. Thank you.