Heirs of William Cook - Deed of Sale
for sale of property that became Oakwood Cemetery, Richmond, VA
Deed 20 August 1854
Heirs of William Cook to the City of Richmond, Emily C. Shore
and John W. Shore
60.239 acres Recorded 16 Oct 1854 (Library of Virginia)
DB 65, 1854-1855, Reel 41, pp. 337-339
Transcribed from photoprint of original handwritten deed by Charlotte
(Clarke) Geier 20 May 2003
Examined
This Indenture made and entered into this twentieth day of August
in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty four,
between Emily C. [Cooke] Shore and
John W. Shore [her brother] by William
H. Shore* his attorney in fact of the one part, and the City of
Richmond of the other part,
Witnesseth, that for and in consideration of the sum of ten thousand
dollars in hand paid by the said City of Richmond to the parties
of the first part, the receipt whereof at and before the sealing
and delivery of these presents is hereby acknowledged, the said
Emily C. Shore** and the said John
W. Shore** by his said attorney in
fact, do by these presents grant bargain and sell and convey to
the said City of Richmond all that piece or parcel of land lying
and being in the County of Henrico described in the annexed plat
of survey (which is part of this deed) as containing 60.239 acres
"William Cooks Heirs" according to the metes and bounds
of the said land as they are laid down and described in the said
plat of survey, shaded yellow, and which was surveyed as per deed
from John New and wife to William Cook, bearing date March 11,
1821.*** To have and to hold the
same in fee simple forever. And the said parties of the first
part do for themselves and their heirs covenant to and with the
said part of the second part, that will warrant gen____?
The land hereby conveyed; that they have right to convey the said
land to the grantee that the grantee shall have quiet possession
of the said land, and that the same is [free]
from all encumberances, and that they have done no act to encumber
the said land.
In witness whereof the parties hereto (the said John Shore by
his attorney Wm. H. Shore under a power recorded in the Clerk's
Office of Henrico County Court) do hereunto set their hands and
seals the day and year first above written.
John W. Shore by (seal)
Wm. H. Shore, his attorney
Emily C. Shore (seal)
City of Richmond to wit
I, B. B. Minor, a Notary Public for the City of Richmond in
the state of Virginia, do certify that Emily C. Shore and John
W. Shore by his attorney, Wm. H. Shore whose names are signed
to the writing hereto annexed, bearing date on the twentieth day
of August 1854 have each (the said John W. Shore by William H.
shore his attorney) acknowledge the said writing before me in
my city aforesaid. Given under my hand this sixth day of October
1854.
B. B. Minor, N.P.
A hand-drawn map plat follows below the signature of the Notary
Public. The land owned by William Cook's Heirs 60.239 acres enclosed
an a roughly angular heart-shaped plot bordered by ditches on
the NW and NE corners, a large pond with a dam to the east and
southeast called Ramsey's Mill Pond, and A. Reid property; on
the Northwest by Johnson property; Southwest by R. W. Cabell property
and Henry Bowen property; and on the north by Henry Voegle property;
and by the T. Griffin property at the southern point of the land.
* John W. Shore's brother, William born
1803, died 1804. Then who was this William H. Shore and what
was the relationsip? CCG
**One guesses that Emily's mother and
the senior William Cook's daughter, Emeline must have been deceased
by the 1854 date of this "indenture" or deed of sale
leaving Emily as joint heir with her brother John W. Shore.
Emily's father, Emeline's husband Judge John Shore died 4 Dec
1858. CCG
*** This presents a big question: which
William Cook was this, as the senior William Cook, Emily's grandfather,
apparently died between April 13 when he signed his will and June
1, 1820 when his wife Elizabeth renounced the will after his death.
Could the land have passed to Emily's mother's brother, William
Cook as was likely the case, he being the eldest child and only
son. If so, how did Emily and her brother become the heirs
of the property? CCG
