Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

COLONIAL LOTS 274 and 275
Nicholson Street
Block 28

Figure 1
Block 27 - Colonial Lots 274 and 275

LOCATION:

Lots 274 and 275 lie on the north side of Nicholson Street in Williamsburg. See: Nineteenth-century plat of the city on opposite page. Lot 274 is designated "White"; Lot 275 is designated "Wentworth."

HISTORY:

In 1712/13 the trustees of Williamsburg conveyed Lots 274, 275, 276 and 277 to John Marot of the same city:

[March 11, 1712/13]

[Trustees of Williamsburg
to
John Marot¹ of York County
Consideration: £ money of England]

THIS INDENTURE made the fourteenth day of March in the Twelfth Year of y^e reign of our Sovereign lady Anne:.. One Thousand Seven hundred & Twelve BETWEEN the Feoffees or Trustees for y^e Land Appropriated for the building & Erecting y^e City of Wilsburgh of y^e One part & John Marot of y^e County of York of y^e other part WITTNESSETH that 'Whereas y^e s^d Jno Marot by One Lease to him from y^e s^d Feoffees or Trustees bearing date y^e day before y^e date of these Presents is in actuall & peaceable possession of y^e Premisses herein after granted,... the s^d Feoffees or Trustees for divers good causes & considerations them thereunto moveing, but more Especially for & in consideration of Three pounds, of good & lawfull Money of England to them in hand paid at & before y^e Ensealing & delivery hereof,...HAVE Granted, Bargained, Sold, remised, released & confirmed & by these Presents for themselves, their heirs & Successors as far as in them lyes & under y^e Limitations & Reservations hereafter mentioned, They do grant, bargain, Sell] remise release & confirm unto y^e s^d Jno Marot four certain Lotts of Ground in y^e s^d City of Wilsburgh designed in y^e Plott of y^e s^d City by these figures 274:,275: 276 & 277 with all Woods thereon growing... TO HAVE & TO HOLD unto y^e s^d... 2 Jno Marot & to his heirs for Ever, To be had & held of our Sovereign Lady y^e Queen in Free & common Soccage YIELDING and PAYING the Quittrents due & legally accustomed to be paid for y^e Same, to y^e onely Use & behoof of him y^e s^d Jno Marot his heirs & Assigns for Ever under y^e Limitations & Reservations hereafter mentioned & not Otherwise, that is to say, that if the s^d Jno Marot his heirs or Assigns shall not in y^e Space of Twenty four Months next Ensueing y^e date of these Presents begin to build & finish upon Each Lott of y^e s^d granted Premisses One good dwelling house or houses of such dimensions & to be placed in such manner as by One Act of Assembly made at y^e Capitol y^e 25th day of October 1705...then it shall & may be lawfull to & for y^e s^d Feoffees or Trustees & their Successors... to Enter & y^e Same to have again as of their former Estate... In Wittness whereof Jno Clayton Esqr. & William Robertson Gent Two of y^e pi Feoffees or Trustees have hereunto Sett their hands, & Seals y^e day & Year first above written

John Clayton Seal
Wil Robertson Seal

…
March 14th 1712
Received of John Marot Three Pounds Currt Money being the consideration within mentioned

[Recorded York County Court
March 16, 1712/13]¹

Marot died in 1717 leaving a will in which he bequeathes his wife, Anne:

"One third part of all my Lotts of Land, houses & Appurtenances to y^e same belonging... for and during her naturall life & yo Two thirds of my Lotts of Houses & the Reversion of y^e third part thereof after y^e death of my sd_ Wife I do Give Devise & bequeath to my Three daughters Edith, Anne & Rachel & to their heirs... And it is my Will & desire that my s^d wife have & Enjoy all y^e Lotts & houses untill Such time as my s^d daughters shall Severally attain to y^e age of Twenty One Years or be marryed & that Each of my ad daughters as they shall... be marryed shall have & Enjoy their part or Share in y^e s^d Lotts & houses provided my ad wife do during Such time continue to be a Widow, & from y^e time my s^d wife shall happen to Marry it is my Will & desire that She have & Enjoy only one third part of my s^d Lotts & houses as before given & bequeathed to her..."²

Mrs. Marot, the widow, promptly married Timothy Sullivant.¹ This act gave her only one third interest in the lots and houses of her former husband. However, her daughters were all married: Edith to Samuel Cobbs; Anne to James Sheilds II and Rachel to Col. Richard Booker of Amelia County. Mrs. Anne Marot Sullivant died in 1742 in Amelia County at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Samuel Cobbs. There is no mention of any real estate in her will.²

Though the writer has not been able to locate all of the property transfers from Marot's estate to his daughters -, yet, we know that Mrs. Edith Cobbs was in possession of property in Williamsburg when she died in 1761. Her will bequeathes this property to her son, Samuel Cobbs:

[Will of Edith Cobbs of Amelia County, widow of Samuel Cobbs:
March 9, 1758]

... I give and devise to my said son Samuel and. his heirs forever all my lotts of land and houses lying in the City of Williamsburgh... but it is my will that no division of the said estate be made until my son Samuel shall arrive to the age of twenty one years...
EDITH COBBS Seal³

[Recorded Amelia County Court
August 27, 1761]

Samuel Cobbs Jr., evidently, had become twenty-one in 1761 when he conveyed the property to James Sheilds:⁴ 4

[November 14, 1761]

[Samuel Cobbs of Williamsburg
to
James Sheilds of Williamsburg
Consideration: £110 [sic] current money of Virginia]

THIS INDENTURE made the fourteenth day of November in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and sixty one BETWEEN Samuel Cobbs of the City of Williamsburgh Gentleman of the one part and James Sheilds of the same City Gentleman of the other part Witnesseth that the said Samuel Cobbs for and in Consideration of the sun of one hundred and ten pounds Current Money of Virginia to him in hand paid by the said James Sheilds at and be[blur) ensealing and delivery of these Presents the receipt whereof [blur] hereby acknowledge HATH granted bargained and sold aliened and confirm unto the said James Sheilds his Heirs and Assigns for ever [blur] or half Acres of Ground situate lying and being on the [blur] Street in the said City of Williamsburgh and are denoted in the plan of the said City by the Figures or Numbers 274, 275 which said Lots were devised to the said Samuel Cobbs by the last Will and Testament of Edith Cobbs the Mother of the said Samuel [Cobbs] recorded in the County Court of Amelia And all Houses Outhouses Edifices Buildings---------Gardens Pasteures Woods Underwoods Ways Waters Water Courses profits Commodities Hereditaments and Appurtenances whatsoever to the said two Lots or half Acres of Ground belonging or in any wise appertaining And the Reversion and Reversion Remainder and Remainders Rents Issues and Profits thereof And all the Estate Right Title Interest property Claim and demand whatsoever of him the said Samuel Cobbs of in and to the same and every part thereof To have and to hold the said Two Lots or half Acres of Ground... unto the said James Sheilds his heirs and Assigns for ever... IN WITNESS whereof the parties to these presents have hereunto Interchangeably set their Hands and affixed their Seals the day and Year first above Written
Sam Cobbs (L.S.)

Sealed and delivered in presence of
Tho^s Everard
W^m Trebell
Th^o Craig
Fred Bryan
Ja^s Patterson

Received this fourteenth day of November 1761 of the within named James Sheilds the sum of one hundred and thirty [sic] Pounds Current Money being the Consideration within mentioned to be received by me-- Sam Cobbs¹

Witness,
[same names as above]

5[Recorded York County Court
November 16, 1761]

The above deed gives the information that Samuel Cobbs [jr] received the property (lots 274 and 275) by will of his mother; and that he promptly conveyed same to James Sheilds. From the wording of the deed we know that buildings, outhouses &c were located thereon.

In 1762 Sheilds conveyed Lot 274 along with Lots 275, 276 and 802 to John Greenhow:

[March 6, 1762]

[James Sheilds
to
John Greenhow¹
Consideration: £200 current money of Virginia]

THIS INDENTURE made the sixth day of March in the Year of, our Lord one thousand & seven hundred and Sixty two BETWEEN James Shiel[blur] County of York and Susannah his Wife of the one (blur] City of Williamsburgh Merchant of the other part WITNESSETH that the said James Shields and Susannah his Wife for and in Consideration of the Sum of Two hundred Pounds to him the said James in hand paid at and before the ensealing and delivery, of these Presents the Receipt whereof he doth hereby acknowledge HAVE granted bargained and sold aliened and confirmed and by these Presents Do grant bargain and sell alien and confirm unto the said John Greenhow his Heirs and Assigns forever all those four Lotts of Ground situate lying and being on the North side of Nicholson Street in the City of Williamsburgh and noted in the Plan of the said City by the Figures 802, 274, 275, 276 which were granted to the said James Sheilds by Benjamin Waller and William Prentis Gent two of the Trustees or Feoffees for the Land appropriated for the building and erecting the City of Williamsburgh by Indenture of Lease and Release bearing date the fourth and fifth days of this Instant March AND all Woods Underwoods Ways Waters Water Courses Gardens Orchards Profits Commodities Heriditaments 6 and Appurtenances whatsoever to the said four Lotts of Ground belonging or in any wise appurtaining AND the Reversion and Reversion... And all the Estate Rights Title Interest Property Claim and Demand whatsoever... TO HAVE AND TO HOLD... unto the said John Greenhow his Heirs and Assigns... forever... IN WITNESS whereof the Parties to these Presents have hereunto interchangeably set their Hands and affixed their Seals the day and Year first above mentioned.
Ja^s Shields (LS)
Susanna Shields (LS)

Sealed & Delivered in presence of
John Prentis
W^m Holt
Gabriel Maupin
James Geddy

Received this sixth day of March 1762 of the within named John Greenhow the sum of two hundred pounds Current Money being the Consideration within mentioned to be received by me
James Shields¹

Witness
[same names as above]

[Recorded York County Court
May 15, 1762]

The deed definitely conveys the lots from James Shields to John Greenhow. Yet, in the conveyance it states that Shields acquired four lots via the trustees of Williamsburg. This disputes the deed of 1761 in which Samuel Cobbs conveyed two of the lots (274 and 275) bequeathed to him from his mother to James Shields. (See: page 4 for above-quoted deed.)

Lot SCR was granted in 1715 by the trustees to John Marot. (Deeds III p. 404) No further record of Lot M is found until 1762, above noted.

A few days after Greenhow acquired these lots, he cut a street from Nicholson Street through what appears to be Lot 276 northward. (This appears in a deed from Mathew Moody to John Greenhow for six 7 acres more or less of lard lying north of lots 274, 275, 276 and 277.¹ (See: house history of Lot 276 for details of this street.)

It is assumed that Greenhow held the lot until his death. If soy his son, Robert, inherited his entire estate. Robert [ed.-John] Greenhow died in 1787. In 1798 Benjamin White seems to have come into Lot 274 as owner.² Lot 275 was held by Samuel Harrison frame 1805.³

The Frenchman's Map (1782) indicates small houses on the lots. The Bucktrout Map (1803) shows "White" on Lot 274 and "Wentworth" on Lot 275. See: Research Department for copy. The College Map (1791?) indicates "White" and "Wentworth" respectively. See: Tyler's adaptation opposite front page.

It is possible that both lots cams from Greenhow's estate though the writer could find no records for this assumption.

Lot 275

At this point we shall continue the title to Lot 275:

Harrison continued to hold the lot until 1820 when he conveyed the same to Wentworth Burwell's estate: "1 lot $50; lot and buildings $125 Formerly charged to Samuel Harrison."⁴

In 1823 the same source indicates that Richard T. Booker¹ had acquired 1/2 lot via Burwell:

"Richard T. Booker-----1 lot-----$50 lot & buildings Via Saml Harrison part of the lot which stands charged to the estate of Wentworth Burwell."

In 1826 Booker rented his "new house" to William Wicker:

"May 22^nd 1826 M^r William Wicker rented two rooms in my new house at two dollars pr month to be paid by the month 2 months 10 days rent up to the 1^st day [illegible] then rented the hole house to him for 14-0 per year"²

The same year, Booker rented a room in my house to Walker & Augustine Hubbard at one dollar per month to be paid by the month.³

In 1829 Booker rented 1/2 of new house to Robert Lark:

"1829 Jan 1^st Rented M^r Robert Lark one half of my new house at $20 per year to pay by the q^rt."⁴

It appears from the Land Tax Records that in 1827 Booker was assessed "$400 for house and $500 for house and lot Reassessed by the comissioner of the revenue according to Law." As the valuation of Bookers property had changed from $50 for house aril lot to $500--0 this must have been on account of the "new house" which Booker refers to above.⁵

In 1834 Booker gave a mortgage to John Coke: "one lot called 9 "Harrison's-Smith's Tanyard boundary line and Benj White's."¹ Prior to this mortgage, Booker had entered into the sane contract with Richard Garrett: "one lot adjoining White; Elijah Smith on the east."²

In 1835 an indenture from Booker to Southall on September 20th—along with other property in town — cites the lot above noted thus:

[September 20, 1835]

[Richard T. Booker indebted to George W, Southall in the amount of $290,79 by bond bearing present date, and being willing to secure the bond by deed of trust on the property to William P, Underwood as follows: "... all that lot... containing twelve acres, commonly called and known as the Raleigh lot situated on the North back street in the City of Williamsburg. Also a house and lot, situate on the North back street of said City adjoining the lot occupied by Benjamin White on the west, and on the North by the aforesaid Raeligh lot, on the east by the lot called tanyaid, and on the South by the street aforesaid, together with all houses, barns, stables, situate thereon... also slaves and household furniture of Richard T. Booker."]³

By 1838 Booker was living in Richmond.⁴ Shortly afterwards he sold his property on main street, Williamsburg, to Allen Davis.⁵

The writer has not been able to complete the chain to title to that part of Lot 275 which was no longer in the name of Richard T. Booker after 1838. A gap occurs until 1873 when John W. Lee was the owner of the western part of the lot.⁶

Wentworth Burwell's estate held the eastern part of the lot until 1850 when the name disappears from the records.¹

^{[ed.-Wm. Trebell dc 1789
he...[note illeg.]...for 1 lot 1782-1797
when it went to B. White(?) in 1798]}

Lot 274

Further history of Lot 274 from 1798 when Benjamin White became the owner until the present date, continues:

White held the lot until 1849. In that year John Ashby is charged: "1 lot $400; lot and buildings $500 Formerly charged to Ben: White."² Ashby held the property until his death when it continued in the hands of his heirs until 1925, In 1873 Ashby's lot was described thus: "2 lots whereon I now reside — bounded south by Nicholson street East by John W. Lee west by street & north by Vest."³

In 1925 when Ashby's heirs divided the property it was designated thus: on the north by the Potts property; on the east by the lot of William Braxton; on the south by Nicholson Street; and on the west by Raleigh Lane."⁴ The lot was divided into six parts - distributed among six sets of heirs. The part which Alice Saunders got was known as Lot 1 described thus: "Fronting thirty five feet on Nicholson Street, and running north between parallel lines the distance of one hundred and seven feet to the Southern boundary line of Lot No. 3,..." See: complete copy of deed of partition in Research Department.

In 1928 L. C. Lindsley became owner via Saunders.¹ In 1929 Williamsburg Restoration came into possession.²

Mrs. Victoria M. lee, an old citizen of Williamsburg recalling Williamsburg as it was in the Civil War period has this description of Ashby's property and of a house to the east:

"On the same side of the street [Nicholson], and almost directly back of my present home, stood another frame, story and a half cottage. It was a tiny house where a family of negroes by the name of Ashby lived. Whether this house has been destroyed or changed so that it is no longer like the house that stood there in 1861, I do not know. Just east of the Ashby house was a large, frame house with dormer windows. This house was occupied during the war, by a white family, whose name I am unable to recall, though I do remember it was a quite unusual name."³

Mr. John S. Charles has nothing to state in his "Recollections of Williamsburg" during the Civil War period about this area of Nicholson Street.

The present "Redwood Ordinary" stands on Lot 275. John Redwood never owned this property. See: House History of Lots 272 and 273, Block 28 for Redwood's property.

Illustration #1

Figure 2

Illustration #2

Illustration #3

[The following data on Jean (John) Marot was prepared by Mrs. Rutherfoord Goodwin as an appendix to the House History of "Marot's or The English Coffee House", Research Department 1951.]