Enon Hall


William Hathaway's Original Lancaster County Deed - 1666

I'm VERY slowly working on transcribing this deed. (Source: Lancaster County Court House - Deed Book 4, Folio 18) The old handwriting is tough and the deed is badly smeared. The many ellipses indicate illegible sections that I am still working on.

Despite long-held family tradition, this is not the original deed to the Enon Hall property, but is instead a deed to 100 acres located across the Rappahannock River in what is today Middlesex County. See this page for additional information about this.

You can read the 1762 Enon Hall deed, here.

UPDATE: I discovered today that the deed below was copied into the Middlesex County deed books in 1674. (Middlesex Order Book No. 1, page 13.) Between the two sets of handwriting I hope to be able to make out more of the deed and fill in some of the blanks below. (1/7/04)


Know all men by these presents, that I Will: Downing of ye County of Lancaster... will for a... consideration in hand rec'd of William Hathaway of ye same county..., as also for... good... considerations...there...have...granted by...sold...confirmed and doth by these presents for...my hands, and assign...and sell....offer...ye said William Hathaway ye full and just quantity of one hundred acres of land...of ye...of land, what now those sd. Downing is..., ye aforesd. lands adjoining to ye land of Davyd Allison to her lands...by it..., ...end of the aforesd. Downing his land and forthwith... all demands affirm ye debt her of ye sd. Downing... on ye aforesd. lands... and being in ye County of Lancaster...ye sd. Hathaway 100 acres of land with all profits... there unto belonging and ...of ye sd....of lands unto the sd. Wil: Hathaway his heirs, and assigns... his...hereby... make further right of ye aforesd... when... lawfully required, in witness... of ye saide... Will: Downing here unto sett my hand and seal this 16th of Jan: 1666.

William Downing (seal)

Memorandum: that I Elizabeth Downing the wife of the above mentioned Will: Downing... to ye sale of ye land above mentioned...



Updated January 19, 2002:

William Downing (Abt. 1648 - 1698) was a "tailor" married to Elizabeth Sandeford (Born Abt. 1652).

In 1688, remaining Downing property (322 acs.) is described as follows: "Beg. by the Indian Path to the Dragon Swamp, to Tho Williams plantation, by land of the Orphants of David Allison, neare the Bridge Road, by run of the Blockhouse Br, to Tho. Minns plantation." Patent Book 7, 640

David Allison's property, just south and east of present day Saluda, VA, was described as "Beginning by the Path side that goeth over the Great Swamp & joining the land of Abrham Moone & South West along the Path to a marked white Oak, N.W. 320 poles to a marked Pochickory, thence N.E. 160 poles to Mattapony Path, thence S.E. alongst the Path 160 poles, thence S. by E. to a first specifyed place."

These tracts adjoined the 100 acres purchased by William Hathaway in 1666.



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