BARRETT FAMILY PROPERTY AND FINANCIAL PAPERS, 1734-1860
Deed, Joseph Dudley to Thomas Barrett, "husbandman," for "the one half of a Cornmill standing in the Northerly part of Concord," 1734 September 18.
Not to be reproduced without permission from the Concord Free Public Library.
Vault A45, Barrett Unit 2
EXTENT: 41 items (five folders in 1 box).
BIOGRAPHY: The Barretts were established in Concord with the arrival of Humphrey Barrett and his wife Mary from England around 1640. His son Humphrey (b. 1630) left two sons, Joseph and Benjamin, at his death in 1715. Joseph’s descendents included a son, John, and a great-grandson, Joel. Benjamin had eight children, including Thomas and James. Thomas (1707-1779) was a farmer who later became a church deacon. Col. James Barrett (1710-1779) served as Concord’s representative to the General Court in Boston from 1768-1777, and was a well-known Revolutionary leader in Concord. Thomas’s son Samuel (1749-1804) continued to acquire land in Concord (while brothers Charles and Amos left Concord for other towns), and Samuel’s son Samuel Barrett (1773-1825) had a gristmill in Concord – hence the present-day "Barretts Mill Road". One of Col. James Barrett’s sons, Nathan (1735-1791), had many children, including Nathan, Ephraim, Susanna and William. Stephen (1750-1829), another of Col. James Barrett’s sons, was the father of Sally and Cyrus Barrett.
ORGANIZATION AND ARRANGEMENT: Documents are arranged chronologically; deeds and bonds are dated by the date witnessed rather than the date received or recorded in the registry. All Barretts are in bold; other parties connected with a transaction are in italics. The place of residence for a non-Concord party is included in the item listing if specified in the document; if no place follows a name, it may be assumed that the party is of Concord.
SCOPE AND CONTENT: This collection consists primarily of deeds relating to the Barrett family of Concord, but also includes bonds, financial agreements, an indenture agreement, a receipt, a tax statement, a document granting custody of minors and a licensing document. The bulk of the collection concerns Thomas Barrett and his son Samuel Barrett. Barrett family members mentioned in the documents are Thomas Barrett; Col. James Barrett; Mary Barrett; Timothy Barrett; Stephen Barrett; Rebecca Barrett; Benjamin Barrett; Charles Barrett; Samuel Barrett; Amos Barrett; Betsy Barrett; John Barrett; Lois Barrett; Nathan Barrett (1735-1791); Nathan’s children Nathan Barrett, Ephraim Barrett, Susanna Barrett, William Barrett, [Polly Barrett?]; Cyrus Barrett; and Sally Barrett Wood. The majority of the documents relate to Thomas Barrett and his son Samuel Barrett. Most documents relate to Concord property: other Massachusetts towns represented are Acton, Lexington, Holden and Cummington. The following additional personal, family, business and institutional names appear in the documents: Barker; Benet; Borland; Brooks; Brown; Buttrick; Chandler; Churchill; Conant; Corinthian Lodge; Cuming (Cumming); Cushing Parker & Co (Cushing & Parker); Darby; Dudley; Farrar (Farrer); Handley (Handly); Hartwell; Hayward; Heywood; Hubburd; Jarvis; Jones; Lamson; Meed; Melven; More; Munroe; Perry; Savage; Stone; Stow; Temple; Tyler; Wheeler; Whittemore; and Wright.
SOURCES OF ACQUISITION: Most items are from the estate of Harriet Farrar through Miss Augusta Barrett. For three items (indenture, custody grant and tax statement) the source of acquisition is unknown.
ASSOCIATED MATERIALS: The Barrett Family is represented in many of the collections in the Special Collections, Allen French – Ruth Wheeler Collection of Papers and Documents Relating Primarily to Concord, Mass., 1668-1852; Winnifred Sturdy Collection of Papers and Records Connected Primarily with Concord, Mass., 1663-1951; Miscellaneous Property Documents (Primarily Deeds) Relating Mainly to Concord (Mass.), 1673-1925). Contact Special Collections staff for additional information.
NOTES/COMMENTS: A partial Barrett family tree accompanies the collection; family members whose names appear in the documents are in bold.
PROCESSED BY: RJA; finding aid completed 2004 Apr 8.
ITEM LISTING
Folder 1, 1734-1754:
Deed, Joseph Dudley to Thomas Barrett, "husbandman," for "the one half of a Cornmill standing in the Northerly part of Concord," 1734 September 18.
Bond, Ephraim Jones to Thomas Barrett, for payment of debt to Nathan Brown, 1736 April 5.
Deed, Francis Wheeler to Thomas Barrett, for property "in the Southerly part" of Concord, "with a Dwelling house and a barn," 1738 April 14.
Bond, William Conant (of Acton) to Thomas Barrett, for payment of debt to John Farrer [Farrar], 1742 June 8.
Deed of gift, Samuel Stow (of Marlborough) to Thomas Barrett, James Barrett, Timothy Barrett, Stephen Barrett, Sam.el Farrar and Lydia [Barrett] his wife, Rebecca Barrett, "singlewoman," and the heirs of Benja Barrett, "Children and Grandchildren of my wife Lydia Stow lately Decd," 1743 March 3.
Deed, Ephraim Hartwell to Thomas Barrett and James Barrett, for property in Holden, Mass., 1745 April 30.
Deed, Richard Temple to Joseph Wright, Joseph Wright Juner [Jr.], Jonathan Lamson, Ebenezer Darby, William Barker, Thomas Barrett, James Barrett, James Chandler and Jonathan Brooks for property in Concord, 1746 December 17.
Deed, Josiah Heywood Jun.r to Joseph Wright and Thomas Barrett, for property "in the northerly part of said Concord with a Dwelling House and Barn and Buildings;" with the condition of payment of Bond (dated April 12, 1750) to pay debt to Francis Borland (of Boston), 1750 December 24.
Bond, John Savage to Thomas Barrett, for payment of debt to Andrew Conant, 1754 May 6.
Bond, John Savage and Thomas Barret[t] for payment of debt to Andrew Conant, 1754 May 6.
Folder 2, 1756-1761:
Deed, William More (of Carlisle) to Thomas Barrett, for property in the "Northwardly part" of Concord, 1756 May 27.
Deed, Thomas Munroe to Thomas Barret[t], for property in Lexington, 1756 September 22.
Deed, Benjamin Temple (of "Shrusbury" [Shrewsbury]) to Thomas Barrett, for property in Concord, 1757 January 5.
Deed, Samuel Hubburd (of Holden) to Thomas Barrett and James Barrett, for property in Holden, Mass., 1757 June 8.
Deed, John Perry (of Lexington) as guardian of Thomas Perry to Thomas Barrett, for property in the "Northerly part" of Concord, 1757 June 14.
Deed, Thomas Brown to Thomas Barrett, for property in the "Northerly Part" of Concord, 1757 November 14.
Deed, Jonathan Lamson and his wife Mary Lamson (of "Peperil" [Pepperell]) to Thomas Barrett, for property in the "Northerly Part" of Concord, with conditions as set "in the Inventory of the Settlement of the Estate of Joseph Dudley Deceased," 1759 December 10.
Deed, Thomas Brown to Thomas Barrett, for property in the "Northerly Part" of Concord, 1760 March 11.
Deed, Jonathan Meed to John Buttrick and David Brown for property in Acton, Mass., 1760 May 28.
Deed, James Chandler (Administrator for the estate of William Barker) to Thomas Barrett, for property in the "westerly part" of Concord, 1761 March 19.
Folder 3, 1762-1791:
Bond, Josiah Melven to Thomas Barrett and Joseph Dudley, for payment of debt to Abigail Whittemore ("alies Benet" of Lexington), 1762 January 13.
Bond, John Handly [Handley] and Thomas Barrett to John Hunt, for the payment of debt; for which Thomas Barrett will receive property from John Handly in the "Northerly Part" of Concord "with a Dwelling House a sho[e]makers shop and a Small Barn," 1762 August 20. (See next item.)
Deed, John Handley [Handly] to Thomas Barrett, for property in the "Northerly Part" of Concord "with a Dwelling House a Shoemakers Shop and a Small Barn," 1762 August 20. (See previous item.)
Deed, John Cuming [Cumming] to Charles Baret[t], for "two sixty third parts" of "Township N.o 5" [Cummington, Hampshire County, Mass.], 1762 September 25.
Deed, Josiah Melven to Thomas Barrett, for property in the "Northerly Part" of Concord, 1767 January 7.
Deed, Amos Barrett to Samuel Barrett, for "the one half for Quantity and Quality of the following Lands and Buildings… Samuel now owning the other half… lying partly in Concord and part in Acton," 1782 May 8.
Lease, Amos Barrett to Samuel Barrett, for the use of property in the "Northerly part" of Concord, with conditions "During the Life of our Honred mother Mary Barrett," 1782 May 9.
Indenture, Jacob Davis to John Barrett and his wife Lois Barrett, for the term of "Eleven years three months + Eight days or untill he shall arrive to the age of twenty one years," 1785 May 9. (Purchased of World Postal History, 1994.)
Deed of gift, John Stone to Samuel Barrett, for property [in Concord], 1789 March 19.
Custody grant, to Nathan Barrett for his siblings of "more than fourteen years of age": Ephraim, Susanna, William and Polly Barrett, 1791 May 10. (Purchased of World Postal History, 1994.)
Folder 4, 1803-1860:
Deed, Amos Barrett ("of Union in the County of Lincoln") to Samuel Barrett Junr, for property in the "Northerly part" of Concord, and property across the road with a "dwelling house and Corn barn," with the condition that Mary Barrett may stay "in the Easterly half of said dwelling house, during her natural life," 1803 June 27.
Bond, Samuel Barrett and Jesse Churchill to Francis Jarvis, Wm Mercer (of Lincoln) and David Brooks (of Lincoln), standing Committee of Corinthian Lodge; to be void if Samuel Barrett serves term as Treasurer of Corinthian Lodge, 1803 December 26.
Deed, Samuel Barrett to Betsy Barrett, "singlewoman," for two properties in the "Northwesterly part" of Concord ("Southerly" and "Northeasterly" of the School house), "being the same premesis… lately purchased of Capt. Amos Barrett," 1806 July 21.
Deed, Betsy Barrett, "spinster," to Samuel Barrett, for property "whereof my honored father Samuel Barrett … died siezed and possessed in Concord or in Acton in said County or elsewhere," [180?].
Agreement, Assignees of the Patent of Benjamin Tyler to Samuel Barrett, for use of the ‘Wry Fly Wheel’ "for the purpose of a Gristmill," 1815 October 20.
Tax statement, for Joel Barrett of Concord, for 1821. (Purchased of World Postal History, 1994.)
Deed, Sylvester Hayward and Andrew Conant to Samuel Barrett, for property in the "northerly part" of Concord "being the piece of land formerly occupied as a Tanyard," 1836 April 30.
Receipt, Cushing & Parker to Samuel Barrett for "sixty-five dollars in full for firnishing and putting in a water wheel," 1854 August 25.
Agreement, Cushing, Parker & Co. (of Worcester) to Samuel Barrett, "do vend, assign and convey… the full and exclusive right of using, and vending use" of the Rose Water Wheel "within the limits of his saw mill in Concord," 1854 August 25.
Deed, Cyrus Temple to Samuel Barrett, for property in the "northerly part" of Concord, 1860 November 8.
Folder 5, 1819:
Letter (facsimile), Cyrus Barrett to "My Dear Sister" (Sally [Barrett] Wood), New Orleans, 1819 December 10.
Mounted 16th Apr. 2004 -- Webmaster note: use FrontPage to edit.
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