Deed History and Location of Lot 11
Tracing the Deeds for Lot 11
The detailed summary below will make more sense if you refer to the online crown index land maps 60 and 69 which show the lots in the Yorkshire Grant.
In 1785, Thomas Stocks Black, brother of the minister John Black, received the 500-acre Lot 11 as part of the
The Yorkshire Land Grant.
In 1788, Thomas Stocks Black sold Lot 11 to his brother Richard Black.
In 1797, Richard Black sold all of Lot 11, plus all of Lots 12 and 13, a total of 1500 acres, to John Bulmer Sr.
In 1799, John Bulmer Sr. sold 11 acres of Lot 11 to William Donkin Jr. in two irregular parcels adjoining Donkin's Lot 10.
In 1802, John Bulmer Sr. sold a further 90 acres of Lot 11 to John Oxley. This property lay northwest of the River Philip and adjoined Wm. Donkin's Lot 10. In 1802, John Oxley sold an unknown portion of the properties he had acquired from John Bulmer to John Schurman save for 3 acres sold to Richard Huston [Hewson], 3 acres sold to Charles Chandler, 1 sold for the courthouse, and 1 acre sold for a meeting house. John Oxley sold 1/2 acre of this property for a Methodist church and burial ground in 1817. I was unable to find a deed for the sale of land for the courthouse or the original 1 acre for a meeting house.
In 1812, John Bulmer Sr. sold all the remainder of Lot 11, which he estimated at 350 acres, to his son John Bulmer Jr., excepting those portions previously sold to William Donkin Jr. (11 acres) and John Oxley (90 acres). That doesn't add up to 500 acres; about 50 acres are not accounted for.
In 1814, James H. Hewson purchased all 500 acres of William Donkin Jr.'s Lot 10 which bordered Lot 11 on the north.
In 1819, John Bulmer Jr. sold his 350 acres of Lot 11 to James Hewson.
In 1824 John Bulmer Sr. sold to James Hewson Jr. and William A. Hewson, a part of Lot 11 (intervale and woodlots) and Lot 12 amounting to 500 acres. It must have been a very small part of Lot 11 as Lot 12 on its own would have been 500 acres.
At this point, the Hewsons owned most of Lots 10, 11, and 12. The intersection of Springhill Road (Hwy 231 or Valley Road) and Wyvern Road came to be called Hewson's Corner. A stone cairn commemorating the old courthouse, the old post road, and a popular stage coach inn is still located at that corner.
In 1824, James Hewson Jr. and William A. Hewson sold "a part of Lot 11", all of Lot 12, and 1/2 of Lot 13 to John Schurman, estimating the size at 800 acres. Since the lots were originally 500 acres, all of Lot 12 and 1/2 of Lot 13 would have been 750 acres, leaving only 50 acres of Lot 11. 50 acres is the amount of acreage that was unaccounted for in the sale from John Bulmer Sr. to John Bulmer Jr.
The courthouse moved to Amherst in 1830.
In 1835, John Schurman sold Samuel Bent "a part of Lot 11" and all of lot 12. After the death of Samuel Gay Bent (1801-1881), his sons Earl Grey Bent and Lemuel Bent inherited shares of their father's homestead. Samuel Bent had left his son Earl "a strip of land from my homestead farm of the width of about 7 chains (the length of chain to be one hundred feet in length) or until is strikes a white Birch Tree standing on the South side of River Philip the line whereof is to be parallel with the old Hewson Line so called, on both sides of the the said River". He left the rest of the farm to his son Lemuel. The size of these properties is not mentioned. (NS Probate Records 1760-1993 online at Family Search, Estate Files 1764-1938, no 200-237 (B), file #231, beginning on image 644). So far, I've been unable to determine what happened to the property inherited by Lemuel Bent.
Earl G. Bent (1846-1930) kept the property he inherited and acquired additional properties. In 1925, Earl G. Bent sold all of his properties to his son Frederick S. Bent (1878-1927). In one deed, he sold Frederick 150 acres bordering on the Hewson Line except for a few acres granted to Hugh McLellan. In a second deed, he listed 8 different parcels ranging from only a few acres to 100 acres in size. Frederick died before his parents and left everything to his mother Amy in his will. (NS Probate Records 1760-1993 online at Family Search, Estate Files 1764-1938, no 2508-2560 (B) #2558, beginning on image 1070).
In 1928, Amy (MacLellan) Bent (1858-1937) and her husband Earl G. Bent sold the properties Amy inherited from Frederick Bent to a George L. Stevens. At this point, the homestead property was about 150 acres. Since it bordered the Hewson Line, it was most likely the southernmost part of Lot 11 and northern part of Lot 12, but it's impossible to tell how much was once Lot 11 and how much was Lot 12.
In 1931, George L. Stevens and his wife May Della Stevens mortgaged the property to Arthur Henry Smith and transferred it to him for $1 after he paid off the mortgage. According to Gwendolyn Ripley's prize-winning essay of 1932, Arthur Smith was then the owner of the property where the church had once stood. The current owners have a letter from a granddaughter of Arthur Smith saying that a neighbour complained about the Smiths' cows wandering among the old gravestones on the property. Several people who have lived on the property confirm finding small gravestone fragments on the property.
I'll leave the search there out of respect for the current owners' privacy. Several people who have lived on the property have confirmed the presence of gravestone fragments, and have confirmed that Arthur Smith and Fred Bent were previous owners of the property.
The detailed summary below will make more sense if you refer to the online crown index land maps 60 and 69 which show the lots in the Yorkshire Grant.
In 1785, Thomas Stocks Black, brother of the minister John Black, received the 500-acre Lot 11 as part of the
The Yorkshire Land Grant.
In 1788, Thomas Stocks Black sold Lot 11 to his brother Richard Black.
In 1797, Richard Black sold all of Lot 11, plus all of Lots 12 and 13, a total of 1500 acres, to John Bulmer Sr.
In 1799, John Bulmer Sr. sold 11 acres of Lot 11 to William Donkin Jr. in two irregular parcels adjoining Donkin's Lot 10.
In 1802, John Bulmer Sr. sold a further 90 acres of Lot 11 to John Oxley. This property lay northwest of the River Philip and adjoined Wm. Donkin's Lot 10. In 1802, John Oxley sold an unknown portion of the properties he had acquired from John Bulmer to John Schurman save for 3 acres sold to Richard Huston [Hewson], 3 acres sold to Charles Chandler, 1 sold for the courthouse, and 1 acre sold for a meeting house. John Oxley sold 1/2 acre of this property for a Methodist church and burial ground in 1817. I was unable to find a deed for the sale of land for the courthouse or the original 1 acre for a meeting house.
In 1812, John Bulmer Sr. sold all the remainder of Lot 11, which he estimated at 350 acres, to his son John Bulmer Jr., excepting those portions previously sold to William Donkin Jr. (11 acres) and John Oxley (90 acres). That doesn't add up to 500 acres; about 50 acres are not accounted for.
In 1814, James H. Hewson purchased all 500 acres of William Donkin Jr.'s Lot 10 which bordered Lot 11 on the north.
In 1819, John Bulmer Jr. sold his 350 acres of Lot 11 to James Hewson.
In 1824 John Bulmer Sr. sold to James Hewson Jr. and William A. Hewson, a part of Lot 11 (intervale and woodlots) and Lot 12 amounting to 500 acres. It must have been a very small part of Lot 11 as Lot 12 on its own would have been 500 acres.
At this point, the Hewsons owned most of Lots 10, 11, and 12. The intersection of Springhill Road (Hwy 231 or Valley Road) and Wyvern Road came to be called Hewson's Corner. A stone cairn commemorating the old courthouse, the old post road, and a popular stage coach inn is still located at that corner.
In 1824, James Hewson Jr. and William A. Hewson sold "a part of Lot 11", all of Lot 12, and 1/2 of Lot 13 to John Schurman, estimating the size at 800 acres. Since the lots were originally 500 acres, all of Lot 12 and 1/2 of Lot 13 would have been 750 acres, leaving only 50 acres of Lot 11. 50 acres is the amount of acreage that was unaccounted for in the sale from John Bulmer Sr. to John Bulmer Jr.
The courthouse moved to Amherst in 1830.
In 1835, John Schurman sold Samuel Bent "a part of Lot 11" and all of lot 12. After the death of Samuel Gay Bent (1801-1881), his sons Earl Grey Bent and Lemuel Bent inherited shares of their father's homestead. Samuel Bent had left his son Earl "a strip of land from my homestead farm of the width of about 7 chains (the length of chain to be one hundred feet in length) or until is strikes a white Birch Tree standing on the South side of River Philip the line whereof is to be parallel with the old Hewson Line so called, on both sides of the the said River". He left the rest of the farm to his son Lemuel. The size of these properties is not mentioned. (NS Probate Records 1760-1993 online at Family Search, Estate Files 1764-1938, no 200-237 (B), file #231, beginning on image 644). So far, I've been unable to determine what happened to the property inherited by Lemuel Bent.
Earl G. Bent (1846-1930) kept the property he inherited and acquired additional properties. In 1925, Earl G. Bent sold all of his properties to his son Frederick S. Bent (1878-1927). In one deed, he sold Frederick 150 acres bordering on the Hewson Line except for a few acres granted to Hugh McLellan. In a second deed, he listed 8 different parcels ranging from only a few acres to 100 acres in size. Frederick died before his parents and left everything to his mother Amy in his will. (NS Probate Records 1760-1993 online at Family Search, Estate Files 1764-1938, no 2508-2560 (B) #2558, beginning on image 1070).
In 1928, Amy (MacLellan) Bent (1858-1937) and her husband Earl G. Bent sold the properties Amy inherited from Frederick Bent to a George L. Stevens. At this point, the homestead property was about 150 acres. Since it bordered the Hewson Line, it was most likely the southernmost part of Lot 11 and northern part of Lot 12, but it's impossible to tell how much was once Lot 11 and how much was Lot 12.
In 1931, George L. Stevens and his wife May Della Stevens mortgaged the property to Arthur Henry Smith and transferred it to him for $1 after he paid off the mortgage. According to Gwendolyn Ripley's prize-winning essay of 1932, Arthur Smith was then the owner of the property where the church had once stood. The current owners have a letter from a granddaughter of Arthur Smith saying that a neighbour complained about the Smiths' cows wandering among the old gravestones on the property. Several people who have lived on the property confirm finding small gravestone fragments on the property.
I'll leave the search there out of respect for the current owners' privacy. Several people who have lived on the property have confirmed the presence of gravestone fragments, and have confirmed that Arthur Smith and Fred Bent were previous owners of the property.