The 1705 Deed of John Clarke of Rochester, Plymouth County and Beverly, Essex County, Massachusetts: A Cautionary Tale
Don’t believe everything you read in, even if it is in a reputable journal by a reputable genealogist. Mistakes happen and errors of omission occur. Always try to find the original document referenced in a journal article, especially if it concerns your family.
John Clark(e) of Rochester and Beverly, Massachusetts is my 7th g. grandfather, so I was excited to discover an article about him in The American Genealogist journal (John Insley Coddington, The Clark Family of Beverly and Rochester, Mass. The American Genealogist, 43 (January 1967); 19-26). In his article, Coddington provides an abstract of a deed, dated 23 November 1705 in Essex County, Massachusetts, which he puts forth as proof that William Clark, of Beverly was the brother of John Clark.
The abstract is as follows (Coddington, p. 20):
….I John Clarke of Rochester, fisherman, formally of Beverly, in consideration of £80 paid by William Clark of said Beverly, do grant…to said William Clark my brother…7 acres, upland and meadow in Beverly aforeds’d….Dated 23 Nov. 1705 [Signed] The mark of John Clarke. Witnesses: John Pratt, Samuel Balch. Acknowledged 24 Nov. 1705, recorded 24 Nov. 1705 [Essex County Deeds, 17:104].
Coddington quotes John Clark’s deed as saying that William Clark is “my brother.”
Naturally, since this is my direct ancestor, I wanted to see the actual deed and Coddington gives an exact reference: Essex County Deeds, volume 17, page 104. A quick search of Volume 17, page 104 on FamilySearch reveals….nothing! The deed is not on 17:104. Maybe the publisher or author made an error and the deed is a few pages off. A perusal of several pages around 17:104 does not reveal the said deed. So, looking at the grantor/grantee index for Essex County Deeds shows, surprisingly, that there is no recorded deed between John Clark and William Clark anywhere in Essex County!
So, maybe the deed wasn’t in Essex. John Clark is of Rochester, according to the deed (Rochester was briefly part of Barnstable County until 1699 and by 1705 in Plymouth County), so an examination of the all of the grantor/grantee indexes in both counties comes up empty. Where is this deed that Coddington quotes?
Fortunately, FamilySearch now has a powerful free-text search tool at https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/full-text.
A free-text search was conducted on property records in Essex County for the early 1700s where both John Clarke and William Clarke appear in the same document. And…..FamilySearch free-text found it!
The said deed was NOT in the Essex County Deed books at all and certainly NOT at the location where Coddington said it was. It actually is recorded in Book 4 of David Pulsifer’s Records of the County of Norfolk: Deeds (which consists of primarily of Essex County deeds, not recorded in the Essex County Deed Books). Furthermore, the deed is actually mentioned in the Beverly, Essex County Town Records, which points to Book 4 of the Norfolk County Deed:
“Norfolk Book 4, leaf 82 [actually leaf 86]. Nov 23, 1705 John Clark of Rochester, fisherman, formally of Beverly, for £80 Deeds to Wm Clark of B. 7 acres upland and meadow in B: W. N. & E. on town commons: S. E. and W. sd Wm Clark: SW. Wm Cleaves: also 3 1/4 acres Salt Marsh in Ipswich: by Cornelius Larcum: Richard Lee: & : Wit. Wm Fairfield James Kettle: Aux^d at Salem. Stephen Sewall JP”
Thanks to FamilySearch free-text the deed was found. But, wait there’s more!
Examining the deed reveals that parts of the Coddington abstract are correct, for example, the preamble to the deed is as Coddington abstracted:
“I John Clarke of Rochester in ye County of Barnstable in ye province of Massachusetts Bay in New England fisherman formerly of Beverly in ye County of Essex For & in consideration of ye Sum of Eighty pounds currant money of New England to me in hand well & truly paid by William Clarke of Beverly aforesd….”
However, nowhere in the deed does John Clark call William Clark “my brother.” In fact, there is no relationship given between John Clark and William Clark at all. Furthermore, Coddington names the witnesses to this deed as John Pratt and Samuel Burch. The witnesses in the actual deed are William Fairfield and James Kettle. Also, Coddington leaves out a significant detail in his abstract; there are two parcels being transacted. The one parcel of 7 acres in Beverly is the first and the second parcel is for 3 and ¼ acres of swamp marsh in Ipswich, Essex County.
That parcel is significant in that it is a piece of land that John Clark of Beverly, weaver, bought of his brother-in-law Mark Haskoll on 28 May 1694. John Clark later sells this land to Isaac Woodbury of Ipswich in 1702, but in 1708, Isaac Woodbury, in an instrument of deference, makes the deed null and void, and releases John Clark of said deed for £10. The debt owed to Isaac Woodbury “Received of ye said John Clarke by ye hand of his Brotr William Clarke ye full share of Ten pounds pursuant to the sd Defearence to my Content & Satisfacion.”
Here is the direct evidence that William Clark and John Clark were brothers. Since John Clark was by this time in Rochester, he likely requested his brother, still in Essex County, to pay off the debt. Did Coddington just make up that the words “my brother” in that deed he abstracted? How did Coddington, a respected genealogist, get this all wrong?
The lesson learned here is not to take at face value everything found even if it’s in a reputable journal and by a reputable genealogist. Look up the original records cited and, whether it’s a deed or probate record, read Every. Single. Word. Oh, and try the FamilySearch free-text!
References:
John Insley Coddington, The Clark Family of Beverly and Rochester, Mass., The American Genealogist, 43 (January 1967); 19-26.
Essex County Deeds, 9:279. Mark Haskell to John Clarke, 28 May 1694, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/catalog/209907). [FHL 866018], image 705. Mark Haskell married sister, Mary Smith, of John Clarke’s wife, Sarah Smith; 3 ¼ acres of swamp in Ipswich
Essex County Deeds, 16:194. John Clarke to Isaac Woodbury, Jr. 22 July 1702, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/catalog/209907). [FHL 866022], images 209-210. 3 ¼ acres of swamp in Ipswich
Essex County Deeds, 20:149. Isaac Woodbury to John Clarke, 14 July 1708, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/catalog/209907). [FHL 866023], image 420. Instrument of deference, £10 paid by John Clarke by the hand of his brother William Clark; 3 ¼ acres of swamp in Ipswich
Records of the County of Norfolk Book 4, page 86-87; imaged, “Records of the County of Norfolk, in the colony of Massachusetts/ copied under the direction of Asa W. Wildes, John I. Baker, and Benjamin Mudge, commissioners of the County of Essex, Massachusetts, by David Pulsifer, 1852,” FamilySearch (https:// https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/catalog/206860; accessed 1 June 2025) > Deeds, wills, inventories, etc. v. 3(pt. 2-3)- v. 4 1675-1714 > County of Norfolk, Book 4, Deeds. FHL 873022: images 384-385. John Clarke to William Clarke, 23 Nov. 1705.
