Dedham, MA – In the spirit of exploring Norfolk County’s rich history, Norfolk County Register of Deeds William P. O’Donnell has set out to discover some of its earliest deeds recorded from various communities throughout the County.
Land records at the Registry can shed light on some of the earliest property transactions that occurred in the early years after Norfolk County was established, offering insight into the origins of landownership in the region. It is possible to reveal the names of early settlers and prominent figures who may have played significant roles in shaping the communities they lived in.
“There is a wealth of historic information in the more than 13.1 million land records recorded in 42,122 Registry books dating back to when Norfolk County was created in 1793 and stored at The Norfolk County Registry of Deeds and available online at https://www.norfolkresearch.org,” stated Norfolk County Register of Deeds William P. O’Donnell. “We have also made this research process even easier for you through our History Comes Alive Transcription Program where all the Registry documents written in hard-to-read cursive penmanship from 1793 to 1900 were transcribed into clearly readable print.”
This first of a four-part series focuses on real estate transfers that occurred between September 1793 and October 1793, during the County’s formative months following Governor John Hancock’s signing of the legislation that established Norfolk County on June 20, 1793.
The very first document recorded in Book 1 Page 1 is a partition of land in Foxborough between Bazaliel Bryant, Francis Jones, and John Robinson. The owners marked the limits of the property with heaps of stone and divided it into three separate lots. Among their neighbors was John Carpenter, brother to Revolutionary War veteran Ezra Carpenter of Foxborough.
It has been over 230 years since Norfolk County was founded, but the second deed recorded at the Registry in Book 1, Page 2, mentions a section of meadowlands known as Green Lodge Meadow, an area of Dedham still known as Green Lodge. Ebenezer Fairbanks bought the property from David and Jemima Everett. The property that Ebenezer purchased is situated a little over a mile away from the home built by his great-great-great grandfather, Jonathan Fairbanks, which still stands today and is the oldest known timber frame house still standing in North America.
Book 1, Page 5, contains a deed from Wrentham that transfers property from Beulah Edes to John Trescott. This deed contains some clues about John Trescott, he was from Dorchester, lived during the 1790s, and worked as a baker. These clues indicate that John Trescott may be the father of famed Revolutionary War hero Major Lemuel Trescott. Major Trescott led the successful raid against Fort Slongo in 1781.
In the fall of 1793 in Walpole, David Day sold a small home with a barn to brother Joseph Day for 60 pounds, recorded in Book 1, Page 19. Seven years later, Joseph Day sold the property for 65 pounds, recorded in Book 13, Page 133, to another brother, Ebenezer Day, who is the father of leather trader Joseph Day. Joseph Day the leather trader and son of Ebenezer Day is known for his connection to the Norwood landmark, the Fred Holland Day House.
In book 1, page 20, is a deed from Nathaniel Guild to his son Nathaniel Guild, Jr., recorded just 28 years after the town of Sharon became incorporated. In 2024, more than two centuries after the original purchase of the property, you might find yourself on Nathaniel Guild Road while driving through Sharon, as this road named after this owner still remains today.
On Halloween, 1793, Timothy and Mary Shepard sold property to Sara Townsend for 85 pounds, as recorded in Book 1, Page 26. Sara was the daughter of Reverend Jonathan Townsend, who was the First Parish of Medfield’s minister from 1745-1769. Also, in 1760, during the Revolutionary War, Reverend Townsend served as chaplain in Colonel Bagley’s regiment at Louisburg.
Recorded in Book 1, Page 27, is a deed from Stoughton conveying property from James and Lydia Lewis to their son, Laban Lewis. Laban was a shoemaker working in an area of Stoughton that in 1797 would become the Town of Canton. Laban’s Diary can be found in the archives of the Canton Historical Society titled “Diary of Laban Lewis: Day-to-Day Life of Mr. Lewis,” June 1803 – Oct. 1810.
“The primary mission of the registry is always the security, accuracy, and accessibility of our communities’ land records and reliable service to the residents of Norfolk County, but if you think about it, the registry also records history every day, accurately preserving a detailed chain of events on Norfolk County properties from 1793 to the present,” concluded Register O’Donnell.