The Deed Walker · From Ninigret · Charlestown, Rhode Island land evidence, 1738 to today
Trail: 10678

5/8/1854 · DEED · book 8 page 55 doc 10678

From NARRAGANSETT INDIAN TRIBE life, CONGDON MATILDA life
To RODMAN CALEB life
Premises seventy seven acres more or less · lot of land bounded by Mary Hodgkins, Stanton, and Charlestown turn pike (Charlestown)

Back — where this land came from

This is the first alienation
The grantor is the sachem or the tribe, so this instrument is where this ground enters the town's land evidence. Behind it stands the reserved tract of 1709 — the Narragansett reservation, about 64 square miles, carved out of the roughly 130,000 acres of "vacant lands" Ninigret quit-claimed to the Colony on 28 March 1709 (State Records, Land Evidence 3, p. 273; Tucker 1877, pp. 23–24) — and, before the reservation, the Narragansett country itself. There is no earlier deed to follow; the land is followed from here by its bounds and its abutters. From Ninigret — every such instrument ▸
grant General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island
“General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island at their General Session in 1839 authorizing Matilda Congdon... to sell”
no book and page cited; the source is named, not recorded here
read by: gemma

The grantor's earlier acquisitions, by name — the man, not necessarily this land

◀ 1854 · CERTIFICATE · NARRAGANSETT INDIAN TRIBE → NARRAGANSETT INDIAN TRIBE · book 8 p 68
◀ 1846 · MORTGAGE · AUSTIN SUSAN → NARRAGANSETT INDIAN TRIBE; STANTON MOSES; STANTON ANN · book 7 p 203
◀ 1845 · MORTGAGE · AUSTIN SUSAN → NARRAGANSETT INDIAN TRIBE; STANTON MOSES; STANTON ANN · book 7 p 189

Forward — where this land went

⛔ The record we hold stops here: no later instrument we have read cites this one, and no later conveyance by the grantee is linked by name. The index is complete to 1987, so the gap is in the words: deeds of this era seldom cite book and page, and only about half the instruments of 1936-1965 have been transcribed (some 6,000 were never imaged), so a citation to this deed may sit in a page not yet read.

The instrument's own words

page 1
55 and Assigns forever the li[?] of those supporting the same with force in all directions tions (the Parts aforesaid) In Testimony of which I hereunto set my Hand and seal this 20th day of October 1853 By the Presence of R. S. Moore Albert S. Potter Job Kenyon L.S. State of Rhode Island At Richmond R.I. the 20 day of October 1853 Personally came Job Kenyon and acknowledged the above instrument to be his preliminary act and deed Robert Knowles Justice Peace Recorded April 8th 1854 by Chas Cross Town Clerk Whereas the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island at their General Session in 1839 authorizing Matilda Congdon as members of the foreign merchants clerks of Notaries in Charlestown to sell by public auction and with the advice and consent of Joseph Garritt Agent of Charles Louver all her right titles and interest in and to a certain lot of land lying and situated in said Charlestown containing by estimation seventy seven acres more or less and bounded as follows (say) beginning at the south east corner of said lot of land and running partly as boundary beginning south westerly partly in a direction more or less on lines of Mary Hodgkins until it comes to the line of fence of Stanton therefore thirds Contracting boundary extending on said fence line then westerly until it reaches a picked rock at Edge of road then north west until it comes to fence boundary on south side Charlestown turn pike until it comes to a House then southerly by the said Matilda Congdon for a House lot then southerly by the said Joseph Garritt’s land then south east and running partly as boundary until it comes to the place of beginning or however otherwise bounded contained’d To Receive at the sale of land that the said Matilda Congdon by the authority aforesaid sold and by law and with the advice and consent of the said Joseph Garritt (certified by his signature hereunto affixed) and as contracted by the sum of eighty dollars these have be the full Balance of Money paid to me the highest bidder at a public auction held on the premises on the first day of April 1854 the receipt whereof the hereby acknowledged) by these presents grant sell and convey unto the said Caleb Rodman his Heirs and Assigns forever all the right titles and interest which I now have and claim to the above described premises with all the privileges and appurtenances to the same belonging To have and to hold the same to him the said Caleb Rodman his Heirs and Assigns forever In Testimony whereof we have hereunto set our Hands and Seal this 26 day of April 1854 By In presence of Henry G. Case Matilda Congdon L.S. Joseph Garritt Agent L.S. Washington sc Charlestown April 26th 1854 Personally came said Congdon and Joseph Garritt signers and sealers of the foregoing instrument and acknowledged the same to be their free and voluntary act and deed Before me Charles Cross Town Clerk Recorded May 8th 1854 by Chas Cross Town Clerk

The page as recorded

No page image on Zara for this instrument (the portal holds it: book 8 page 55).

deed_walker_v1.9_2026-10-10 · the index is the town's own (i2l.uslandrecords.com); transcripts, chains and the assessor's cards are the Perry Machine's reading of it. Where the record we hold runs out, the page says so.