CLAIMS OF CHARLOTT AND OTHERS.

The Claims of Stephen Charlott, Harry Morgan, Benjamin Stalford and Brothers and Ephraim Marsh.

Mr. Wm. Shoch will request the attention of the Board of Property to the following claims to Lands in the Seventeen Townships in the County of Luzerne :

1st. The claim of Stephen Charlott to lot number seven in the Township of Springfield. His claim has been laid before the Commisioner by application, but no certificate has issued. He claims all the remainder of lot No. 7, except two hundred acres, together with one-fiftieth part of the undivided land in the said Township, which from the Commissioners return appear to be in the whole upwards of 5,100 acres; of course 100 acres to a share. The claim of Stephen Charlott will be supported by a regular chain of conveyances from Churchill, through several persons to Stephen Charlott. The lot will appear on the draught of the Township, but as no particular person attended to the Commissioners survey, it has been cut short of its original boundaries and what is left out falls to the undivided land of the Township of course, as no injury could be sustained by any individual, it is hoped that the Board of Property will order the tract resurveyed as it was originally bounded. It ought further to be understood that as this lot is a mountain lot a much larger quantity of land ought to be, and was by the proprietor allowed to it to make it equal in value to other Lots of the Township. It must also be understood that Mr. Charlott is now, and has been many years, in the full and peaceable possession of the lot by an actual personal residence and has made thereon valuable improvements. 2d. Harry Morgan in behalf of himself and others, heirs of James Morgan, deceased, claims lot No., in division, in the Township of Salem. His claim is derived from Heath, the original proprietor by a regular conveyance. Reference may be had to the deed and to the Commissioners draught of the Township, and that it has been surveyed and valued, and that the above named applicant is the son and heir of James Morgan will appear from the certificate of George Hain, Jesse Fell and Matthias Hollenbach, now in the Land Office. James Morgan went into the State of New Jersey and died about the time of the compromising law in 1797 and his wife being alo dead and the present applicants minors, and very young, no benefit has been realized by them from the provisions of the

said act, they, therefore have now made application and pray that a patent may issue to them.

Benjamin Stalford, Joseph Stalford and John Stalford.

3d. The claims of Benjamin Stalford and Brothers is derived through Miner York, from William Smith and Esther Smith, his wife, and John Terrell and Keziah Terrell his wife, sons-inlaw and daughters of Lucretia York, and is included in the application of said Lucretia York, and is composed of all that part contained in the said application for Land in the Township of Springfield not certificated to M. Miner York, which was allotted to the said Esther Smith and Keziah Terrell.

The power from Esther Smith to order the conveyance by which the said M. Miner York sold her share, is made known by a kind of Certificate from William Smith, her husband, and the power from Keziah Terrell is manifested in several letters from John Terrell, her husband, to the same M. M. York, but particularly by one accompanying the Dockuments authorizing a sale to a Mr. Buck, but as Mr. Buck did not choose to purchase it was sold to Benjamin Arkley, and from Arkley to

the said Stalford.

It ought to be recollected that deeds for Lands in the county of Luzerne, unless they had a certificate or could trace the line of Pennsylvania title to its origin since 1799, have been deemed illegal and of course invalid and unnecessary; this is a reason why deeds were not always given when right of preemption was transferred, deeming possession alone sufficient. And Mr. Stalford is in possession, having a family on the premises and has built a sawmill on the same. It is wished a patent might issue to Benjamin, Joseph and John Stallford. If that cannot be done, it is requested that time may be allowed them to send into the State of Connecticut, where the said Esther Smith and Keziah Terrell reside.

4th. Lucretia Gaylord's Title was originally from Lavinia York, her Mother; her land is included in the application of the said Lucretia York, as will appear from the commissioners draught in the Surveyor General's Office. She requests that a patent may issue to her.

5th. Sidney Marsh is the eldest of two sons of Ephraim Marsh, late of Springfield Township, deceased. It is understood that Ephraim, who died very suddenly of only 24 hours sickness, on his death bed, and but few minutes previous to his decease, verbally willed or gave the possession in the said Township, now under consideration, to his two sons, they supporting, as well as they could, their mother and the other children, which were eight daughters. This requisition the said Sidney has complied with and still continues to comply with. The other

son, whose first name is not recollected, having long since absconded and left the family.

The title of the said Ephraim Marsh is derived from Parshall Terry, an original Proprietor in said Township, which the said Parshall took up and sold to the of the said Marsh as his

share of the undivided land in the said Township.

In the life time of Ephraim Marsh he made application to the commissioners. The certificate or letter of Jesse Fell, which accompanys these documents, will give information on the subject. Also the certificate of John Taylor, clerk to the proprietors, will show that by agreement of the proprietors. that every person settling on land in the said Township having a right to land in it, should hold the land on which he was settled.

The documents which accompany the application of Sidney Marsh will show the claim of title from Parshall Terry to Ephraim Marsh.

If the Board should be of the opinion that it would not be right to patent the land to Sidney Marsh for his sole use, It is hoped that it will be patented to him for the use of the heirs of the said Ephraim.

6th. The last thing to be submitted to the board is (as the land is to be sold to the settlers at the same price as other land in the seventeen Townships was sold, that is, at what it was valued by the commissioners), whether the Board will give the applicants under the present law the same chance of making payments by installments that was given to former claimants in the seventeen Townships.

When the board have the subject under consideration, it is hoped that their decision will be as favorable to the applicants as the law and nature of the cause will admit of, as it is to be expected that the present decision will be adapted in future as a rule in like cases.

JONATHAN STEPHENS.

ACT TO MAINTAIN TERRITORIAL RIGHTS, 1802.

An act to maintain the territorial rights of this State, and protect the property of persons holding lands under the same.

WHEREAS, Certain persons under the pretence of title, derived either from the State of Connecticut or from certain

companies known by the names of the Connecticut Susquehanna Company and the Connecticut Delaware Company, to a considerable extent of territory within this State, have, by various improper practices, long endeavored to defeat the execution of the laws of this State, and to defame the titles of persons holding lands by grants from this State or the late proprietaries before the revolution. In order, therefore, to counteract such practices and to preserve the just rights of this State:

SECTION 1. Be it enacted, That from and after the first day of May next, no conveyance to be made of any land within the counties of Luzerne, Lycoming and Wayne, shall be good or effectual to pass any rights, title or interest to the land in such conveyance mentioned, unless derived from this State or the late proprietaries thereof, before the fourth of July, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-six, and unless the said conveyance shall expressly refer to and recite the substance of the warrant, survey, patent or title under which the same is so derived from this State or the late proprietaries thereof, before the said fourth of July, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-six; and if any judge or justice shall take an acknowledgment or proof, or any recorder of deeds, or any other person shall record any deed which shall not have been derived as aforesaid, he shall, for every offense, forfeit the sum of two hundred dollars, which forfeiture shall be recoverable by action of debt in any court of record in this State, the one-half thereof to the use of the Commonwealth, and the other half thereof to the person who shall sue for the same; and such acknowledgment and recording shall be void and of no effect; and every such recorder of deeds so offending, shall forfeit his office: Provided always, That nothing herein contained shall be so construed as to make valid any conveyance heretofore made, of any pretended title or claim to land under the colony or State of Connecticut or either of the companies known by the name of the Connecticut Susquehanna or the Connecticut Delaware Company.