Antoinette Betton Land Records

Date: 1850 [unknown]
Location: Macon, Bibb, Georgia, United States
Surname/tag: Betton

Antoinette Betton (1823-aft.1890) owned property in Macon, Georgia as early as 1854 according to a land record recorded in 1860 and her sworn deposition in 1892. This would indicate that she was a free person of color as an enslaved person could not own property, much less real estate. Her name also appears on the 1850 US Federal Census in Macon, Georgia - and not on the Slave Schedules of Randolph County, Georgia as many researchers have supposed.

Antoinette Betton owned property in box 67, between Spring and New Streets.

Contents 1 1854 Land Purchase 2 1892 Deposition 3 Sale of Land to Susan Smith 4 Sale of Land to Maria McDonald 5 General Index to Real Estate Conveyances 6 Sources

1854 Land Purchase

Antoinette purchased land in 1854 in Macon, Georgia. As a free person of color, she had no legal standing in court and needed a guardian to complete the legal transfer of the property to her possession. The land she purchased was about 154 feet wide and 80 feet deep and cost $800.00 cash. It is not noted where or how she obtained the cash and according to census records she was a "washerwoman," not a high paying job.

State of Georgia
Bibb County

    This indenture made the nineth day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred & fifty four between James B. Ayres of the county of Bibb of the one part and Abner P. Powers guardian of Antoinette Betton a free person of color of the county of Bibb of the other part; witnesseth that the said James B. Ayres for and in consideration of the sum of Eight Hundred Dollars in hand paid at and before the sealing & delivering of these presents the receipt whereof is herby acknowledged has granted bargained sold aliened conveyed & confirmed and by these presents does grant bargain sell alien convey & confirm unto the said Abner P. Powers as guardian of the said Antoinette and to her heirs and assigns all that tract or parcel of land situate lying and being in the city of Macon & said county & state being a part of lot number eight (8) square number sixty seven (67) according to the plan of said city and bounded as follows first commencing on Wharf street & running one hundred and four feet three inches along the ten foot alley leading through said square form Wharf to Walnut street thence eighty feet across the rear of said lot thence in a direct line back to Wharf street and thence eighty feet along said Wharf street to the starting point viz the mouth of said ten foot alley containing [ ] together with all the improvements on the same the above numbers are according to E. A. Vincents map of the city of Macon.

    To have and to hold the said bargained premises with all and singular the rights members privileges & appurten thereof whatsoever to the said premises belonging or in anywise appertaining with the remainder & remainders reversion & reversions rents issue and profits thereof to the only proper use benefit & behoof of him the said Abner Power guardian of the said Antoinette her heirs executors administrators and assigns in Fer Simple; and the said James B. Ayres his heirs executors and administrators does warrant & will forever defend the premises hereby conveyed unto the said Abner P. guardian of the said Antoinette unto her heirs executors administrators and assigns against the lawful claim of the said James B. Ayres his heirs executors and administrators and against the claim of any other person or persons whatsoever; In witness whereof the said James P. Ayres has hereunto set by hand and affixed his seal the day & year above written

Jas P. Ayres

Signed sealed & delivered in presence of

Clifford Anderson

Robert S. Laurens

NotPub [notary public]

Recorded 31st January 1860^[1]

1892 Deposition

Georgia
Bibb County

    Personally came before me Antonette Betton who being duly sworn, deposes & says, that in the year 1854 she purchased from James Ayers that tract or parcel of land situate, lying and being in the city of Macon & known in the plan of said city as part of lot six in square sixty seven having a front on Wharf street of 80 feet & extending back to an alley in the rear.

    By a mistake in the drawing of the said deed it was put down as lot eight when it should have been lot six in square sixty seven. Upon the purchase of the property she immediately went into possession & has been in possession of lot six ever since she bought it about thirty five years ago.

    She has sold off the back part of the lot to Nero & Susan Smith & they sold off half of the back they bought to Daniel Robinson.

    In the deeds which I made to Nero & Susan Smith & the deed which Nero & Susan Smith made to Daniel Robinson the property was described as part of lot number eight, when it should have been lot number six. The boundaries given in the last deed were such as would locate the lot as part of lot six. Deponent is now in possession of such portion of lot number six as she had not sold off to other parties, & resides thereon.

Antonette Betton (her X mark)

Sworn to & subscribed before me

This 28 day of Sept 1892

Read over to witness before signing

W. B. Birch Notary Public Bibb Co Ga

Ralph Dunwoody

Georgia
Bibb county

    Personally appeared before me a Notary Public in & for said county Primus Moore, who being duly sworn depose & say that he has known personally Antonette Betton of said county for thirty five years & during all that time she had resided on Wharf street on lot six in square sixty seven, being the premises where she now lives, & claimed the premises as her own property.

P. Moore

Sworn to & subscribed before me

This 28th day of Sept 1892

W. B. Birch Notary Public

Bibb County Ga

Georgia
Bibb County

    Personally before me came Nero Smith who being duly sworn deposes & says that Antonette Betton has been in possession of lot number six in square sixty seven, fronting on Wharf street & extending back to an alley in the rear for thirty five years, & that Antonette Betton sold to Nero & Susan Smith the back part of said lot about ten years ago & that while the deed said part of lot eight in square sixty seven it should have been part of lot six in square sixty seven.

    Deponent knows that Antonette Betton & those claiming under her have been in possession of lot six in square sixty seven for about thirty five years.

Nero Smith

Sworn to & subscribed before me

This 28th day of Sept 1892

W. B. Birch Notary Public

Bibb Co Ga

Georgia
Bibb County

    Personally appeared before me a Notary Public in & for said county Rena Brice, who bring duly sworn depose & say that they have known personally Antonnette Betton of said County for about thirty five years & during all that time she has resided on Wharf street on lot six in Square sixty seven, being the premises where she now resides, & claimed the premises extending back to the alley as her property.

Rena Brice (her X mark)

Sworn to & subscribed before me,

This 28th day of Sept 1892

W. B. Birch

Notary Public

Bibb Co Ga^[2]

Sale of Land to Susan Smith

This record also makes mention of a previous land sale to Nero Smith. You will note that they made depositions in the above section in 1892. They also appear as her neighbors in census records (see Antoinette Betton's profile)).

[Abstract] Indenture was made the 10th of August 1882 between Antoinette Betten, Lucinda Long, Annie Ford and Charles Carhart in the County of Bibb and State of Georgia, party of the first part and Susan Smith of the County of Bibb and State of Georgia, party of the second part for a certain property on tract or parcel of land in Macon, Georgia being a part of lot number eight (8) in square sixty seven (67) according to the plan of the city. The property commenced at the fence of Nero Smith in a ten foot alley and running along the alley toward Wharf street for thirty feet then at right angles eighty feet to the line fence of Primus Moore thence at right angles thirty feet to the line fence of Nero Smith thence at right angles to the starting point containing one sixteenth of an acre, more or less. The cost was $50.00.^[3]

Sale of Land to Maria McDonald

[Abstract] Indenture made 8 October 1884 between Antonette Betton, Lucinda Long, Annie Ford and Charles Carhart, party of the first part and Maria McDonald, party of the second part in Bibb County, Georgia vacant parcel of land of lot number eight (8) in square sixty seven (67) in the city of Macon in Bibb County and well known as the garden spot of Antonette Betton, measuring eighty feet up & down on the alley which runs through said square sixty seven between New & Spring street and thirty (30) feet in an opposite direction towards Wharf street.^[4]

General Index to Real Estate Conveyances

The chart below details some of the land sales of Antoinette Betton.^[5]

Grantors	Grantees	Kind of Instrument	Recorded (Book/Page)	Date of Instrument	Date Recorded	Property
Betton et al Antoinette	Maria McDonald	W	65 615	8 Oct 1864	19 Dec 1892	8 B 67
Betton et al Antoinette	Nero Smith	W	DD 145	11 Oct 1880	26 Nov 1880	8 B 67
Betton et al Antoinette	Susan Smith	W	GG 447	10 Aug 1882	29 Oct 1883	8 B 67
Betton Antoinette		aff.	69 63	28 Sep 1892	30 Sep 1892	6 B 67

Sources

1. ↑ Deeds and mortgages, 1822-1908: "Deeds and mortgages, 1822-1908", database with images, (FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-C3QP-838G-B : accessed 25 October 2023); citing Catalog: Deeds and mortgages, 1822-1908 Deeds, v. P15 1857-1860; Film number: 008563393 > image 462 of 505.
2. ↑ Deeds and mortgages, 1822-1908: "Deeds and mortgages, 1822-1908", database with images, (FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-C3QP-D968-Z : accessed 21 October 2023); citing Catalog: Deeds and mortgages, 1822-1908 Deeds, v. 69 1892-1896; Film number: 008563576 > images 82-84 of 420.
3. ↑ Deeds and mortgages, 1822-1908: "Deeds and mortgages, 1822-1908", database with images, (FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-C3QP-FSCK-T : accessed 21 October 2023); citing Catalog: Deeds and mortgages, 1822-1908 Deeds, v. GG32-HH33 1882-1884, 1887; Film number: 008563404 > image 267 of 844.
4. ↑ Deeds and mortgages, 1822-1908: "Deeds and mortgages, 1822-1908", database with images, (FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-C3QP-VYR2 : accessed 22 October 2023); citing Catalog: Deeds and mortgages, 1822-1908 Deeds, v. 65 1891-1893; Film number: 008563573 > image 351 of 426.
5. ↑ Deeds and mortgages, 1822-1908: "Deeds and mortgages, 1822-1908", database with images, (FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-C3QP-83NM-L : accessed 21 October 2023); citing Catalog: Deeds and mortgages, 1822-1908 Index, grantor, v. A-D 1823-1919; Film number: 008563382 > image 154 of 840.