| Despite the date, this document was written on parchment ~ tanned and stretched calfskin. The paper industry in the United States of America was booming by the 1830s. As paper, made from either rag or wood pulp became more affordable, the use of actual parchment lessened and lessened. Dated 09 June 1835, this indenture records the settlement of the estate of Hery Hoofman, a merchant from Berks County, Pennsylvania, who died intestate. Philip Boyer and Jacob Kean were administrators of the estate. They were charged by the Court to appraise the property of sixteen acres in Exeter Township, which they did, arriving at a valuation of fifteen hundred and thirty-one dollars. The surviving children refused to pay that amount for the tract of land, and so the sheriff put the property up for sale to the public. The highest bidder was Jacob Pile, who bid fourteen hundred and seventy-five dollars; he ended up having to nine hundred and eighty-three dollars from the property. Note that the use of seals, whether wax, clay, paper or ribbon was discontinued by the time this document was made out. Instead, beside the signatures a circle (with invected edge) and with the word 'seal' in the center was drawn in ink. |
