Name/Title
Contract of Sale dated Aug 31, 1921 and Sept ember 30, 1921 Ebenezer Bull And Anna Walling Bull to The William Bull and Sarah Wells Family AssociationEntry/Object ID
002272Tags
Hannah Bull, Ebenezer Bull, Daniel Bull, Anna BullScope and Content
This documentation outlines a historic real estate transaction from 1921 involving the preservation of the "Old Stone House" in Hamptonburgh, New York. The deal was made between Ebenezer Bull and his wife, Anna H. Walling Bull, and the William Bull and Sarah Wells Family Association, Inc.
The following is a summary of the key elements found across the provided pages:
1. The Core Agreement
Contract Date: Originally dated August 31, 1921, with a supplemental "Memorandum of Agreement" dated September 30, 1921.
The Parties: Ebenezer and Anna Bull (Sellers) and the Family Association (Purchaser). Notably, the Association’s principal office was located at the property being sold.
The Property: Four distinct parcels of land in the Township of Hamptonburgh, Orange County, NY. These include:
First Parcel: Land originally from Daniel Bull (1867), approx. 111 acres (excluding a burying ground).
Second Parcel: Approx. 29.7 acres from Hannah Bull (1902).
Third & Fourth Parcels: Additional acreage totaling approx. 44.6 acres.
2. Financial Terms
Total Price: $15,500.00.
Payment Breakdown:
$1,000 cash/mortgage on delivery of the deed.
$12,000 via a specific payment structure.
$2,500 credited as the seller’s contribution to the "Memorial Fund."
Mortgage: Ebenezer Bull agreed to take back a purchase money mortgage of up to $7,500 if the Association could not raise sufficient funds from contributors immediately.
3. Life Estates & Preservation
A significant portion of the contract ensures the Bull family could remain on the property:
Life Tenancy: The sale was subject to a life estate for Ebenezer and Anna Bull, allowing them to live in the main dwelling house and use the garden, carriage house (for one car and one horse), and yard.
Maintenance: The life tenants were responsible for maintaining the house in its historic state of preservation, while the Association (the "owner of the fee") was responsible for taxes and insurance.
Historic Assets: The sale included specific historic artifacts, such as:
A rafter from Sarah Wells' first house.
William Bull’s Will and other old documents.
Antique furniture (spinning wheels, four-poster bed, cradles).
A picture of Edna Tuttle in Sarah Wells' wedding dress.
4. Legal Execution
Signatories: The documents were signed by Ebenezer Bull, Anna H. Walling Bull, Charles W. Slaughter (President of the Association), and Robert McWhorter Jackson (Secretary).
Notarization: Acknowledged by George W. Crist, Justice of the Peace, on September 30, 1921.
5. Official Corporate Acknowledgment
Affidavit of Secretary: Robert McLeod Jackson, the Secretary of the Association, provided a formal sworn statement on September 30, 1921.
Corporate Seal: The document clarifies a technical legal point: while the Association had no permanent corporate seal at the time, the Board of Managers formally "adopted" the seal affixed to this specific instrument to serve as the official corporate seal for this transaction.
Verification: This was witnessed and signed by George W. Crist, the Justice of the Peace for the Township of Hamptonburgh.
6. Legal Representation & Filing
The Law Firm: The contract was prepared and handled by the law firm of Hunt, Hill & Betts, located at 120 Broadway, New York.
Document Identification: The formal jacket (cover page) identifies the package as the "Contract of Sale" dated August 31, 1921, and the "Agreement Supplemental Thereto" dated September 30, 1921.
Revised Context:
These pages confirm that the transaction was not just a private family agreement but a sophisticated legal transfer managed by a prominent Manhattan law firm. The specific focus on the "adoption" of a corporate seal highlights the Association's relatively new status as a "domestic corporation" (formed around 1920) at the time it took ownership of the Old Stone House.
