11 July 2009

Lease from 1874--Can You Read?


This is part of the text of an 1874 lease found in my ancestor's estate papers. The landlord wanted the balance of the payments and this was part of his proof. The property was in Prairie Township, Hancock County, Illinois. The parties were Jesse Quimby and Mimke Habben. Habben died in 1877 before the terms of the lease were completed.
Think you can read it?
I'm pretty certain what it says. It's not often one finds this kind of a record. Leases during this time period are not typically part of any record.