1833 Joseph C. Yates Signed Deed—Former New York Governor—Baptist Church Property, Schenectady

An original land deed dated May 2, 1833, signed by former New York governor Joseph C. Yates and his wife, Ann Elizabeth Yates, conveying property on College Street in Schenectady to Abel Ward and Thomas B. Stillman for $250.

The deed contains an especially interesting restriction: the property could be used only for a Baptist meetinghouse, a dwelling for a Baptist clergyman, or a vestry room. It further provides for the property’s return to Yates or his heirs if converted to another use, and includes a requirement concerning upkeep of a boundary fence.

The lot is described as measuring forty-four feet across its front and rear and approximately two hundred ninety-two feet in length. Neighboring property owners named in the description include Isaac I. Yates and David Van Der Heyden.

Joseph Christopher Yates (1768–1837) served as New York’s seventh governor, Schenectady’s first mayor, and a justice of the New York Supreme Court. He was also a founding trustee of Union College.

Partly printed and completed in manuscript, the deed bears the signatures “Joseph C. Yates” and “A. E. Yates,” beside two yellow paper seals. The reverse contains a handwritten acknowledgment dated May 3, 1833, signed by Henry Fuller as commissioner of deeds, together with recording endorsements.

Condition: Age toning, scattered staining and spotting, intersecting storage folds, and several tears or separations along folds and edges, with small areas of paper loss. Some writing is affected by wear and staining, but the principal text and signatures remain legible. Please examine photographs for condition details.

An appealing document connecting an early New York governor with Schenectady property ownership and nineteenth-century Baptist religious life.