1871 New Jersey Tax Deed Franklin Township Gloucester NJ signed Jos Franklin clk For Sale

1871 New Jersey Tax Sale Deed — Franklin Township Gloucester County — John G. Baker Land — 5 Wax Seals

Approximately 13\" by 8.5\".

Offered here is an original 1871 tax sale indenture deed from Franklin Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey — a compelling piece of Garden State legal and local history executed under New Jersey statute to enforce collection of delinquent property taxes.

Document Details:

• Date: July 8, 1871 (acknowledged same day; recorded July 21, 1871)
• Grantor: Township Committee of Franklin Township, Gloucester County, NJ — signatories include Joshua Richman, Richard C. Souder, Moses Crane, Joseph Irish, and John W. Down
• Grantee: Inhabitants of Franklin Township
• Tax Debtor: John G. Baker
• Tax Collector: Edmund Jones
• Property: Approximately 30 acres of improved land situate in the Village of Forrest Grove, Franklin Township, Gloucester County, NJ — the same tract previously purchased from Charles R. Landis
• Delinquent Tax Year: 1867 (with interest accruing from October 20th)
• Sale Price Paid: $2.88 (Two Hundred and Fourteen Dollars and Eighty-Eight Cents in total taxes and assessments)
• Recorded: Clerk\'s Office of Gloucester County at Woodbury, Book M of Deeds, Page 309; also noted recorded in Book E&Y, Folio 645

Physical Description:

Multi-page folded document on period paper with partial printed text and extensive manuscript completions throughout. Bears five original red wax seals affixed to the signature page — one for each Township Committee member signatory. A blue U.S. Internal Revenue adhesive stamp (50¢ denomination) is affixed to the first page as required by law for legal instruments of the era. Attested by William H. Loud, Clerk. Acknowledged before Commissioner Joseph Lashley.

Condition is good for age — toning, fold lines, and minor foxing consistent with 150+ years of storage. Text is largely legible throughout.

Historical Context:

This document was executed pursuant to New Jersey\'s tax enforcement statutes, which empowered township committees to expose delinquent-tax lands to public sale. The property was advertised in The Constitution newspaper and sold at public vendue at the house of Joseph McFreddie at Malaga, adjourned to July 8, 1871. The Inhabitants of Franklin Township were declared the lawful purchasers, having offer the least acreage (30 acres) as required under the statute.

Charles K. Landis — referenced as the prior grantor — is notable as the founder of Vineland, NJ, adding an additional layer of regional historical significance to this parcel\'s chain of title.