This Indenture made this thirtieth day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifteen between John R Archer and Frances Cook his wife and Frances Tabb of the county of Amelia and State of Virginia of the one part, and John Baird of the town of Petersburg and state aforesaid of the other part.
Witnesseth that the said John R. Archer and Frances Cook his wife, and the said Frances Tabb for and in consideration of the sum of one thousand four hundred dollars to them in hand paid . . . covenants & agreements herein after received and contained, by and on the part and behalf of the said John Baird to be paid . . . have demised, leased, set and to farmlet . . . unto the said John Baird . . . all that piece or parcel of ground, situate, lying, and being on the south side of old Street in the town of Petersburg and bounded as followeth, Beginning on the South side of Old street at the corner of an Alley of five feet width, which separates this lease from Williams & Rowlets lease Allen Mitchells lease & Turner & Goodwins lease, fifty seven feet from the corner made by the intersection of Sycamore and old streets, thence running southwardly along the said alley fifty two feet to another alley, thence running westwardly long the said other alley, twenty five feet to the south east corner of Hector McNeals lease, thence along the said Hector McNeals lease Northwardly fifty two feet to Old Street, thence along said Old street eastwardly seventy five feet to the beginning. Together with the bricks & rubbish thereon occasioned by the late fire, which said bricks & rubbish the said John Baird shall have full liberty to take down and remove if he thinks proper, and all erections & buildings to be erected and built thereon, and all ways, paths, passages, drain easements, profits, commodities & appurtenances whatsoever belonging and which may belong to the said hereby demised premises or any part or parcell thereof.
To have and to hold the said piece or parcel of ground messuages or tenements, erections, buildings and appurtenances hereby, demised, or intended so to be with their and every of their appurtenances unto the said John Baird . . . from and after the fifth day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifteen, for and during and unto the full end & term of twenty two years from thence next ensuing & then fully to be compleat & ended: Yielding and paying therefore the rent of a peppercorn in each year if demanded.
And the said John Baird for himself . . . promises & agree to and with the said John R. Archer and Francis Cook his wife and the said Frances Tabb . . . by these presents, in manner & form the following, that is to say, that he the said John Baird . . . will before the expiration of the first year of the said term hereby granted, if he can accomplish it in that time, otherwise as soon thereafter as he can accomplish it, at his own proper costs and charges, erect, build, complete and in a workmanlike manner finish one or more good and substantial brick or stone messuages or tenements upon the front part of the ground hereby demised, which said messuage or tenement or messuages, and tenements shall be built three stories high, and covered with slate or tile, and the walls of the first story shall be two and a half brick thick, the walls of the second story, shall be two bricks thick and the walls of the third story shall be one and a half brick thick, and the wood work for the doors and window, doors and window frames, facing & c. shall be of the best hart [sic] pine; and built-in the best manner and form for mercantile business; also that he the said John Baird . . . shall & will from time to time, and at all times, from and after the said messuage or tenement, erection & buildings on the said piece or parcel of ground hereby demised, shall be respectively completed and finished during the first eleven years, of the said term hereby granted, when, where, and as often as need or occasion shall be and require, at his own proper costs and charges, well & sufficiently repair, uphold, support maintain, amend, and keep up the said messuage or tenement, messuages or tenements, erections and buildings with their appurtenances in, by, and with all and all manner of needfull and necessary reparations and amendments, whatsoever and that in case the said messuages, or tenements, erections and buildings shall at any time or times during the said first eleven years of the said lease hereby demised, be burnt down destroyed or damaged [ page 13] by fire, he the said John Baird . . . shall and will at his own proper costs and charges from time to time immediately afterwards, rebuild or well & sufficiently repair the same and that he the said John Baird . . . shall and will during the continuance of this lease, pay and discharge all rates, taxes, assessments, duties, charges, or impositions whatsoever taxed, charged assessed, or imposed upon the said hereby demised premises . . .
[recorded by J. Grammer 23rd February 1816]