History of 915 Clinton Avenue E

Submitted by George Daniel Tatum

The houses at 910 E Clinton Avenue and 915 E Clinton Avenue appear to to have been mirror houses when constructed. The house at 915 E Clinton,my residence, had an addition of about eight feet on the east side with addition of a fireplace. Also the master bedroom and bath were an addition. The kitchen was lengthened to the north to incorporate what must have been part of a back porch. There was a small back bath room added and the remainder of the porch became a back bedroom. When my wife and I purchased the house in 1987 we added a den with fireplace to the north side of the kitchen.

An elderly neighbor gentleman told me that in the 1930's he had lived in this house (915) and it was divided into two apartments at that time with an entrance to the left into the house from the front porch. In the current living room there are outlines in the walls of windows, doors,and a round stove pipe location. The master bedroom has evidence of where a door was once located on a now solid wall that connected rooms in one of the afore mentioned appartments.

Research for the historical sign shows that Dr. James D. Rice was the first to pay taxes on the house but not that first to live in the house. The abstract indictes that the first occupants were Lon and wife, Alva D. Sanford who purchased the house February 1, 1911. Followig is the abstract that shows first purchase of land from the US government by John Brahan on August 10, 1809.

915 East Clinton
Lot 9, Block 102
East Huntsville Addition

History of Transactions

August 10, 1809
Certificate of Purchase from United States to John Brahan
NW quarter of Section 31, Township 3, South Range 1, east

August 25, 1809
Certificate of Purchase from United States to John Brahan
NE quarter of Section 36, Township 3, South Range 1, west

August 25, 1809
Certificate of Purchase from United States to Hugh McVay
SE quarter, Section 25, Township 3, South Range 1, west

August 12, 1818
Warranty Deed from Hugh McVay to John Brahan, $2,571.84
SE quarter, Section 25, Township 3, South Range 1, west

May 11, 1824
Warranty Deed from John Brahan and wife, Mary, to William Smith, $18,000,
NE quarter of Section 36, Township 3, Range 1, west; SE quarter of Section 23, Township 3, South Range 1, west: and, NW quarter of Section 31, Township 3, South Range 1, east

April 13, 1841
Probate of William Smith's will bequeathed property to his Wife, Margaret Smith who died before the Civil War with no living children and only one grandchild, Mary Smith Calhoun

Note that many records were lost during the Civil War

December 20, 1871
Hugh L. Clay appointed administrator of the estate of Mary S. Calhoun who died intestate with two children, William S. Calhoun and Marie Marguerite Ada Calhoun

June 19, 1871
Deed from William S. Calhoun to Marie Marguerite Ada Calhoun, one half of all property left by their mother Mary S. Calhoun

March 9, 1876
Deed from William S. Calhoun to Lymon Gibbons and Daniel Wheeler, all claims to estate of his great Grand Father, William Smith or his parents.

October __,1876
Agreement to arbitrate between W. S. Calhoun and M. M. Ada Calhoun and her husband, George M. Lane

December 17, 1885
Warranty Deed from George M. Lane and M. M. Ada Lane (his wife), to James O'Shaughnessy, $12,500 the following described land:
beginning at a stone, which is the NE corner of Section 36, Township 3, South Range 1, west; thence W 40 chains to a stake in half section line; thence with same S one-half degrees E to Steel's NW corner; thence N 58 and one half degrees E 2 chains and 72 links to his NE corner; thence S 32 degrees E 10 chains to Holmes Street; thence N 58 and one half degrees E with Holmes Street to White Street; thence with W side of White Street S 33 and one half degrees E 10 chains and 91 links to S side of Clinton Street; thence across White street N 56 degrees E 5 chains and 2 links from its E side to the NE corner of the Lacy lot; thence S 34 degrees E 9 chains and 95 links to the quarter section; thence N on the basis meridian 40 chains to the place of beginning containing 130 acres. Also, the part of SE quarter of Section 25, Township 3, South Range 1 West, which lies east of the Memphis and Charleston (now Southern) Railroad; and, the NW quarter of Section 31, Township 3, South Range 1, east.

May 5, 1888
Warranty Deed from James O'Shaughnessy and Lucy W. (his wife) to North Alabama Improvement Company, $50,000 Description similar to above

February 13, 1888
Above described property was surveyed, subdivided, a plat prepared and was recorded in Judge of Probate of Madison County, Alabama in Plat Book number 1, page 11

January 13, 1882
Deed from North Alabama Improvement Company to Northwestern Land Association for $1.00 and other valuable considerations, Above described property

May 13, 1892
Subdivision and plat of East Huntsville Addition recorded in Plat Book 1, page 35

December 12, 1892
Warranty Deed from Northwestern Land Association to Newman, Boyd and Cruse, $1,250, East Huntsville Addition, Lot 9, Block 102, together with other lots Recorded Jan 12, 1892, Deed book AAAA, page 43

The Following is for Lot 9, Block 102 aka 915 East Clinton Avenue

December 12, 1892
Warranty Deed from Newman, Boyd, and Cruse to James D. Rice, $250,
East Huntsville Addition, Lot 9, Block 102
Deed Book XXX, Page 566
Recorded 31 Dec, 1892
Note: (This is where the property was first owned by an individual, the Rices)

Dec 12, 1892
James D. Rice and Bettie (Wife) to Newman, Boyd and Cruse,
Sell and Convey property for $240, paid off Dec 31, 1895
Mortgage Book 45, Page 36
Recorded Dec 31, 1892
Note: (The Rices then appear to have mortgaged it back to Newman, Boyd & Cruse as a loan to pay for the property)

The preceding purchase was for $250, the next sell is for $1,000.
The next transaction is a mortgage for $1,000 which may have been to pay for the construction of the house, so an assumption could be that the house was on the property as of Jan 1, 1896 and that the Rices were the first occupants.

Jan 1, 1896
James Rice and Bettie (wife) to Mary E. Robinson
Sell and Convey (mortgaged) for $1,000, paid Nov 18, 1904
Recorded Dec 31, 1895
Mortgage Book 53, Page 515

February 1, 1911
Warranty deed from James D. Rice and Eva L. (his wife) to Lon Sanford, $1,000, East Huntsville Addition, Lot 9, Block 102 Recorded Feb 20, 1911 Deed Book 104, Page 62

Nov 2, 1914
Mortgage Lon Sanford and Mattie (wife) to A.M. F. Dunn
For $350, paid in full Mar 11, 1918
Recorded Nov 3, 1914
Mortgage Book 131, page 338

Feb 25, 1915
Mortgage Sanford to Dunn for $150
Recorded Feb 25, 1915
Mortgage Book 1`131, Page 630, paid Nov 30, 1917

Feb 14, 1924
Mortgage Sanford to Rison Banking for $1,250
Recorded Feb 15, 1924
Mortgage Book 196, page 201, paid Aug 14, 1928

Aug 3, 1928
Mortgage to Equitable Life Assurance Society for $2,000
Recorded Aug 14, 1928
Vol 198, Page 727, paid Sep 29, 1931

Sep 9, 1931
Mortgage Sanford to Lula Miller for $1,650
Recorded Sep 9, 1934
Vol 242, page 245, paid Sep 18, 1034

September 18, 1934
Warranty Deed from Lon Sanford and Mattie (his wife) to Clara V. Poole, $3,100, East Huntsville Addition, Lot 9, Block 102 Vol 141, page 366

May 17, 1940
Warranty Deed from Clara V. Poole (a widow) to J. E. Sandlin and Leona Sandlin (his wife), $2,150 plus $250 for certain improvement, East Huntsville
Addition, Lot 9, Block 102 Deed book 153, page 498

May 17, 1940
Mortgage Sandlin to Poole for $2,150
Mortgage Book 279, page 544, paid Aug 30, 1940

November 6, 1953
Warranty Deed From J. E. Sandlin and wife, Leona to John Rist and wife, Wilhelmina F. Rist

October 16, 1987
Deed From Sandra Bonde to George D. Tatum and Patricia M. Knight (wife), $89,000, 915 E. Clinton Avenue, Huntsville, Al (Lot 9, Block 102, East Huntsville Addition) Recorded Oct 19, 1987 Vol 704, page 98

Mortgage paid off Dec 27, 2004.