Daily AncestorAcknowledgment
An acknowledgment on a deed is the signer's formal declaration before an official, often a notary, that he signed it as his own free act, certified by that official.
After signing a deed, the grantor went before a public official, often a notary public, and declared that the document was his genuine and voluntary act and deed. The official then wrote a certificate saying so.
The certificate usually sits at the end of the recorded deed. It is not the same as the witnesses' attestation. The formality helped prevent false deeds from being recorded.
As seen in a recordCertificate of acknowledgment below a deed, 1800s
Personally appeared before me Jno. Hart and acknowledged the foregoing instrument to be his free act and deed
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Daily Ancestor. "Acknowledgment." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/legal-land/deed-acknowledgment. Last checked 2026-10-10.