This week's document for Amanuensis Monday is from the Middlesex County, Massachusetts probate records for the estate of Amos Gates (1706-1783) of Stow, Massachusetts.
The distribution of one third of the real estate to his widow Deborah (Thayer) (Rockwood) Gates (1732-1822) is:
[image 9 of 10]
[image 10 of 10]
The transcription of this distribution to the widow of Amos Gates is:
[image 9 ]
Pursuant to a Commission Constituted
By the Honr^bl Oliver Prescott Esq^r
Judge of
Probate for the County of Middlesix to
apprize all
the Real Estate of Amos Gates Late of
Stow in said
County yeoman & Deceased Intestate.
The Homestead
Bounded as follows viz. Beginning at a
heap of Stones &
Corner of Lieut. Ephraim Wetherbees Land
and runs
Northerly fourteen rods on said
Wetherbees Land to a Stump
a corner of this farm their still,
Northerly on Land of
Silas Hall Ninety three rods to a Stake
and Stones then
Easterly on Land of Oliver Gates fifty
Eight rods to a
Stake then More Northerly Seventy Rods
to the Brook
then Northerly on said Brook Twenty
Nine rods
To Joshua Browns Land then westerly on
said Browns
Land Thirty two rods to a heap of
Stones then Northerly
on said Browns Land fifty two rods to a
Stake and Stones then
Westerly Thirty Two rods to a Stake and
Stones then Southerly
Twenty Seven rods to a mark in a pond
then westerly on
Land of Oliver Gates to the first
Mentioned Bound Containing
Thirty Seven acres apprized at £195
Also a piece of wood Land Bounded as
follows viz.
Begining at a white oak Tree and runs
Southerly Thirty
four Rods to a heap of Stones then
westerly fifty three rods
on Land of Berzaleel Hale to a heap of
Stones on Bolton
Line then Northerly on Bolton Line to a
heap of Stones
then Easterly fifty four rods to a
white oak tree then
Southeasterly to the first Mentioned
Bound Containing Twelve
acres apprized at £28
Then we sett of to Deborah the said
Deceased Widow for her
Dower or Thirds During her Life a
Certain part of the
Homestead bounded as follows viz.
Beginning at a stake
and Stones at Joshua Browns Land and
runs for Northerly Twenty
rods to a stake and Stones then
Northerly twenty seven rods to a
Stake in the pond hole all on Joshua
Browns Land then
westerly on Oliver Gates Land to a heap
of Stones a Corner
at Lieut Wetherbees Land then Southerly
fourteen rods to a
corner of Silas Hales Land then Still
Southerly on said Hales
Land Twenty five rods To a Stake and
Stones then Esterly
on the Land of s^d Deceased to the
first mentioned Bound
with the the Dwelling House on the Same
with the
Easterly End of the Barn to the flour
meay and the easterly
part of the ^????^ with the Liberty to
pass and repass to the same.
[image 10]
and Liberty is allowed for to pass and
repass
across said Thirds ?? ????? where the
road is Said Pond
and Liberty to use the well said Land
Contains about
Eleven acres apprized at £65
Also we have Sett of to the Said Widow
four
acres of wood Land Bound as follows
Beginning at
a Stake and Stones at the road and runs
Southerly twelve
rods Bounded on said road to Berzaleel
Hales Land then
westerly on said Hales Land fifty three
rods to a heap of
of Stones at Bolton Line then Northerly
on said
Bolton Line Twelve rods to another heap
of Stones and
Stake then Easterly to the first
Mentioned bound
apprized at £9=12-0
Stow May y^e 30^th 1783
Jabez Brown }
Joshua Brown } Apprizers
Jonas Hale }
This May Certify that we are Content
with the
above proceedings as Witness our Hands
her
Deborah ~ Gates
mark
Middlesex Ss Nov. 5^th 1783.
I accept of this Return of
Commissioners & order the Same
to be Recorded. Oliver Prescott Jprob.
The source citation for this record is:
"Middlesex County, MA: Probate Papers, 1648-1871," digital image, American Ancestors (http://www.AmericanAncestors.org : accessed, Probate Packet 8,936,Amos Gates, 1783, images 9 and 10, Distribution of Real Estate to widow; citing original records in Middlesex County, Mass. Probate Court, Cambridge, Mass.
Amos Gates died intestate before 12 March 1783 in Stow, Massachusetts, where he left an estate. His widow, Deborah (Thayer) (Rockwood) Gates, and Jabez Brown were named administrators of the estate which was probated in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. A commission was appointed to set off the widow's dower, and this document describes that process. First, they determined the extent and value of the real estate of Amos Gates, and then they provided about one third of the value of that land to the widow, including a portion of the homestead, the barn, a woodland, etc. While there is a letter testamentary, an inventory, a list of creditors, and other papers in the probate packet, there is no list of the heirs of Amos Gates or information about the distribution to any other heirs besides his wife, Deborah.
I tried to map out the homestead land description, but I think I transcribed some of the directions wrong - the plat does not close. The handwriting is difficult to read in places and the ink is light throughout the record. The neighbors named are Ephraim Wetherbee, Silas Hall, Oliver Gates, Joshua Brown, and Berzaleel Hale. The second piece of land is bounded by the line between Stow and Bolton.
Amos Gates (1706-1783) had two wives - first was Mary Hubbard (1712-1754 ) who bore him five sons between 1733 and 1746), and the second wife was Deborah (Thayer) Rockwood, widow of John Rockwood, who he married in 1754 and she bore him six children between 1761 and 1773. Several of the second set of children were minors when Amos died, and three of them had guardians appointed for them after his death.
Amos and Mary (Hubbard) Gates are my 6th great-grandparents, through their son Simon Gates (1739-1803) who settled in Gardner, Massachusetts.
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NOTE: Genea-blogger John Newmark (who writes the excellent TransylvanianDutch blog) started a Monday blog theme years ago called "Amanuensis Monday." John offers this definition for "amanuensis:"
"A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."
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