Monday, April 5, 2010

Amanuensis Monday - Probate Records of Amy (Champlin) Oatley (1798-1865)

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Genea-blogger John Newmark (who writes the excellent TransylvanianDutch blog) started his own Monday blog theme several months ago called Amanuensis Monday.

I loved the idea, and recently decided to follow it in order to share ancestral information and keep the theme going, and perhaps it will expand to other genealogy bloggers.

What does "amanuensis" mean? John offers this definition:

"A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."

Amy Champlin was born in March 1798 in South Kingston, Washington County, Rhode Island, the daughter of Joseph and Nancy (Kenyon) Champlin. She married Jonathan Oatley (1790-1872) of South Kingston on 29 May 1813 in Exeter, Washington County, Rhode Island. Amy had 14 children by Jonathan Oatley, from 1815 to 1837, and 13 lived to maturity. She died on 8 February 1865 in East Killingly, Windham County, Connecticut.

Amy (Champlin) Oatley wrote a will and left an estate to ten of her children (from Killingly, Connecticut Probate Records, Volume 3, page 468, accessed on FHL Microfilm 1,451,111; note that Connecticut probate records are organized by districts, which generally correspond to towns):

"In the Name of God Amen. I Amy Oatley of Killingly in the County of Windham and State of Connecticut, of sound disposing mind and memory do constitute and ordain this my will and testament in manner and form following (to wit), that is to say imprimus I will that all my debts and funeral charges be paid and discharged by my executor hereinafter named.

"Item. I give and devise unto my ten children for love and affection I have for them, All my Real Estate situated in said Killingly with a dwelling house and barn therein standing together with all rights and privileges thereunto belong to them equal that is to say: my son Joseph Oatley one tenth part of all the above described premises - to Almira Taft one tenth, to Nancy Edson one tenth, to Lorenzo Oatley one tenth, to William Oatley one tenth, Benedick Oatley one tenth, Jonathan Oatley one tenth, to Mary E. Pray one tenth, to Hannah Chace one tenth and to Olive Burton one tenth, to them and each of them and their heirs forever.

"Lastly, I do make constitute and appoint my son Joseph Oatley Executor of this my last will and testament.

"In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 18th day of January A.D. 1863.
.................................................................. her

.......................................................... Amy x Oatley
................................................................. mark"

"Signed sealed and declared by the said Amy Oatley as her last will and testament in presence of us, who in her presence and in the presence of each other have hereunto subscribed our names. Samuel A. Chace, Henry G. Arnold, Franklin Preston, witnesses."

The executor, Joseph Oatley, presented the will to the probate court in Killingly on 14 February 1865. The court decreed that six months be allowed and limited to the creditors of said estate to exhibit their claims against the estate to the executor, and directed that public notice of the order be made by advertising in a newspaper published in Killingly and by posting a copy on the public sign post in Killingly nearest the place where the deceased had dwelt. The court appointed Samuel A. Chace and John White, disinterested persons, to appraise the real and personal estate of the deceased and to make a true and perfect inventory.

On 23 March 1865, Joseph Oatley, under oath, presented an inventory, made by Samuel A. Chace and John White, showing the real estate, consisting of a house, barn and other buildings together with the land, was valued at $850. The court accepted and recorded the inventory.
On 22 August 1865, the executor alleged that it would be necessary to sell certain real estate belonging to the estate for payment of debts and charges against the estate, and that the estate cannot be beneficially divided. The application was accepted, and the executor was directed by the court to give public notice of the order at least three days before the day of the hearing, set by the court as 26 August 1865.


On 26 August 1865, the hearing was held by the probate court. The real estate was described as bounded to the north by lands owned by Leonard Bartlett, east by lands owned by Waldo Bartlett, south by lands owned by Joseph Oatley, west by the highway leading from the old Providence Turnpike to Miller's Village, lying and situated in Killingly, containing about one fourth of an acre. The court approved the application and directed that the whole real estate be sold. The executor was directed to give at least 20 days notice of the proposed sale by advertising in a Killingly newspaper and on the public signpost nearest to the estate to be sold.
On 2 October 1865, the court ordered that the administration account of the estate be presented for adjustment, allowance and settlement on 7 October. On 2 October, Joseph Oatley gave notice to the court that he had sold the property to William H. Oatley for $950 and executed a conveyance thereof.


On 7 October 1865, the executor presented his account of his administration of the estate, as follows:
To inventory: ..................... 850.00

additional ............................ 132.00
------------------------ $ 982.00

The costs included:

expense of last sickness ....... 21.00
funeral expenses .................... 15.00
debts ..................................... 471.74
repairs ....................................... 1.38
taxes .......................................... 2.70
settling estate .......................... 6.75
executor's services ................ 10.00
probate fees .............................. 9.66
--------------------------------------
............................................. $ 538.07


The balance of $443.93 was in the hands of the executor. No record of the distribution was found.

By all indications, Amy (Champlin) Oatley, rather than her husband Jonathan Oatley, owned the property in East Killingly. I do not know why. Jonathan Oatley was a Baptist minister for several years in East Killingly, and was a stonecutter. He appears in the 1850, 1860 and 1870 census records, living with Amy in the 1850 and 1860 records. He lived with his son Joseph Oatley in the 1870 census in East Killingly.

Why wasn't her husband Jonathan not mentioned in the will? Was Jonathan incompetent or feeble and therefore not able to own property? There is no probate record for Jonathan Oatley in the Killingly town records. Did Amy inherit the property that they lived on?

Only ten children are mentioned in the will, although 12 were living at the time she made the will. Her last child, G. Whittier Oatley, died in infancy in 1837. Her first son, John Alfred Oatley, died 13 January 1863. Her son Stephen Hazard Oatley is not mentioned in the will - he died in June 1863; perhaps he received a portion previously by deed or gift. My ancestor, daughter Amy (Oatley) White, wife of Henry A. White of Killingly, is not mentioned in the will either - she died before 1870 (and I have found no death record of any sort for her). Perhaps Amy had received a portion previously by deed or gift.

While I have searched the probate records, I have not searched the Killingly, Connecticut land records for my Oatley, White and Wade ancestors. There's another task for my to-do list! You know, the only reliable way I add to my to-do list is to write about the situation and then analyze the situation.

Does anyone else have more information about this Oatley family? With 13 children living to maturity, and having children, there should be hundreds of descendants!

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