"A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."
The subject today is the 1703 will of John Biglo (1617-1703) of Watertown, Massachusetts:
The transcription of the will is:
In the name of God amen.
I John Biglo of Watertown in the county of Midd'x within her Majesties Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, yeom, being weeke of
body but in sound & disposing Memory prais be given to god for the same, Doo make this my last will & testament in manner & forme following:
that is to say first & principally I Resign my soul into the mercyfull hands of almighty god my Creator, assuredly hoping through the
merits of my blessed Saviour to obtaine pardon & remission of all my sins; and my body I comit to the earth whence it was taken,
to be decently buried by the descretion of my executors hereinafter named, and as for the worldly goods & estate the lord hath lone
me I dispose thereof as follows.
Imps. I give and bequeath unto Sarah my well beloved wife, and to her heires & assigns for ever, all the lands and movable estat that
was hers before our Marriage, and forty pounds in money, twenty pounds of sd money to be pd her within one month after my deces,
and twenty within one year after my Deces. also for her personl supply after my Deces I give unto her forty pounds waight
of good porke, three bushils of barly, and one bushil of Indian corn, five pound waight in butter and five pounds waight in
Chees, and also two Sheep, and halfe the flax that shall be in the house at my Deces, and that to be in full satisfaction of her thirds.
2ly I give & bequeath to my eldest son John Biglo, & to his heires & assigns forever, twenty pounds in money to be pd within one
year after my Deces, and in case my sd son have an heire lawfully begotten of his own body, I give & bequeath unto his
sd heire twenty pounds in money to be pd to him, or her, when it shall shall be of twenty one years of age, or day of
marriage which shall first hapon, but if it hapon my sd son deces without an heir as abovesd, then my will is yt
ye abovesd twenty pounds be equally divided between my children then surviving.
3ly I give & bequeath to my son Jonathan Biglo, and to his heires & assigns forever, twenty five pounds in money
to be pd him wthin one year after my Deces.
4ly I give & bequeath to my son Daniell Biglo, and to his heires & assigns forever, twenty five pounds in money to be pd
him wthin one year after my Deces.
5ly I give & bequeath to my son Samuell Biglo, and to his heires & assigns ten pounds in money besides what he hath already had, to
be pd to him within one year after my Deces.
6ly I give and bequeath unto my son Joshua Biglo, and to his heires & assigns forever, two parcels of land, lying on ye westerly side of
bow brook in sd town, Purchased of Lieut Tho. Hammond, as may more fully appear by the deeds of the same, and twenty five
pounds in money, to be pd him within one year after my Deces.
7ly I give and bequeath unto my son James Biglo, fifteen pounds which I lent him as may appear by a bond under his hand & seale,
and I give & bequeath to my said son James' son James Biglo, ten pounds in money to be pd him if he shall live to the age of
twenty one years, but if it so happen that he deces before ye sd age, then ye sd ten pounds to be equally divided between
my sd son James surviving children, when they shall be of the age of twenty one years or day of marriage which shall first
hapon.
8ly I give & bequeath to my daughter Mary Flagg & to her heires & assigns forever, twenty five pounds in money to be pd her
within two years after my deces.
9ly I give & bequeath to my daughter Elizabeth Sterne's Children twenty five pounds in money, to be pd them when they are
twenty one years of age, or day of marriage which shall first hapon.
10ly. I give & bequeath to my daughter Sarah Larnard and to her heires & assigns forever twenty five pounds in money,
within three years after my Deces.
11ly, I give & bequeath to my daughter Martha Wood's children lawfully begotten of her own body twenty five
pounds in money to be pd them equally alike, when they shall arrive to the age of twenty one years or day of marriage,
which shall first hapon.
12ly. I give & bequeath unto my daughter Abigail Herrington & to her heires & assigns, twenty five pounds in money to
be pd within fower years after my Deces. And I doe nominate, ordaine & appoint, my abovesd son Joshua Biglo, and
my son-in-law Isaac Larnard my Sole Executors to se this my last will & testament performed, and all
the rest & Residue of my estate not herein bequeathed, after all my just debts and funerall charges
are pd, my will is that it be divided between my sd executors, that is to say, two parts of three, to my sd son
Joshua, and one third to my son in law Isaac Larnard, and I do request my trusty and well beloved fr'nd,
Capt. Benj. Garfield to be my overseer of this my last will & testament, my sd executors to allow him
out of my estat for his cost & charges resonable sattisfaction to his content. Revocking & making null
and voide all former or other wills by me hertofore made. In witness hereof I have hereunto set my
hand & seal this fourth Day of January one thousand seven hundred two, three, and in the first year of
the Reign of our lady Anne, by the grace of God over England &c Queen.
his
John x Biglo
mark
"Signed, sealed & Published
In the Presence of us
Samll Livermore
Daniel Herington Witnesses
Munings Sawin
The other papers in the probate estate packet include:
The inventory of "John Biglow" was taken 16 July 1703 by Jonas Bond, Munnings Sawin and Ebenezer Grout. The estate was apprized at 205 pounds in real estate, 362 pounds, 12 shillings in money and bills, and 60 pounds in personal estate. The real estate included the mansion house with barn and orchard, totaling about 13 acres; twenty acres of Dividend land; about six acres of land and meadow on the east end of beaver brook; and about five acres of meadow at four mile brook. Among the expenses charged for the funeral were several pairs of black gloves, twenty gallons of wine, bottles for the same, allspice and sugar, and two men and horses to carry the wine and other articles.
The Account of the executors was submitted 30 October 1703. The funeral expenses included black gloves, white gloves, mourning hats for 11 persons, two new bottles to bring up wine, allspice, sugar, the coffin, the cloak, digging the grave, two men and two horses for carrying wine and other things to the funeral, a man and horse going to Sherborn to notify Isaac Learned and his wife, and to Billerica to notify John Stearns. The legacies provided in the will were paid, as were the costs of probate. 264 pounds, 2 shillings and 11 pence was left in the hands of the executors, which they probably divided as specified in the will.
The probate packet contains receipts for the legacies given to John Biglow, Jonathan Biglow, Daniel Begalo, Benjamin Herington, John Stearns, Samuel Beglo and Mikel Fleg, all witnessed by two other men.
The source citation for the will of John Biglo is:
"Middlesex County, MA: Probate Papers, 1648-1871," Estate packet 1716, John Biglo estate, 1703, will on sheet 2 of 7, digital images, New England Historic Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (http://www.AmericanAncestors.org : accessed 28 June 2015)
John Biglo/Bigelow is my 10th great-grandfather, and I am descended from him and his first wife Mary Warren (1624-1691) through his son Samuel Biglo/Bigelow (1653-1732) and his wife Mary Flagg (1658-1720).
I first obtained a photocopy of this probate packet from FHL microfilm 0,386,028 many years ago and transcribed it then.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2015/06/amanuensis-monday-post-274-will-of-john.html
Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver
Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.
Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver
Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.
1 comment:
I am currently transcribing a will from 1657. Boy what a challenge. I read your stuff quite a bit to see how things were worded back then and it helps. I also read many of the others that are in the books by the same persons writing and some times that helps. I am also dealing with digital images of weak microfilm. Tried changing it to negative format but did not help much. I'll keep plugging. Love your blog keep up the good work.
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