"A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."
The subject today is the 1791 Appraisal and Division of the Estate of Norman Sever (1734-1787) of Westminster, Worcester County, Massachusetts.
[image 22 of 25]
[image 23 of 25]
[image 24 of 25]
[image 21 of 25]
The transcription of these pages is (transcribed line-by-line):
[image 22 of 25]
Pursuant to the Commission directed to
us the Subscribers
from the Hon'le Joseph Dorr Esqr Judge
of Probate
for the County of Worcester for the
approving and
dividding the real Estate whereof
Norman Sever Gent
late of Westminster in s'd County died
seized and
possessed of – And having met on the
Premises and
Sworn to the faithful performance of
our Trust, then
proceeded to apprize s'd Estate as
follows viz. The
home place with the Buildings thereon
being all that
adjoins together containing one hundred
and six Acres
lying in Westminster afore s'd bounded
as follows viz.
Beginning at the Southeasterly Corner
at a chesnut Tree
from thence North forty five degrees
East one hundred
and forty Rods thence East seven Rods
Thence North
forty five Degrees East forty nine Rods
Thence North
twenty eight Degrees West forty four
Rods Thence West
ninty one Rods Thence West ten Degrees
South forty
eight Rods Thence South five Degrees
East forty seven
Rods thence West fifteen Degrees South
thirty three Rods
Thence South five Rods Thence West
there Degrees South
thirty Rods Thence South thirty eight
Degrees East
one hundred and eight Rods to the first
mentioned Ches-
nut Tree – Appraised at the sum of
two hundred
and twelve Pounds £ 212 ~ .. ~ ..
Also a piece of Land in common with
Timothy Haywood
Samuel Miller and William Murdock all
of Westminster
appraised at three Pounds £ 3 ~ .. ~ ..
Then proceeded to set of to Sarah Sever
Widow of the
s'd decease one full third of the above
Estate as follows
viz. Ten Acres of Land on the West
side of the Road
bounded as follows beginning at the
northeast Corner of
the Shop on the West side of the Road
and then running
northerly by the West side of the Road
fifty Rods
[image 23 of 25]
Land belonging to Amos Gates Then West
by s'd
Gates Land ten Rods to a Birch Stump
Thence West
twenty seven Rods Thence South twenty
Rods by Land
of Josiah Kendal to a hemlock Stump
Thence South
seven Degrees West fifty Rods to a
Stake and Stones on
the Medow Thence to the first mentioned
Bounds.
Also fifteen Acres of Land lying on the
East side of the Road
bounded as follows beginning at a Stake
and Stones at the
southeasterly corner by the Road Thence
running northerly
by the side of the Road to Amos Gates
Land Thence
East sixty Rods to a hemlock Tree
Thence South
forty one Degrees East seventeen Rods
to a hemlock Tree
Thence South Sixty eight Degrees West
eighty nine
Rods to the first mentioned bounds.
Also two Acres and one half of Medow
Land lying on the
West side of s'd Land on the northerly
side of the Brook
bounded as follows Beginning at a
hemlock Stump the
northwest Corner of s'd upland running
West four Degrees North
by Land belonging to s'd Kendal thirty
two Rods to a
yellow Birch Tree Thence south Six
Degrees East
thirty six Rods till it comes to the
Brook then bounding
on the northerly side s'd main Brook
twenty four Rods
to a Stake on the North side of the
Brook then crossing
the Brook about eight Rods to a Stake
and Stones on
the West Line of s'd upland Thence to
the first mentioned
Bounds. Also the southeast Room below
in the
dweling House the back Kitchen Camber
also a little
Cellar under the Southwest Corner of
the House and privilages
to go to it and come without any
molestation and the
privilage of washing in the Kitchen
passing and repass-
ing when she pleases and to bake in the
Oven.
Also the East scaffold in the Barn and
the Lenter [?}
under it and the South scaffold with
the privilage
to thresh and cart.
[image 24 of 25]
Also the westerly part of the Yard
beginning at the south-
east corner Part of the Barn running
South two Rods
and an half to a heep of Stones then
turning runs to
the Road. The whole appraised at
seventy one Pounds
thirteen shillings & four Pence. £ 71 ~ 13 ~ 4
We then proceeded to set off the
remaining two thirds of s'd
Estate to Benjamin Sever the eldest son
of s'd
Deceased (and judged and determined the
following Method
or Plan to be the least prejudicial to
s'd Estate) which is
appraised at one hundred forty three
Pounds six shillings
and eight Pence. £ 143 ~ 6 ~ 8
His double Portion amounting to twenty
two Pounds one
shilling £ 22 ~ 1 ~ 0
Then there remains in his hands one
hundred twenty
one Pound five shillings & eight
Pence £ 121 ~ 5 ~ 8
Which sum we order the s'd Benj'n Sever
to pay to
Isaac Sever, Ethan Sever, Daniel Sever,
Heman Sever,
Luther Sever, Asel Sever, Eunis Whitney
wife of
Elisha Whitney, Sarah Cutter wife of
Josiah Cutter,
Relief Sever, Faithfull Sever, Lucinda
Sever, each
of them eleven Pounds and six Pence
which sum is
their equal share of the afore s'd £
121 ~ 5 ~ 8.
Westminster Dec'r 27'th 1791
William Edggel }
Josiah Puffe r } Committee
Edward Jackson }
[page 21 of 25]
We the Subscribers being Heirs and
interested Persons
in the above s'd Estate hereby signify
our consent
to the above Division
Sarah Seaver
Benjamin Sever
Heman Siver
Samuel Gerrish Garden for the following
names
to s'd Estate viz. Asel Sever &
Relif Sever having
given my Aprobation.
Sarah Seaver Garden for the following
Names
to s'd Estate viz. Feathe and
Lucenden Seavers having given my
Aprobation.
Worc. Mass. To all people to whom
these presents Shall come
Joseph Dorr Esq'r Judge of the probate
of Wills &c within
and for said county Sendeth Greeting
Know ye that parsuant to the Laws of
the Common-
wealth of Massachusetts Relative to the
Settlement of the
Estate of Intestates and the Direction
power and Authority
to me therein given, I do truly accept
of the Doings &
Report of the Commissioners & by me
appointed to appraise
and Divide the Real Estate of Norman
Seaver late
of Westminster deceased and I order the
same to be recorded.
And I do hereby assign unto the said
Widow the part
Set off to her to be Enjoyed be her for
and During the
Term of her Natural Life. The
Remainder I as-
sign unto Benjamin Seaver Within
Mentioned to have
and to hold the Same to him and his
heirs and as
signs forever as an Inheritance in fee
Simple
upon condition of his paying to the
Rest of the Heirs
as above mentioned the Sum of eleven
pounds and
Six pence to Each. And I order the
Costs of this Settlement
to be born by the Respective Heirs in
proportion to his
or her Interest in the premises. In
Testimony
whereof I have hereunto Set my Hand and
Seal of the
Court of Probate this Third Day of
January AD 1792.
By order of the Hon Judge
Joseph Wheeler Reg'r.
The source citation for this record is:
Worcester County, Massachusetts, Probate case files, Case file 52,914 Norman Sever, 1787, Estate appraisal and division (pages 21-24 of 25 pages); "Worcester County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1731-1881," digital images, New England Historic Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (http://www.AmericanAncestors.org: accessed 2 January 2016); citing original records from Worcester County (Mass.) Probate Court.
Norman and Sarah (Read) Sever are my 5th great-grandparents. They married in 1755, and moved to Westminster in about 1773. They had 13 children, 12 of whom are named in the division. I am descended from their eldest son, Benjamin Sever (1757-1816), who received two thirds of the real estate in the division, but had to pay his 11 living siblings 11 pounds as their share of the estate.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2016/02/amanuensis-monday-post-305-1792.html
Copyright (c) 2016, Randall J. Seaver
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