"A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."
The subject today is the 1763 will of Rebekah Kerby (1681-1773) of Dartmouth, Massachusetts:
The transcription of this will and proving statement is:
This first day of July Anno Domini one
thousand seven
hundred and Sixty three I Rebekah Kerby
of Dartmouth in
the County of Bristol & province of
the massachusetts Bay & a
Widow and Relict of Robert Kerby late
of Dartmouth deceased being
weak in body but of a sound Disposing
mind & memory and
calling to mind the mortality of my
body and Knowing that it is
appointed for all men & women to
die do make & ordain
this my last will and testament that is
to say principally
and first of all I commit my body to
the earth to be decently bu-
ried ??? the expense & discretion
of my executor herein after named.
And as touching my worldly Estate with
which it has pleased
God to bless me in this life I do give
demise & dispose of it
in the folling manner and form viz.
Imprimis My will is that all my lawful
& just debts and fune-
ral charges be first paid &
discharged by my Executor (herein
after named) out of my Estate.
Item I give and bequeath to my
daughter Barsheba Kerby all
and singular my whole Estate of what
kind soever it be to be hers
her heirs & assigns forever
excepting what is above reserv'd for the
paying my just debts & defraying my
funeral charges.
Item And whereas I have Other children
and grandchildren besides
the above named Barsheba Kerby yet the
reason why I have not
given Each of them something in this my
last will is first be-
cause all of my said children &
grandchildren have had bequests
made them by my husband Robert Kerby
late of Dartmouth
deceased and secondly because my
afforesaid daughter Barsheba
being of a Weakly constitution will
stand in greater need of what
little I shall leave for her support
during her life.
Lastly I constitute ordain and appoint
my well beloved son Ichabod
Kerby sole executor of this my last
will and testament and I
do hereby utterly disallow, revoke and
disanull, all and every
other former testaments, wills,
legacies, and bequests by me in any wise
before named, willed and bequeathed,
ratifying and confirming this &
no other to be my last will &
testament in witness whereof I have
hereunto set my hand and seal the day &
year first above written.
Signed, Sealed, published &
pronounced } her
and declared by the said Rebekah Kerby
} Rebekah X Kerby
to be her last will & testament in
the } mark
presence of us the subscribers }
Adam Gifford
Jeremiah Gifford
Daniel Hathway
Bristoll December 21'st 1773
Then before the Hon'bl George Leonard
Judge of
probate of wills &c for the County
of Bristol
Came Adam gifford and Jeremiah Gifford
two of
the witnesses to the before written
Instrument and
made Oath that they were present &
saw
Rebeccah Kirby the subject ????? ?????
did
signe seal & heard her Publish &
Declare sd
Instrument as her Last will and
Testament and
that she was of a sound and disposing
mind &
memory when she ????? and they with
Daniel
Hathaway signed & wittnessed with
them at the
same time and all in the presence of
the Testator.
George Leonard
Ent'd in 23'rd 73 F 116
Geo. Leonard JR
The source citation for this probate record is:
Bristol County [Mass.] Register of Probate, Bristol County (Mass.) Probate Records, 1690-1881, on 351 FHL US/CAN Microfilm rolls; original records at Probate Registry, Taunton, Mass., will of Rebekah Kirby, Dartmouth, 1773 Estate packet, accessed on FHL Microfilm 0,573,223 (Kingsley - Kirby, accessed 2 February 2016).
This will, and the will of Robert Kerby (1674-1757) published last week, may be the only records for Barsheba Kerby, the only heir named in this will. Rebekah Kerby notes that Barsheba has a weaker constitution.
Rebakah Kerby's will was proved on 21 December 1773 in Bristol County, Massachusetts Probate Court. [An aside: George Leonard had terrible handwriting!]
Robert and Rebekah (Potter) Kerby are my 7th great-grandparents, and I am descended through their son Ichabod Kirby (1705-1793) and his wife, Rachel Allen (1708-1801).
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