Amanuensis Monday - Post 336: Will of Jonathan Thurston (1659-1740)

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."

The subject today is the will of  Jonathan Thurston (1659-1740) of Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts:

The transcription of this will is (transcribed line by line):

In the name of God Amen

This twenty second Daye of August one thousand Seven hundred thirty & five I Jonathan Thurston Late of

Little Compton in the County of Bristol with in his Majesties province of the Masachusetts Bay in New England yeoman but

now Resident and Living in Dartmouth in the said County being: week of body but of perfect mind and memory thanks be

Given unto God therefore Calling unto Mind the Mortality of my body and knowing that it is apointed for all men once to

Dye do make and ordain this my Last will and testament that is to say principally and first of all I Give and Recomend my

soul in to the hands of God that gave it and My body I Recomend to the Earth to be buried in Decent Christian manner at the

Discretion of my Executor: and as touching such worldly Estate where with it hath pleased God to bless me in this Life I give demise

and dispose of the same in the following Manner and form

Imprimis I give and bequeath to my son Edward Thurston Ten shillings in mony he having had his part or portion all Ready.

Item I give and bequeath to my son Jonathan Thurston whome I Constitute make and Ordain my sole Executor of this my last

Will and testament one hundred and forty pounds in Mony to be understood good passable Bills of publick Credit

Item I give to my son Joseph Thurston one hundred and fifty pounds in the alike mony as afore sd to be paid him out of my Estate

Item I give to my son Job Thurston one hundred and fifty pounds in such mony as afore sd to be paid to him out of my Estate

Item I give to my Daughter Mary Brownell thirty pounds in mony such as afore sd to be paid to her out of my estate

Item I Give to my Daughter Content Wood thirty pounds in such mony as afore sd to be paid to her out of my Estate

Item I give to my Daughter Abigail White thirty pounds in such mony as afore sd to be paid to her out of my Estate

Item I give to my Daughter Susanah Car thirty pounds in such mony afore sd

to be paid to her out of my Estate

Item I give to my grand son Lovet Peters thirty pounds in such mony as afore sd to be paid him out of my Estate and all so that bead

that did belong to my Daughter Ellenor his Mother

Item I give to my grand daughter Rebeckah Southworth twenty pounds in mony such as afore sd to be paid her out my my said Estate and all the household stuff that did belong to my Daughter Patiance her Mother

Item I give and bequeath ten shillings a peas to all my Daughter Elizabeth woods Children in such mony as afore sd to be paid to Each of

them out of my Estate

Item I give and bequeath ten shillings a peace to all my Daughter Sarah Sawdays Children in such mony as afore sd to be paid to

Each of them out of my Estate

And my will is that all my household stuf that I have not Disposed of in this my will I give to be equally Devided

between my two youngest Daughters Abigail and Susanah

And if there be any of my other Estate not Disposed of in this my will: my mind and will is that after all my just Debts

and funeral Charges be paid that the Remainder: if any be: I give to be equally Devided between my two youngest sons

viz. Joseph & Job & my mind is that if either of them of my sd two sons Joseph or Job should happen to Dye:

before my Decease: & Leave No Lawfull living issue: that then the survivour shall have: his part portion or share

free and clear: all my Legacies to be paid by my Executor above named.

And I do here by utterly Disalow Revoke and Disannul all and Every other former Testaments wills Legacies

and bequests and Executors by me in any way before Named Willed and Bequeathed Ratifying and Confirming this and no

other to be my Last will and testament in wittnes where of I have here unto Set my hand and Seal the Day and

year above written.

Signed sealed published pronounced

and Declared by the said Jonathan Thurston                               his

as his last will and testament in the presents                 Jonathan X Thurston {seal}

of us the subscribers                                                                  mark and seal

Nathaniel Soule

Francis Tripp

William Hix

Bristol Ss April the 15^th 1740

Then Before the Hona^le Nathaniel Blagrove Esq Judge of the Probate

of Wills &c within the County of Bristol Came Francis Tripp &

William Hix Two of the Wittnesses of the Last Will and Testament

of Jonathan Thurston Late of Little Compton Deceased and made

Oath that they Were Present and Did See and hear the said Deceased

Signe Seal Publish and Declare the Within Written Instrument

to be his Last Will and Testament and that he Was of a Sound

Disposing mind when he so did and that Nathaniel Soul

Signed as a Wittness with them att the Same time and that they

All Signed in the Presence of the Testator.

                                                            Jurat Coram N. Blagrove

Stephen Paine Register                      Bristol Ss April y^e 16 1740

                                                          Entered in the Ninth Book of Wills

                                                          Sworn folleo 591: 592 &c Stephen Paine Register

The source citation for this will is:

Massachusetts, Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991, indexed database with digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), Bristol County, Probate Records, Thurston, Gardner - Tillinghast, Joseph, images 848-854, Jonathan Thurston estate packet, image 854, Will, proved 1740.

Jonathan Thurston had 18 children registered in the Little Compton, Rhode Island town records.  He names 12 of them in his will written in 1735 - Edward Thurston (born 1679), Jonathan Thurston (born 1687), Joseph Thurston (born 1714), Job Thurston (born 1717), Mary Brownell (born 1685), Content Wood (born 1691), Abigail White (born 1700), Susanna Carr (born 1712), Ellenor Peters (born 1696, deceased), Patience Southworth (born 1702, deceased), Elizabeth Woods (born 1682, deceased), Sarah Sawday (born 1693, deceased).  In addition, he notes that sons Joseph and Job are his two youngest sons, and Abigail and Susanna are his two youngest daughters.  Apparently, six other children were not living or had no issue in 1735 when he wrote his will - they were John (born 1695), Rebecca (born 1689), Hope (born 1698), Amey (born 1705), Peleg (born 1706) and Jeremiah (born 1710), 

Jonathan Thurston does not mention a wife.  Only one birth record for his 18 children names a wife - Susanna is named as the mother of Edward, born in 1679.  She may have been born about 1660, and may have died between 1706 and 1712.  Another woman (named Sarah?) may have been the mother of the last three or four children (including Susanna, Joseph and Job.

Jonathan Thurston is my 7th great-grandfather, and his daughter Abigail Thurston (1700-????) who married William White (1708-1780) is my ancestor.  

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