Monday, October 30, 2017

Amanuensis Monday - Probate Records for Estate of John Plimpton (1708-1756) of Medfield, Mass. - Part 1

This week's documents for Amanuensis Monday are from the Suffolk County, Massachusetts Probate Court records for John Plimpton (1708-1756) of Medfield, Massachusetts:

a)  Volume 51, pages 683:




b)  Volume 51, pages 684:



The transcription of this record is:


We the Subscribers being appointed & sworn to
make a true & just Appraisment of y^e Estate of John
Plimpton, late of Medfield dec^d, & have performed
that Service, as followeth, Viz^t:


Medfield Oct^o 20^th 1756

Ezek^ll Adams, Simon Plimpton } Apprais^s
John Baxter                                  }

Suffolk Ss: By y^e Hon^ble Thomas Hutchinson Esq^r
Judge of Probate

Abigail Plimpton & Amos Plimpton Adm^rs presented
y^e within written & made Oath y^t it contains a true &
perfect Inventory of y^e Estate of John Plimpton dec^d
so far as hath come to their Knowledge, & that if more
hereafter appears, they will cause the same to be
added. The subscribing Appraisers were also
sworn as y^e Law directs. Boston Oct^o 22^d 1756
                                               T Hutchinson

Suffolk Ss: Medfield Oct^o 21^st 1756. These certify
that Mess^rs Simon Plimpton, John Baxter & Ezekiel
Adams were appointed, & Sworn, to make a true &
just Appraisment of y^e Estate of John Plimpton
late of Medfield dec^d & to make a true Inventory
thereof as y^e Law directs.
                                Henry Adams Jus^e of Peace

                Exa^d Jn^o Cotton Reg^r

The source citation for this document is:

"Suffolk County (Massachusetts) Probate Records, 1636-1899," on 439 FHL US/CAN microfilm reels, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org), : accessed 19 October 2017),"Probate records v. 50-51 1755-1757," FHL US/CAN film 493,874, Volume 51, pages 683-4 (images 752-753 of 825), John Plimpton inventory, 1756; citing original records in the Suffolk County, Mass. courthouse.

John Plimpton (1708-1756) died 8 May 1756, and his widow, Abigail Plimpton, and eldest son, Amos Plimpton, were appointed administrators of his intestate estate on 2 July 1756.

In this document, three appraisers were appointed to make a true and just inventory of the estate, which they did.  The estate was valued by the appraisers at £375 : 4s : 3d.  It included real estate valued at £ 264 : 16s.   The personal estate was £ 110 : 8s : 3d.

John and Abigail (Fisher) Plimpton are my 6th great-grandparents, through their son, Amos Plimpton (1735-1808), who married Mary Guild (1735-1800) in 1756.

Note that these records are on FHL Microfilm, and are on FHL digital microfilm on FamilySearch.org, but they are not indexed.  The Probate Packets have not been filmed to my knowledge, so the researcher has to use the Probate Court Clerk volumes.  A researcher has to search the Probate Index for the person's probate packet number, then find the list of papers that are in the probate packet in the Probate Docket files, and then find the individual volumes and pages with the documents listed in the Probate Docket.

This set of records are not indexed on Ancestry.com in the "Massachusetts, Will and Probate Records, 1635-1991" collection They are available in the Ancestry collection, but you have to use the Probate Index and Probate Docket files to find the volumes and page numbers (similar to the process on FamilySearch).  On the filmstrip, they are in the section indexed for Hannah Newman.

There will be several more posts for this estate records.

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NOTE:  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 URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2017/10/amanuensis-monday-probate-records-for_30.html

Copyright (c) 2017, Randall J. Seaver


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