Monday, December 18, 2017

Amanuensis Monday - 1775 Will of Samuel Haughton (1686-1778) of Eastham, Mass.

This week's documents for Amanuensis Monday are the 1775 will and 1778 letter testamentary in the probate court records for Samuel Haughton (1686-1778), late of Eastham, Barnstable County, Massachusetts:


1)  Volume 20, pages 327-328 (image 697 of 845)


2)  Volume 20, pages 329-330 (image 698 of 845)



The transcription of this record is:

[page 327 - left-hand side of first image]

In the Name of God … Amen.  I Samuel
Haughton of the Town of Eastham Husbandman
being arrived to Old Age but of perfect mind and
memory thanks be given unto God Calling
unto mind the Mortality of my Body and know-
ing that is Appointed for all men once to die Do make
and Ordain this my last will and Testament
that is to say principally and first of all I give
and Recommend my into the Hand of Almighty
God that gave it and my body I reccom-
mend to the Earth to be buried in Decent Christian
Burial at the discretion of my Executor nothing
Doubting but at the General Resurrection I shall
receive the same again by the mighty Power of God
and as touching Such Worldly Estate wherewitj
it hath Pleased God to Bless me in this Life I Give
Devise and dispose of the Same in the following
manner and form.

Item I Give unto my well beloved son Samuel Haughton
and to his Heirs and Assigns forever all my Real
Estate that I now own in the town of Eastham
and all my Building thereon Standing and my wear-
ing aparel and my Scow together with all me
farmers Utensils he paying ^all^ my Just Debts and
funeral charges out of my Real Estate.

Item  I Give my Gun to my Grandson Quishen Haugh-
ton of Samuel Haughton.

Item I Give to the Heirs of my son John Deceas^d and
to the Heirs of my Son Nathaniel Haughton Dec^d and
to the Heirs of my Daughter Hannah Mayo Dec^d and to
the Heirs of Susanna Cole Deceas^d and to the Heirs of my
Daughter Abigail Doane Deceas^d and to the Heirs of my Daughter
Elizabeth Sawour Deceas^d all my Personal Estate not disp-
posed of before Equally to Divided amongst them all.

Lastly I likewise Constitute make and Ordain my

[page 328 - right-hand side of first image]

Son Samuel Haughton my Sole Executor of
this my Last will and Testament and I do hereby utter-
ly Disallow Revoke and Disannul all and every Other
former Testament and Executors by me in any way
before named Ratifying and confirming this and
no other to be my last will and Testament in Witness where-
of I have hereunto Set my Hand and Seal this twenty
Ninth Day of May in the Year of our Lord one Thousand
Seven Hundred and Seventy Five

Signed Sealed Published and                  Samuel Haughton {LS}
Declared by the said Samuel
Haughton as his Last will and
Testament in the Presence of us
who in his presence and in
the Presence of each other
have hereunto Subscribed our
names.
John Doane
Edward Knowles
David Doane                          Com^d Nath^l Freeman Regr

To all People to whom these Presents shall come 
James Otis Esqr Judge of the Probate of wills &c in
the County of Barnstable within the State of the
Massachusetts Bay in New England Sendeth
Greeting.

Know ye that on the first day of April Anno Domini
1778 the Instrument hereunto annexed (purporting
the last will and Testament of Samuel Haughton late of
Eastham in Said county Husbandman Deceased) was presented
for Probate by Samuel Haughton the Executor therein
named; then present Edw^d Knoweles & David Doane
Witnesses thereto Subscribed who made oath that they
Saw the said Testator Sign Seal and heard him
Declare the said Instrument to be his last will and
Testament and that they with John Doane
Subscribed their Names together as Witnesses to the
Execution thereof in the Said Testators Presence

[page 329 - left-hand side of second image]

and That He was then of their Judgment of Sound
and Disposing mind.  I Do Prove Approve and
And Allow of the Said Instrument as the Last
will and Testament of the beforenamed Deceas^d and
commit the Administration thereof  in all matters the
Same concerning and of his Estate whereof he died Seiz-
ed in said county unto Samuel Haughton the before-
named Executor well and faithfully to Execute
the Said Will and to Administer the Estate of the said
Deceas^d according thereto who accepted of his Said and
to Exhibit an Invy thereof according and He Shall
render an account (upon Oath of their Proceedings
where thereunto Lawfully required).  I Testimony whereof
I have hereunto Set my Hand and Seal of Office the
Day and Year above written.         James Otis
By Order of the Honb^le Judge
                      N. Freeman Register

                                                   Comp^d Nath^l Freeman Regr

The source citation for this record is:

"Massachusetts, Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991," indexed database with digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com, accessed 14 December 2017), Barnstable County > Probate and Guardianship Records, Volumes 17-20, 1769-1809, Volume 20, pages 327-329, Samuel Haughton will and letter testamentary, will written 29 May 1775, proved 1 April 1778.

In this will, Samuel Haughton (also known as Horton in town records) bequeaths all of his real estate, plus his wearing apparel and his farmer's utensils to his son, Samuel Haughton.  His grandson "Quishen" [Cushing] Horton received a gun.   He does not provide anything for a surviving wife, and I don't think there was one.  The remainder of the personal estate went to the heirs of his deceased children, naming them as:

*  deceased son John Haughton
*  deceased son Nathaniel Haughton
*  deceased daughter Hannah Mayo
*  deceased daughter Susanna Cole
*  deceased daughter Abigail Doane
*  deceased daughter Elizabeth Sawour [Sawyer]

Samuel Horton (1686-1778) married Hannah Atwood (1686-1771) in 1714 in Eastham, Massachusetts, and they had eight children, all of whose births were recorded in the Eastham town records with the surname Horton.  The child not listed as an heir was James Horton, born in 1731, who may have died without having heirs before Samuel Haughton wrote this will.  There is a record of a Samuel Horton marrying widow Tabitha (Snow) Mayo in  1771 in Eastham, Mass., but it may be another Samuel Horton.

Samuel and Hannah (Atwood) Horton are my 6th great-grandparents, through his son, Nathaniel Horton (1721-1771) who married Eunice Snow in 1742.  

We will look at the inventory of the estate of Samuel Horton in the next Amanuensis Monday post.

==============================================

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."

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Copyright (c) 2017, Randall J. Seaver


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