Amanuensis Monday - 1761 Probate Papers for Jabez Snow (1696-1760) Estate in Eastham, Mass.

This week's documents for Amanuensis Monday are the 1761/2 Dower, Insolvency Report, Account, and Dividend in the probate court records for the estate of Jabez Snow (1696-1760) late of Eastham, Barnstable County, Massachusetts:

*  Volume 12, page 177 (image 106 of 321), starting about 30% down the right hand page:

The transcription of this record is:

1)  Dower

We the Subscribers Being Appointed by the Honourable

Silvanus Bourn Esq^r Judge of Probate of Wills for the County of

Barnstable to make a Division and partition of the Real Estate of

Capt^n Jabez Snow Late of Eastham in said County Deceas^d by Setting

off to Elisabeth Snow Relict Widow to said Deceased one third part

thereof by Meets and Bounds as her Right of Dower is Accord-

ingly this third Day of July Anno Domini 1761; Have set off

to the Said Widow by meets and Bounds as followeth (viz) –

The Land Bounded beginning at the Northwest Corner of the

Orchad thence Runing Southerly thirty Rods by the way to a Stone

in the fence allowing a way from the Road Down to the House

two Rods wide and from said Stone thence Easterly Twenty Eight Rods

to a Stone in the Ditch thence still Easterly as the fence now Stands

Thirty two Rods to a Stone In the fence and from thence Northerly to

the pond then westerly Thirty Rods in a Straight line to the Range

^of Capt John Atwoods Land then in the Range^

of said Atwoods Land to the first Bound Specified; the Great Room

Bedroom and Buttery with a Priviledge to Bake in the Oven;

the meadow in the Great meadow below the mill Bounded Begining

at Silvanus Snows SouthEast Corner bound thence Southerly

fourteen Rods by the Shore thence Westerly to the lower End then

Northerly Ten Rods to s^d Snows Bound and then in said Snows Range

to the first Bound; the Wood Lott that lieth near David Browns

Between Silvanus Snows Woodlot and Samuel Snows Wood Lott;

and one Half of the pew in the meeting House at the Northerly

End of s^d House.

Accepted & ordered to be } Recorded & Comp^d     Edward Knowles

Record^d Sept^r 17 1761  }     Da^d Gorham Reg^r Samuel Smith

                                                                                    Nathaniel Atwood

*  Volume 12, pages 178-9 (image 107 of 321), starting at the top of left-hand page:

The transcription of these records is:

2)  Insolvency Report

We the Subscribers Being Appointed by the Honourable

Silvanus Bourn Esq^r Judge of Probate for the County of Barnstable

to Receive and Examine the Claims of the Several Creditors to the

Estate of Jabez Snow late of Eastham Gentleman Deceased Proseeded

to the Same and approve of the following Demands:

To Silvanus Snow	£81 .15 . 5	To Elisha Linnel	£ 0 . 0 . 8
To Willard Knowles	22 . 1 . 9	To Bettey Mayo	0 . 8 . 5
To Malletiah Dillingham	21 . 3 . 9	To Jonathan Doane	1 . 0 . 7
To John Averey	16 . 3 . 0	To Widow Tabitha Mayo	1 . 8 . 0
To Joshua Atkins	13 . 6 . 8	To ye Estate of Benj^a Higgins	10 . 7 . 1 - 2
To Edward Snow	9 . 17 . 6	To John Mulford	0 . 3 . 11
To Nathaniel Atwood	4 . 16 . 0	To Halsel Nickerson	0 . 6 . 10
To Joseph Myrick	0 . 0 . 8	To Nathaniel Bacon	0 .13 . 3 - 2
To Joseph Mayo	0 . 4 . 0	To Samuel Sturges	5 . 8 . 9
To Thomas Brown	0 . 8 . 11	To Thankfull Harding	0 . 2 . 0
To Joseph Pepper	0 . 1 . 4	To Nathaniel Breed	2 .10 . 6
To Philip Higgins	0 . 1 . 8 - 2	To James Pitts	97 . 1 . 11
		To Levi Smith	0 . 6 . 10 - 2
Eastham October 30 1761			£280 . 0 . 4 - 0
		Soloman Pepper } Josiah Sears }	Comissioners
		Exam^d Da^d Gorham Reg^r

Barnstable SS The Accompt of Jabez Snow Sole Executor

to the Last Will of Cap^t Jabez Snow late of

Eastham in s^d County Gentleman Deceased

3)  Account

The said Accomptant Chargeth himself                   } with the Goods and Chattels of y^e Said Deceased } as Specified in an Inventory thereof Exhibited        } Into the Registry of the Court of Probate for said    } County May 9^th 1761 Amounting to                     }	£ 68 .   6 . 0
Also 32 bushels of Rye sold at vendu Not Inv^d	5 .   0 . 0
Also Sundry Small debts Reg^d as pr Scedule & Book	6 . 15 . 0
Also a Note of Hand Receiv^d	15 . 18 . 8
By two thirds of the Real Estate Sold at Publick Vendue by Order from the General Court	183 . 15 . 2
By 19 Bushels of Corn @ 2/8	2 . 10 . 8
	£282 .  5 . 6
And your Accomptant prays for an Allowance for the following Payments & Charges (viz)
Paid y^e funeral charges and Doctors Bill	£   7 .   0 . 10
Paid y^d Prisers 24/ paid for Srtting of y^e Widows Dower 25/1	2 .   9 .   4
Paid the Comiss^rs 24/ paid y^e Constable y^e Deceas^d Rates 50/9	£   3 . 14 .   9
Paid the widow Sundry allow^d ordered by the Judge	17 .   6 .   8
Paid Deacon Edw^d Knowles my Attorney as pr his Account	5 .  11 .   3
Paid for Nursing y^e Deceased & Attendance in his Last Sickness	2 .  16 .   0
Paid Edw^d Snow for Getting hay harvesting Grain to after y^d Decease of Father pr his Acc^o	10 .  15 .   0
Paid more he the Testator had as Treasurer &c	1 .    3 .   2
Paid for Witnesses to the Will the Travel and Expence	1 .    7 .   4
Paid for hay for y^e Stock before Sold 19/ p^d hay Pris^d 26/8	2 .    5 .   8
Paid for Petition of Gen^l Court for Sell Land &c	0 .    6 .   8
Paid for Sell Personal Estate at Vendue &c	1 .    6 .   8
Paid for Deed & Bonds agreable to s^d Petition & order	0 .    9 .   0
Paid for Judge of Prob^e 21/1 Reg^r 38/8 Including Coppies	2 .  19 .   8
The adm^r for time trouble & Expence in Administaring & Paying of Creditors as pr Scedule	9 .  17 .   3
To the Hon^e Silvanus Bourn Esq^r Barnstable January 5th 1762	£ 69 .  18 .   1
Errors Excepted	Jabez Snow

Barnstable SS: By the Hon^e Silvanus Bourn Esq Judge of Prob^te for s^d County

Jabez Snow Executor presented the foregoing and made Oath that it Contains

a Just and true Account of his Administration on the Estate of Jabez Snow late

of Eastham in said County Gent. Deceased Represented Insolvent so far as

he hath proceeded therein & Produced Receipts & Vouchers for y^e Several

payments therein Mentioned which is Accordingly Accepted and allowed

January 5, 1762                                                          Silvanus Bourn

                              Exam^d pr Da^d Gorham Reg^r

4)  Dividend

Barnstable SS By the Honourable Silvanus bourn Esq Judge of

Probate &c for said county

It Appearing unto me by the Inventory and Accompt presented to by Jabez

Snow sole Executor to the Last Will and Testament of Jabez Snow late of

Eastham in said county Gentleman Deceased Represented Insolvent

that the Funeral Expences Charges of Administration and Necessary

Implements of Household allowed the widow being first Subducted

there Remains but two Hundred Twelve Pounds Six Shillings and

Eleven Pence, and the Claims of the Several Creditors thereto as

Reported by the Comittee appointed to Receive and Examine

y^e Same Amounts to Two Hundred Eighty Pounds and four Pence

So that the Estate att Present will bear to Pay to the said Creditors

no more than fifteen shillings & two pence on the Pound of their

Respective Debts. I Do therefore proportion the Surplussage

& Remaining Estate Among the Creditors accordingly and order the

s^d Adminis^r to pay to the said Creditors fifteen Shillings and Two pence ^on the pound^

of the Debts to Them Respectively Owing as appears by the Comiss^rs Report

or List of Debts hereto Annexed Saving to Each of the Creditors a propor-

tion of what more of the Estate Shall hereafter Appear upon the

further Accompt to be Rendered thereof.

Given under my Hand and Seal of the said court of Probate

this Seventh Day of January Anno Domini 1762 Silvanus Bourn

                                                 Exam^d pr Da^d Gorham Reg^r

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), Barnstable County, Probate Records, Volume 12, 1759-1774, pages 177-179, Jabez Snow, 1761/2 Dower, Insolvency Report, Account and Dividend

Jabez Snow and Elizabeth Paine (1702-1772) married in 1720 in Eastham, Massachusetts, and resided there for the remainder of their lives.  They had six children alive at the time Jabez wrote his will on 31 July 1760.  He died on 6 September 1760 and his wife Elizabeth died in 1772.  Elizabeth and their six living children were named in the will of Jabez Snow; the only married daughter at the time was Eunice Horting [Horton].

The will and inventory were transcribed in  Amanuensis Monday - Post 319: Probate Records of Jabez Snow (1696-1760) of Eastham, Mass.  The will is very simple - one third to the wife and the rest bequeathed to the six children.  The will of Jabez Snow was proved in the Barnstable Probate Court on 17 March 1761, and the Inventory was filed and approved on 9 May 1761.  

The probate records in this post were available on Ancestry.com but were not indexed.  I recently checked the Probate Index for Barnstable County and found these records that explain a lot more of what happened to the estate.  In the Dower document, the widow's one third portion of the real estate was set off by the committee.  In the Insolvency Report, the commissioners listed the debts owed by Jabez Snow to his creditors, totaling £282 0s 4d..  In the Account, the executor listed the income collected (£282 5s 6d), including the real estate sold at auction.  He also listed the charges, fees and other expenses incurred during his administration (£69 18s 1d).  The remaining estate was thus £212 6s 11d payable to the creditors.  In the Dividend, the Probate Court Judge ordered that the creditors be paid 15 shillings and 2 pence on the pound (about 75% of that owed) from the remaining estate.

Note that the executor sold off the two-thirds of the real estate that was bequeathed by Jabez Snow to his heirs, and charged himself with the personal estate.  It is very likely that the executor and his siblings bought at least some of the real property and all of the personal property in order to keep the house lot and other lands in the family.  The widow received a portion of the dwelling house and other lands.

There is one more set of papers for this estate file.  When the wife of Jabez Snow died in 1772, her one-third of the real property had to be sold at auction and the creditors paid up to what they were owed.  I will transcribe those papers next week.

Jabez and Elizabeth (Paine) Snow are my 6th great-grandparents.  Their eldest child, daughter Eunice (Snow) Horton, who married Nathaniel Horton in 1742, is my 5th great-grandmother.  

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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/2018/01/amanuensis-monday-1761-probate-papers.html

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