Amanuensis Monday -- 1672 Will of William Shattack (1621-1672) of Watertown, Massachusetts

  This week's document for transcription is the 1672 Will of William Shattuck (1621-1672) of Watertown, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, which is in Estate File 20168 in the Middlesex County Probate Court records. 

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The transcription of this will is:

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Watertowne                         The Last will and Testament

Aug:3'd:1672                       of William Shattack aged 50 years

I William Shattack being under y'e afflicting hand of God

sick & weak, but in perfect memory, not knowing how soone

I may end the dayes of my weary pilgrimage; doe constitute

this my Last will and testament for y'e disposal of what I

shall leave behind me as followeth.

I give my ten younger children thirty pound in mony

to be equally divided amongst them to them y't are married, I will

their parts should be payd a moneth after my decease: that which

belongs to the unmarryed my will is it should be in their mothers

hand to be kept for them till they come to age capable.

Item I give to my son Sam: Church six pounds ^in mony^ to be payd a moneth

after my decease.

Item I give to my son Philip Shattack the one half of my farme

and two acres of meadow in pond meadow, to him & his heirs for ever.

Item I give to my son William Shattack, the other half of y'e s'd farm

and two acres of meadow in pond meadow to him & his heirs for ever,

as allsoe a young hors with all his trooping furniture: alsoe the

Loome and its appertinencies.

Item I give to my four small children my mare with all her increase

All the rest of my moveable goods I give to my dear wife Susanna

for her owne maintenance: & bringing up my younger children

and alsoe the use of my hous and Land which I now dwell upon:

with that I bought of Edward Sanderson, till my two younger sons

Beniamin & Samuel come to twenty one years of age: If my s'd wife

marry my will is that shee receive four pound p'r year out of my s'd

hous & Lands: if she marry not I give them to her during her Life.

Item I give to my s'd sons Beniamin & Samuel my hous & Land I

now dwell upon with that I bought of Ed:Sanderson and my half

dividend, to them & their heirs for ever.

Item I give to my son John twenty pound to be payd after

my wifes decease by my sons Beniamin & Samuel or their heirs

five pounds a year, the whole to be payd in the space of four years.

Item I give to my grandchildren Living at my decease fourty

pound to be equally divided and payd after y'e death of my wife

by my s'd sons Beniamin & Samuel within y'e space of ten years

four pound p'r year beginning with y'e children of my eldest children

Alsoay provided that if any my Legatees dy before marriage, my will

is that what I have here given be divided amongst y'e rest.

I doe further constitute my dear wife Susanna Shattack Sole executrix of

this my will requesting my Loving friends John Coolidg iunior & Samuel Li-

vermore, to be assistant to my s'd wife, & to be payd for their paines.

Signed Sealed & delivered in y'e presence of us                    witnes my hand

John Coollidge                                                                   William  R  Shattack  {seal}

John Livermore                                                                           his marck

[In left margin]

                 Attested on oath by {Jno. Coolidge

                                                 { Jno. Livermore

29.6.72    before Cap't Gookin &c

                     Tho. Danforth R

The source citation for this probate case file is:

Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Probate case files, Volume: Middlesex 20000-20199, Estate File #20168 (4 images), William Shattack estate, 1672; "Middlesex County (Massachusetts) Probate Records, 1648-1871," digital images, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014, American Ancestors  (https://www.americanancestors.org: accessed 31 January 2021); Digitized mages provided by FamilySearch.org from original records at Probate Registry, Cambridge, Mass. 

The probate packet contains a two page inventory which notes the death date of William Shattuck as 14 August 1672, taken on 23 August [1672],  and totals about 434 pounds (£104 in money, and £180 for the dwelling house land and land bought from Edward Sanderson).  

William Shattuck married Susanna --?-- [Hayden?] (1620-1686) in about 1642 in Watertown, and they had ten children:

*  Susanna Shattuck (1643-1716), married (1) 1661 Joseph Morse (1637-1677); (2) 1678 John Fay (1648-1690); (3) 1695 Thomas Brigham (1641-1716).

*  Mary Shattuck (1645-1732), married 1662 Jonathan Brown (1635-1691).

*  John Shattuck (1647-1675), married 1664 Ruth Whitney (1645-1744).

*  Philip Shattuck (1648-1722), married (1) 1670 Deborah Barstow (1650-1679);  (2) 1679 Rebecca Chamberlain (1665-1728).

*  Joanna Shattuck (1650-1673).

*  William Shattuck (1653-1732), married 1678 Susanna Randall (1662-1723).

*  Rebecca Shattuck (1655-1684), married 1672 Samuel Church (1640-1724).

*  Abigail Shattuck (1656-1695), married 1678 Jonathan Morse (1643-1686).

*  Benjamin Shattuck (1660-????), married 1685 Abigail Hagar (1663-1736).

*  Samuel Shattuck (1665-1694), married 1685 Abigail --?-- (1666-????).

Note that there is no mention in the will of his daughters Susanna and Mary who had married well before William made his will, daughter Rebecca who married Church (who is mentioned), or of daughters Joanna or Abigail. 

Susanna (--?--) Shattuck married (2) Richard Norcross (1621-1709) in November 1673, and died 11 December 1686 in Watertown.

William and Susanna (--?--) Shattuck are my 9th great-grandparents, through their daughter Susanna Shattuck (1643-1716) who married Joseph Morse (1637-1677) in 1661. 

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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."

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