Amanuensis Monday -- 1684 Will of George Wheeler (1606-1687) of Concord, Massachusetts

 This week's document for transcription is the 1684 will of George Wheeler (1606-1687) of Concord, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, which is in Estate File 1580 in the Suffolk County Probate Court records. 

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The transcription of this will is:

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I George Wheeler Senir in the Town of Concord in the County of Middlesex in the Massachusetts Colony in new england being 

in a Confident measure of memory & understanding:  praised be God:  doe make this my last Will & Testament in manner 

and forme as followeth: First: My Soul I Commite to God y't gave it me believeing in the Lord Jesus Christ my onely Lord 

and Savior who will raise my body att the last & great Day in life eternall: & my body to decent buryall; first: I will y't

 my due debts be honebly paid & funnerall charges satisfied: for my Temprall Estate as followeth:  first I will that my 

whole estate shall stande engaged & be responseable for my comfortable mainetenance in all respects during the term 

of my life:  & as to my funnerall charges to be borne by my whole estate also the charges of execution & all Court Confirmation 

and enroulment be borne by my whole estate: I will to my two Sons Thomas Wheeler & John Wheeler my mansion dwelling 

house barns cow houses & orchards with y't part of the home lot joyning to s'd house & orchards down to the cross fence y't 

stood cross y'e s'd Lot in equall right of p'priety: the lower part of s'd lot down to John Scorthford house I give to my  

son Thomas & y't part of my lot lying between Joshua Wheeler & John Scorthford I give to my son John: I give to my two 

sons Thomas & John my six acers bought of Gershom Bulkeley lying over the hills equally in right:  also I give to my 

sons Thomas & John my twenty eight acers of woodland lying in the north quarter over the river equall in right:  also 

I give to the children of my Son William deceased as a legacy out of my estate the sume of Sixty Six pounds 

Seven shillings to be paid to them by the executors of this my will in equal right of propriety onely my will is 

y't my medow at brooke medow on both sides of the brook excepting y't part I give to my son Thomas as also my one acer 

in ash swamp at Fairehaven:  be by the executors of this my will be disposed of to my son Williams children & to be 

as pte of y'e above s'd legacy:  also the two acers & a halfe of a medow on the north west side of the brake at Brooke 

medow joyning to my Son Williams pastor it is not my said son Williams but I will it to my executors to administer 

upon it as my estate:  I give to my son Thomas my piece of medow at Brooke medow joyning to John Wheelers

medow lying on the northwest side of the brooke three acers more or less:  I give to my son John my two acers & 

a halfe of medow in spring medow more or less:  I give to my two sones Thomas & John my medow in ye medow called 

the great medow with my pte of the post in equall right:  I give to my son John my fourteen acers at the south 

field on the east side of the Country way against Compe's house also two acers in muddy medow swamp:  I give to 

my Sones Thomas & John my fourty four acers lying north of Waldon Pond in equall right:  I give to my son Thomas 

my fourteen acers lying on the southeast of the south river joyning to Nathaniel & John Billings I give to my 

son John my six acers joyning to Daniel Dane southeast from mount taber:  I give to my Sones Thomas & John 

my Eight acers joyning to Mr Flints pond lying by the east quarter lyne in equall right:  I give to my Son 

John my four acers in John Milles pastor joyning to the south River:  also I give to my Two Sones Thomas & John out of my moveable estate five pounds A piece:  I give to my Son Thomas Ten pounds out of my Moveable Estate in Consideration he is short of his brothers in receit of parts.  I 

give to my daughter Foxes children six pounds equall amongst them: I give to my four daughters Elizabeth Fletcher, Sarah Dudly, Ruth Hartwell & Hanah Fletcher the sume of fifteen pounds A piece 

in good & Currant Countery pay to be paid to them in Concord Currant price: allso I will & Reserve to my selfe 

during my life A Comfortable maintenance in all respects & y't Charge of my maintenance upon my Estate viz begine 

in the year one Thousand Six hundred Eighty & Two on to the day of my death:  which said Charge is to Come out & be 

leavied upon my estate I meane this my estate in this my will given & lagacyes bequeathed: & my will is y't when 

all Charges Concerning my maintenance & decent buryall & other wise be Satisfied:  y't then each legacye & estate given doe '

then abate their due & true & just proportion:  what y'e Executors of this my will shall bring in account truly due 

all & each of my Children Sons & daughters resting Contented with their due part of my Estate in this my will 

given be it more or less y'e whole one but parts here given:  for I know not the day of my death & so not what 

my comfortable maintenance may spend:   I give to my Sons Thomas & John my seven acres lying in y'e Comons nowe

Watertown lyne also my will is that no legacy shall be required untill two years after my death: These

lands I give to my Two Sones Thomas & John their heirs & assigns be it more or less also I will Constitute 

& make my two Sones Thomas Wheeler & John Wheeler the executors of this my will & equally to pay all legacys 

each his equall portion:  This I Georg Wheeler Senir make this my laste will all my former Wills to 

be a nnulity & voide.  Witness my hand & Seal this twenty eight day of Jenuary in the year one Thousand Six hundred 

eighty & four."

                                                                 George   Wheeler (seal) 

                                                                       His G mark

Signed & sealed in prsenc of 

Samuel Meriam,

Jonathan Hubard

John Scorthford

The source citation for this probate case file is:

Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Probate case files, Volume: Middlesex Cases 00001-01999, Estate File #1580 (7 images), George Wheeler of Concord estate, 1687; "Suffolk County (Massachusetts) Probate File Papers, 1636-1899," digital images, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014, American Ancestors  (https://www.americanancestors.org: accessed 21 March 2021); Digitized mages provided by FamilySearch.org from original records at Probate Registry, Cambridge, Mass. 

George Wheeler (1606-1687) married Katherine Pin (1611-1685) on 8 June 1630 in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, England.  They had 8 children, the first three were born in Cranfield and the last five were born in Massachusetts:

*  William Wheeler (1631-1683), married 1659 Hannah Buss (1642-1693).

*  Thomas Wheeler (1633-1686), married 1657 Hannah Harwood (1632-1707).

*  Elizabeth Wheeler (1636-1704), married 1656 Francis Fletcher (1630-1704).

*  Sarah Wheeler (1640-1713), married 1665 Francis Dudley (1638-1702).

*  John Wheeler (1643-1713), married 1663 Sarah Larkin (1648-1725).

*  Mary Wheeler (1645-1679), married 1665 Eliphalet Fox (1644-1711).

*  Ruth Wheeler (1647-1703), married 1665 Samuel Hartwell (1645-1725).

*  Hannah Wheeler (1649-1697), married 1672 Samuel Fletcher (1652-1723).

George Wheeler (1606-1687) died 2 June 1687 in Concord, and his will, written and signed 28 January 1684/5 26 days after his wife died, was proved in Suffolk County Probate Court on 2 July 1687 by Governor Andros.  The only other record in the estate file is an inventory which we will transcribe next week.

In his will George Wheeler mentioned all of his children, naming living children Thomas, Elizabeth, John, Sarah, Ruth and Hannah, and leaving legacies to the children of deceased children William and Mary.  This will is very complicated and difficult to read because of the handwriting and spelling.  

George and Katherine (Pin) Wheeler are my 8th great-grandparents, through daughter Elizabeth (Wheeler) Fletcher, John Wheeler and Hannah (Wheeler) Fletcher. 

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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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