Amanuensis Monday -- 1735 Will of Edward Herington (1669-1736) of Watertown, Massachusetts

This week's document for transcription is the 1735 will of Edward Herington (1669-1736) of Watertown, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, which is in Estate File 10396 in the Middlesex County Probate Court records. 

[image 2 of 8]

[image 3 of 8]

[image 4 of 8]:

[image 5 of 8]:

The transcription of this will is:

[image 2 of 8]

In the Name of God Amen this third day of March

Anno Domini One Thousand Seven Hundred and Thirty five.

     I Edward Herington Sen'r of Watertowne in the County

of Midd'x in New England yeo. being in a State of health in

Body and of perfect minde and memory Thanks be given

unto God, Yet Calling to Minde the Mortallity of my Body

and Knowing it is Appointed for men once to dye Do make

and ordaine this my Last Will and Testement, That is to 

Say, Principally and first of all I Give and Recommend

my Soule into the hands of God who gave it hopeing

throw the Merits and Satisfaction of my Saviour Jesus Christ

to have full and free pardon and forgiveness of all my Sins

and to Inherit Eternall Life, And my Body I Commit to the

the Earth to be Decently buried at the descretion of my

Executor hereafter Named Nothing Doubting but at the

General Resurrection I shall Receive the Same againe by

the mighty power of God.  And as touching Such worldly

Estate Wherewith it hath pleased God to Bless me in this 

Life I Give Demise and Dispose of the Same in the follow-

ing maner and forme, That is to Say ---

First I Will that all those Debts and Dutyes which I do owe in

Right of Conference to any maner of person or persons Whatsoever

Shall be well and truly Contented and paid or ordained to be paid

in Convenient Time after my decease by my Executor here-

after Named.

(2)  My Will is that my well beloved Wife Anna Shall have the

West lower Room in my dwelling House for Here Use and improve-

ment, and Priviledge of the Cellar as Shall be needfull, and 

Priviledge in the ketchen So much as She has ocation for

and Liberty to use the well at Her pleasure, And the Use of a

Garden Spott with Liberty to pass and Repass as thow Shall be

need --- And Shall have the Use of an Horse when She

Sees ocation to Use one, and fire wood layed at the Dooresit

for the fire, and Provition and Cloathing Such as She Calls

for and the Use of a Cow, And what ever Else Shee needs to

make her Life Easey pleasant and Comfortable both in Sickness

[image 3 of 8]

And in Health and to be performed by my Executor hereafter

named dureing the Time of Her Remaining my Widow and

Continuing in my Dwelling House ^and at her Death afford her a Decent Christian Buriall^ But if She Sees meet to

move away Elsewhere then my Will is that all before menti-

oned for Her Shall Cease and She Shall have Eight pounds per

annum yearly and Every yeare dureing the Time of Her Remain-

ing my Widdow and to be paid by my Executor hereafter Named

and She Shall have all the goods and Household Stuff that She

brought with her to me at Marriage that are yet Remainings

to Her and to Her Heirs and Assigns for Ever.

(3)  Item I Give and Bequeath unto my Son William Herington Sixty

acres of Land where he now dwells Runing Northwards and

Southwards from his Dwelling House on my West Side Line

So far, as that turning Square of and runing Easterly throw

my Land to my East Side Line (Highways Excepted out of the

measure) shall make the said Sixty Acres, Reserveing to myself

my Heirs and Assigns for Ever a Convenient way to pass and

Reepass from the Remainder of my Lands throw the Land I

now give him to the Country Roads unless it be Accomodat-

ed by Town wayes - Also I Will and bequeath unto my said

Son William Herington Twenty and five Acres of Land by

Estimation be the same more or less being Meddow and Up-

land lying in Weston on the Westerly Side of a Brook Called &

Know by the name of Stoney Brook which I bought of

Charls and Ebenezer Chadwick - also I give and bequeath unto

my said Son William Herington all my Right and Interest in a

Certaine peice of Meddow of six Acres by Estimation be it more

or less lyeing in Watertowne joyning by the sfore said Stoney

Brook and is in partnership Between myself and Benjamin

Whitney of said Watertowne He paying to my son Nathanael

Herington the Sum of sixty pounds in good true Bills of Publick

Creddit on the Massachusets Province within one yeare next after

my decease, and then the above mentioned Lands Shall be to

my Said son William Herington And to his Heirs and Assigns

for Ever by him and them freely to be possessed and Enjoyed.

(4)  Item I Give and Bequeath unto my Son Samuel Herington one half part

of all my Wearing Apparrel Which apparrel together with what I have

[image 4 of 8]

Done for him before this Time is his Portion out of my Estate.

(5)  Item I Give and Bequeath unto my Son Nathanael Herington 

the Sum of Sixty Pounds in good Bills of Creddit on the Massachusets

Province to be paid in one yeare next after my decease by my Son

William Herington Which Sum together with his Liberall Educa-

tion is his Share out of my Estate.

(6) Item I give and bequeath unto my Son Francis Herington one-

half part of all my Wearing Apparrel Which Apparrel together

with what he hath had of my Estate in Time past is all I designe

for him of my Estate.

(7)  Item I Give and bequeath unto my daughter Mary Grout the

Sum of forty pounds ^in Houshold Stuff and such stock or to her Heirs^ in good Bills of Creddit on the Massachusets

Province ^ to be paid^ with'in one yeare next after my decease and my Wife's

Decease ^or Marriage^ (which Soever first comes to pass) by my Executor hereafter

named, Or in good Bills of Creddit if said other Estate falls Short

which Sum together with what she had at Marriage is her Portion.

(8)  Item I Give and Bequeath unto my Daughter Joanna Tainter the sum

of forty pounds in Household Stuff and Quick Stock or to her Herires

to be paid by my Executor within Two years next after my decease

and my Wifes Decease or Marriage which Soever is first, or in good

Bills of Creddit if said other Estate do not hold out, Which sum

with what I Gave her at Marriage is all I designe for Her out

of my Estate.

(9)  Item I Give and bequeath unto my Daughter Suzanna Barnard

the Sum of forty pounds in Household Stuff and Quick Stock or to her

Heirs to be paid by my Executor within three years next after my

Decease and my Wife's Decease or Marriage Which soever falls out

first or in good Bills of Creddit of said of her Estate be not Sufficient

which sum together with what I have done for Her at Marriage

is her full portion.

(10)  Item I give and bequeath unto my son Edward Herington whome

I Likewise Constitute make and ordaine my only and sole Executor

of this my Last will and Testament, all the Rest and Residue

of my Estate of What Kind or Denomination Soever, or where

[image 5 of 8]

The Same or any part thereof may or shall be found, (He

allowing performing and paying as is before directed and

ordered) To him and to his Heires and assigns for Ever by him

and them freely to be possessed and Enjoyed -- And my Will

further is that if my said son Edward Herington See Reason

to Sell any part of the Lands I have now given him that

then my Son William Herington Shall have the offer to buy

the Same he Giveing as much as any other person, But in Case

He Refuses then my other Sons Successively Shall have the

Same Proviledge untill one Excepts of it But if No other of them

will purchase the Same that then he Shall ^Sell^ it to Whomsoever

he Sees meet --  And I do hereby Utterly Disalow Revoke and

Disannull all and Every other former Testament, Will, Legacies

Bequests and Executors by me in any Wise before this Time named

Willed and bequeathed Rattifying and Confirming this and no other

to be my last Will and Testiment In Witness Whereof I have hereunto

Set my hand and Seale the day and yeare first above Written.

Signed Sealed Published               {memorandum     Edward Harrington {seal}

pronounced & published               { that y'e dash

by the Said Edward Herington    { interlining in

as his Last Will & Testiment         { y'e third page

in the presence of us the                { seventh Parragraff

Subscribers viz't --                        { was before signing

John Brown                                 { of these presents

John Whitney

John Coolledge

The source citation for this probate case file is:

Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Probate case files, Volume: Middlesex Cases 10000-11999, Estate File #10396 (8 images), Edward Herington estate, 1736; "Middlesex County (Massachusetts) Probate File Papers, 1648-1871," digital images, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014, American Ancestors  (https://www.americanancestors.org: accessed 28 February 2021); Digitized mages provided by FamilySearch.org from original records at Probate Registry, Cambridge, Mass. 

Edward Harrington (1669-1736), the son of Robert and Susanna (George) Harrington of Watertown, Massachusetts, married Mary Ockington (1669-1725) on 30 March 1692 in Watertown.  They had nine children:

*  Mary Harrington (1693-1774), married 1717 Joseph Grout (1683-1758).

*  William Harrington (1694-1751), married 1725 Anna Spring (1691-1770).

*  Mindwell Harrington (1697-1700).

*  Joanna Harrington (1699-1768), married 1720 John Tainter (1699-1768).

*  Edward Harrington (1702-1792), married 1731 Anna Bullard (1713-1771).

*  Samuel Harrington (1704-1784), married (1) 1725 Sarah Warren (1702-1733); (2) Elizabeth Stratton (1718-1801)

*  Nathaniel Harrington (1706-1784), married 1747 Mary Kimball (1724-1804)

*  Francis Harrington (1709-1793), married (1) 1736 Prudence Stearns (1713-1751); (2) 1752 Deborah Stearns (1714-1799).

*  Susanna Harrington (1711-1790), married 1731 Samuel Barnard (1699-1762).

Edward Harrington married, secondly, to Anna --?-- (????-????).  They had no children.  

Edward died 21 January 1736 in Watertown, and his will was proved on 7 March 1736 in Middlesex County Probate Court in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  Edward Harrington, Joseph Patterson and Jonathan Brown, all of Watertown, posted a bond of 1000 pounds on 7 March 1736. The estate file does not include an inventory or an account.

In his will, Edward Harrington mentioned all of his living children.  It is apparent that he gave some of his real and/or personal property to each of his living children.  

Edward and Mary (Ockington) Harrington are my 7th great-grandparents, through their daughter Mary Harrington (1693-1774) who married Joseph Grout (1683-1758) in 1717 in Watertown, Massachusetts.

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

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:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2021/03/amanuensis-monday-1735-will-of-edward.html

Copyright (c) 2021, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.