Friday, August 19, 2022

52 Ancestors - Week 443: #713 Rebecca (Potter) Kirby (1681-1773) of Dartmouth, Massachusetts

Rebecca Potter (1681-1773)   is #713 on my Ahnentafel List, my 7th great-grandmother, who married #712 Robert Kirby (1674-1757) in about 1700, in Dartmouth, Massachusetts.

I am descended through:

*  their son #356  Ichabod Kirby (1805-1793) who married #357 Rachel Allen (1708-1801) in 1732.
*  their son #178 David Kirby (1740-1832) who married #179 Martha Soule (1743-1828) in 1763. 
*  #89 Sibel Kirby (1764-1848) who married #88 Humphrey White (1757-1814)  in 1786.
*  their son, #44 Jonathan White (1803-1850) who married Miranda Wade (1804-1850) in 1824.
*  their son #22 Henry Arnold White (1824-1885) who married Amy Oatley (1826-1864) in 1844.
*  their daughter #11 Julia E. White (1848-1913) who married #10 Thomas Richmond (1848-1917) in 1868.
*  their daughter #5 Alma Bessie Richmond (1882-1962) who married #4 Frederick Walton Seaver (1876-1942) in 1900.
*  their son #2 Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983) married #3 Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002) in 1942.
*  their son #1 Randall Jeffrey Seaver (1943-living)

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1)  PERSON (with source citations as indicated in brackets):


*  Name:                          Rebecca Potter[1–3]
*  Alternate Name: Rebekah Kerby[4]
*  Alternate Name: Rebeckah Kirby[5–6]

*  Sex:                             Female

*  Father:                         Nathaniel Potter 1637-1704
*  Mother:                       Elizabeth Stokes 1639-after 1710

2)  INDIVIDUAL EVENTS (with source citations as indicated in brackets):

Birth:                          about 1681, Dartmouth, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States[3]

*  Distribution:              20 November 1704 (about age 23), father's will proved; Dartmouth, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States[4]

*  Distribution:              10 March 1757 (about age 76), husband's will proved; Dartmouth, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States[5]

*  Death:                        10 October 1773 (about age 92), Dartmouth, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States[3]
*  Probate:                     21 December 1773 (about age 92), will proved; Dartmouth, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States[6]

 
3)  SHARED EVENTS (with source citations as indicated in brackets):

*  Spouse 1:                      Robert Kirby 1674-1757
*  Marriage 1:                   before 1700 (before about age 19), probably Dartmouth, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States[7]

*  Child 1:                        Patience Kirby 1700-1740
*  Child 2:                        Ichabod Kirby 1705-1793
*  Child 3:                        Nathaniel Kirby 1708-1748
*  Child 4:                        Barsheba Kirby 1710-    
*  Child 5:                        Recompence Kirby 1712-1771
*  Child 6:                        Silas Kirby 1714-1785
*  Child 7:                        Robert Kirby 1717-1802

4)  NOTES (with source citations as indicated in brackets):    

Rebecca Potter was born in about 1681 in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, the daughter of Nathaniel and Elizabeth (Stokes) Potter[1-3].  

She married Robert Kirby (1674-1757), the son of Richard and  Patience (Gifford) Kirby, in about 1700 in Dartmouth[7], and they had 7 children:

*  Patience Kirby (1700-1740), married 1722 John Lawton (1692-1753).
*  Ichabod Kirby (1705-1793), married 1733 Rachel Allen (1708-1801).
*  Nathaniel Kirby (1708-1748), married 1731 Abigail Russell (1712-1785).
*  Barsheba Kirby (1710-????).
*  Recompence Kirby (1712-1771), married 1736 Rebecca Cornell (1718-????).
*  Silas Kirby (1714-1785), married 1742 Elizabeth Russell (1720-????).
*  Robert Kirby (1717-1802), married 1744 Abigail allen (1726-????).

Rebecca's father, Nathaniel Potter, died testate, having written his will on 18 October 1704, and it was proved on 20 November 1704[4]. In his will, Nathaniel gave his daughter Rebekah Kirby:
"...Allso I give to my Daughter Rebeckah Kerby the sum of two pounds or a cow."
Rebecca's husband, Robert Kirby, died testate, having written a will on 26 March 1755, which was proved in Bristol County Probate Court on 10 March 1757[5].  In his will, he provided for his wife, Rebeckah:
"Imprimus I give & bequeath to my Loving wife Rebeckah Kirby the use & Improvement of the best house where I Now live for & During the time she Remains my widow.

"Itim I give unto my sd Wife Rebeckah two of my best Cows & one Rideing beast & also the Keep^ing^ of the sd two Cows & Riding beast both winter & Sumer on my homestead farm yearly & Every year During the time She Remains my widow & no longer at Equal Charge of my two Sons (viz) Silas Kirby & robert Kirby I also give unto my sd wife Rebeckah two hundred weight of good beaf & one hundred weight of Good Pork & twenty bushels of good Indian corn to be provided & Delivered unto her by my two Sons Namely Silas Kirby & Robert Kirby at Equal Charges It is to be understood So much of each sort yearly & Every year During the time she Remains my widow & No longer I also give unto her my sd wife Rebeckah Kirby the one half of all my houshold goods & a priviledge to Keep what souls she hath a mind to Keep on my sd homestead farm I also give unto her my sd wife Rebeckah Kirby the Sum of Eight pounds & ten shillings in Lawfull money of the province aforesaid I also give unto her my sd wife fire wood sufficient for her use Cut to a suitable Length & brought to the in manner following: four Cords thereof to be provided by my two sons (viz) Ichabod Kirby & Recompence Kirby at Equal Charges it is to be understood four Cords of wood yearly & Every year During the time She Remains my widow & all the Rest of the wood that She Shall have ocation of for her use to be provided & Delivered unto her by my two sons Namely Silas Kirby& Robart Kirby at Equal Charges."
Rebecca Kirby died testate on 10 October 1773 in Dartmouth.  Her will was written on 1 July 1763, and proved in Bristol County Probate Court on 21 December 1773[6]. The transcription of the will of Rebecca (Potter) Kirby is:
"This first day of July Anno Domini one thousand seven hundred and Sixty three I Rebekah Kerby of Dartmouth in the County of Bristol & province of the massachusetts Bay & a Widow and Relict of Robert Kerby late of Dartmouth deceased being weak in body but of a sound Disposing mind & memory and calling to mind the mortality of my body and  Knowing that it is appointed for all men & women to die do make & ordain this my last will and testament that is to say principally and first of all I commit my body to the earth to be decently buried ??? the expense & discretion of my executor herein after named.  And as touching my worldly Estate with which it has pleased God to bless me in this life I do give demise & dispose of it in the folling manner and form viz.
"Imprimis My will is that all my lawful & just debts and funeral charges be first paid & discharged by my Executor (herein after named) out of my Estate.

"Item I give and bequeath to my daughter Barsheba Kerby all and singular my whole Estate of what kind soever it be to be hers her heirs & assigns forever excepting what is above reserv'd for the paying my just debts & defraying my funeral charges.

"Item And whereas I have Other children and grandchildren besides the above named Barsheba Kerby yet the reason why I have not given Each of them something in this my last will is first because all of my said children & grandchildren have had bequests made them by my husband Robert Kerby late of Dartmouth deceased and secondly because my afforesaid daughter Barsheba being of a Weakly constitution will stand in greater need of what little I shall leave for her support during her life.

"Lastly I constitute ordain and appoint my well beloved son Ichabod Kerby sole executor of this my last will and testament and I do hereby utterly disallow, revoke and disanull, all and every other former testaments, wills, legacies, and bequests by me in any wise before named, willed and bequeathed, ratifying and confirming this & no other to be my last will & testament in witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day & year first above written.

"Signed, Sealed, published & pronounced }                                  her
and declared by the said Rebekah Kerby   }                     Rebekah X Kerby
to be her last will & testament in the         }                                mark
presence of us the subscribers                   }
Adam Gifford
Jeremiah Gifford
Daniel Hathway

Bristoll December 21'st 1773
Then before the Hon'bl George Leonard Judge of probate of wills &c for the County of Bristol Came Adam gifford and Jeremiah Gifford two of the witnesses to the before written Instrument and made Oath that they were present & saw Rebeccah Kirby the subject ????? ????? did signe seal & heard her Publish & Declare sd Instrument as her Last will and Testament and that she was of a sound and disposing mind & memory when she ????? and they with Daniel Hathaway signed & wittnessed with them at the same time and all in the presence of the Testator.
                                          George Leonard
                                          Ent'd in 23'rd 73 F 116
                                         Geo. Leonard JR
5.  SOURCES

1. Benjamin Franklin Wilbour, Little Compton Families ( Little Compton, R.I.: Little Compton Historical Society, 1967), page 504, Nathaniel Potter family sketch.

2. Alden G. Beaman, Ph.D. "A Line of Descent from Nathaniel Potter of Portsmouth," Rhode Island Genealogical Register, Volume 20, Number 1 (1999), pages 35-38, Nathaniel Potter family sketch.

3. Melatiah Everett Dwight, The Kirbys of New England; a history of the descendants of John Kirby of Middletown, Conn. and of Joseph Kirby of Hartford, Conn., and of Richard Kirby of Sandwich, Mass. together with genealogies of the Burgis, White and Maclaren families, and the ancestry of John Drake, of Windsor, Conn.  (New York, N.Y.: The Trow printers, 1898), page 241, Robert Kirby family sketch.

4. Bristol County [Mass.] Register of Probate, Bristol County (Mass.) Probate Records, 1686-1880, American Ancestors (https://www.americanancestors.org), "Bristol County Probate Papers, 1686-1880," Bristol 20000-21999, Estate packet 20471 (6 images), Nathaniel Potter, Dartmouth, 1704; original records in Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Archives.

5. Bristol County [Mass.] Register of Probate, Bristol County (Mass.) Probate Records, 1690-1881, "Bristol County Probate Papers, 1686-1880," Bristol 14000-15999, Estate packet 15231 (25 images), Robert Kirby, Dartmouth, 1757; original records in Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Archives.

6. Bristol County, Massachusetts, Probate case files, Volume: Bristol 14000-15999 - Estate File #15226 Rebekah Kirby estate, 1773; "Bristol County (Massachusetts) Probate Records, 1636-1899," digital images, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2017, American Ancestors (https://www.americanancestors.org: accessed 19 December 2020); from original records at Probate Registry, Taunton, Mass. Digitized mages provided by FamilySearch.org.

7. Melatiah Everett Dwight, The Kirbys of New England (New York, N.Y.: The Trow printers, 1898), page 241, Robert Kirby and Rebecca Potter marriage, no date given.

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NOTE:  Amy Johnson Crow suggested a weekly blog theme of "52 Ancestors" in her blog post 
 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks on the No Story Too Small blog.  I have extended this theme in 2022 to 468 Ancestors in 468 Weeks.

Copyright (c) 2022, Randall J. Seaver

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