Monday, January 30, 2023

Amanuensis Monday -- 1855 Will of William Seaver (1779-1869) of Taunton, Massachusetts

 This week's document for transcription is the 1855 will of William Seaver (1779-1869) of Taunton, Massachusetts.

Bristol County [Massachusetts] Probate Records - Will of William Seaver:

The transcription of this will is:

I William Seaver of Taunton do this Twenty
fourth day of May in the year of our Lord
Eighteen hundred & fifty five make this my
last Will & Testament in the manner following
viz:

I Give and bequeath unto my daughter Lydia P. Danforth
the sum of Ten Dollars.

Second I Give and bequeath unto my Daughter
Hannah B. Standish the sum of six Hundred
Dollars.

Third I Give and bequeath unto my son William
Seaver the sum of One Hundred Dollars.

Fourth and lastly, All the residue of my Estate
of which I shall die seized, both real and
personal, I give and bequeath unto my
son Samuel Seaver, to hold to him and
his heirs and assigns forever, he the said
Samuel to pay all the debts which I may
owe at my decease, and whereon I also
appoint Executor of this my last Will
and Testament.

All the above named, and bequeathed Legacies
are to hold to the respective Legatee and
their heirs and assigns forever.

The source citation for this probate case file is:

Bristol County [Mass.] Register of Probate, Bristol County (Mass.) Probate Records, 1686-1880, American Ancestors (https://www.americanancestors.org), Estate file 22522 (9 images), William Seaver of Taunton, 1869.

William Sever was born 26 March 1779 in Taunton, Massachusetts, the son of Major William and Thankful (Stetson) Sever.  He died on 8 July 1869 in Taunton.  He married Lydia Presbrey (1778-1849), the daughter of William and Lydia (Pratt) Presbrey, on 5 May 1799 in Taunton.  They had six children:

*  Lydia Presbrey Seaver (1800-1859), who married 1818 Allen Danforth (1796-1872).
*  Hannah Barney Seaver (1802-1885), who married 1831 David Standish (1801-1868).
*  William Seaver (1804-1859), who married 1830 Louisa Olney (1807-1851)
*  Hertilla Seaver (1806-1833), who married 1832 John Watson Wade (1806-1883).
*  Samuel Seaver (1808-1884), who married 1832 Lepha Miranda Hodges (1813-1894)
*  Nathaniel James Seaver (1820-1821).

The will of William Seaver was dated 4 May 1855, and proved on 18 April 1869 in Bristol County Probate Court.  His son Samuel Seaver was named as executor.  He named as legatees his living children at the time of the will - Lydia Danforth, Hannah Standish, William Seaver and Samuel Seaver.

The executor's petition for proving the will included the living heirs-at-law of William Seaver in 1869:

*  son Samuel Seaver, of Taunton, the executor.
*  daughter Hannah B. Standish of Dighton
*  grandchildren James A. Seaver, Mary Seaver and Emily Seaver of Providence, R.I.
*  grandchildren Lydia Ann Danforth, Mary A. Russel (wife of John deceased), and William S. Danforth
*  great-grandchildren Sarah A. Danforth of Plymouth, and James A. Danforth of Montana.

Note that there is no signature of the deceased, and no witnesses, on the will; a page may have been left out of the estate file.  A bond of $6,000 was posted by Samuel Seaver of Taunton, Allen Danforth of Plymouth, and Zenas Knapp of Taunton.  No inventory or executor's account were in the estate file.

William Sever/Seaver (1779-1869) is my 4th cousin 6 times removed.  Our common Seaver ancestor is Robert Seaver (1608-1683) of Roxbury, Massachusetts.

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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."

Read other transcriptions of records of my ancestors at Amanuensis Monday Posts.

Copyright (c) 2023, Randall J. Seaver

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