Monday, January 1, 2024

Amanuensis Monday -- 1843 Will of Ebenezer Seaver (1763-1844 of Roxbury, Massachusetts) in the Knox County, Ohio Probate Records

This week's document for transcription is the 1843 will of Ebenezer Seaver (1763-1844 of Roxbury, Massachusetts), in the Knox County, Ohio Probate Court records.

*  Knox County, Ohio Probate Court Records, Probate Case Files, Box 18, Case 309, image 592 of 2691:

*  Knox County, Ohio Probate Court Records, Probate Case Files, Box 18, Case 309, image 593 of 3691:

The transcription of this document is:

I,  Ebenezer Seaver of Roxbury in the County of Norfolk and
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Esquire do make and publish this
my last will and testament, as follows, to wit.

I give and devise to my son Ebenezer Seaver about twenty acres of pasture
land situated in said Roxbury, called the Chalk Hill pasture.  Also about three
and a half acres of fresh meadow land in he Great Meadow so called
in the Middle Parish of said Roxbury.  And also about twelve acres
of woodland in Muddy Pond Woods so called in Dorchester, To have and
to hold the above named three parcels of land to him the said Ebenezer
Seaver, his heirs and assigns to his and their use and behoof forever.

To my son Jonathan Seaver I give and bequeath my silver tankard
which came to me from my ancestors, and has been a long time in the
Seaver family.

I will, order and direct that the amount due on the note for two thousand
dollars secured by mortgage of real estate which my daughter Elizabeth
Davis wife of Benjamin Davis holds against me be paid her within
one year after my decease.

To my daughter Sarah Parker, widow of Thomas Parker, deceased
I give and bequeath all the household goods and furniture, which belonged
to her in the life time of her said husband and which were conveyed
by him to me.  To have and to hold the same to her the said Sarah Parker
her Executors, Administrators and assigns to her and their use & behoof
forever; and I do further will and direct that my said daughter
Sarah Parker have a comfortable maintenance in sickness and
in health from her two sons George J. Parker and Augustus Parker
out of the estate which I have herein given them so long as she
shall remain a widow.

I will order and direct that the amount due on the note for two
thousand dollars secured by mortgage of real estate which my daughter
Susan Seaver holds against me be paid her within one year after my decease.
I do further give and devise to my said daughter Susan Seaver the
use of such room in my mansion house in Roxbury as she shall
select so long as she shall remain unmarried.  And I do also
give and bequeath to my said daughter Susan Seaver furniture of
the value of one hundred dollars to be selected by her from the Inventory
made at the appraisal of my estate.

To my two grandsons George J. Parker and Augustus Parker I give & devise
my homestead Farm in said Roxbury including Five acres of land
adjoining the Land occupied by Ebenezer Dorr containing in
all about Seventy acres of land with the buildings thereon,
also about eight acres of land in said Roxbury called the Long Pasture
adjoining the land occupied by said Dorr.  Also about seven acres of
woodland in Muddy Pond Woods in Dorchester called the Morton
lot.  Also about six and a half acres of Marsh land in Dorchester
and also about five acres of Marsh land upon the Island so called
in the full basin of the Boston & Roxbury Mill Corporation in said Roxbury.
They the said George and Augustus providing for their mother Sarah
Parker out of the said estate a Comfortable support in sickness and in health
as long as she shall remain a widow.  To have and to hold the above parcels
of real estate to them the said George and Augustus their heirs and assigns
to their use and behoof forever.  I also give and bequeath to my said
Grandsons all my farming tools, carriages, produce of the farm ungathered
and in hand and stock upon the farm and also all my household
furniture which is not herein disposed of.  To have and to hold
the same to them the said George and Augustus their Executors Administrators
and assigns to their use and behoof forever.

And after the payment of my just debts, the legacies given by this my last
will and testament, funeral charges, and expenses of settling my estate
I give bequeath and devise all the rest and residue of my estate real and
personal of every name and nature in equal undivided  fifth parts to
my said Son Ebenezer Seaver, my daughter Susan Seaver, and my 
three Grandchildren Thomas H. Parker, Lucy Parker and Sarah
Parker, To have and to hold the same to them the said Ebenezer
Susan, Thomas, Lucy and Sarah their heirs Executors Administrators
and assigns to their use and behoof forever.

And I do hereby appoint my said son Ebenezer Seaver Executor of this
my last will and testament.

In Witness whereof, I the said Ebenezer Seaver have
hereunto set my hand and seal this twenty eighth day of September
in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred & forty three.
                                                       Ebenezer Seaver  {seal}

Signed sealed and declared by the
said Ebenezer Seaver to be his last will
and testament in presence of us who at
his request and in his presence have
subscribed our names as witnesses.
                       Catherine Leland
                       Henry Leland
                        Wm. Leland
                                                Copy Attest  J.H. Cobb Regr.

The source citation for this will is:

Ohio County, District and Probate Courts, Knox County > "Probate Case Files, Box 17-19, 1830s to 1850s,"Wills Box 18, Case 309, images 592-593 of 2691Ebenezer Seaver files, will written 1843; "Ohio, U.S., Wills and Probates, 1786-1998," indexed records with digital images, Ancestry.com   (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 24 December 2023); Original data is from Ohio County, District and Probate Courts filmed by FamilySearch.

Ebenezer Seaver (1763-1844) was born on 5 July 1763 in Roxbury, Massachusetts, the son of Ebenezaer and Mary (Weld) Seaver.  He married Elizabeth Clapp (1767-1838) in Boston, Massachusetts.  Ebenezer died 1 March 1844 in Roxbury.  Ebenezer served as a member of the United States Congress from 1803 to 1813, and 
as in the Massachusetts State House of Representatives from 1784 to 1802, and 1822, 1823 and 1826.  Ebenezer and Elizabeth (Clapp) Seaver had ten children:

*  Elizabeth Seaver (1789-1793).
*  Ebenezer Seaver (1791-1845), married 1817 Clarissa Weld (1793-1832).
*  Jonathan Seaver (1793-1864), married 1823 Mary Gallego Plummer (1795-????).
*  Elizabeth Seaver (1795-1885), married 1839 Benjamin Baker Davis (1794-1877).
*  Sarah Seaver (1797-1884), married 1820 Thomas Parker (1791-1832).
*  Susannah Seaver (1799-1801).
*  Joshua Seaver (1801-1832).
*  Susanna Seaver (1803-1870).
*  Lucy Seaver (1805-1822).
*  Nathaniel Seaver (1807-1832).

The will pages above are from a Knox County, Ohio Probate Court case file and are a court clerk's copy  of original papers, and therefore a Derivative Source. They are Primary Information and Direct Evidence of the names, relationships, dates and places noted therein.

The same will papers, and a number of other estate papers are also in the Norfolk County, Massachusetts Probate papers available on Ancestry.com and on American Ancestors.  I just discovered that I missed transcribing Norfolk County probate records for Seaver people!  I have more work to do!!!

Why is this will in the Knox County, Ohio probate papers?  I think it's because Thomas H[enderson] Parker was an heir and he resided in Knox County, Ohio at the time of Ebenezer's death in Roxbury.  Hosmer Curtiss, an attorney at law in Knox County, requested the probate papers from Norfolk County, Massachusetts in 1847 by letter and received them. 

I am a 3rd cousin 7 times removed to Ebenezer Seaver (1763-1844), with the common Seaver ancestor being my 9th great-grandfather Robert Seaver (1608-1683).

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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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