Amanuensis Monday -- 1756 Will of Jane Hall of Sutton, Massachusetts Bay Colony

This week's document for transcription is the 1756 Will of Jane Hall of Sutton, Worcestrer County, Massachusetts Bay Colony.

*  Worcester County, Massachusetts, Probate Records, image 1074 of 1113:

*  Worcester County, Massachusetts, Probate Records, image 1075 of 1113:

The transcription of this document is (aided by FamilySearch Full-Text Search using Artificial Intelligence):

[starting at the top of  image 1074 of 1113]

The Last Will and Testament of Jane Hall Re-

lict widow to Deacon Parcivall Hall Deceased 

In the Name of God , Amen The fifth day of Octo-

ber , in the year of our Lord 1756. 1 Jean Hall of 

Sutton in the County of Worcester within his 

Majesties Province of the Massachusets Bay in New 

England Relict widow to Percival Hall Late of Sut-

ton Deceased; under Bodily decay but of perfect 

mind and memory, Thanks be unto God, calling to 

mind the Mortality of my Body, and knowing 

that it is appointed for men once to die Do make 

Ordain this my Last Will and Testament. That 

is to say principally and first of all, I Give and 

Recommend my Soul to God that gave it: and my 

Body I commit to the Earth to be Decently Buried at

the Discretion of my Executor hereafter named, not 

Doubting but to Recieve my Body again in the 

Resurection at the Last Day. and as Touching my 

worldly Estate and Goods which it hath pleased God

 to Bless me with in this life. I Give, Demise &

Dispose of the same in the following manner and 

Form That is to say. First I will that all my 

Lawful Debts that I owe to any manner of Person 

or Persons whatsoever shall be well and truly paid 

in Convenient time after my Decease, by my Execu-

t or hereafter named. 

Item. I give to my Son Willis Hall, whom I likewise 

Constitute , make and Ordain my Sole Executor of this 

my Last will and Testament, all the Interest I have in 

the House, cows, or Stock, and also all the money or 

Debts that are owing to me, from any and every Person 

whomsoever, the legacy hereafter mentioned only Ex-

cepted, and he paying thirteen shillings and four Pence 

to each of my Children that is to say so much to 

my son Stephen Hall, & so much to Zacheus Hall 

my second son & the same to my son Thomas Hall 

and the same sum to each of my Daughters that 

is to say to Jean Rice, to Elisabeth Smith & to Su-

sannah Cumming. And also I give to him 

my son Willis Hall what He Borrowed of me, he 

paying the sd Legacies to my other children as above 

mentioned. 

Item. I give to my son Stephen Hall, Thomas Hall & Za-

cheus Hall & to my Daughters Jean Rice, Elisabeth 

Smith and Susannah Cumming, Thirteen shillings and

four Pence , that is to say , so much to each of them , in 

Lawful money, to be paid them by my Executor above 

mentioned. 

Item.  I Give to my three Daughters above named Jean 

Rice, Elisabeth Smith & Susannah Cumming, and to 

my Grand Daughter Hannah Willard, to each of them 

[image 1075 of 1113]

one fifth part ( among them ) four fifth parts 

of all my wearing apparel and of all my houshold 

stuff of what Denomination soever to be Equally Devided 

among them.

Item.  I give to my Daughter Jean Rices Daughters one 

third part of the other fifth part, and to my Daugh-

ter Susannah Cumming Daughters one third part 

of sd other fifth part and to my Grand Daughter Mary 

Printice the other third part of sd fifth part of all 

my wearing apparel and Houshold stuff as affor-

sd the whole of which to be divided in manner 

and proportion as before mentioned. 

Item as to the Legacy lately fallen to me out of my bro-

ther William Willisses Estate, not yet come to my 

hand or to my Executor nor in any wise comprehen-

ded in the forementioned Bequeathments, when that 

Estate of my Brothers be divided off to me or my Heirs.

 Imprimis my will is that my son, Zacheus shall have and 

Enjoy of that out of that Legacy nine pounds Six

Shillings and Eight pence lawful money, on account 

of the singular Difficulty he has sustained in the account 

of the obligation, he hath been under to pay that Bond 

my Deceased Husband Gave to y'e Hon'bl. Paul Dudley Esq De-

ceased.

Item. My will is that my Grand Daughter Hannah Willard 

Have out of that Legacy two pounds thirteen Shillings

and four pence in full of his interest in sd Legacy.

 Ileen my will is & I give the Remainder of sd Legacy to be 

Equally Divided among all my sons and Daughters ( that 

is That my sons Stephen Hall , Zacheus Hall, Thomas

Hall & willis Hall & my Daughters Jean Rice, Elisabeth 

Smith , & Susannah Cummings have each one an Equal 

share of the Remainder of sd Legacy;  after what I have 

giwen to my son Rachel Hall and to my Grand Daugh-

ter Hannah Willard be deducted out of it as above.

And I Do hereby utterly Disallow Revoke and Disanul 

any other will or wills Testament of Testaments, by 

me heretofore made , Ratifying and Confirming this &

no other to be my last will and Testament. 

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my Hand and 

seal , the day and year first above written.

 Signed , Sealed , Published

Pronounced , & declared by 

the sd Jean Hall as her Last                   Jean Hall  {seal}

will and Testament in the 

Presence of us the Subscribers

   Joshua Hill S 

  Nathan Hill S 

  Sarah Axtell 

                                                   

The source citation for this Deed is:

Worcester County, Massachusetts, Worcester Probate Files - Series A: Worcester Estate Case Files, 1731-1981, Jane Hall will dated 5 October 1756, proved 14 November 1757; imaged, FamilySearch   (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-992Z-H8VT?view=fullText : Oct 5 2025), Image Group Number: 100614005,  images 1,074-1,075 of 1,113; original records in Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (Worcester County); imaged, catalogued and transcribed by FamilySearch.

In this will dated 5 February 1756, Jane Hall, widow and relict of Percival Hall, of Sutton bequeathed her personal estate, consisting of money and "stuff," plus an unknown legacy from her brother, to her seven children and their children.  

Jane Willis (1677-1757) was born 9 April 1677 in Medford, Massachusetts Bay Colony, the daughter of Thomas and Grace (Tay) Willis.  She married Percival Hall (1672-1752) on 2 February 1696 in Woburn, Massachusetts Bay Colony.  Jane (Willis) Hall died 27 October 1757 in Sutton, Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Percival and Jane (Willis) Hall are my 8th great-grandparents, through their daughter Jane Hall (1700-1769) who married Jonas Rice (1707-1793) in 1728.

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

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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