This week's document for Amanuensis Monday is the 1714 will of Ebenezer Slocum (1650-1715) of Jamestown, Newport County, Rhode Island:
a) Jamestown, R.I. Land Evidences, Volume 1, page 165:
b) Jamestown, R.I. Land Evidences, Volume 1, page 166:
c) Jamestown, R.I. Land Evidences, Volume 1, page 167:
The transcription of this will is:
[page 165]
The Last will and Testament of Ebenezer
Slocumb of Conanicutt
Island alias James Town in the Colony
of Rhoad Island and Providence
Plantations in New England in America
Husbandman is as
followeth Know yee that I the said
Ebenezer Slocumb being
Through the Mercy of God Indifferent
We;; in Body and of Perfect
mind and Sound Memory praised be his
holy Name for the Preventing
future Trouble between my Wife and
Children and Relations
Do make My Last Will and Testament as
followeth.
Imprimus My mind and Will is that my
Executors and Executrix
hereafter Named Shall Receive all
Debts Justly due unto me
and Shall pay all Debts Justly due from
me to any Person or
Persons Whatsoever. Item I do give
(unto) and Bequeath unto
my Loveing Wife Mary Slocumb a fether
bed boulster bed-
stead with all other furniture there
unto belonging and My
Negro Woman Called Cate With all my
Plaite to be freely att
her ^own^ Disposeall.
Item I do give and bequeath unto my
Eldest Son Samuell Slocumb
and his Heires Lawfully begotten of his
own Body in Wedlock
a Certain Persell or Tract of Land
Scituate Lying and being in
James Town aforesaid on the Northward
Side of my farm which
he Now Posseseth part of the Same the
whole being bounded Northward-
ly by Land belonging to Francis Brindly
Eastwardly by a highway
Southwardly by in Part by Land now in
possession of Richard Tew and
partly by Land belonging unto me the
said Ebenezer Slocumb the said
Southward Line is to run the Same point
of the Compas from
the said highway to the Sea as it doth
between the said Tews Land
and the said Land Now in the Possession
of him my said Son Sam^l
Slocumb it is to be understood that the
said Land is to bear the Same
breadth att the Sea as itt doth att the
Said highway and Westwardly
by the Salt Water or Sea Togeather with
all buildings and other
Privileges theirin contained.
Item I do give and bequeath unto my
Second Son Ebenezer Slocumb and
his maile heirs Lawfully begotten of
his own Body forever the
Remaining Part of my farm Scituate in
James Town above said
bounded Northwardly by land given unto
my son Sam^l Slocumb
Eastwardly by Land now in the
Possession of the said Richard Tew
Southwardly by a high way and
Westwardly by the Sea or Salt
water Togeather With all y^e buildings
Orchards and all Other
Privileges therein Contained only my
^mind and^ Will is that my
Loveing Wife Mary Slocumb Shall have
Equall Privileges
and benfitt with my said Son Ebenezer
Slocumb in my said
farm, Orchards Houseing and houshold
goods During her
Widowhood and my mind and Will is that
my said Wife Shall
Marrey Againe then my said Son Ebenezer
Slocumb Shall in
Lew of her Thirds or dower of the
aforesauid farm pay unto
his mother yearly During her Naturall
Life the Sum of Six
Pounds pr year in Money or Equivalent
to mony if she
will Except thereof in Lew of her
Thirds as aforesaid
[page 166]
Item I do give and bequeath unto my Son
Giles Slocumb and
his heires and Assigns forever all That
my farm of Percell of
Land lying in Corvesett within the
Township of Warwick which
I bought of my son in law Peter Green
deceased as Will more fully
Appear by a Bill of Sale from said
Green Refferance there unto
had with all my Right in Land which I
bought of Warwick and
Grenwich men which thay bought of the
Colony for him my
said son Giles Slocumb his heires or
Assigns to have and
Possess When he Shall attain unto the
Age of Twenty one years
with all Liberteys and appurtenances
thereunto belonignig or in
any wise Appertaining. I also give
unto my son Giles Slocumb
Two oxen two cowes one horse and my
Negro Boy Called Sam.
Item I Do give and bequeath unto my Son
Joseph Slocumb and
his heires and Assignes forever four
Acres of land be itt
more or less lying in the Township Land
on the Island of
Conanticutt alias James Town with all
my Right in Duck
Island with all the Privilegges there
unto belonging and also
one hundred and fifty Pounds in money
or goods or Stock
Equivalent to Money to be paid unto him
when he Shall Attain
Unto the Age of one and Twenty years by
my Executors here
after Named and my mind and Will is and
I do hereby Declare
that if either of my said Sons Giles
Slocumb or Joseph Slocumb
shall Decease before he has Come of Age
to Receive his
Portion in this my Will given him then
that part (shall) of
his that Shall so Decease Shall belong
to the Survivor of them
both Land Stock and Money as aforesaid.
Item Whereas my three Daughters (Viz)
Elizabeth the widow of
Peter Green deceased Rebecah the wife
of William Burling
and Desire the wife of Sam^ll Dyer
having had alredy
fully Receuived their Portions with the
Legacie given them
by their Grandfather Slocumb I give and
bequeath unto
Each of my aforesaid Daughters five
shillings in money
to be Paid by my Executors hereafter
named.
Item I do give and bequeath unto my
Two Daughters Marcy Slocum
and Abigail Slocumb to each of them
fifty Pounds to them unto
money or goods Equivalent to money to
be paid unto
Each of them att the Age of Eighteen
Years or att theire
Respective dayes of Marriage which
shall first be by my
Executors hear after named and if
either of my said two
Daughters Shall decease before they
Come of age to Receive
theire Portions that then the Deceased
part shall be paid
as aforesaid to the Survivor of them
two.
[page 167]
And my mind and Will is and I do hereby
give and bequeath
unto my above Named Son Ebenezer
Slocumb all and Every
part of the Rest of all my Stock and
Moveable Estate what
soever and where soever itt is to be
found Which is not already
disposed on in this my Last Will and
Testament and he I do
ordaine Constitute appoint and make my
Executor with my
Well beloved Wife Executrix to pay the
above said Legacies and
to see my last Will and Testament in
all Things fully
Performed fulfilled and Kept According
to the True Intent and
meaning of the Same and desire my
Loveing friends and
neighbors John Hall and Joseph Mory
both of James Town
aforesaid and my cozen Jacob Mot
of Potchmouth Rhoade
Island to be my Overseers to assist and
Councill my Executor
and Executrix in the due and trew
Execution and Proformance
of this my Last Will and Testament so
farr as they Can
in wittness Whareof I the said Ebenezer
Slocumb have hereunto
sett my hand and seale the Tenth day of
the Tenth Month
Called December in the year of the Lord
one Thousand
Seven hundred and fourteen 1714.
Signed Sealed and Delivered by }
the above said Ebenezer Slocumb }
Ebenezer Slocumb {seal}
to be his Last Will and Testament }
in the Presents of
John Wanton
Thomas Richardson
Thomas Leach
The will was proved in Jamestown
Council on 20 April 1715.
The source citation for this will is:
"Land Evidence Records, 1680-1899," Volumes 1-2, (manuscript, Jamestown, Rhode Island), on FHL US/CAN Microfilm 0,946,901, Volume 1, pages 165-167, Ebenezer Slocum will, 1715.
Ebenezer Slocumb named his wife, Mary Slocumb (1657-1732) and nine of his twelve children in his will. Daughters Mary (Slocum) Greene, Johannah (Slocum) Carr, and Deliverance (Slocum) Rogers were not named, and it is assumed they died before December 1714.
The land parcels owned by Ebenezer Slocum were transferred to his four sons.
Ebenezer and Mary (Thurston) Slocum are my 8th great-grandparents, through their oldest son Samuel Slocum (1685-1741) who married Hannah Carr (1691-1785) in 1708.
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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."
Copyright (c) 2018, Randall J. Seaver
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