Joshua Fuller of Newton, Province of Massachusetts Bay, New England
Last Will written, 22 January 1741/2
Middlesex County Probate Court
Reference: Case Number 8765
Probate, 13 July, 1752, Cambridge, Middlesex,
Province of Massachusetts Bay, New England
(Born 2 April, 1654 – Died 27 June, 1752)
(Joshua2, John1 of Newton)
Transcribed March 2016 by
Diana Spelman, Norwich, Norfolk, UK
I Joshua Fuller of Cambrige in the County of Midd[lese]x in the Province of the Mass[achuse]ts Bay in New England Yeoman, (being advanced in years, but in body health and of a composed mind & memory, thanks be unto God for it) Do make and ordain this my last Will & Testament as follows.
Vi[delice]t In the first place I commend my soul to Almighty God humbly intreating pardon & aceptance thru the Merritts of the Lord Jesus Christ; And my body to the earth to be buryed in a decent Christian manner at the discretion of my Exe[cuto]rs here after named. And as to what Worldy estate it has pleased God to bestow upon me, my Just debts & funeral charges being firstsatisfied & paid, I dispose of the same as follows; Vi[delice]t
Imp[rimi]s – I give & bequeath to Eleaz[ou]r Ward, Jonathan Shepard, Nath[anie]ll Shepard, Joshua Child & Joshua Gearfield whom I brought up & lived with me, the sum of Five pounds each in good Cust[omary] publick bills of Credit in said Province
Item – I give to Nath[anie]ll Pond, Isaac Dana & Jonathan Morse who lived with me Fourty shillings each in good publick bills of Credit in s[ai]d Province as aforced.
Item – I give to Edward Ransford a Copper Kettle, & to David Ramford a silver cup which they each of them have already Received.
Item – I give & bequeath the whole Residue & Remainder of of my Estate both Real & personal whatsoever & Wheresoev[e]r it may be, to my beloved Children & Grand children hereafter named, to them & their heirs forever, Vi[delice]t to my daughters Elizabeth Allen, Hannah Cook, Experience Child, Abigail Gearfield & Ruth Chennery; And to the surviving children of my beloved daugter Sarah Parke dec[ea]s[e]d one single share to be equally divided amongst them.
Also to my Grand child Eliza[beth] Cady the daughter of my belov[e]d Daughter Mercy Cady dec[ea]s[e]d One single share; If it shud please God to take away my said Grand child Eliza[beth] Cady by death before s[ai]d Legacy becomes due, I then hereby give & bequeath said Legacy to my children & all my Grand children to be equally divided amongst amongst[sic] them, the charge of her sickness & funeral to be first defrayed out of said Legacy. It is here to be understood that what of my estate I have [bottom of page one]
have already given to my said children, which I have kept an account of shall be Reconed as part of their portions and this Residue or Remainder of my Estate shall be divided and distributed amongst them, so as to make them equal sharers in my estate.
If it shud so happen that my Children & Grand children a fore mentioned shud dissagree in the division of my Estate I then hereby impower my Ex[ecut]ors here after named, with the advice of the Hon[oura]ble Judge of the Probate of Wills in s[ai]d County of Midd[lese]x for the time being to Order the distribution & division of my Estate amongst my said Children & Grand children according to the true intent & meaning of this my Last Will.
Finally – I hereby Nominate, Constitute & Appoint my trusty & well beloved friend Samuel Jackson Esq[uire] of Newtown & my sons in Law Stephen Cook & Joseph Gearfield Ex[ecut]ors of this my Last Will & Testam[en]t. In Wittness whereof I have here unto set my hand & seal the Twenty Second day of January in the Fifteenth year of his Maj[est]is Reign Annoque Dom[ini] 1741
[Inserted in 1742]
[Middlesex] ss: Cam[bridge] 3 Dec 1742
I hereby constitute & appoint Tho[ma]s Sparhawk Esq. of this my Will, instead of Sam[u]el Jackson Esq. this day dec[ease]d …………………………………………….. [end of insert]
Signed Sealed & Published
by ye s[ai]d Joshua Fuller as his Joshua Fuller
Last Will & Testam[en]t: in
presence of us the subscribers [signatures]
Benja[mi]n Dana
Tho[ma]s Sparhawk
William Dana
Probate:
Middlesex County Cambridge 13 July 1752
To all People to whom these Presents shall come Samuel Danforth Esq: Judge of the Probate of Wills &c in the County of Middlesex, within the Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New-England, sendeth Greeting.
Know Ye, That on the thirteenth Day of July Anno Domini 1752 the Instrument hereunto annexed (purporting the last Will and Testament of Joshua Fuller late of Cambridge in the said County, Yeaman deceased) was presented for Probate by Tho[ma]s Sparhawk, Stephen Cook & Joseph Garfield the Executors therein named; then present messrs Thomas Sparhawk & William Dana two of the Witnesses thereto subscribed, who made Oath, that they saw the said Testator Sign & Seal and heard him declare [crossed out] the said Instrument to be [crossed out] as his last Will and Testament, and that they with Capt[ain] Benjamin Dana Dece[ase]d subscribed their Names together as Witnesses to the Execution thereof in the said Testators Presence; and that he was then (to the best of their Judgment) of sound and disposing Mind: The said Sparhawk further declared on oath that the said Joshua publish’d said Instrument as his last Will & testament – But Mr W[illia]m Dana could only testifye his Belief that it was so publish’d but had not a distinct Remembrance of it.
I DO Prove, Approve and Allow of the said Instrument as the last Will and Testament of the before named deceas’d, and do commit the Administration thereof in all Matters the same concerning, and of his Estate whereof he died seiz’d and possess’d in said County, unto them the before named Executors well and faithfully to Execute the said Will; and to administer the Estate of the said deceas’d according thereto; who accepted of their said Trust, and were directed to exhibit an Inventory of said Deceas’ds Personal estate [deleted: according to ….] and they shall render an Account (upon Oath) of their Proceedings, when thereunto lawfully required.
IN TESTIMONY whereof I have hereunto set my Hand and Seal of Office, the Day and Year above Written.
(signed) S: Danforth
Inventory:
A true Inventory of the parsonal Estate of Mr Joshua Fuller Late of Cambridge Dec[ease]d as shown to us by his Executors and apprized by us the subscribers in old Tenor [(£) (s) (d) (q)]
In Apparial £26 2s/ – In Money £32 1s 11d 2 [farthings]
two silver spoons £8 spoons 5/- 66 10 11 2
money out on Bonds principle and Intrest 1986 08 00
in Books £9 15/- beding in the lower Room £11 8/- 21 03 00
Beding in the Chamber £46 5/- in linins £1 6/- 47 11 00
in Puter £19 9s 6 in Brase ware £10 6/- one screen £3 0/- 32 15 06
two pair of hand Irons £5 15/- two pair of tongs £1 two shovels 12/- 07 07 00
small sundrey things £5 11/0 two tram bols £1 4/- Iron pot 25/- 06 00 06
sixe Chairs £3 Eight Chairs 41/6 Lucking glase 15/- 05 16 06
three Tables £3 15/- three trunks 39/ Tee pot 10/- 06 04 00
stone morter 18/- Earthen tee pot and sundry other things £2 5/- 03 03 00
In Teen ware 24/6 In Earthen Ware 23/- three Glase botels 3/- 02 10 06
Frying pan 8/ old Coved 10/- a Closestool & pot 28/- 02 06 00
In Wooding Ware £6 13/- Clock Reel 10/- two Wheels 13/- 07 16 00
Skels and Wats 25/- axes and other small things 21/- small Desk 25/- 03 11 00
three Stools 14/- other small things 16/- du on note £4 4s 6d 05 14 06
Cambridge July 23th 1752 2204 17 5 2
[signed]
Jonathan Fuller)
William Dana ) Com:tt
Joseph Cook )
Middlesex Decemb[e]r 11, 1752
Messrs Stephin Cook & Joseph Garfield two of the Executors presented the foregoing Inventory on Oath [signed] S Danforth J: prob.
Source:
Middlesex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1648-1871. New England Historic Genealogical Society, online database, 2014. From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives, Boston, MA, USA.