52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2015 WEEK 40: ANDREW SPAULDING OF CHELMSFORD, MA.

My 7x great grandfather Andrew Spaulding was the youngest of Edward Spaulding's seven
children and apparently the only son still living when Edward died. Here's William Richard Cutter's  entry for him:

(II) Andrew Spaulding, son of Edward Spaulding (1), born November 19, 1652, died May 5, 1713. He inherited the estate from his father. He was deacon of the church, and held the office until he died. He married April 30, 1674, Hannah Jefts, died January 21, 1730, daughter of Henry Jefts, of Billerica, Massachusetts. His will was dated June 6, 1712. Children: 1. Hannah, died March 25, 1677. 2. Andrew, born March 25, 1678; mentioned below. 3. Henry, born November 2, 1680. 4. John, born August 20, 1682. 5. Rachel, born September 26, 1685; married December 7, 1703, Samuel Butterfield. 6. William, born August 3, 1688. 7. Joanna, born October 8, 1689 or 90; married Josiah Fletcher. 8. Benoni, born February 6, 1691. 9. Mary, born December 5, 1695; died July 18, 1698.
 -p 979

Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of Boston and Eastern Massachusetts, Volume 2  Lewis historical Publishing Company, 1908

Here is Andrew's will from the Middlesex County probate file collection on AmericanAncestors.org. It's a bit unusual in that while most wills I've found would have been written "book style" with a "page" on either side of the fold in the middle, it's written from edge to edge right across that fold. The handwriting is elegant, and very legible, and since Andrew signed it using his "mark", I suspect that perhaps it was written for Andrew by John Meriam Junr whose signature as a witness is very fancy:

Middlesex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1648-1871.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives.)20918:2

Middlesex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1648-1871.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives.20918:1

I'm descended from Andrew's son John who will be the subject of my next post in the 2015
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge.