52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2016 WEEK 17: JACOB DANA OF CAMBRIDGE, MA. PT2

8x great grandfather Jacob Dana's probate file is not as much as a "hot mess" as that of my other ancestor Nathaniel Stow Jr. But, as my mother might say sarcastically, it is "a thing of beauty and a joy forever."

First there is the handwriting on some of the court documents which, while not illegible, is a bit of a challenge to decipher.

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.)Case 5848 Image4

Then there are the images with multiple small sips of paper with records of debts on the estate being paid.

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.)Case 5848 Image15

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.)Case 5848 Image16

Finally there is the creative spelling used in the estate inventory:

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.)Case 5848 Image2

"sadel and pilyan" (saddle and pillion)
"brass and putter and iren weare" (brass and pewter and iron ware)
"one trundell beed and beeding" (one trundle bed and bedding)

Transcribing this one will be a piece of cake though, compared to Nathaniel Stow Jr.'s file!