52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2017 WEEK 2:RALPH ELLINGWOOD JR. OF BEVERLY, MA. PT3

My ancestor Ralph Ellingwood Jr died sometime between 8 April 1741, when he made out his will,
and 11 May 1741 when it was filed in court in Ipswich, Ma. There are some interesting points in it:

-Ralph's name is spelled Ellingwood, rather than the Ellinwood used by his father Ralph Sr. or the
Ellenwood used by his brother Benjamin and his descendants, It may have ben a way to differentiate
between the two families, since Benjamin was a successful merchant in Salem while Ralph was a
farmer in Beverly.

-Provisions were made for the widow of Ralph Jr's son Ralph III and her two oldest children, but
no mention is made of the other children of Ralph III in the will.

-Ralph makes sure his daughter Abigail is provided for "During her naturall Life, She Being not
Abele to provide for her self, for her comfortabele subsistance while in the World". Was Abigail sickly or was this because she was a 46 year old spinster at the time of her father's death? (She
lived for another 35 years.)

-Ralph Jr's real estate holdings are measured in poles, not acres, and I haven't a good head for
converting them to acres. But the total real estate was valued at 497 pounds, so he was land wealthy.

Here's the images of the two page will:

Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives.) Case 8712 Image 33

Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives.) Case 8712 Image 34

And here's my transcript of the document:
In the Name of God Amen I Ralph Ellingwood of Beverly
in the County of Essex in New England husbandman Being Weake
& Inferme in Bodey & Calling to mind that it is Appointed
By God for all men are to Dye Do make this my Last Will
& Testament & in the first place I Do Commit my sole into the
hands of God that Gave it & my Bodey to the Earth to Be
deasantly Buried  at the discresion of my Executors after named
& as for my Temporal Estate wherewith it has plesed God
to Bles me I Do Dispose of it after the foowing maner

Imprimus my Will is that all my personall Estate my Common Rights  &
a small oease of Land I now improve for a Gardin & adioyns on my
Sone Ebenezars Land Extending Westrly to the Way that LeadsDown to
the Water as the fenc now stands Be Sold by my Executors to
pay my just Depts & financall Charges & the overplus money
if any there Be to be Divided Eaqualy Among my Children
Sone Ralph Ellingwoods Children to have one Share

Item I give unto my daughter Abigail Ellingwood the Improvement of one
half of my Real Estate During her naturall Life, She Being not
Abele to provide for her self, for her comfortabele subsistance while
in the World.

my Will is that my two Grannsons Israele Ellingwood & Ralph
Ellingwood have the free use & Improvement of the Barne &
Wele there father Built on my Lands with Egres to & from the same
I give unto the children of my sone Ralph Ellingwood desesd one fifth
part of my Real Estate to be to them & there heirs for Ever Saving
my daughter Abigails Improvement

I give unto my sone Ebenezar Ellingwood & to his heirs one fifth of my Real
Estate

I give unto my sone Thomas Ellingwood & to his heirs one fifth of my Real
Estate

I give unto my daughter Returne Ellingwood one fifth, or in money
Aquivalant; of my Real Estate 

I give unto my daughter Martha Smith & to her heirs one fifth of my
Real Estate or an Aquivlanc in money

My Will is that my Sons Ebenezar Ellingwood &Thomas Ellingwood
together with my two Gransons Israell & Ralph Ellingwood if they
se cause Redeme my Lands in Equall proportion they paying unto my
two daughters Returne & Martha the value of there shares in my Estate
in money upon Apprisement the one half to to Be paid to each of them
in one year after my Desese the other half in one year after my
Daughter Abigails desese

My Will further is that if any of my children or granchildren
Shold Bring a Dept Against my Estate that it Shall Be
paid out of Such parsons Share

My will is that my Sone in Law Nehemiah Smith Improve
that half of my Lands I have in this my Will ordered for my
Daughter Abigails Support  & that he Render an Account yearly
unto my Executors of the produce or profits there of
& pay in the same to my sd Daughter that so She may not be
Deprived of the proper Benifits & in Case my Sone Smith Should
neglect to Improve the Land to the Best advantage according
to the nature thereof it shall & may be Lawfull for my
Executors to Rent the Same to Some other person

And Lastly I do Appoint my Sone Thomas Ellingwood & frind
Joseph Trask to be my sole executors of this my Last Will &
Testament hearby Revoking all other Wills By me heartofore
made & in Confrimation of This my Last Will &Testament I do
hearunto set my hand & seale this eight day of Aprele
one thousand seven hundred & forty one
Signed Sealed & published           Ralph (his mark) Ellingwood
In presents of
Israell Wood
John Stephens
Anthony Wood