JONATHAN JOHNSON'S WILL PT2

My 10x great grandfather Jonathan Johnson was married to Mary Newton
so when I went looking for a transcription of his will I found it in a Newton
family genealogy on Googlebooks. One of the things I've noticed in the images
of wills I've found is that some are very organized with each bequest listed
seperately; others have "run-on paragraphs".  Jonathan's will is one of the
latter type.

After reading this, I'm left wondering why Jonathan makes a point of"wiling"
my 9x great grandfather William Johnson to take "good care of his sun Thomas
whil he lives..". Was Thomas an invalid or sickly? I need to see what I can find
out about that.

From Pages 29-30 of Newton Genealogy, Genealogical, Biographical, Historical: 
Being a Record of the Descendants of Richard Newton of Sudbury and Marlborough, Massachusetts 1638, with Genealogies of Families Descended from the Immigrants, 
Rev. Roger Newton of Milford, Connecticut, Thomas Newton of Fairfield, Connecticut, Matthew Newton of Stonington, Connecticut, Newtons of Virginia, Newtons Near Boston (Google eBook) Compiled by Ermina Newton Leonard, (pub. by Bernard
Ammidown Leonard, De Pere Wisconsin 1915)


In the name of God Amen the eighteenth of March 1711 I Jonathan Johnson of Marlburough in the County of Middlesex in new england yeoman being aged and somewhat infirm in body but sound and perfect and memory thanks be to god for it and calling to mind the mortality of my body and knowing that it is anointed for al men once to dye do make and ordain this my last will & testiment that is principly and first of all I give and Recommend my soul into the hands of god that gave it mee hoping throug the death and merits of Jesus christ to obtain pardon of all my sins and to inherit eternal life and my body I commit to the earth to be decently buried at the discrestion of my executrix & executor Herafter named nothing doubting but at the jenarall resurection I shall rescive the same again by the mighty power of god and as toucing my outward estate where with god hath pleased god to bless mee with in this life I give demis and dispos of as followeth. Item that all my debts be truly paid by my executrix a executor In conveniant time after my death. Item I doe give and bequeth to mary my beloved wife all the lot or Lands I now dweel on both fenced and unfenced with -all the priveleges thereof to Hur withall the building theron and all my cattle hors and swin and all my mouvable goods of all sorts and all the mony I have in hand or in bonds in whos hands so ever it is and all my lands within the cow common excpt about seven and twenty Acres that I have in a deed give to my sun William near Stony brook to settle his sun wllliam on. all which I give to hur for Hur comfortable subsistence during Hur Widdohood: with free leave for acts of charyty and if all the above said will not suffise I further give Hur leave with the advice and consent of the minnister and decon to sell of the outland for Hur comfort and if she should marry then the above said estate to be restored to my sun william and he if she should be in want to tak a filial care of Hur: and as for my sun Jonathan Johnson I gave him good part of his porshon before be dyed and the remainder of what I did intend for him of his whole porshon I haue given to his wife in a bond: and in Land and meadow which I haue sinc his decece have given to Hur and bis children: but still my fatherly love is so to his children that in this my Last will that I do give to each of them, that is to say Timothy Jonathan Jotham and Joseph six shiling apec to be by my Executer given to them that is to say to Timothy Johnson his six shilings won year after my decease and Jonathan three yers after end to Jotham and Joseph when they shall be above won and twenty years old and as for his Daughters Sarah Martha Mary and Hanna I give to each of them five shilings apiece to be paid when they are of the age of eighteen yers old apeece by my executer. and as for my Daughter Mary Mathes though shee be dead yet I do remember Hur and I have given to Hur in hur lifetim part of hur porshon in a deed of gift in land and medow to Hur and Hur children and now I have completed what I intended for their porshon in a deed of lands to Hur chilldren: Item I give to my grandaughter Hanna that now lives with mee twenty pound ten wherof shee shall have betwen this and hur mariag and the other ten pound within three years after my decece. Itim I give to Hulda Whitny six pound if she live with my wlf whil shee is eighteen years olid: to be paid to her within won year after: Itim I give to my sun in law Joh mathes my coopring tools to be delivered to him within three month after my deceac. Item I give to my sun William all my Lands without the cow common to him and his Hairs executers and asign for ever wiling him to take good care of his sun Thomas whil he lives and that he may be comfortably provided for. when he is dead all the rest of my Lands and and estate whatsoever that is not menshoned and disposed of before after my wives decece I give to my sun William Johnson to him and his hairs Executers and asigns forever

Also I do order, will constitute and ordain and make my beloved wif and my sun William Johnson Executrix and Executers to this my last wil and testiment;

Further I Give unto my Grandson Joseph Jonson (He being the youngest son to my Late son Jonathan Jonson Deceased) my Cedar Lott Lying and being near Chaucy Meadows: Further I make my well beloved son William Johnson overseer Trustee and Keeper of a Deed of Gift of Lands made unto my Grandchildren to John Daniell and Liddia Mathews and Ruth Matheus which sd Deed is to be by him my sd son Kept untill such time as they my sd Grandchildren Pay unto me or my Heirs or Exec the sum of Ten Pounds to witt that John Mathews afforesd Pay four pounds Daniell Liddia and Ruth Mathews pay each and every of them Respectively the full and Compleat sum of Forty shillings a Peace; at yc payment of all and every of the sums afforesd, my will is that sd Deed shall be Delivered to them; the Lawful! Interest of ye sd ten pound being by each person above named to be paid together with the Principal! according to each persons proportion therein In wfttness whereof I have Hereunto affixed my Hand and seal this eighteenth Day of march in the eleventh year of the Reign of our Soverain Lady Anne over England &c Queen year 1712

Declared signed and sealed
In presence of us wittnesses
Peter Rice
James Taylor
Benjamin Rice

Jonathan Johnson

[Reverse Side]

Midsex Camb 13"1 May 1712 This Will was this day Exhibited by the Widow & Son Execut". herein named for probate & y« three witnesses were psent and made Oath that they see the testator Jonathan Johnson Signe & Seal & heard him declare this Will to be his last will & Testatm— & that at same time he was of sound memory to the best of their understanding And the same is proved & allowed. And ye Administation thereof is Comitted to Mary Johnson & William Johnson ye Widow & Son of ye Testat & Execufr in sd Will named as aforesd well and Faithfully to Execute the Same according to the true Intent & Meaning thereof & bond is taken for ye paymnt of the Debts & Legacys In Testimonie hereof I have hereunto set my hand & the Seal of the Office Dated as Above sd £100 Bond

JONATHAN JOHNSON'S WILL PT1

Before moving on to another ancestor, I thought I'd discuss Jonathan Johnson's
will. I found it at the NEHGS  AmericanAncestors.org website. It consists of
five images in the Middlesex County, Massachusetts Probate Records, 1648-1871 file:

Image 1

Image 2:The front page of Jonathan Johnson's Will

Image 3 The back page of the Will

Image 4

Image 5

A few things about these images. One, the writing fades in and out, sometimes
on the same page. When I tried to sharpen the images what looks like a
large watermark became visible on several pages.  I could probably do a
transcription myself but that will take time. But luckily I found one already
online on Googlebooks, and I'll share that in the next post.


Citation Information:
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.)

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS#32:JONATHAN JOHNSON

Fellow geneablogger Amy Johnson Crow of No Story Too Small has issued the
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge. Basically, we have to post something every
week on a different ancestor, whether a story, picture, or research problem. For
this prompt I've tried to concentrate on ancestors I haven't researched as much
as I have others in my family tree. I started exploringe my Johnson line, but the
have fallen behind the last few weeks. So this week I'll try to make up lost time.
This post is on my 10x great grandfather Jonathan Johnson.

My source once again is the article William Johnson and His Descendants by G.W.
Johnson. It's from the The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume
33 published in January 1879, pp134-136:

Jonathan3 Johnson, third son and fifth child of William Johnson of Charlestown, was baptized there August 14, 1641, and doubtless was born a few days before. By occupation he was a farmer, schoolmaster and  ironsmith. He probably learned his trade of his uncle, Lieut. John, of Haverhill. Before his marriage he went to reside in Marlboro', first settled iu 1654, in the southerly part of the town which in 1727 fell into Southboro'. On settling therein, he received from the town "a house lott," 30 acres "on a hill south side of the meeting-house." half of which he sold May 25, 1663, but bought it back Feb. 15, 1678—9. Besides educating him and giving him a trade, his father made him a legatee in his will. He received, about 1687, as his share of his father's and mother's estate, twenty pounds in about "an acre and a half of land in ye East ffield," which in 1707 he sold for thirty pounds to his nephew, Capt. Eleazer Johnson, of Charlestown, son of his brother Isaac, who witnessed the deed. I find of record seven conveyances of real estate to and from him.

In his twenty-third year he married, Oct. 14, 1663, Mary Newton, his sole wife, by whom he had three children. Jonathan acquired a competence, was well educated, wrote a fine hand, was selectman, and for several years in the latter part of his life he taught the town school. He wrote his will March 18, 1711-12, and died on the 21st of the following month, aged about 71 years. His wife died Dec. 28, 1728, in her 85th year.

In his life time Jonathan gave his children and grandchildren portions of his property, and disposed of the rest by his will, of which he makes his wife and only surviving child. William, executors, and the latter residuary legatee. No inventory was returned, and there is no schedule of his personal property, nor of his real except what is mentioned in his will. Therein he says: "I recomend my soul to the hands of God that gave it me, hoping, through the Death and merits of Jesus Christ, to obtain pardon of all my sins and to inherit Eternal Life, and my Body I cornit to the Earth * * * nothing doubting but at the Generall Redirection I shall receive the same againe by the mighty power of God." He gives his homestead and all his personal property to his wife *• for her comfortable subsistence during her widowhood with free leave of acts of charity," and if more is needed he gives her leave. "with the advice and consent of the Minister and Deacon, to sell of the out land for her comfort; and if she should marry," then what he has given to her is to go to his son William, who "if she should be in want to take a flilial care of her." He says he had given Jonathan while alive and his wife since his death, his portion; "but still," he says, " my ffatherly love is so to his children,"' &c, whom he names and to whom he gives small sums. To Mary's husband he gives his "Coopering Tools" (it seems he had more than one trade), and to Joseph, Jonathan's youngest son, a lot of land. "As for my daughter Mary Mathes," he says, "though she be dead yet I remember her "; he says he had completed her portion by a deed of land to her children. To his granddaughter Hannah, who was living with him, he gives twenty pounds, and to Hulda Whitney six pounds if she remain with his wife till eighteen years old. He "wills" William to take good care of his, William's, son Thomas while he lives, and appoints him trustee of a deed to Mary's children.

He then lists the children of Jonathan Johnson:
i. Mary b. Sept. 9, 1664; m. 1686, John Matthews, M.D. She d. June 22, 1710, aged 46 years, leaving issue.

ii. William, b. Dec. 15, 1665 ; m. first, about 1688, Hannah Larkin, who d. Dec. 18, 1696; he m. second, Hannah Rider. He d. June 5, 1754, in his 89th year, leaving issue by both wives.

iii. Jonathan, b. Jan. 2, 1667-8; m. 1689, Mary Kerley. She d. 1741, aged 75 years. He was slain by the Indians, Oct. 12, 1708, in his 41st year, leaving issue.

I'm descended from William Johnson and Hannah Larkin.