52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2019 WEEK 38: JONATHAN MOORE OF BOLTON MA.

 My 8x great grandfather Jonathan Moore was a farmer in Bolton, Ma. and one of the early settlers of the town. Here is what William Richard Cutter had to say about him.

Jonathan, son of John (2) Moore, was born in Lancaster, Massachusetts, May 16, 1669. Although several of his children were baptized in Lancaster, he lived in Bolton, Massachusetts. In 1732-33, he deeded land to his son Oliver, which he had received from his father, and in 1740 he deeded to his son Abraham, "who lives with me." land and his new home and barn. His will was dated December 1, 1741, and he died in Bolton, February 6, 1742, he mentioned his children and his brother John. He married Hannah ,who died in Bolton, May 1, 1765. In her will she mentioned all the children but Isaac, who was deceased. Children: Zerviah or Sophiah, born 1700, married, July 28, 1720, Benjamin Houghton; Joseph, mentioned below; Jonathan, baptized 1708, Lancaster, married, April 19, 1727, Mary Wheeler, died December 10, 1795; Oliver, baptized 1708, Lancaster; Maria, baptized 1708, Lancaster, married, December 7, 1775, in Harvard, Thomas Houghton; Hannah, baptized May 21, 1710, married. December 17, 1730, Jonathan Powers; Amos, baptized August 17, 1712, died before 1740; Dinah, baptized February 28, 1713-14, married, October 4, 1732, Jabez Beaman; Abraham, baptized March 31, 1716-17; Isaac and Jacob, twins, born September 6, 1717.-p1376

 New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of Commonwealths and the Founding of a Nation, Volume 3 Lewis historical publishing Company, New York, 1914

I've found Jonathan's probate file at AmericanAncestors.com and in his will Jonathan left my 7x great grandmother Meriah (Maria) forty pounds in bills of credit.I plan to eventually post a transcription here.

CYPRIAN STEVENS' LETTER TO THE GOVERNOR AND COUNCIL REVISITED

((UPDATE: It's been ten years since I posted this and since then I've discovered that
I have Moore, Whitcomb, Wilder, and Fairbanks ancestors. So only three names listed below  
are not those of a direct ancestor or a cousin. First posted in  February 2009))


I found a few more things during my research on Simon Willard that
touched on some of my ancestors. One of them is this transcription at
Genealogy.com by Janice Farnsworth of "Lancaster in Philip's War:
The Early Records of Lancaster, Massachusetts 1643 - 1725 Edited by
Henry S. Nourse, A.M. Lancaster, 1884 (page 107)




"Lancaster March 11, 1675/6 - Letter to the Governor and Counsell -"A
humble Petition of the poor distressed people of Lancaster (excerpt)
"...many of us heare in this prison, have not bread to last us one month &
our other provisions spent & gon, for the genrallyty, our Town is drawn
into two garisons - sixteen soulders....we areseartaynly a bayt (bait) for
the enemy. We are sorrowful to leave the place but hoplesse to keep it
unlesse mayntayed by the Cuntrey....our women cris dus daily...which dus
not only fill our ears but our hearts full of Greefe and makes us humbly
Request yo'r Hon'rs to send a Gard of men & that if you please so comand
we may have Carts about fourteen will re-move the whool eight of which has
presed long at Sudbury but never came for want of a small gard of men, the
whooll that is, all that are in the Garison, Kept in Major Willards house
which is all from y're Hon'rs most humble servants & suplyants -
Lancast'r March 11, 1675/6 Jacob FFarrar
John Houghton Sen'r
John Moore
John Whittcomb
Job Whittcomb
Jonathan Whittcomb
John Houghton Jun'r
Cyprian Steevens


The other garrison are in like distresse & soe humbly desire yo'r like
pitty & ffatherly care, having widows & many fatherless children - the
number of carts to Carey away this garison is twenty carts. Yo'r Hon'rs
Humble pettisioners
John Prescott Sen'r
Tho. Sawyer Sen'r
Tho. Sawyer Jun'r
Jonathan Prescott
Tho Willder
John willder
Sarah Wheeler, Wid.
Widow Ffarbanks
John Rigby
Nathaniell Wilder
John Rooper
Widow Rooper

The whole is in the handwriting of Cyprian Steevens.
[Massachusetts Archives, LXVII, 156.] "

Transcribed by Janice Farnsworth

What struck me reading this was the names of those in the garrison. They include my
direct ancestors John Prescott, Thomas Sawyer, Senior and Thomas Sawyer, Junior
in the second garrison two of my Houghton relatives in the first. It reminded me again
of how many of my ancestors were so close to a violent death during the Indian wars
of New England. Some, as I've mentioned in earlier posts, did not escape it. One of
those things that historians sometimes ponder is "What If?" If more of my colonist
ancestors had died, I and many more of their descendants wouldn't be around to
trace our ancestry.


Thank you to Janice Farnsworth for granting me permission to use her transcription!

CYPRIAN STEVENS' LETTER TO THE GOVERNOR AND COUNCIL REVISITED

((UPDATE: It's been seven years since I posted this and since then I've discovered that
I have Moore, Whitcomb, Wilder, and Fairbanks ancestors. So only three names listed below  
are not those of a direct ancestor or a cousin. First posted in  February 2009))


I found a few more things during my research on Simon Willard that
touched on some of my ancestors. One of them is this transcription at
Genealogy.com by Janice Farnsworth of "Lancaster in Philip's War:
The Early Records of Lancaster, Massachusetts 1643 - 1725 Edited by
Henry S. Nourse, A.M. Lancaster, 1884 (page 107)





"Lancaster March 11, 1675/6 - Letter to the Governor and Counsell -"A
humble Petition of the poor distressed people of Lancaster (excerpt)
"...many of us heare in this prison, have not bread to last us one month &
our other provisions spent & gon, for the genrallyty, our Town is drawn
into two garisons - sixteen soulders....we areseartaynly a bayt (bait) for
the enemy. We are sorrowful to leave the place but hoplesse to keep it
unlesse mayntayed by the Cuntrey....our women cris dus daily...which dus
not only fill our ears but our hearts full of Greefe and makes us humbly
Request yo'r Hon'rs to send a Gard of men & that if you please so comand
we may have Carts about fourteen will re-move the whool eight of which has
presed long at Sudbury but never came for want of a small gard of men, the
whooll that is, all that are in the Garison, Kept in Major Willards house
which is all from y're Hon'rs most humble servants & suplyants -
Lancast'r March 11, 1675/6 Jacob FFarrar
John Houghton Sen'r
John Moore
John Whittcomb
Job Whittcomb
Jonathan Whittcomb
John Houghton Jun'r
Cyprian Steevens


The other garrison are in like distresse & soe humbly desire yo'r like
pitty & ffatherly care, having widows & many fatherless children - the
number of carts to Carey away this garison is twenty carts. Yo'r Hon'rs
Humble pettisioners
John Prescott Sen'r
Tho. Sawyer Sen'r
Tho. Sawyer Jun'r
Jonathan Prescott
Tho Willder
John willder
Sarah Wheeler, Wid.
Widow Ffarbanks
John Rigby
Nathaniell Wilder
John Rooper
Widow Rooper

The whole is in the handwriting of Cyprian Steevens.
[Massachusetts Archives, LXVII, 156.] "

Transcribed by Janice Farnsworth

What struck me reading this was the names of those in the garrison. They include my
direct ancestors John Prescott, Thomas Sawyer, Senior and Thomas Sawyer, Junior
in the second garrison two of my Houghton relatives in the first. It reminded me again
of how many of my ancestors were so close to a violent death during the Indian wars
of New England. Some, as I've mentioned in earlier posts, did not escape it. One of
those things that historians sometimes ponder is "What If?" If more of my colonist
ancestors had died, I and many more of their descendants wouldn't be around to
trace our ancestry.

As it was, Thomas Sawyer Junior was to have another encounter with Indians
some years later, and I'll be telling that story soon.

Thank you to Janice Farnsworth for granting me permission to use her transcription!

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2016 WEEK 34: CYRUS MOORE OF WATERFORD & OXFORD ME.

My 4x great grandfather  Stephen Moore was one of my brickwalls. I posted about him this last
January and a comment from fellow genealogist Elizabeth Handler  helped break down that wall
and add several more branches to my family tree.

So in this post I'm moving on to Stephen's son, my 3x great grandfather Cyrus Moore. I don't have as much  information as I do on some of his ancestors, but I do know he was born on 20 Jun 1813 in Waterford. Oxford, Maine. He and Hannah Upton married sometime before the birth of my 2x great grandmother Betsey Jane Moore,   of the four children I've found so far.:

Solon Moore born about 1840,  probably in Waterford, Me.
Betsey Jane Moore 16 Aug 1842 Waterford, Me.
Cyrus N. Moore 1 Nov 1844 Albany Me
Harriet Moore (Birth information unknown)

Cyrus died sometime before November 23 1846 which is the earliest date on documents in his probate file.
Although there is no land in the inventory, the items listed in it seem to indicate he was a farmer.

Hannah was left with four young children  so it's not surprising she remarried a year after Cyrus' death. Her 
second husband was Peter Emery, with whom she had two more children.

Obviously, I need to do more digging on Cyrus! 

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2016 WEEK 33: ABEL MOORE OF BOLTON, MA.

My 5x  great grandfather Abel Moore is one of my "mystery man" ancestors.  He's not listed in Ethel Stanwood Bolton's article SOME DESCENDANTS OF JOHN MOORE OF SUDBURY, MASS, as one of John Moore IV and Susannah (Willard) Moore's children. Luckily there is a record of his birth to them in the Bolton, Ma. vital records on the Early Vital Records of Massachusetts website,

So what I do know is this:Abel Moore was born in Bolton, Ma. on 17 Feb 1743 and was the youngest child in his family. He married Betty Whitcomb, likewise in Bolton, on 11 Jan 1764. I found records for three children all born in Bolton:
Abel 11Jan 1768.
Eunice 6Apr 1772
Stephen 11Mar 1777

Stephen, the youngest, is my 4x great grandfather.

Abel Moore died on 1 Apr 1777, which prompted me to check to see if he had died during the Revolutionary War.I found this entry in the ebook edition of Massachusetts soldiers and sailors of the revolutionary war. A compilation from the archives (Volume 10) online:

Moor, Abel, Bolton (also given Lancaster). Private, Capt. Benjamin Hastings's co.,
Col. Asa Whitcomb's regt.; muster roll dated Aug. 1, 1775; enlisted April 27,
1775; service, 3 mos. 12 days; also, company return dated Oct. 6, 1775; also,
return of men raised to serve in the Continental Army from Capt. Jonathan
Houghton's CO., as returned to Col. Josiah Whetney ; residence, Bolton; engaged
for town of Bolton; joined Capt. King's co.. Col. Marshal's regt.; term, 3 years;
also. Private, 1st co.. Col. Thomas Marshall's regt. ; Continental Army pay
accounts for service from Jan. 1, 1777, to April 1, 1777; residence, Lancaster;
reported died April 1, 1777; also, Capt. Samuel King's (2d) co.. Col. Marshall's
regt. ; subsistence allowed from date of enlistment, Dec. 26, 1776, to Feb. 21,
1777 ; credited with 57 days allowance ; subsistence also allowed for 11 days travel
on march from Boston to Bennington.-p140


He left no probate file. I'd thought there would at least be a document regarding guardianship of his three young children but I haven't found one as yet.

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2016 WEEK 32: JOHN MOORE 4TH OF BOLTON, MA.

In Week 32 of the 52 Ancestors challenge  I've come to the fourth and last ancestor named John Moore on my family tree. Once again my information comes from the article inVolume 57 of The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, titled SOME DESCENDANTS OF JOHN MOORE OF SUDBURY, MASS. by Ethel Stanwood Bolton:


22. John4 Moore (John3 John2 John1) married in Lunenburg, Mar. 19, 1723-4, Susanna, daughter of Henry and Dorcas Willard. He was baptized and owned the covenant in Lancaster, July 2, 173 2. In 1751 he is called of Bolton (Worcester Co. Deeds, Vol. 31, pp. 38, 39).
Children:

I. Samuel, b. Mar. 29, 1726, in Lancaster; m. Aug. 19, 1747, in Bolton, Zeresh Houghton, and
had issue.

II. Abigail, b. Aug. 12, 1728; m. Apr. 26, 1750, Rufus Houghton of Lancaster.

III. John, b. Jan. 3, 1730-1; m. Aug. 30, 1757, Unity Willard of Lunenburg, and had issue. He lived
in Bolton.

IV. Susanna, b. May 28, 1733; m. Nov. 24, 1759, Jonathan Houghton.

V. Abner, b. Sept. 28, 1736; m. Nov. 16, 1769, Elizabeth Hastings, in Bolton.
-p308 

It's interesting to see how closely the Moore, Willard and Houghton families were woven together, And, John's wife Susannah Willard is not only my 6x great grandmother through the Moore line, she is also my 6x half great grandaunt.Susanna's mother Dorcas Cutler was Henry Willard's second wife. Mary Larkin was his first, and their son Joseph is my 7x great grandfather through the Houghton's on m Dad's side of the family.


Unfortunately I haven't found a probate file so far for John 4th.

2016 WEEK 31: JOHN MOORE 3RD OF LANCASTER & BOLTON MA. PT2

Compared to the files of his father and grandfather, the probate file of John Moore is practically a work of art, The handwriting on most of the documents is neat and easy to read. Here's the first page detailing how the estate will be divided  It shows John 3rd owned 13 properties covering 369 acres and valued at 624 pounds, 6 shillings and 6 pence. This includes the properties he had given his sons before his death  :

Worcester County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1731-1881. Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives.) CASE NUMBER: 41411 Page16

The estate inventory counted  9 pieces of land totaling  228 acres and worth  512 pounds, 10 shillings:

Worcester County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1731-1881. Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives.) CASE NUMBER: 41411 page 19

The thing that strikes me about the first three John Moores in my family tree is how land wealthy they all were. John Jr and John 3rd owned over 300 acres which really is a lot of land.

I'll eventually post a transcription of John 3rd's probate file.     

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2016 WEEK 31: JOHN MOORE 3RD OF LANCASTER & BOLTON MA. PT1

As I've said previously, I'm descended from three of John Moore Jr.'s children.

Lydia  is my 7x great grandmother through my Stow and Coburn lines, both of which I've discussed
as part of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks series.

Jonathan Moore is my 8x great grandfather through my Houghton ancestry, which I'll discuss in the
future.

And John Moore 3rd is my 7x great grandfather through my Moore and Barker lines .

I found this entry for John 3rd in an article in Volume 57 of The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, titled SOME DESCENDANTS OF JOHN MOORE OF   SUDBURY, MASS.
by Ethel Stanwood Bolton:

6. John* Moore (John,1 John1) was bom in Lancaster, Apr. 7, 1662.
He married first, Aug. 23, 1683, Mary, daughter of Job and Mary Whitcomb of Lancaster; and married second, in Concord, Jan. 1, 1697-8, Hasadiah, daughter of Jonas and Lydia Fairbank of Lan
caster. He was a large land owner in Lancaster, but during the later years of his life he deeded this land to his sons, and moved to Bolton, where he died in 1740. In 1732, he deeded fifty acres of
the south part of his farm to his eldest son John, in " Consideration of What Labour he hath Done on a piece of Land which I have Given to my Son Joshua Moor." This labor was building a house
and barn. He also gave him eighty acres at Wadaquadock Hill (Worcester Co. Deeds, Vol. 8, p. 143). The same year, he deeded land to his "Second son ffairbank Moor " (Worcester Co. Deeds, Vol. 7,
p. 366). His estate was administered by John Moor, Jr., and was valued at £624: 6: 6. This was divided between the widow Hasadiah, and the two daughters Hasadiah, wife of Andrew Mcllwain,
and Lydia, wife of Samuel Gibbs (Worcester Co. Probate, 41411).

 Children, perhaps all by second wife:
23. 1. John.*
28. 11. Fairbank.
34. 111. Joshua.
Iv. Hasadiah, m. Andrew Mcllwain.
v. Lydia, m. Apr. 6, 1732, Samuel Gibbs.
vl. Martha, who is given as a daughter of John Moore on the authority of Mansfield's History of the Kathan Family; m. Capt. John    Kathan of Dummerston, Vt., about 1727; d. In Dummerston, Sept. 22, 1766, aged about 62 years.
pp302-303

The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume 57  Published by the Society, Boston Massachusetts 1903


It's interesting that John 3rd's first wife was Mary Whitcomb. There were many ties between the two families.

I'll briefly discuss John 3rd's probate file in another post.

To be continued.

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2016 WEEK 30: JOHN MOORE JR OF SUDBURY AND LANCASTER MA. PT6

Some  final thoughts on the Probate File of my 8x great grandfather John Moore Jr:

- I've found the identity of the wife named Mary in the file. Here is an entry in the Lancaster, Ma. Marriages on the  Early Vital Records of MassachusettsFrom 1600 to 1850 website:
"John Moor & Mary Whitcomb, both of Lancaster,  were Marryed, August 23, 1683. "
This might be why one of the members of the Committee was David Whitcomb.

-I need to look up the record of John's purchase of the fatm from Richard West (no relation to me)

-John's daughter Lydia is my 7x great grandmother through her marriage to John Wetherbee, but she is referred to as "Lydia Winch" in the probate file. This led to the discovery that Lydia had married a second time after the death of her first husband. Frustratingly, every reference I've found online to this marriage doesn't give Mr. Winch's first name.

-Finally, the members of the committee that decided how to divide the land between John Moore Jr.'s  are also relared to me. Ephraim Wilder, John Houghton and Jonas Houghton are my cousins, and David Whitcomb is my 8x great grandfather.

I'll be moving on to John Moore 3rd in my next post for 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.   

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2016 WEEK 30: JOHN MOORE JR OF SUDBURY AND LANCASTER MA. PT5

Here's the second half of the document dividing John Moore Jr.'s estate. In this part the committee
dealt with the inheritances for his three daughters:

To Elizabeth Moore Alias Gibbs or her Assignes we set out one third part ye farme Purchased of Mr Richard West, viz that Hudred acres of upland that Lyeth in ye North side of the farme which 100 acres was Laid out  to ye Right of Jeremiah Rogers: excepting a saving out the same; ten acres thereof out of ye easterly end to be allowed & setoff out of sd land to those who shall & may enjoy the other two parts of said farme; towards Making up a Compensation for fourty acres of land assigned in the sale of said farme by Richard West to said ensigne John Moore: & no Mention Made where it Lyeth the said ten acres to be sett off when the owner of the said fourty acres of Land shall Lay  Claime & Make out a good title thereto: also to the said Elizabeth Moore Alias Gibbs, we set out the upper end of a Medow called Spring Medow, belonging to said farme: viz: ye North end thereof, till it Comes Downe to the Lower end of ye broad part of the Medow: to a point of upland that comes up into the Medow: also, one third part of the Towne Right Purchased with said farme, & the third part of the third Division upland:  & Medows & Right in Commonage thereto belonging: also sixteen acres by ye first Division Intervale Lott of ensigne John Moore: Lying in the North Intervale, & is that end of the Lott Next the upland: & also one third part of a parcel of Land allowed to said ensigne John Moore called the Convenience, Lying in the North end of it, the whole width thereof, & about fourty Rods Long: between some Second Division Land Set out to John Moore; & another part of said Convenience Set out to Lydia Moore: all which parcels of Lands Medows & Towne Right & Commonage as above we have Set out for the said Elizabeth Moores full share or portion.

To Lydia Moore, Alias Winch, we have set out about an Hundred & five acres of said farme purchased of Mr Richard West, & is ye Middle part of said farme: with about halfe of ye pond, or Something More Lying within it: which Share Lyeth about seventy six Rods wide at the easterly end upon Long hill ye Little black oak Marked in the Division at between it & the Southward part of Said farme:  & is about sixty six Rods wide on ye west Side of ye Pond, & Comes to a Stake & a heape of stones at the Southwest Corner, Near to a Little Medow Spot & is about twenty eight Rods short of ye west Line of ye farme at that Corner & twenty Rods Short of ye west Line by ye highway: & takes in ye greatest part of ye Medow Spot by ye pond:: Saving out of said share so much thereof as May be equal with ye Southward Share of said farme set out to Anne Moore, towards the Compensation for or allowance to the Said fourty acres of Land Reserved out of said farme in ye Sale thereof to ensigne John Moor: also to ye said Lydia Moore, we Sett out to her, the Remaining part of ye Spring Medow, & another  piece Called ye Little Medow & one piece Called pig Medow all belonging to said farme: also four acres of the first Division Intervale Lott of ensigne John Moore & is that end of it Next the River: & also all the Second Division Intervale of John Smith that Lyes at (...?), & also the Convenience belonging thereto, that Lyes on ye east side of the great Medow, without ye old fence & also one third partof ye Convenience belonging to John Moore; Viz ye Middle part thereof Lying fourty Rods long & the whole width  also one quarter of an acre of the upland House Lott of ensigne John Moore Reformed in ye sale of said Lott to Daniel Hudson: also one third part of the towne Rights in Third Division & Right in Commonage belonging thereto, that was purchased of Mr Richard West: all which parcels of Land Medow & Towne Right as abovesaid set out for Lydia Moore Alias Winch, or her Assignes: to be her full share of ye Real estate of said ensigne John Moore.

To Anne Moore the youngest Daughter we set out for her part, the Remaining part of said farme Purchased of Richard West being the South Side of it: & also ye west end of that part of it on ye South Side of the Highway: as it is Marked out, & Described to be set off from ye other Middle part thereof  as above said, to be twenty Rods wide upon the Highway: & so Ranging on a Straight Line through ye orchard, to a heape of Stones by us Laid & so to another heape of Stones & a Stake twenty eight Rods from the west Line of the farme: and then the Division Line Runs in the edge of ye Little Spot of Medow Ground & so cross ye Pond to ye foresaid Little black oak on the Long hill Marked between the two Shares: Saving out of the said Anne Moores Share: So much as May be equal with the Middle part towards the allowance for the said fourty acres of said farme Reserved in ye Sale thereof to ensigne John Moore as abovesaid also to ye said Anne Moore, that Medow Called pig Medow, & that piece that Lyes among the Medow at Nataquodock(?)  which is belonging to said farme; also all the Second Division Intervale that Lyes up the North River, which was the proper Lott of ensigne John Moore; & one third part of ye Convenience, on the west side of ye House plat, Viz ye south end of it: & Lyes fourty Rods Long: & ye whole width thereof: also thirteen acres & half of the First Division Intervale of John Smith Lying in ye North Intervale & also one third part of ye Towne Rights, third Division, & Rights of Commonage purchased with said farme: also said parcels of Lands & Rights as abovsaid is hereby set out for the said Anne Moore Alias Hildreth as her full share of the said Real estat: all which we Present to uour Hon Humbly Requesting your approbation & Settlement of ye same.

John Houghton
John Keyes
Jonas Houghton
Ephraim Wilder
David Whetcomb

(...?) July 6th 1714
 

I'll have some more to say about the probate file in in the next post,

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2016 WEEK 30: JOHN MOORE JR OF SUDBURY AND LANCASTER MA. PT4

As I said earlier, the division of John Moore's real estate took place ten years after his death. It's a long document so I decided to share it in two parts here, starting with the two sons, John Moore 3rd
and Jonathan Moore. Technically this is an abstraction because I couldn't read a small part added at the very bottom by one of the court officials. Words I couldn't decipher are represented by (...?) and words that I'm not sure the spelling is correct by (?).   

  

Pursuant to ye Within Written Commission, we the Subscribers Namely John Houghton Jonas Houghton John Keyes Ephraim Wilder & David Whitcomb, all free Holders of ye Towne of Lancaster are by ye Honrable Frances Foxcroft estate Judge of Probate: (...?): for ye County of Middlesex: appointed a Committee for Dividing of ye Real estate that formally belonged to ensigne John Moore; late of said Lancaster Deceased Intestate: & who are accordingly Sworn to Make Division of said estate: to & amongthe Children of the said Deceased John Moore: Wee have according to our best Judgement Indeavoured Impartialy to Divide Said Real Estate; in equal Proportion according to ye Directions of ye Lord; & the within written Commission, in Order thereto, as followeth

Imp Wee have Sett out unto John Moore the eldest Son for his two shares, or Double portion of Said Estate, all ye Dwelling Housing where ye Said ensign John Moore Last  Dwelt, together with ye Barn & about twenty acres of upland, part of it in tillage; with all the orcharding upon it, and about twenty Acres of Medow, & other Mowing Land Adjoining: all that is within that inclosure, and also all  that piece of the Second Division upland laid out to ye Said ensigne John Moores Estate; that lyeth upon ye Little Brook that is between the House plat(?) & Nataquodock(?) Hill: & that piece that Lyeth along by the West side of the House plat: & also about twenty three acres More of Said Second Division upland; that Lyes Adjoining on ye South side of the House plat & Lyeth ye whole width of that Division east & west & is about fourty Rods upon the east line; & about fifty four Rods on ye west Line & is bounded Southerly upon the Remaining part of that Division: Set out for Jonathan Moores part thereof: a Poplar tree Marked on the  Dividing Line between them; Neer to ye east side of ye Land, and a Little black oak Stand Marked Neer the west Line; also to ye said John Moore we have Sett out two third parts of one Hundred & thirty acres of third Division upland already Laid out to the Rights of Ensigne John Moore & John Smith: viz. all that part of land that Lyeth on ye west line of the Second Division, except a Little piece Set off to Jonathan Moore at the south end of eighteen Rods North & South, & about eighty Rods east & west: two Little Black oaks marked at or Neer the east & west sides in ye Division Line between them: saving out of the said Land away of two Rods wide to ly free to the said John Moore, Jonathan Moore & their Heirs & Assignes; through said Land & through some Land called the Convenience as it is now Marked out; by us the said Committee, till it comes to the Common Land at ye southerly end of their third Division upland; halfe one way of two Rods wide to be Laid out from the foresaid way to the Second Division upland Set out Jonathan Moore to be for his use & benifitt & for his Heires & Assignes in the Most Convenient place for Jonathan Moore & Least Damage or prejudice to John Moore: also to ye said John Moore, we appoint & sett out two third parts of ye Towne Right and Right in Commanage, & in the Remaining part of the third Division upland Not yet Laid out, that belongs to the Rights of ye said John Moore & John Smith, all which parcells of Lands Medows & Towne Right Housing & orcharding as above said; is hereby Sett out to ye Said John Moore, in full of his two single shares, or Double portion of the above mentioned Real Estate.

Nextly to Jonathan Moore we Sett out to him his Single Share of said Real Estate (that is to say) the thirty acres of land he Dwelleth upon with the House & orcharding & the Medow apprized with it, being about seven acres together with all theire Medow at ye Bare Hill & all theire third Division Medows; & a piece of Medow at Hogg Swamps about two acres & halfe Purchased of John Helver: & also one third part of the third Division upland already laid out (that is to say) the eighteen Rods wide set out of said land, at the southward end of John Moores land, as above said & rest of it Lyeth adjoining on ye South side of a piece of Second Division upland of twenty nine acres laid out to the Right of John Smith: which twenty Nine acres of Land is also set out to said Jonathan Moore and also a piece of Second Division upland Laid out to the Right of said ensigne John Moore, which Lyeth between ye said twenty Nine acres & some Land set out to John Moore, & divided from it by ye Poplar & Little black oak marked between them as abovesaid: the said Jonathan Moore poses (?) Last Mentioned is about eighty Rods on ye east Line & about one hundred & fourty Rods on ye west Line ye Dividing line between them Ranging by the said Poplar & black oak on a Straight Line from side to side the whole width of that Division: also to Jonathan Moore, one third part of the towne Right, & Right in Commonage; & one third part of ye third Division upland, not yet laid out which belongeth to the Right of ensign John Moore & John Smith all which parcels of Lands Medows & Towne Right & Right in Commonage as abovesaid, is set out to ye Said Jonathan Moore, to be his full single share in the Real estate of the said ensigne John Moore.


I'll post the part concerning the three daughters next.

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2016 WEEK 30: JOHN MOORE JR OF SUDBURY AND LANCASTER MA. PT3

The thing  that always surprises me about probate records is how long the process seems to drag
out sometimes. John Moore Jr.'s file is a case in point. The inventory and the list of  expenses
were submitted in Fall 1702/3, but the division of the land among the heirs didn't happen
until ten years later in April 1713/4.I have no idea why it took so long.

Here's the image of the estate inventory taken in October 1702/3 It's value was set at 352 pounds:

And most of that value was in the land John Moore Jr. owned, listed at the top of the page:

  
In November John Moore 3rd submitted his expenses administrating the estate. It looks like they
came to 46 pounds, including a payment of 30 pounds to "my mother Mary Moore".

I'll  discuss the division of the real estate next.
 

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2016 WEEK 30: JOHN MOORE JR OF SUDBURY AND LANCASTER MA. PT2

I've been working off and on for the past week on John Moore Jr.'s probate file. It's taken me longer than I had expected because of several things:

First of all the writing was difficult to read. I use a program called Transcript now for doing transcriptions and had to fiddle around with brightness and magnification of the image, as well as viewing it as a negeative.

There was also the punctuation of the document which uses colons and semi-colons where today we would use commas and periods.

I also struggled with whether or not to use the capitalization of words that the writer of the documents had used.   

I was sidetracked a bit with looking for defintions of "Towne Rights" and the word "Convenience" as used in the documents.

I spent some time trying to decipher the spelling of the Indian names of some hills on the property.

Then there was the mystery of why my 7x great grandmother Lydia (Moore) Wetherbee as referred to as "Lydia Winch" in the division of the property.

Finally there is a mention of a "Mary Moore" as John Jr's widow, a person I've found no mention of anywhere until now. I still don't have an answer to that one yet.

But rather than delay any longer, I've decided to post what I have done, beginning with my next post in this series,

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2016 WEEK 30: JOHN MOORE JR OF SUDBURY AND LANCASTER MA.

Things get really interesting with my ancestor  John Moore Jr  I'm descended from him through
three of his children:

On my grandmother Barker's side of the family, he's my 8x great grandfather twice  through her Coburn & Moore ancestry.

On my grandfather West's side he's my 9x great grandfather through the Houghton family.

Here's what William Richard Cutter wrote about John Jr.:

(II) John (2), son of John (1) Moore, was born before his parents came to Sudbury. He settled in Lancaster, Massachusetts, becoming a proprietor of that town, March 11, 1653, but in the following year he returned to Sudbury. He married (first) November 16, 1654, Anne Smith, daughter of John and Sarah Smith, of Sudbury. She died in childbirth at Lancaster, March 10, 1670-71; he married (second) Judith . He became a prominent and wealthy man and held various town offices. In 1689 he was deputy to the general court. In 1700 he deeded his land, with the exception of his dwelling house, to his adopted son, Benjamin Bellows, in return for the support of himself and wife Judith for the remainder of their lives. The inventory of his estate as dated in 1702 and his nuncupative will was proved November 26, 1705. Children, born in Lancaster: Maria, December 4, 1655, died September 26, 1705; Elizabeth, December 27, 1657; Lydia, April 6, 1660; John, April 7, 1662; Joseph, 1664; Anne, July 17, 1666; Jonathan, mentioned below; Maria, March 10, 1670-71.-p1376

New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of Commonwealths and the Founding of a Nation, Volume 3 Lewis historical publishing Company, New York, 1914

It appears that John Jr. deeded his land in Sudbury to his adopted son Benjamin Bellows because his other sons, including my ancestors John 3rd and Jonathan Moore, were established already on land he owned in Lancaster.

John Moore Jr. died intestate. I'll discuss his probate file in Part 2.
To be continued...

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2016 WEEK 29: JOHN MOORE OF SUDBURY, MA. PT2

I found my ancestor John Moore's probate file in the  Middlesex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1648-1871 collection over on the AmericanAncestors.org website. Unfortunately it's
one of the messier and harder to read type of documents so it's going to take me awhile to transcribe it.

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.)PAGE: 15362:2

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.)PAGE: 15362:4

The inventory of John's estate is slightly more readable. It shows that his land was valued at
567 pounds and 5 shillings, and the total estate was worth 804 pounds and 7 shillings. I found
it interesting that his weaponry was worth far less than many items such as John's beddery.

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.)PAGE: 15362:5

John Moore of Sudbury is the first of four consecutive ancestors with the name, starting with
his son, John Moore Jr. of Lancaster, Ma. my 8x great grandfather. I'll discuss him in the next
52 Ancestors post.

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2016 WEEK 29: JOHN MOORE OF SUDBURY, MA.

My Immigrant ancestor John Moore is one of those cases on my family tree where I am descended from him through both of my Dad's parents. On the West side, he's my 9X great grandfather. On the Barker side, he's my 11x great grandfather, and until recently I hadn't known about that connection.

Here's what William Richard Cutter has to say about John Moore the Immigrant:

John Moore, the immigrant ancestor, was born in England. After coming to this country he seems to have settled first at Sudbury, Massachusetts. He bought a house and land there in 1642 of Edmund Rice, from his farms in what is now Wayland. He took the oath of fidelity July 9, 1645. He married Elizabeth Whale, daughter of Philemon Whale, and she was executrix of his will. His estate was valued at eight hundred and four pounds, seven shillings. His will was dated August 25, 1668, and proved April 7, 1674. He died January 6, 1673-74. He mentioned his son, John Moore, of Lancaster, William, Jacob, Joseph, to whom he left the homestead, and Benjamin; daughters, Elizabeth, wife of Henry Rice; Mary, wife of Daniel Stone, and Lydia, wife of James Cutler. His wife died December 14, 1690. Children: Elizabeth, born perhaps in England; John, eldest son, mentioned below; William, born about 1640; Mary, born September 8, 1641; Lydia, born June 24, 1643 ; Jacob, born April 28. 1645 ; Joseph, born October 21, 1647; Benjamin, born December 13. 1648-p1376

New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of Commonwealths and the Founding of a Nation, Volume 3 Lewis historical publishing Company, New York, 1914

I found a copy of John's probate file over AmericanAncestors.org and I'll discuss that next.

To be continued,,,

THE MOORE DESCENT

Back in January, thanks to a tip from fellow genealogist Elizabeth Pyle Handler, I was able to fill in
the blanks in the Moore branch of my grandmother Barker's family tree. I will start exploring those
relatives in the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge, but before that here's another look at the
Moore line:
 

MORE ABOUT THE MOORES: CONCLUSION

Once I started researching the hint Elizabeth Handler gave me it was like peeling off layers of skin from an onion. I found vital records, town histories, and family genealogies that led back to earlier generations and immigrant ancestors. Best of all were the Middlesex County, Ma. Probate Files on the AmericanAncestors.org website where I found the following: 
   

Moore Family
9x great grandfather John Moore 1672
8x great grandfather John Moore 1702

White Family
9x great grandfatherJohn White 1673
7x great grandfatherJohn White 1725
8x great grandfather Josiah White

Whitcomb Family
7x great grandfather David Whitcomb
9x great grandfather John Whitcomb
8x great grandfather Josiah Whitcomb

Fairbanks Family
8x great grandfather Jonas Fairbanks

Wilder family
8x great grandfather Nathaniel Wilder

Hayward Family
8x great grandfather Joseph Hayward

11 new Probate Files so far! I'm hoping to find more when FamilySearch adds to its Worcester County, Ma. files.

And the discoveries I've made about the Moores and associated families helped me take down a brickwall in the line that is my next subject for the 2016 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks series.

That will be discussed in another post.

MORE ABOUT THE MOORES, PT3: THE WHITES

Another new branch on my grandmother Cora B. Barker's turned up quite a surprise.

Here's the relationship chart showing her descent from immigrant ancestor John White:

While preparing this post I referenced several White family genealogies, and was so preoccupied
with my male ancestors I nearly missed an important female relative. One of my 9x great grandfather
John White's children was his daughter Mary White who married Rev. Joseph Rowlandson. On
10Feb 1676 Indians attacked Lancaster, Ma. killing 13 people and taking over 20 others captive
among whom were Mary and three of her children captive for three months. Mary would later
write of her ordeal in  A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson. 

I've seen Mary Rowlandson mentioned many times in stories about the conflict between the Puritans
and Native Americans, never dreaming I was related to her!

I'll have one more post in about all this.

To be continued...

MORE ABOUT THE MOORES, PT2: THE WHITCOMBS

Continuing a look at the newly discovered branches on my maternal grandmother's family tree...

Last post I talked about the ancestors Stephen Moore's father Abel Moore. I was also able to trace
the ancestors of his father Betty Whitcomb. Here's a relationship chart from the earliest Whitcomb
immigrant, who died in Lancaster, Ma. on 24Sep 1662:

New families added to my tree include Hayward from Concord, and Waters and White from the
Lancaster/Bolton Ma. area. All of them have connections to the ancestors I already had from
Lancaster on my grandfather's side of the family.

There's some interesting family stories that I'll be talking about in the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks
blogposts.

To be continued...