JAMES PACKARD'S WILL PT2

Just a few quick thoughts about James Packard's will:

The document appears to be a copy of the original. It's part of a book and the handwriting is the same as on other wills. I wonder when the copy was made and what happened to the original?

I'm puzzled by the use of the name "Packard" as a place name. I wonder why it would be used that way. Does it refer to the original family farm?

I live right next to Brockton and never heard of the Salisbury Plain River before. Looking at a map, the river runs through the heart of the city parallel to Belmont St, a busy road. I suspect much is it is enclosed.

Finally, with a sawmill, grist mill and forge James was a wealthy man by the standard of his times. I wish I could find the estate inventory, 

JAMES PACKARD'S WILL PT1

I found my 6x great grandfather James Packard's probate file and will on the FamilySearch website. Here's  my transcription:

 
In The Nname of God Amen.
The twentyfourth day of September in the year of our Lord one thous
-and , seven hundred & sixtyfive; I Jjames Packard of Bridgewater in the
colony of Plimouth & Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England
yeoman, being in declining state of bodily health, but of perfect mind
& memory thanks be to God therefor, and calling to mind the mort
-ality of my body, knowing that it is appointed to all men once to
die, do make & ordain this my last will & testament, that is to say,
principally & first of all, I give & recommend my soul into the hands
of God that gave it, and my body I recomend to the earth to be bury,
in decent christian burial., at the discretion of my executor hereaft
-er named, nothing doubting but at the general resurrection I shall
receive the same again by the mighty power of God; And as touching
such worldly estate wherein with it hath pleased God to bless me in this
life, I give, demise & dispose of the same in the followg of manner of (?)
Imprus I give to my welbeloved son James one eighth part of a sawmill
standing a few rods from Packard, & forge, so called, in Bridgewater &
one half of my right & interest in the old cedar swamp (so called) in
in Bridgewater, and a certain piece of meadow lying on the west side
of Salisbury Plain River, between meadow of Lieut. Henry Kingman,
& meadow formerly belonging to my brother John Packard dec'd. & all
my right in the common or undivided lands in Bridgewater aforesd,
all that is before demised to my said son James I give to him, his
heirs and asigns forever, also I give to my said son James one half
of my wearing apparel, one half of my husbandry tools, & implements,
& one half of my great iron kettle, to be at his dispose.

Item. I give to my well beloved son Reuben (I likewise cons
-spire(?), make & ordain sole executor of this my last will & testament)
one eighth part of a sawmill standing a few rods from Packard, & forge
abovesd, & all my right in the Grist mill standing on or near Salisbury
Plain River abovsd, together with my privileges belonging to said
right. Also I give to my sd son Reuben one half of my right & interest
in the old cedar swamp abovesd & all my right in Packard, & forge
aforesd with my privileges belonging to sd right,  also my dwelling ho
-use & other buildings not otherwise herein disposed off. All the est
-ate that is afore demised to my sd son Reuben, I give to him his heirs &
assigns forever. Also I give to my sd son Reuben, all my quick stock of every
kind, & one half of my wearing apparel, & one half of my husbandry tools
& implements, & all my household goods & indoor moveables (excepting what
I have herein bequeathed to my son James before named). Also all my estate
whatever, not in this my last will & testament otherwise disposed off I
give to my sd son Reuben, his heirs & asigns forever.

Page 2:
Item I give to my three wellloved daughters Kezia, Jemima and
Rebecca twenty four pounds, five shillings  and four pence to be
paid to them in cattle or barr iron at the market price in cash, by my
aforenamed executor in four years next after my decease at four equal
payments. That is to say, to each & every of my sd three daughters the
value of six punds one shilling & four pense in cattle or barr iron
at cash price annually during the said term of four years.---
Also I give to my aforenamed three daughters all the money due
to me from Luke Perkins on his note of hand, also all the money
due to me from Nehemiah Lincoln on his note of hand to be equally
divided between them --- It is also my will that my just
debts be paid, & my funeral charges defrayed by my aforenamed
executor out of the estate I have given him, & I do hereby utterly
disallow, revoke & (?) all & every other former testaments,
wills, legacies, bequests & executors by one in any ways before unamd,
willed & Bequeathed, ratifying & confirming this & no other to be ny
last will & testament. For witness thereof I have hereunto set my
hand & seal the day & year first aforewritten.

Signed, sealed  & declared by the
sd James Packard as his last will &
testament in presense of us the subs.
Constant Southworth. Josiah Snell Junr. Shepard Fisk

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2019 WEEK 5: JAMES PACKARD OF NORTH BRIDGEWATER, MA.

My 6x great grandfather James Packard came from a family that was very active in the local church. Several of  his brothers were ministers while James was a deacon and is usually referred to as Deacon James.He owned several mills and a farm.

Here's his entry in  Bradford Kingman's History of North Bridgewater...":

55 JAMEs (son of Zaccheus 14) married Jemima, daughter of Joseph Keith, June 7, 1722; lived on the place now occupied by Marcus Holmes. Children : —
56 James, b. Sept. 23, 1724 [169]; m. Mary Thayer, of Braintree, 1747. 57 Keziah, b. Oct. 29, 1727; married Nehemiah Lincoln, Nov. 24, 1748. 58 Jemima, b. Aug. 8, 1729; married Ichabod Edson, July 19, 1759. 59 Rebecca, b. July 1, 1732; married Luke Perkins, Aug. 24, 1749. 60 Reuben, b. Nov. 8, 1737 £) ; married Anne Perkins, Oct. 3, 1759. The wife died Dec. 8, 1763. The father died Nov. 24, 1765. He was one of the first deacons in the North Parish.p687


History of North Bridgewater, Plymouth County, Massachusetts: From Its First Settlement to the Present Time, with Family Registers Self-Published, Boston, Ma 1866


As i said James was active in church life. He and other Packard relatives helped in the building of the first church. Many of the men listed in the following excerpt from Kingman's book are related to me:

At the time of the incorporation of the parish the house was “Erected and Inclosed,” but not finished. At a meeting held March 12th, 1739, “Timothy Keith, Benjamin Edson, David Packard, Daniel Howard, Edward Curtis, were chosen a committee for the finishing the meeting house in sq Precinct,” also “voted to raise two Hundred and fifty pounds for the finishing of the same, to be paid by the last of August,” chose Abiel Packard, “Recever of stuf and meterels,” March 26th, 1739. “The committee appointed to finish the meeting-house made demand of the several inhabitants how they would pay their Reats, or what they could percure tords the prosecution of the work of finishing the meeting-house. In order to pay their Raits Whare upon a number subscribed what they would percure, as first:” –

James Packard to do the Glazing of the House, and what it amounts to more than his Reats Come to, to take his pay at the forge, In Iron ore or Cole next fall Insewing. John Johnson and John Kingman, to do the masing work, and nails, and to take his pay over and Abuv, his Raits at the formes or forge, In Labour, or Cole, or Iron ore the next fall Insewing. David Packard, Solomon Packard, and Jacob Allen, to find Lime.
Robert Haward, to find one thousand of pine Bords,
Zacheus Packard, to find one thousand of oak Bords,
Solomon Packard, to find one thousand of pine Bords,
Benjamin Edson, to find one thousand of pine Bords,
Abiel Packard, to find one thousand of pine Bords,
Timothy Keith, to find one thousand of oak Bords,
Daniel Haward, to find one thousand of pine Bords,
Theofilus Curtis, to find five hundred of pine Bords,
Edward Curtis, to find five hundred of pine Bords,
James Barret, to find one thousand of pine Bords,
Joshua Warren, to find Henges,
Timothy Keith, David Packard, Solomon Packard, Jacob Allen, Benjamin Edson, Daniel Haward, to find all the sheet work.-p85 ibid

 He was on the commitee that hired the first minister for a new church in North Bridgewater:

Aug. 25, 1740, “voted to chuse Samuel Kingman, David Packard, and James Packard, a committee to Give Mr. Porter a Call in behalf of the precinct;” also voted that the 18th of September should be kept as a day of fasting and prayer, before the ordaining of Mr. John Porter.  -p21 ibid

I've found James Packard's will and will transcribe it/.
James' son Reuben Packard is my 5x great grandfather