52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2017 WEEK 10: RICHARD REITH OFSALEM AND MARBLEHEAD PT3

While Richard Reith had bequeathed certain properties to specific children in his will, there were others that still had to divided among them. One of the documents in his probate
file shows how that was accomplished .Again, it's divided into two images at a point just after a few blurred lines, and as it happens, those lines turn out to be very important.

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.)23463:12

6 We agree that Joseph Tuck in the Right of his wife Sara have and enjoy halfe of the ho use in (? Cove and halfe of the Cow Commonage thereto belonging, valued att forty pounds, and have also his part of the (?) on all estate amounting by (?) to twelve pounds, seventeen shillings &8 d, the house to be by him & his heirs forever.

Now the reason those lines are important is that they corrected an error in my family tree. I
had Sarah (Reith) Tuck, wife of Joseph Tuck, in my database as the daughter of William Reith and Abigail Haskell. But here's Joseph acting on behalf of Sarah in Richard Reith's will. What was going on here?

It turns out I committed a cardinal sin. At the time I first entered this branch I couldn't find
any birth record for any Sarah Reith except for one whose father was William Reith. I didn't follow upon that information as I've since learned to do over the years since. If I had
I would have realized the birth dates of both Sarah and William made it impossible for him
to be her father. And when I started researching my family I began just with my direct ancestors, leaving the siblings to fill in later. Here's an instance where it came back to bite me.

Having access to the probate files  made me aware I'd screwed up.

I will correct my family tree and database to reflect the new information. This means I need to prune John Hardy and Dr. William Griggs. William Reith remains as my 6x great granduncle, not grandfather.    

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2017 WEEK 10: RICHARD REITH OFSALEM AND MARBLEHEAD PT2

I found the probate file for 9x greaat grandfather Richard Reith  in the Essex County, MA:
Probate File Papers, 1638-1881file on AmericanAncestors.org.  The will was apparently
written on an oversized piece of paper so there are two images of it, one for the upper half
and one for the bottom.:

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.)23463:14

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.)23463:15

Here's my transcription of the will. Spelling, punctuation and capitalization are as written in
the document, and some of it is the most unique I've run across so far:

The last will and testementt of Richard Reith of Marblehead
In the name of god amen. I Richard Reith sener being weake of body but perfect of memmory knowing the unsartonty of my pressent life and being desirous to setle the termperall estate lent me by god Dow hereby revoke null and Absolutely make void all former wills and dow declare this to be my last will and testement: In pr I committ my Imortall Soull into the hands of god my creator and Redemer, my body to the earth desently to be burried: my temperall estate to be desposed of in manner following.

I will that all my Just debts :which: I dow to  any person whatsoever be firstly satisfied with funarall charges: also in convenentt time by my Executers

Item i give unto my dear and loveing wife: her thirds of all my estate with in dors and withoutt only the iland to have no thirds their all the rest of my estate I give her her thirds of deuring the time of her widowhood: but if she marry I will she shall have forty five pounds out of my estate as it is apresed.

Item i give to my son Richard the rest of the iland beginning at the onlong(?} in att
the west side to the garden wall: and the westernmost stage: and the sault roome: and the part of the {?}scales to him and his heirs not be sold except it be to his brothers, ether William Reith or John Reith: and i will that son Richard Reith shall have his part of my :estate: equall with the rest of my children: Item i give to my son william reith half of the garden upon the iland :with a (?} roume: to the estern side the stage and half the esternmost stage and half the fish house and  half of the scales to him and his heirs forever not to be sold esecept it be to his two brothers Richard reith and John reith : and I will that he shall have his equell part of my estate as the rest of my children have Item i give to my son John Reith the other half of the garden over all the iland and half estermost stage and half the fish house part of the scales to him and his heirs forever not to be sold except it be to his two brothers Richard Reith or william Reith and i will allso thatt he shall have part equely with the rest of my children in my other estate: amd all the Rest my estate not willed above mentened both land and houses and whatso ever to be equely devided betwixt all my sons and daughters and my will is :that my son Richard Reith shall pay to my daughter Isabealah Reith out of his part of my estate forty shiling Daughter anne Reith shall pay to my daughter mary reith four pounds : out of her part of my estate and i will that my daughter abigaill mearshall pay to my daighter mary Reith foure pounds : out of her part of my estate: and my will is that my son Richard Reith shall be my soule Executor of my estate and also i make choyce of my loveing frindes: James denes and John Norman to Joyn : with him To act or to dow :honestly : as the law derects :to serv or to straine (?)
to (?) and to pay:
this thirteenth day : of january : Anno dom 1706 and In the fifth year of the reign of our Soverigne lady anne of Ingland Queen of which. In testemony here of:: I have set to my hand and seall: the time and
day about righton.
Richard Reith Sener
ann rieth
I  Dow aprove that this Will
shall stand ass itt iss.
Ann Reith Ann Reith

signed and delivered in the
presence of
Jobathan Thomson
Thomas Trofry
Richard SedgmoreFrom this I learned Richard Reith was a commercial fisherman whose operation included an 
"iland" (island) with at least two buildings and scales to weigh the catch.


To be continued

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2017 WEEK 10: RICHARD REITH OF SALEM AND MARBLEHEAD

9x great grandfather Richard Reith is one of those ancestors where what little I know of him
teases me but there's not enough to fill in all the gaps.

-When he died in Marblehead on 28 February 1708 he was said to be 73 years which would
put his birth year in 1625.

-I have found records of his marriage on 16 February 1664 to a young lady but depending on
which record you are looking at her name is either Elizabeth Goryr or Elizabeth Gorge or
Elizabeth George. After Elizabeth's death he remarried and his second wife Ann is mentioned
in his probate file.

-Richard seems to have a number of different properties in Marblehead, Salem, and Gloucester,
Ma. One transaction was with another of my ancestors, Moses Maverick. According to his will
a property he owned was an island.

-In those land sales records Richard's profession is variously given as merchant, fisherman, and shoreman. From what I've seen in the probate file I think the island mentioned might have been
the base of his operations because it mentions "scales". It must have been good sized because he bequeaths a half of it to two of his sons.

I'll have a transcription of that will in the next post.

HASKELLS AND HARDYS AND REITHS, OH MY!

I'm going to explore my 6x great grandmother Sarah (Tuck) Ellingwood's maternal ancestors soon.
Through her mother Sara Reith they include some interesting families: Reith, Haskell. Hardy,and
Griggs. I've already written a bit about the Haskells here in the past, but hadn't done much work
on the others. There were a few surprises for me, like a prosperous shipowner in one family and
a new connection to the Salem Witch Trials in another. And there are blank spaces I haven't been
able to fill in yet.

Here's a relationship chart for Sarah Reith and her grandfather Richard Reith that shows how she
connects with these other families:

Hopefully I'll be able to fill in the blanks for several other ancestors along the way!