Old Man Scanlon's

Stephen ALDRIDGE: Probate Records 1813

What's Here

Below are abstracts of the various documents, along with some transcriptions, in the probate packet concerning the estate of Stephen ALDRIDGE. They are from the microfilmed probate records of Hampden County, Massachusetts.

Surnames Appearing in the Documents

ALDRICH, BEACH, FORWARD, MOORE, STRATTON

Notes

Editorial comment appears in square brackets.

This is the film's Family History Library catalog entry:

Title: Probate records, 1809-1881, Hampden County, Massachusetts Authors: Massachusetts. Probate Court (Hampden County) (Main Author) Notes: Microfilm of original records at Hampden County courthouse, registry of probate, Springfield, Massachusetts. Includes various affidavits, administrator's petitions, citations, and decrees, guardian's petitions and licenses to sell real estate, warrants, bonds, schedules of accounts and property, executor's accounts and bonds. . . For an index to this material, SEE Massachusetts. Probate Court (Hampden County) / Probate records index, 1812-1986. Probate records contained in probate packets that are alphabetically arranged and assigned sequential case numbers. Subjects: Massachusetts, Hampden - Probate records Format: Manuscript (On Film) Language: English Publication: Salt Lake City: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1987-1988, 1996 Physical: 233 microfilm reels; 35 mm. Probate Packet Case Numbers and Names Location Film 69-132 : Rosanna Admeston - Alfred Allen FHL US/CAN Film 1502847

History of this Document

20 March 2002, revision 1.
Initial publication.
21 May 2002, revision 2.
Valid HTML.
04 February 2007, revision 3.
Routine maintenance.

Abstracts of Probate Documents

Case No. 112
Stephen Aldridge
1813
Hampden County Probate Court
Will and Probate decree Allowed Nov. 4, 1813.
Rec. Vol. 1, p. 171.
Docket 1, p.23
Wife Jerusha gets one-third of personal property, and one-third of real estate for her life.

Sons Isaac, Silvanus, Stephen, Laban, Noah, Asahel, Almon get equal shares of real estate, except Laban's 25% larger.

Daughters Lois, Robe, Lidia, Kezia, Jerusha, Lucilla, Roxena get equal shares of personal property after debts and funeral charges paid.

Jerusha Aldridge and Laban Aldridge named executors.

Oct. 15, 1813
/s/ Stephen (his mark) Aldridge

Witnesses:
/s/ Roger Moore; /s/ Robert Beach; /s/ Lucy (her mark) Stratton

Exc. Bond Approved Nov. 4, 1813. /s/ Jerusha Aldrich (her mark); /s/ Laban Aldrich
Exc. Inventory Ordered Nov. 4, 1813
Filed Dec. 14, 1813.
Performed by Roger Moore, Joseph Forward, Eli Moore
Valued $5,878.10.

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Will

This is a transcription of the will. Stephen Aldridge's mark is a moderately ornate monogram resembling "PWC."

In the name of God Amen

I Stephen Aldridge of Southwick in the County of Hamden [sic] and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, being Sick and weak of body but of perfect mind and memory, thanks be given to God, calling to mind the mortality of my body, and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die, do make and Ordain this my last Will and Testament, that is to say, first of all I give and Recommend my Soul into the hands of Almighty God that gave it, and my body I recommend to the Earth to be buried in a decent christian burial at the discretion of my Executors, nothing doubting but at the General resurrection I receive the same again by the [three lines obscured by tape]. I give, devise, and dispose of the same in the following manner and form

first. I give and bequeath to Jerusha my dear beloved wife the one third of my Estate both real and personal that is to say, the use and improvement of [start interlined words] the one third of [end interlined words] my real estate during her natural life, and the one third of my personal Estate at her own disposal, to do with it as she thinks proper.

2ly I likewise will and bequeath to my beloved Sons (viz) Isaac, Silvanus, Stephen, Laban, Noah, Asahel, and Almon my houses Barn and other buildings and all my lands to be Equally divided among them, Except Laban who I give a quarter more, that is to say Laban share is to be a quarter biger [sic] or more than the rest of his brothers.

3ly I give and bequeath to my beloved daughters (viz) Lois, Robe, Lidia, Kezia, Jerusha, Lucilla, and Roxena, all my personal Estate after my funeral Charges and Just debts are paid to be divided Equally among them.

also I do by these presents name, Ordain, & constitute my beloved wife, Jerusha Aldridge, and Laban Aldridge my son my Executors to this my last Will & Testament. also I do by these presents make null and void all former Wills and testaments, made by me at any time before this date of these presents ratifying & confirming this and no other to be my Will & Testament. In testimony hereof I have hereunto Set my hand and Seal this fifteenth day of October in the of our Lord [sic, "year" missing] one thousand eight hundred and thirteen. Signed, Sealed, published, pronounced and declared by the Said Stephen Aldridge as his last Will & Testament in the presence of us who in his presence & in the presence of Each other have hereunto Subscribed our names

the words the one third of were interlined before signed.

Stephen (his mark) Aldridge

Test Roger Moore
Robert Beach
Lucy (her mark) Stratton

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Inventory

This abstract of the inventory preserves the layout of the original. The wording is verbatim; I have not noted the departures from current spelling practice. I have modernized the currency notation: the original used superscript "d" and "c" to denote dollars and cents. As a geek, I was forced to check the arithmetic. With careful rereading I was able to get one out of three subtotals to check correctly, and the other two differ only in one digit. This could result either from my misreading the numbers or from arithmetic error in the original. The third column contains my notes and definitions (from Webster's Third New International Dictionary) for some unfamiliar words.

An inventory of the Estate of Stephen Aldridge
late of Southwick in the County of Hamden deceased,
apprised upon oath by us the subscribers duly
appointed to that Service by the Hon. John Hooker
Esqr. Judge of Probate of Wills &c. for said County

Real Estate
The homestead of said deceased situated
in Said Southwick containing 148 acres
with the buildings thereon
$4,537.00
25 acres of land in the town of Granby
County of Hartford State of Connecticut
$300.00

$4,837.00

Personal Estate
(viz. Household goods, Stock, produce, implements of husbandry
Clothing &c.)
one Yoke Stags $38 four Cows $67 two 2 year olds $31 $136.00 stag - "a male animal castrated after the secondary sex characteristics have developed to such a point as to give it the appearance of a mature male"
three yearlings $26 three Calves $12 one Horse $37 $75.00
one Horse $20 one ditto $10 two Colts $33 seventeen sheep $34 $97.00
one Cart $6 one waggon $35 2 horse Slay with 2 boxes $13 $54.00
Iron bar $1.34 ox Hood [?] $.50 wooden vice $.50 brake $1.50 $3.84
Grindstone & Crank $7 ox plow $.85 two Swine $28.60 $36.45
dung fork $1.33 Bolts [?] & wedges $.67 Collar & horse Chains $2 $4.00
one pick ax $.50 one ox Chain $1.67 ox yoke ring & Staple $1 $3.17
two hoes $.25 two [?]dd Casks $3.50 Tub to work cyder $2.50 $6.25
two pich forks $.67 Iron pot $1 Iron kittle $1 one ditto $.83 $3.50
one large Iron kittle one small ditto $2.67 Tin Kittle $.83 $3.50
one Gun bullet mold & ladle $13.50 frying pan $.25 $13.75
two Flats $1 two wooden pails $.50 one Churn $.67 $2.17
two wooden tubs $.40 wooden tray $.25 warming pan $1.50 $2.15

$440.78 Page 1 subtotal

Sheep Shears $.50 five milk pans $.50 S[ix?] Earthen platters $.24 $1.24
Iron bason $.25 Cream Pot $.08 four tin meas[ure?]s & one tunnel $1 $1.33 tunnel = funnel
Copper tunnel $.50 Gallon Bottle $.40 Six puter[?] Basons $2 $2.90
puter platter one puter plate $.75 six puter plates $2 $2.75
puter Tea pot $1.25 Six tea Spoons $.25 Eight table Spoons $.34 $1.84
one tin dipper $.08 punch bowl $.40 four white plates $.24 $0.72
Sope bowl $.50 two Sope plates $.34 one oval one green Edge plates $.25 $1.09
Six Tea Cups $.67 one Decanter $1 pint glass $.34 one foot [?] ditto $.10[?] $2.11
Eight knives & Six forks $1.25 one file & one Rasp $.40 $1.65
Cumpass saw [?] $.08 one ax $1 one old ditto $.25 broad ax $1.50 $2.83
Cooppers ads $.86[?] fish net $.25 Slay whip $.50 2 one inch augurs $.64[?] $2.25
one inch & half augur $.67 draw shave $.50 two Squares $.67 $1.84
womans Saddle $15 Slay harness $10 fish net $.50 $25.50
old Saddle $3 hatchel $3.50 two foot wheels $3 two great wheels $1.17 $10.67 hatchel (i.e., hackle) - "a comb or board with long metal teeth for dressing flax, hemp, or jute."
one fall leaf table $2 one Square ditto $2 chest with drawers $2 $6.00
round back Chair $.34 five Chairs $1.92 Stillyards $.50 $2.76
anirons $4 Slice & tongs $1.50 two low Chests $2 $7.50 slice - "archaic: an iron bar flattened at one end for use as a fire shovel"
Case & Seven Bottles $1.83 Cross Cut Saw $7 hand Saw $2.67 $11.50
ads $.75 trowel $.25 post ax $.50 frow $.40 Gouge $.58 Slick $.67 $3.15 slick - "a flat paddle now usu. of steel for smoothing a sample of flour"
3 Chizels $.62 Gouge $.25 hammer $.12 Jointer f[row?] & Smoothing plain $1.50 $2.49
flax Seed Screen $1.50 two Bridles $.25 [?] horse shakles $.17 [?] $1.92
one Saddle $10 Saddle bags $2.50 Shovel $.17 $12.67
Flax Sive $.67 four Casks $1.50 four old Rakes $.34 $2.51
forty two Bushels of Indian Corn $34.86
fifteen Bushels of Rye $22.50
two & half Tuns of Hay $25 four & half Tuns of hay $36 $61.00
one drag $1.50 three Cythes & Snaths $1.34 Flax $6.67 $9.51 drag - "something that is dragged, pulled, or drawn along or over a surface: as a: HARROW 1 b chiefly New Eng.: a sledge for conveying heavy bodies"
Eleven bags $3 Pigeon net $1.50 $4.50
the one third copper Still worm Guage rod & proof Glass $47.00
15 hundred of Rowing hay $7.50 hay in the East Barn on the
two Scaffolds Estamated at 4 1/4 Tuns $45
$52.50

$340.09
three small swine $10.80 $10.80

$350.89 Page 2 subtotal (I get $351.89)

two table Cloths $2.08 four towels $1.16 $3.24
Nine pare pillar Cases $4 thirteen pare sheets $20 $24.00
two Rugs $2 two Check Blankets $2.83 $4.83
one Bed quilt $2.50 one old ditto $.75 one old ditto $.75 $4.00
one old ditto $.33 one Bed bedstead & rope $11.24 $11.57
one dead feather bed bedstead & Rope one ditto $15.26
Seventeen pounds of Goose Feathers with the Sack $11.39
one bed bedstead and Rope $7.70
fifteen Bushels of Buck wheat $10 two Bushels of Salt [] $13.00
one Sickel $.17 peck measure $.25 Lanthorn $.33 $0.75
the Grain on the Ground $23 Candlestick $.12 $23.12
thirty nine Barrels of Cyder $45.50 two me[?] $1 $46.50
fourteen Cyder Barrels $11.50 one wooden Tunel $.50 $12.00
Sundry old Casks $1.50 forty Bushels potatoes $10 $11.50
Looking Glass $1.33 one pare shears $.34 one Bible $.75 $2.42
The deceased's wearing apparel
one had[?] $4.17 two Great Coats $5.83 five Coats $8.75 $12.75 Either this line's sum is off, or the subtotal is.
Nine vests $11.41 Eight pare of Patterloons $10.16 $21.57
five pare of Breches $4.59 Six shirts $4.57 $9.16
two pare of Stockings $1.42 pare Shoe buckels $.75 $2.17
one pare of Shoes $1 Truss $2 $3.00

$239.43 Page 3 subtotal (I get $239.93)

$350.89 From page 2

$440.78 From page 1

$4,837.00 Real estate

$5,868.10
Cyder Mill [?]

The grain on the ground [?] $20.00

$5,848.10
/s/ Roger Moore, Joseph Forward, Eli Moore Apprisers
Dated at Southwick December 14th, AD 1813.
one note of Apollo Phelps[?] $30.00

$5,878.10

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