One of my maternal 11X great grandfathers,
Peter Worden disappears from available records between 1629 when he lent eight shillings to the Borough of Preston in Lancashire, England, and 1638 when he made his will in Yarmouth, Massachusetts, on February 9, 1638/39, later described as the first "English" to die in that location.
A month later this will was probated and was the first will written in Plymouth's court records. Here's what that record looks like, written in the handwriting of the day.
["Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Probate Records, 1633-1967," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-31878-2725-41?cc=2018320&wc=M6BX-F29:338083801 : accessed 22 Oct 2014), Wills 1633-1686 vol 1-4 > image 43 of 616;
citing State Archives, Boston.]
However legible the original record may have been, in the late 19th century Barnstable County hired Mary R. Lovell and G.A. Hinchley to transcribe them.
[Wills, Inventories, Etc, 1637 to 1685, County of Barnstable; Probate Place: Plymouth, Massachusetts. Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.
Original data: Massachusetts County, District and Probate Courts.]
And here's what they produced.
[Wills, Inventories, Etc, 1637 to 1685, County of Barnstable; Probate Place: Plymouth, Massachusetts. Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.
Original data: Massachusetts County, District and Probate Courts.]
Here's my transcription of the original document. Comparing it with the 1893 version I think Miss Mary R. normalized some of the spelling--which I can understand as it's all to easy to do. Also she and other transcriptions tend to add punctuation which is missing in the 17th century original.
The last will and Testament of Peter Worden of
Yarmouth ye elder deceased proved at ye generall
Court held at Plymouth the fift day of March in ye xiiiith
year of ye Reigne of our Sovereigne Lord Charles King of
England ca 1638 by ye oathes of Mr Nicholas Sympkins
Hugh Tillie & Giles Hopkins, as followith, viz
Be it knowne unto all men to whome this doth or
may concerne That I Peter Worden of Yarmouth in New
England in Plymouth, Hatter being very sicke in this yeare
of Our Lord 1638 and on ye viiith day of February do make
my last will to testify unto all that I Peter Worden doe
give and bequeath unto Peter Worden, my only sonne &
sonne & heir and in the presense of Nicholas Sympkins
Hugh Tillie & Giles Hopkins I do make him my whole Executor
to whom I doe give all my lands Leases tenaments with
goods movable and unmovable in ye Towne of Clayton in
ye County of Lankester likewise I doe give unto
Peter my sonn all my goods which I have at this present
in New England My will is my sonn is to give John
Lewis one Nete Goate also my will is my sonn is to give
my Grandchild such money as is due for the keeping of
Goates and Calves until this day and that my sonn is
with the money to buy a Kid or dispose it otherwise
for his use also one bed or bolster three blankets also
my sonn is to have ye tuition of my grandchild untill
he be at ye age of one and twenty yeares of age also
my will is he shall fynd him with meate drinke and
clouthes and at ye three last yeares of the xxith years
also to have forty shillings the yeare after & above
for to add to his stock with the sow pigg when the sowe piggs
In witness we present set out hande
Nicholas Sympkins
Peter {his/seal} Worden Hugh Tillie H mark
Giles Hopkins $$
Mr Nicholas Sympkins Hugh Tillie and Giles Hopkins
weer all deposed (in open Court) to this will ye fift day of'
March 1638. xiiiith Caroli We[?] See Court order P-194
On what turned out to be his deathbed, Peter Worden left all his property in both New and Old England to his only son Peter, directing the younger Peter to take care of his grandson John Lewis whose mother was Peter's oldest child Elizabeth Worden. Young John was named after his London-born father John Lewis, a married preacher with some scandalous habits. (You can read more about him
here.) This will seems to be the only reference to John who would have been about 14 at the time of his grandfather's death. Nothing further is know about him.
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