Monday Is for Mothers: Elisabeth Alcott (About 1720 - 1749)

As far as I can tell this maternal 6th great grandmother lived her whole life in Burlington County, New Jersey.

[New England, New York, New Jersey and Pensilvania. By H. Moll, Geographer. (Printed and sold by Tho: Bowles next ye Chapter House in St. Pauls Church Yard, & Ino: Bowles at ye Black Horse in Cornhill, 1736?). Source: David Rumsey Historical Map Collection]

As you can see in these details from the 1736 map of the region, Burlington was on the regular post route between Philadelphia and New York.

I've written about her father William Alcott in the past, but we know very little about Elisabeth except that the 1745 license for her marriage to James Rossell survives.

[Northampton Township, Burlington Co., New Jersey added to his Ancestry.com tree by dwcustard.]

Licence of Marriage was Granted by his Excellency Lewis
Morris Esq. Governour of New Jersey etc on the 24th day of Aprill
1745 unto James Rosele of the Township of Northampton &
County of Burlington wheelwright of the one part & Elisabeth
Alcott of the same place Spinster of the other party.
                                                Chal Read Secry


 Elisabeth died four year later, having given birth to three children (the oldest of which is my direct ancestor Hope Rossell). Here's how I descend from her.

[Ancestry.com]

   


© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

From the Probate Files: John Moore - North Hampton, Province of North Carolina, 1753

As promised, here's the 1753 will of my 5X great grandmother Tabitha Pace's husband John Moore (beginning at the bottom of the first page):

In the Name of God Amen
I John Moore of the Province of North Carolina
And County of N Hampton Being Weake and in
a Declining Condition do Make and Ordain this
to be my Last Will and Testament

in Mannor and Form Following (Vis) first I
Recommend my Soul to Almighty God who Gives and
my Body to be Decently Buried at the Discretion
of my Exe'rs. hereafter Named and as Touching my
Worldly Estate I Give and Bequeath as Followeth
Item I give and Bequeath unto my Son Mark Moore fifty
Pounds Current money of Virginia and Likewise one
Negro man named Jack - Item I give and Bequeath unto
my Son John Moore Fifty Pounds Current money
of Virginia, and Likewise one Negro man named Cofar
Item I give and Bequeath unto my Son Isham Moore
fifty Pounds Current Money of Virginia and Likewise
One Negro Man Named James. Item I give and
Bequeath unto my Son William Moore two Hundred
And Seventy Five Acres of Land lying near Pohill Creek
Commonly Called and Known by the name of the Spring
Lands and One Negro Boy named Cobb and ten Pounds
Current money of Virginia to him and his heirs and assigns
for Ever. Item I give and Bequeath unto my Son
Nathaniel Moore Three hundred Acres of Land joyning
my Son Williams it being the Land Whereon Abraham
Johnson now Lives with all the Stock Belonging to it and
Likewise Two Negro Boys ^named^ Matt and David to him his
heirs and assigns for Ever. Item I give and Bequeath 
unto my Son Richard Moore Ap 8[?] acre[s] of Land Whearon
George Harper and Samuel Carlile formerly Lived on
After my Wifes Decease and One Negro Boy named Daniel
And one negro Girl named Lotte to him his heirs and Assigns
for Ever. Item I give and Bequeath unto my Daughter 
Sarah Moore one Girl named Lucy and all her Increase
And One fether Bed And Furniture.

[North Carolina Wills and Court Records, 1679-1775; Author: North Carolina Secretary of State; 

Ancestry.com. North Carolina, Wills and Probate Records, 1665-1998 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: North Carolina County, District and Probate Courts.]

Item I give and Bequeath unto my Loving Wife
Tabitha Moor One Negro Man named Peter and two
Negro Women named Moll and Hanner With all the
Remainder of my Estate not before Mentioned and
her Living on the Plantation That I Gave to my
Son Richard During her Natural Life and
I do hereby Appoint my Loving Wife & Richard Moore
and Thomas Pace my Exers. to This my Last Will
And Testament and I Do Heareby Revoke all others
made Heartofore Either by Word or Wrighting in
Witness Whereof I have heareunto Set my hand and
Seal This first Day of September, in the Year of
Our Lord One Thousand Seven hundred and fifty
Three
     Tests.                                      John Moore {Seal}
George Harper   }
John Melldesley } Jurat

No. Hampton }
     County      } ses     November Court 1753
The Within Written Will of Capt'n. John Moore
Deceased was Exhibited Into Court & Proved by
the Oath of Both the Subscribing Witnesses thereto
at the Same Time Tabitha Moore Richard Moore 
And Thomas Pace were Qualify'd Executors thereof
Which on Motion Was Ordered to be Certified.
                    Test  J Edwards tter?ur

It's clear from his will that John Moore owned a considerable amount of land which he divided between three of his six sons, including my direct ancestor William. The other sons had to be content with 50 Pounds of Virginia money and a slave. In all, John mentions twelve enslaved persons which he distributed among his children while reserving three to his "Loving Wife."* His daughter Sarah, apparently unmarried at the time, was to receive a feather bed and "one Negro Girl named Lucy".

Since it's the "Plantation" that Tabitha was given a life tenancy I wish I could decipher the clerk's handwriting describing the land left to Richard Moore. Maybe you can do better?

[Detail of above]

The Thomas Pace named as one of the executors along with Tabitha and son Richard is almost certainly her brother who can be found in later North Carolina census records.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to find any further probate documents online--I was hoping for an inventory which would enable us to have a better idea of the material circumstances of John and Tabitha.



*There were five men--Jack, Cofar, James, Cobb and Peter; two women--Mall and Hanner; three boys--Matt, David and Daniel; and two girls--Lotte and Lucy.





© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Monday Is for Mothers: Tabitha Pace (About 1714 - After 1753)

With this particular maternal sixth great grandmother, we're still way up in the North Carolina branch of  the Matthews' family tree and once again we have to rely on the probate records of the men in her life: her father Richard Pace (about 1665-1738) and husband John Moore (?-1753).

Here's an abstract of Richard Pace's will, dated 1736:

[Abstract of North Carolina Wills, 1663-1760 [database on-line]. Ancestry.com]

And from the same source, John Moore's 1753 will:

[Abstract of North Carolina Wills, 1663-1760 [database on-line]. Ancestry.com]

Digital scans of both of their wills are available from Ancestry.com so I'll be sharing them in later posts

Here's my connection to Tabitha..

[Ancestry.com]

© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

From the Probate Files: Thomas Mathews - Northampton, North Carolina, 1770

In an earlier post we saw that Martha Stapp's husband Thomas Matthews received one shilling in her father's Joshua's 1759 will and noted that her only other mention in surviving records is in Thomas's will which presented in the Northampton County court in March of 1770.

I haven't found a birth date for this maternal sixth great grandfather, but since their first child was born about 1739 it's likely to have been in or before 1720, so he must have been in his 40s when he put his mark on his will on April 20, 1761. At that time his three sons (James, Claiborne* and Lawrence) were under age so he left everything to Martha as long as she didn't remarry. If she died or took a second husband all his property was to go to his oldest son, if he died then to my ancestor, and finally in case both his older sons were dead, to his youngest son Lawrence.

["North Carolina Probate Records, 1735-1970," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:2:77T2-JR3V?cc=1867501&wc=32L6-3T5%3A169791301%2C170254301 : 21 May 2014), Northampton > image 103 of 273;

county courthouses, North Carolina.]

                                      Thomas Matthews Will
In the name of God amen, I Thomas Matthews of the County of North
ampton, being in a low State of Health, but of sound & perfect sense
& memory, Do hereby this my last Will & Testament, revoking 
all former wills by me heretofore made.
Impremis I give my Soul to almighty God, its Creator, hoping thru the mediation
                of my Saviour Jesus Christ to Receive full & ardent Redemption 
                all my sins, my body I Desire to be decently interred at the Discre
                tion of my Execr hereafter appointed.
Item         I give & bequeath unto my loving wife Martha Mathews,
                while she Continues sole & my widow, all my Estate but in Case
                my wife shall die or marry, I give my land unto my son James
                Matthews ^his heirs & assigns. In case my son James Mathews^
                should die under age, I give my Land to my son Chil
                borne Mathews, & his heirs forever. In case my Son Chilborne
               should die under age, I give my land to my son Lawrence Mat
               thews & his heirs forever.
I Constitute & appoint my wife Martha Matthews ^to be^ , Exer of this my last
                will & testament, & I desire all my just debts to be paid by my Exer, In
                witness thereof I have set my hand & seal this 20th day of April 1761.
                Signed Sealed & Delivered           Thomas [his | mark] Matthews & seal
                as his last will & testament in presence of
                Teste Thos Short,  George Raglund.                 

Even though Thomas lived another nine years after drawing up this will, he apparently saw no need to make another and this was the one recorded in 1770.

["North Carolina Probate Records, 1735-1970," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:2:77T2-JR3K?cc=1867501&wc=32L6-3T5%3A169791301%2C170254301 : 21 May 2014), Northampton > image 104 of 273;

county courthouses, North Carolina.]

Northampton County ?? March Ct 1770.

This will of Thomas Matthews deceased was proved by the 

Oath of Thomas Short Esq. and ordered to be Certified &

Recorded.

                                                Teste Willis Jones Cct.

Northampton County has extensive probate records but somehow Thomas Matthews' original will doesn't seem to have survived nor is there any further probate records that I could find.



*Claiborne is my direct ancestor. His great great granddaughter is Sarah M. Matthews, the wife of George W. Slater.



© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Monday Is for Mothers: Martha Stapp (About 1715 - After 1770?)

Martha's father Joshua Stapp (or Stepp) didn't mention her by name when he signed his will in Northampton County, North Carolina, on November 2, 1759, but he did leave one shilling to her husband Thomas Mathews. His other son-in-law also received one shilling, with all the rest of his estate going to his son Joshua Jr. No provision was made in case the younger Joshua died without legal heirs.*

[A compleat map of North-Carolina from an actual survey; John Collet & J. Bayly. Published in London by Samuel Hooper, 1770.

Source: Library of Congress, Washington D.C.]

[Detail of above, showing general location of Northampton County south of the Virginia border..]

["North Carolina Probate Records, 1735-1970," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:2:77T2-JRSP? cc=1867501&wc=32L6-3T5%3A169791301%2C170254301 : 21 May 2014), Northampton > image 78 of 273;

county courthouses, North Carolina.]

Martha and Thomas's first child was born in about 1839 so presumably they were married sometime before then. My direct ancestor, Claiborne Mathews, was their second child.

[Ancestry.com]

As is to be expected, given the times, the only mention we have for this maternal 6th great grandmother are in the wills of her men-folk. Here is how Thomas referred to her in his will dated April 20, 1761, wherein he left his property to her (during her widowhood) and also named her his executor.

[North Carolina Probate Records, 1735-1970, Family Search]

This will was presented for probate in 1770 in Northampton County and I'll take a closer look at it on Friday. Unfortunately none of the other probate records from this time period seem to exist.

There's no indication in the surviving records of Martha's date of death.



*Joshua Sr. died in 1765 and his son acted as his executor.



© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Monday Is for Mothers : Freedom Woodward (1642 - 1681)

This paternal eighth great grandmother died in her late thirties on May 10, 1681, just a week after the birth of her 14th child.*

Freedom was born in Dorchester in about 1642, the daughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Mather) Woodward. The family moved to Northampton in the Connecticut River Valley of eastern Massachusetts and that's where she married Jedediah Strong (1639-1733), who was originally from Hingham, in 1662.

[1677 Map of New England by William Hubbard.

 Source:http://www.histarch.illinois.edu/plymouth/images/1677map.jpg]

[Ancestry.com. U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2012. Original data: Torry, Clarence A. New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004.]

Jedediah** outlived two more wives, finally dying in his 96th year in Coventry, in Tolland County, Connecticut.

Northampton has had a rich history since it was first settled by the English in 1654.*** The view of it painted by American landscape artist Thomas Cole (1801-1848) shows the how the area looked 179 years ago.

[View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm—The Oxbow. Artist: Thomas Cole; Date: 1836.

Medium: Oil on canvas. Metropolitan Museum of Art: Gift of Mrs. Russell Sage, 1908]

*Her children were Elizabeth, Abigail, Jedediah, Ford, Hannah, Thankful, John, Sarah, Lydia, Mary, Experience, Preserved, John (again) and a baby who was unnamed. Of the children, four were known to have died as infants and another died at age 17. Hannah is my direct ancestor through her granddaughter Esther Carpenter who married Benjamin Porter and are thereby my fifth great grandparents. My source for this information is here.
**You can learn more about Jedediah Strong here.
***Historic Northampton has a short video here.

© 2015 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.