John Averell (abt. 1710)

Born about 1710 in Ulster, Ireland

Ancestors

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Biography

John Averell, son of Henry Averell, gentleman, of Toberhead, County Londonderry, Ireland, was born sometime between 1703 and 1718. His father died in about 1718 leaving a prerogative will, a will in which the testator had property in more than one county. Unfortunately, all pre-1858 Irish wills were lost in a 1922 fire, and all that remain are the indices. Fortunately, an 1895 volume of the “Ulster Journal of Archaeology” recorded the details of the 1720 will of Henry's brother Nicholas Averell, merchant in Coleraine, in which Nicholas made bequests to Henry's sons John and Nicholas. The will described John and the younger Nicholas as the elder Nicholas's nephews and as sons of Henry. Since the elder Nicholas had a son of his own, it can be assumed that he made bequests to his nephews only because their father had already died and because they were still minors in 1720.^[1] Nothing more is known, however, about John's life.

Sources

1. ↑ Ireland Index to Prerogative Wills, 1536-1810 at FamilySearch.org, GS Film #6026027