Probate records of John Wood of Portsmouth

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]
Surname/tag: Wood

Estate Settlement

John Wood's estate was settled at Portsmouth on 07 May 1655. His widow Elizabeth was named as the administratrix.^[1][2]

7 May 1655

"The Councell of' the town of Portsmouth being met according to the law of the Collonie for the legall disposing of the estate of John Wood deceast to those to whome it belongs, the deceast having not left, a will or testament, have chosen Mr John Coggeshall Thomas Cornell Jr. Jeames Badcock and William Hall to aprise the lands buildings and fences and other apurtenances of the aforenamed deceast, who have prised that which is in John Woods hand at—45 pounds that which is in Thomas Woods hand—20 pounds and that which is in the Widows hands --50 pounds there being an Inventory of the goods and Cattell taken by Thomas Cornell senior John Roome Jeames Badoook Obadiah Holme John Gould and Edward Thurston at the request of the widow and Children of the deceast: being presented to the Councell hath been avouched to bee a true Inventory of the goods and Cattall of the deceast, and thereupon accepted by us the Councell: amounting to the somm of sixteen pounds: Mr William Balston being hedd officer of the towne, Richard Bordin, John Roome, John Brigs and Philip Shearman being of the Town Councell doe disose of the aforenamed estate as followeth: namely unto John Wood that land that is in his present possession paying unto his Sister Manchester eight poundes fower pounds presently and fower pounds at the 29th day of September next after the date hereof, to bee payd according to the accmpt of silver pay: And unto Thomas Woods that land which was his fathers lying in Nuport by the farme of William Weeden being forty ackers more or lesse, and that land which the widdow of the deceast lies a upon tenn ackers of, it presently to be delivered into the possession of William Wood and to bee layed out to him on that syde of the brooke next Clement Weaver end the brocks to bee the boundes at the corner next the howse until one Come to the swampe and then to runn as Richard Bordin and William Hall shall sea Concvenient who are apoynted lay it out to the aforesayd William Wood, this present Cropp of Corne which is growing upon partt of the sayd land being Exsepted and free libertie granted to the widdow of the deceast to take of it peaceabllie, and all the remainder of land nowe in the possession of the afforesayd widdow the foresayd tenn ackers excepted, to be Injoyed by the widow during the terme of her life , paying unto George Woode the eldest son of John Wood deceast the somm of fower pounds according to the acoompt of silver pay, and paying unto the two younge Children of the deceast Susanna and Elizabeth: eight pounds apiece according to the acoompt of silver paye: at the age of sixteen years, and after the decease of the aforesayd widow, the aforenamed William Wood to injoy all that parcel of land nowe in his moother in laws possession paying the eight pounds apiece to the two younge Children at the age apoynted if it come into the sayd Williams possession by the death of his moother in law before they come to the age of sixteen years: and the Cattell and goods amounting by the Inventory to the somm of sixteen pounds wee apoynt thee widow to injoy to bringe up thee younge Children: It is Also ordered by the aforenamed Councell that if either of the aforenamed young Children depart this life before the age of sixteen years then the legacie of thee deceast to bee paid unto the longer liver of the sayd Children: It is also ordered by us the Councell aforenamed that Elizabeth Wood the late wife of the deceast shalbee sole excecketric, to see the order of the Councell performed and the debts of the deceased payd: witness our hands the day and date above written

John Briggs William Baulston

Philip Shearman John Roome

An important addition to the settlement described above, and slightly predating it, was discovered by G. Andrews Moriarty, Esq.,^[3] in the office of the town clerk of Portsmouth. It reads:

"April 1655 Being requested by the widow of John Woode of Portsmouth and the sd Woodes children, John Woods, Thomas and William, to take an Inventory of his goods, the sons before named choose their mother, the late wife of their father John Wood,, as administratrix. She hath given unto his daughter Manchester a ‘ewe gotte’ and to his son-in-law Samuel Jennings an ‘ewe kid’. John is to have land in his possession Thomas is to have the 40 acres next Robert Spinkes land, William is to have the lands and house. John, Thomas, and William are each to give their sister Manchester a ‘ewe goote’. "

Sources

1. ↑ 1655 Probate Record. Town of Portsmouth, Rhode Island. 1901. The Early Records of the Town of Portsmouth. Providence, R.I.: E. L. Freeman & Sons. Rhode Island Historical Society, editor. Available online without restriction courtesy of Hathitrust: "We have determined this work to be in the public domain, meaning that it is not subject to copyright. Users are free to copy, use, and redistribute the work in part or in whole." Also available at Archive.org.
2. ↑ Clark, Bertha W, and Dorothy W. Ewers. John Wood of Rhode Island: And His Early Descendants on the Mainland. (Crete, Ill.: 1966). pp. 9-11, citing Portsmouth Early Records, pp. 300-301, 322-324.. Link at FamilySearch.
3. ↑ Moriarty, G. Andrews, Jr. "Notes,"New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol. LXIX (Boston, published by the Society, 1915), pp. 188-189. Archive.org.