AMANEUNSIS MONDAY ~ Samuel Morse (1585-1654) Last Will & Testament, Suffolk, Massachusetts

What does Amanuensis mean?

“To put it simply, it means a “person employed to write what another dictates or copy what has been written by another.”

Today I present the last will and testament of my husband’s 9th great grandfather, Samuel Morse.

I only began researching this particular ancestor in the last few weeks.  However, I’ve been happily surprised by my discoveries, considering Samuel was so far back in the lineage.

Samuel Morse was born about 1585 in England.  He married Elizabeth Jasper (1580-1655) on 29 Jun 1602 in Redgrave, Suffolk, England.  The couple had seven children, all born in England; John born 1611, Abigail, Samuel, Jeremiah, Daniel (1613-1688), Joseph (1613-1654) and Mary (1620-1692).
 

EXCERPT FROM PAGE 1774 OF REPRESENTATIVE MEN & OLD FAMILIES OF SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS, VOLUME 3, BY J.H. BEERS & CO.

EXCERPT FROM PIONEERS OF MASSACHUSETTS, BY CHARLES POPE, PAGE 320

In 1635, Samuel & Elizabeth and the seven children all came to the colony of Massachusetts.  It’s pretty miraculous that all 9 of them made the trip safely.

I’ve learned that this family was one of the original Puritan families who emigrated from England to the “New World.”

Samuel died 1654, at the age of 69.  His probate record can be found in Vol 1-4, 1628-1667 Suffolk County (Massachusetts) Probate Records, 1636-1899; Author: Massachusetts Probate Court.  I located the record on Ancestry.com.  Here is the record, which I’ve cropped from the original page.




Here is my transcription of the record.

102

Page 87 Original Volume

Samuel Morse

     Will           In ye year of or Lord 1654 month the 10

Ye 2^d I Samuell Morse being sick & weake in body but of good & prfect memory praised be God therefore doe make this my last will & testament in manner as followeth I bequeath my soule into the hand of a mercyfull God that gave it with assured hope of Evlasting life through the ___ merits of my deare Savor & blessed Redeem^r Jes. Christ as for that little estate of outward things which the Lord hath beenepleased to bestow upon me, whether the be moveables or imoveables, as house lands chattle househould stuffe & I will & bequeath them all unto Elizabeth Morse my deare and Loveing wife, to enjoye possesse make use of for the Comfort of her life dureing the tearme thereof, & after her decease out of life my will is that all that estate wch she was in life possessor of shall be devided amongst my Children both sonnes & daughter that is to say John Morse, Daniell Morse, Mary Bullin & Ann Morse the wife of my deaely beloved Sonne Joseph deceased, who with my said Children shall have an equall portion upon a just devision with them for the Childrens sake of my said beloved Joseph____Therefore my will is, that the above named Ann the wife of my deare Joseph, shall make an equall distribution of all that hir portion upon devision, unto every Child of my Sonne Joseph when they & every one of them shall grow up to the age of one & twenty yeares, Lastly I constitute and appoint Elizabeth my beloved wife the sole executrix of this my Last will, in witness whereunto I have putt my hand the day and yeare above written.

                               Samuell S Morse his marke

In the presence of

           his mrke

Henry H. Smith

Ralph O. Wheelocke

Samuell S Bullin

 This is the oldest probate record I have located, thus far, for our family.  It never ceases to amaze me that we can look on these documents from centuries ago.

Here is the descendancy from Samuel Morse to my husband, Ron, beginning in 1585 over in England:

 9th great grandparents

Samuel Morse & Elizabeth Jasper

8th great grandparents

Joseph Morse & Hannah “Anne” Phillips

7th great grandparents

Dorcas Morse & Benjamin Clarke

6th great grandparents

Theophilus Clarke & Rachel Partridge

5th great grandparents

Ebenezer Clarke & Anna Fisher

4th great grandparents

Achsah Clark & Jesse Hall

3rd great grandparents

Cornelius Clark Hall & Elizabeth Conick

2nd great grandparents

Reverend George Hall & Almira Rosette

Great grandparents

Thomas Cornelius Clark & Cora E. Brown

Grandparents

Charles Schuyler Hall & Daisy Bright

Parents

Gordon Charles Hall & Dorothy Beatrice Fink

My husband, Ron

Some sources used in this post: The New England Historical Genealogical Register, 1847-2011; Pioneers of Massachusetts by Charles Pope, page 320; Representative Men and Old Families of Southeastern Massachusetts, by J.H. Beers & Co, Volume 3, page 1774.

PLEASE contact me if you think you might be related, even remotely, to anyone mentioned in this blog.

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2015   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

VETERANS DAY ~ THANK YOU!

To all of you who are veterans, I want to say thank you.

Whether you served on the front lines or in another capacity, you are valued.

God bless each one of you.

With a grateful heart,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2015   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

DID OUR ANCESTORS DRESS UP FOR HALLOWEEN?

I only have a couple of photos of my ancestors “dressed up.”  I can’t even say for sure if this was Halloween or some other costume party.

But, here are the photos I have.


The tall guy wrapped in a blanket, with feathers on his head is my maternal grandfather, Joseph A. Milne.  I guess he was supposed to be an Indian.  I don’t recognize any of the other people in this photo.  His wife, my grandmother, is not in this picture.  Is she taking the photo?  Or, is this prior to their marriage?  He was 23 when they married, so it could be.  I cannot tell how old Joseph is in these photos.  Comparing to other pictures I have of him, he appears to be in his 20’s here.  Guess I’ll never know.

Share your ancestor dress up photos or stories with me, either in a comment or on your own blog post.

Happy hunting….or should I say Happy Halloween?

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2015   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

WEDDING WEDNESDAY–Detroit Free Press Newspaper Finds

Wedding day (22 Aug 1936 in Detroit, Michigan) for Harry Norman Gould & Elaine G. Croft.  They are the couple in the center - on the left is Robert Beach and on the right is Lucille Croft, who marry one another 6 yrs. later

The recent announcement that the Detroit Free Press is now available online for those of us outside of the Michigan area, has been fantastic for my research. Here’s a link to my post about this new resource Detroit Free Press 1837 to Sep 2015 now online.

It takes some ingenuity and a few search tricks to find what you’re looking for, but if you’re persistent it pays off.

I was able to find the marriage license listings for my father, Harry Norman Gould to his first wife, Elaine Gertrude Croft and the license for Elaine’s sister, Lucille Croft to her husband Robert Beach.

My Dad and Robert “Bob” Beach were best friends and they married sisters.

 

While I was growing up my Dad told many stories about his adventures and shenanigans with his friend Bob.

Here is the license announcement for my Dad & Elaine.

 

Here is the license announcement for Robert Beach and Lucille Croft.



While I did not find any photos or wedding details, at least I have this information.  Every bit of evidence we find adds validity to our research.

What will I discover today?  I can’t wait to find out.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2015   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

TOMBSTONE TUESDAY–Dr. Jeremiah Hall 1722-1807 & Elizabeth (Bailey) Hall 1727-1816 ~ Massachusetts

In memory of Dr. Jeremiah Hall who died Oct. 1st 1807, aged 85 years, photo courtesy of James Bianco, used with permission

Mrs. Elizabeth B. Hall widow of Dr. Jeremiah Hall, died Feb. 16, 1816, aged 86, photo courtesy of James Bianco, used with permission

These are the headstones of Dr. Jeremiah Hall, born 11 Jun 1722 in Wrentham, Colonial Massachusetts, died 1 Oct 1807 in Pembroke, Plymouth, Massachusetts.  He married Elizabeth Bailey, born Aug 1727 in Scituate, Plymouth, Massachusetts, died 16 Feb Pembroke, Plymouth, Massachusetts, in Dec 1748.

They are my husband’s 4th great granduncle & aunt.  My husband is a direct descendant of Jeremiah's brother, Jesse Hall.

Here is a page from Massachusetts, Town & Vital Records, 1620-1988, showing the death dates for both Jeremiah & Elizabeth, along with other Hall family.



Here is a hand written page, indicating Dr. Jeremiah Hall’s death.


Source: Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
Original data: Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records. Provo, UT: Holbrook Research Institute (Jay and Delene Holbrook).

Jeremiah & Elizabeth had 7 known children:

Dorothy, born about 1753
Lawrentia, born 15 May 1755, married Elisha Briggs
Lucretia, born 6 Nov 1757, died 18 Mar 1795 in Pembroke, Plymouth, Massachusetts
Jeremiah Hall, Jr., born 20 Dec 1759 in Pembroke, Plymouth Massachusetts, killed in action 24 Jan 1776, during the Revolutionary War.
“1776 HALL Jeremiah Jr., s. Dr. Jeremiah and Elizabeth, Jan. 24, 1776, a. 17, "In the service of his country, opposing Britain's Tyranny and Britain's Tyrant" G.R.1.   Death in Pembroke”
Citation Information:
Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850 (Online Database: NewEnglandAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2008).
Bailey, born 16 Aug 1761 in Pembroke, Plymouth, Massachusetts
Sarah, born about 1764
Lucinda, born 1768, died 14 Jun 1823 in Pembroke, Plymouth, Massachusetts

You can visit the memorials for Dr. Jeremiah Hall & his wife Elizabeth on findagrave.com #142810559 and #142810457
Several of their children are linked to their memorials.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST
CEMETERY RECORDS–What can they tell you? How do you use them?

CIVIL WAR DEAD & OUR NATIONAL CEMETERIES

PLEASE contact me if you think you might be related, even remotely, to anyone mentioned in this blog.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2015   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

DETROIT FREE PRESS NEWSPAPER NOW ONLINE - 1837 to September 2015

This could not be a bigger headline for all of us with ancestors in Michigan.
 
There has been limited access (outside of Michigan) to any online issues of the Detroit Free Press until now.

Available issues from 1837 to September 2015.  I spent last evening entering names & finding articles.  I found 15 news articles in an hour.  Everything from engagements to marriage announcements to obituaries and just every day who is visiting from out of town articles. 

Here is the link Detroit Free Press.  Go to Archives in the left column and you will be taken to the page to search.  Even if you are already a subscriber to newspapers.com (as am I), you will have to pay for an additional subscription to access the Detroit Free Press.  There is a yearly option for $59.95 and a monthly option for $7.95, which is what I opted for at this time.

If you aren't familiar with how Newspapers.com works I highly recommend their tutorial video.  It's only about two minutes long and I just learned a whole lot by watching it. Tips on how to Search on Newspapers.com website
.
Here are a three of the articles I found last evening.

Have fun fellow Michigan descendants.  Off I go to look for more articles.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2015   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

HAVE EARLY MASSACHUSETTS ANCESTORS? This might be your lucky day

I hit the jackpot today

How did I come upon this gem of information about the Pioneers of Massachusetts?  In a kind of roundabout way.

Randy Seaver in his Genea-Musings blog told us that the Worcester County, Massachusetts Probate File Papers, 1731-1881, are now on AmericanAncestors.org. 

I don’t have a current subscription to the NEHGS website (AmericanAncestors).  I checked my database for any ancestor connections to Worcester County, Massachusetts and didn’t find any.

HOWEVER, as I was checking my Legacy database, I was reminded of the extensive list of ancestors with links to Massachusetts.  That led me to go to Ancestry.com and check for probate records there.  When I entered one of my Massachusetts names, I saw a link to The Pioneers of Massachusetts, 1620-1650 database.  That isn’t a record of probate files, but what does it contain?  Let's find out..............

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)



As you can see, you can search by name, keyword, page number etc. 

When you search by name, you will see this screen:



In this case I entered the name Cornelius Fisher, one of my husband’s ancestors.  The “hit” shows his name, but more importantly it names his wife, Leah, which matches what I have in my database.

When I click on that item here is the page that comes up:



There it is.  A section about the HEATON family.  Again, a match to my database info, as I have Nathaniel Heaton and Elizabeth Wight as Leah’s parents.
 
In reading the forward in this book, it is stated that the records come from various town and church records.

Here is how the book is described on Google books

“Attempts to identify all the men who came to Massachusetts between 1620 and 1650, a period of enormous influx, and to follow them down to the time of their death with a genealogical sketch.”

This book can be purchased in both print & ebook format.  Or you can go to this site Internet Archive and download a version for free, or read it directly from the site.  This book is copyrighted before 1923, making it public domain.

Here is how Ancestry describes this collection.

About The Pioneers of Massachusetts, 1620-1650

“This descriptive list of pioneers of Massachusetts was taken from colonial, town, church and other contemporary documents. It lists over 5000 persons who settled the colony and were instrumental in its growth. Including settlers from as far back as the Mayflower, researchers will find birth, occupation, marriage and death information along with a list of known descendants. For those seeking ancestors from the colonies of Massachusetts and Plymouth, this can be a helpful source of information.”

What I found as I entered some names was that the list of hits was quite extensive.  So I decided to search another way.  By using that list on the right hand side of the page and browsing by surname.
 


In doing my search this way I was able to easily find the sections of the book that talk about the surnames I am interested in.  On these pages I found Clark and Morse, two names in my husband’s ancestry.


WHAT INFORMATION CAN I FIND IN THESE LISTINGS?

As an example I will look at the section for Samuel Morse.  See the page above, on the right, lower right corner of the page.

• Name & age
• Wife’s name and age
• Son, Joseph’s name & age
• When Samuel settled in Dedham, Mass.
• His occupation, Husbandman
• That he was a proprietor and a town officer
• That he removed to Medfield
• His date of death and when his will was probated
• References to who was named in his will
• When the inventory of his will was taken
• When his widow died

WOW!  That’s a LOT of information.
 
Can we just take this information as the truth and be done?  NO! 
 
We need to find other evidence to verify what is stated.  But, boy, it sure gives us a great start.

I will continue to search through this database.  As I do, I download each page that I find, name it and save it to my computer.  Make sure you download the Title & publisher page so you can cite it when you create your source citation.

NOTE:  When I find a source such as this, with many pages I will be referring to and connecting to my data, I first create a special folder to save all the images to.  In this case I created a subfolder under my BOOKS folder, titled Pioneers of Massachusetts.  Later these images will be more thoroughly named and placed in the proper surname folders.
  
Here’s a screen shot of what I have right now.  You can see the pages I have saved so far.



I’m anxious to get back to this site and do some more exploring.  Then I will be evaluating each item one by one and determining what records I need to look for.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

WHAT CAN YOU LEARN FROM A PROBATE RECORD?  Here's one from 1884 for my 3rd great grandmother
TOMBSTONE TUESDAY - Dorcas Morse Clark - 1645-1725

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2015   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION