Abstracts of Wills on File in the City of New York Surrogate’s Office 1660-1680

Sample Last Will and Testament

Abstracts of wills on file in the surrogate’s office city of New York 1660-1680. From May 1787 to the present, county surrogate’s courts have recorded probates. However, the court of probates and court of chancery handled estates of deceased persons who died in one county but who owned property in another. An 1823 law mandated that all probates come under the jurisdiction of the county surrogate’s courts. Each surrogate’s court has a comprehensive index to all probate records, including the unrecorded probate packets. Interestingly enough, there are wills existing and on record at the Surrogate’s Office in New York City for the time-span of 1660-1680. Genealogical extracts of these wills have been provided below.

Pioneers of Elk Valley, Del Norte County, California

Pioneers of Elk Valley, Del Norte County, California

In the heart of Northern California lies a hidden gem steeped in history and natural beauty: Elk Valley in Del Norte County. This manuscript, titled “Pioneers of Elk Valley, Del Norte County, California: Fifty Years in the History of Elk Valley from 1850 to the Turn of the Century,” authored by Frances Turner McBeth, embarks on a vivid journey through the transformation of this enchanting valley over half a century. From the early days of exploration and settlement to the bustling activity of the turn of the century, McBeth’s narrative weaves together the lives of the pioneers who braved the unknown to establish a community in one of California’s most picturesque landscapes.

Slave Narrative of Nathan Jones

Interviewer: Anna Pritchett Person Interviewed: Nathan Jones Location: Indiana Place of Birth: Gibson County, Tennessee Date of Birth: 1858 Place of Residence: 409 Blake Street Federal Writers’ Project of the W.P.A. District #6 Marion County Anna Pritchett 1200 Kentucky Avenue FOLKLORE NATHAN JONES-EX-SLAVE 409 Blake Street Nathan Jones was born in Gibson County, Tennessee in 1858, the son of Caroline Powell, one of Parker Crimm’s slaves. Master Crimm was very abusive and cruel to his slaves. He would beat them for any little offense. He took pleasure in taking little children from their mothers and selling them, sending them as … Read more

Will of Thomas Jones, – 1669

THOMAS JONES, Huntington, L. I. “His will is that his three youngest sons may have 20 shillings each.” Leaves same sum to “my eldest sons. To daughter Martha, £10. “To my eldest son Thomas my best cloak. To my son John my watch,” and make my wife executrix. February 16, 1669. LIBER 1-2, page 72 Witnesses, Samuel Titus, Thomas Powell. Sworn to by witnesses, February 26, 1669. Jonas Wood. Proved at Court of Sessions held at Southampton, March 2, 1669, and his wife Katharine Jones, was confirmed as executrix. Henry Pierson, Clerk. Inventory, £195. House and Lands, £35. Samuel Titus, … Read more

Biography of Charles and Ormond Jones

Among the early and prominent families to settle in the county of Grenville, Upper Canada, now Ontario, were the Joneses, figuring largely in the history of Brockville. About the time of the opening of the struggle of the American colonies for their independence, Ephraim Jones, United Empire Loyalist, left the United States and his property there, came to Canada, and was an officer in the King’s service, settling in Augusta, Grenville, eight miles east of where Brockville now stands. There he died in 1811. He was the father of eight children, one of whom, Charles Jones, born in 1781, was … Read more

Biography of Abraham Gates Jones

Abraham Gates Jones, a wellknown gentleman of Concord, N.H., formerly engaged in the printing business, but now retired from active business affairs, was born in the town of Bow, five miles south of this city, October 21, 1827, son of Philip and Sarah M. (Gates) Jones. His paternal ancestors for many years were residents of Merrimack County, while the maternal progenitors came from Massachusetts. Philip Jones, father of the subject of this sketch, was the son of Joseph Jones, and was a merchant in Hookset. He died on January 26, 1836. His wife, Sarah M. Gates, was a daughter of … Read more

Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Chester County, PA

Title Page for Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Chester County Pennsylvania

Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Chester County, Pennsylvania – comprising a historical sketch of the county, by Samuel T. Wiley, together with more than five hundred biographical sketches of the prominent men and leading citizens of the county.

Washington Irving at Fort Gibson, 1832

Irving Washington

The McIntosh Creeks had been located along Arkansas River near the Verdigris on fertile timbered land which they began at once to clear, cultivate, and transform into productive farms. The treaty of 1828 with the Cherokee gave the latter a great tract of land on both sides of Arkansas River embracing that on which the Creeks were located. This was accomplished by a blunder of the Government officials, in the language of the Secretary of War, “when we had not a correct knowledge of the location of the Creek Indians nor of the features of the country.” This situation produced … Read more

Descendants of John Baker of Rehobeth, MA

Charles F. Baker

The Baker family of Taunton, the head of which was the late Charles F. Baker, who for years was one of the successful business men of Taunton, his adopted city, esteemed and respected for his many noble qualities of mind and heart, springs from the old Swansea-Rehoboth family of the name, the progenitor of which was John Baker. Little is known of the latter save that his wife was formerly Susannah Wood, and that he died in 1767. From this (I) John Baker of Swansea and Rehoboth the descent of the late Charles F. Baker, the head of the Taunton family under consideration, is through Nathaniel, Joseph, Levi and Caleb W. Baker.

Clough Genealogy of Blue Hill, Maine

Historical Sketches of Bluehill Maine

The Clough Genealogy of Blue Hill, Maine is a study into the genealogy of two supposed brothers, Asa and Benjamin Clough. Asa Clough was born at Haverhill, Mass., Aug. 25, 1764; died Jan. 2, 1851, in his eighty-seventh year. He married Abigail Pecker, Nov. 27, 1789. She was born at Bradford, Mass., Nov. 27, 1766, and died March 16, 1854, in her eighty-eighth year. They had a family of ten children, as follows: Daniel, Cheever, Sally, John, Asa, Leonard, James, Lydia, Zelotes, and Louisa. Benjamin was born Aug. 15, 1755, married Relief Wyman, March 12, 1788. She was born Sept. 16, 1761, and died March 25, 1819. The date of his death is not recorded. The children of Benjamin, Sr., and Relief (Wyman) Clough were: Moody, Abigail, Hannah, Phebe, Benjamin, Dorias, and Ezra. There was a third brother, John, who travelled from Haverhill Mass. to Blue Hill Maine, however, he is not treated in this genealogy.

Abbe-Abbey Genealogy

A genealogical dictionary of the first settlers of New England vol 1

The “Abbe-Abbey Genealogy” serves as a comprehensive and meticulously compiled homage to the heritage of the Abbe and Abbey families, tracing its roots back to John Abbe and his descendants. Initiated by the life-long passion of Professor Cleveland Abbe, this genealogical exploration began in his youth and expanded throughout his illustrious career, despite numerous challenges. It encapsulates the collaborative efforts of numerous family members and researchers, including significant contributions from individuals such as Charles E. Abbe, Norah D. Abbe, and many others, each bringing invaluable insights and data to enrich the family’s narrative.

Issac M. Jones

1st Class Private, 120th Inf., Co. G, 30th Div. Born in Guilford County; the son of Mr. and Mrs. Mark Jones. Entered the service July 5, 1917, at Reidsville, N.C. Was sent to Camp Sevier, S. C. Sailed for France May 10, 1918. Fought at Hindenburg Line. Wounded at Hindenburg Line Sept. 29, 1918, by machine gun bullet. Was sent to Base Hospital No. 29, England. Returned to USA April 13, 1919. Mustered out at Camp Jackson, April 18, 1919.

Genealogy of Marion Marvin Spracklin

Marvin M. Spracklin, son of George Spracklin and Arloa Turner Minor, remained a resident of Shelby County, Illinois for the rest of his life. On October 13, 1870 he married Mary Elizabeth Deal, daughter of Elias and Francis Elizabeth Broyles Deal. In 1877 Marvin became “our new groceryman, (had) adopted for his motto ‘quick sales and small profits,’ in consequence of which together with his affable nature and genial smiles, he (had) already secured for himself his full share of ‘public patronage’.” In 1906 Marvin had another occasion to smile since he had entered the Shelbyville Democrat office “Tuesday noon wearing … Read more

Biographies of the Cherokee Indians

1830 Map of Cherokee Territory in Georgia

Whatever may be their origins in antiquity, the Cherokees are generally thought to be a Southeastern tribe, with roots in Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, among other states, though many Cherokees are identified today with Oklahoma, to which they had been forcibly removed by treaty in the 1830s, or with the lands of the Eastern Band of Cherokees in western North Carolina. The largest of the so-called Five Civilized Tribes, which also included Choctaws, Chickasaws, Creeks, and Seminoles, the Cherokees were the first tribe to have a written language, and by 1820 they had even adopted a form of government … Read more

Descendants of Frederick Packard of Brockton, MA

Fred. Packard

FREDERICK PACKARD, late of Brockton, was not only one of the best known men in the line of shoe manufacturing in that city but also one of its most honorable and respected citizens. He ranked among the city’s most successful business men, one whose start in life was obtained by his energy and push, and these traits, combined with excellent business acumen, had long secured for him a position of affluence, and caused the firm of which he had so long been the head to become one of the best known in its line in the country. Mr. Packard was … Read more

Ancestors of William J. Rotch of New Bedford, MA

William J. Rotch

At New Bedford, this Commonwealth, a point so long famous the world round for its whaling industry, a business carried on to an extent and success that made it the wealthiest place in proportion to its population of any point in New England, and a city that has since been hardly less conspicuous as a cotton manufacturing point, there still reside representatives of the Rotch family; here where, since the middle of the eighteenth century, have lived seven or eight generations of Rotches, than whom as a family perhaps no other has had greater influence in developing New Bedford’s character and prosperity and shaping its history.

Biography of James B. Jones M. D.

James B. Jones, M. D. For almost a half century Dr. James B. Jones had been in the active practice of his noble profession in Anderson County, Kansas, and while widely known and universally appreciated in other honorable capacities, it is as the skilled and experienced physician and surgeon that his people love him most. Doctor Jones was born October 21, 1847, in Randolph County, Indiana, in one of the picturesque little pioneer cabins that have long since given way in that section to the march of progress, but the memory of which still lingers along with childhood’s recollections. His … Read more