THOMAS NOBLE’S WILL
The last will and testament of Thomas Noble of Westfield, in ye County of Hampshire, in ye Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, being weak in body, but of perfect understanding.
Impr, I commend my soul into the hands of Christ my blessed Lord and Saviour, and my body to a christian burial, in full faith of a blessed resurrection, through the rich grace of God in Christ my Saviour.
Item, I give unto my son Thomas, that parcel of land lying in the farm purchased from Mr. Jno Pynchon, from the gate beyond the house entring into the field bounded by the plowing land, the way to Springfield, John Noble’s land and the drain all along to the swamp.
Item, to my son Matthew, a tract of land in the same farm, lying by a ditch eastrly, and bounded at both ends by the river.
Item, I give unto my sons Mark and Luke, my little meadow, lying against the orchard of Noah Cooke, and that homelot that I have bought, and they have raisd frames upon.
Item, I give the lot that the town gave me on the top of the hill agt my house on the same farm, to all my six sons for a pasture.
Item, to my son James, a parcel of land and house upon it, on that farm that is fenced in, being six or seven acres more or less.
Item, I bequeath the rest of this my farm lying bounded upon James northdly, Thomas on the east, Matthew on the southdly, ye river on the westrly sides, to all my sons, i.e., to my sons John, Thomas, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and James, equally to be divided amongst them by my brother James Warriner, and John Hitchcock of Springfield, and by Capt. Isaac Phelps of Westfield.
Item, I give to my son James, all my land in the plain, on this side the hundred acres, and the lot by the way to Pochastuck.
Item, I give to my son John, the rest of my lot in ye fort meadow.
Item, I give unto my beloved wife, Hannah Noble, an acre of land reserved out of my son John’s homelot; also half my dwelling house, that is to say, that end next the street, and halfe the land and orchard and barn we dwell on, and the other halfe of the house lot and barn to my son James, as also the thirds of all that I here will to my sons, and after her decease, I give my son James the whole of the house, houselot, and barn, and the acre reserved out of my son John’s homelot.
Item, I give unto my four daughters, Hannah, Elizabeth, Mary, and Rebecca, £20 apiece, to be paid them by my sons (viz.), Thomas, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and James, to Mary and to Rebeccah about half a [...] after their marriage, and a cow apiece at their marriage. And in case any of my children should dye, not leaving any issue behind them, then my will is that the legacies that I here give them, be equally divided among the surviving, and also, I order these my sons to find my [wife?] fewel wood, and two load of hay every year, so long as she shall remain a widdow.
Item, I give unto my wife also a cow and an heifer, also all my household goods, which household goods I would have her at her pleasure dispose of to my two youngest daughters.
Item, my team (one yoak of oxen excepted), I give unto my three youngest sons, Mark, Luke, and James. And for the well and faithful execution of this my last will, I ordain and make my beloved wife Hannah Noble and my son Thomas Noble joynt executors, to defray all and lawfull debts, and for that end leave one yoak of working cattle, a yoke of fatt oxen, and the money in the Bay due to me, and all other dues, or [...] which, when my debts are defrayd, the remainder I would have to [give] to pay my daughter’s portions. But in case the same should be too little to clear my due debts, that then they are to raise what is sufficient out of their legacies I have here given to my children, to do the same. In witness whereof I set to my hand and seal this eleventh day of May, Ano Domini 1697.
THOMAS NOBLE, and a [SEAL]. Signed & sealed in the presence off Edward Taylor, Victory Sikes, James Warriner.
INVENTORY OF THE ESTATE |
| £ - s. - d. | |
| A house and barn and homestead in the town plott, | 035-00-00 |
| A lot in the plain by estimation eleven acres, | 036-00-00 |
| Four acres of land in the fort meadow, | 006-00-00 |
| Six acres of upland or pastureing, | 012-00-00 |
| An acre of homelot land in the town platt, | 013-00-00 |
| Ninety acres of land in the farm, | 270-00-00 |
| Fifty acres of upland or thereabouts called the pasture, lying against the farm, |
005-00-00 |
| The old buildings upon the farm | 002-00-00 |
| Two and one halfe acres of land with a frame upon it cald Mark’s homested, |
010-00-00 |
| Two acres of homelot land near the Widw Dewey’s, | 005-00-00 |
| A yoak of three yeares old steers at £5, | 005-00-00 |
| Two cows, and one calfe at £5, and a heifer and 2 steers at £3 a 5s., | 008-15-00 |
| A horse at £2 10s. And six swine at £2, | 004-10-00 |
| A cart at £1 12s., and plow and plow chain at £1 5s., together with half other implements belonging to the team £1 14s.; and ye halfe of a timber chain at 13d., |
004-14-00 |
| Axes, hatchets, howes, and forks at 18d., and hay knife and pease hooks 4d., |
001-02-00 |
| Wareing apparel £3; and armes, and ammunition £1 15s.; and bed, bolster, and 2 pillows at £2 16s., and a rugg and blanketts £1 10s., |
007-11-00 |
|
4 toe ruggs £1 4s., and a blankett 4s.; 2 down beds and 2 boldsters at £1 2s., |
002-10-00 |
| Two pillows 7s., and curtaines and vallants 15s., and 4 bedsteads and cords £1 3s., | 002-05-00 |
| 1 dozn of napkins, and 2 table cloathes, and 3 towels, £1 8s.; and 5 pillow beers 8s., |
001-16-00 |
| Nine sheets £1 15s., and 3 large pewter platters £1 4s., and 6 plates a 15s., |
003-16-00 |
| Old pewter 13s. and a tankerd, and 2 porringers and salt cellar 8s., | 001-01-00 |
| Brass kittles and sdkillets and warming pann, | 001-16-00 |
| An iron pot and kittles £1 2s., and tin and earthen ware 6s., | 001-08-00 |
| Pott hooks, trammels and fire irons and chafen dish 13s., | 000-13-00 |
| Barrels, tubbs, chaires, and wheels, and some other small things, £1 15s., | 001-15-00 |
| Pailes, bowls, dishes, trenchers, spoons, and cann 13s., | 000-13-00 |
| Wheat, peas, rye, indian corn, and oates £7 9s. 6d., | 007-09-06 |
| Wool, flax, and sacks, £1 5s.; and chests, boxes, hookes, and hatchels, £1 15s., |
003-00-00 |
| A shovel, frying pann, and bridle, and sadle 13s.; and provision in ye house £1 10s., | 002-03-00 |
| Scicths, sickles, and scieth tackling 6s., | 000-06-00 |
| Beetle rings, and wedges, and other small things, 5s., and 2 bb of turpentine at £1 10d., and linnen, and woolen yarn, 8s., |
002-03-00 |
| TOTAL | £ 448 06s. 06d. |
Pr Isaac Phelps, Nathl Wellar, Jos. Sexton
HAMPSHR [County] SPRINGFIELD SEPTEMR 5th 1704
Hannah Noble widw and Thomas Noble, executors of the last will and testament of Thomas Noble (late of Westfield deceasd) made before Saml Partridge, Esqr., Judge of the Probate of wills &c., for County, that the within is a true inventory of the estate of sd deceasd, so far as they know of, and if more appear, they will readily make discovery thereof from time to time, to sd Judge, or his successors.
Attest, JOHN PYNCHON, Regr.
April 8th, 1704.
A division of a certain tract of land among the said sons of the deceascd Thomas Noble of Westfield, who dyed the 21st of Janury 1703/4, the land lyes about the middle of the farm, that the deceascd, Thomas Noble bought of Mr. Pynchon, the quantity is about sixty-seven acres. A description of the land follows and the division is outlined.
And lastly is a statement signed by the five sons that they were satisfied (“with good likeing”) with the division, as it was distributed by Isaac Phelps, James Warriner, and John Hitchcock.
