vital records sources
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Joseph's signature on his will

The following is Joseph Bouton's will, transcribed from the original, capitalization normalized:

In the name of God amen in Norwalk 20 December Anno Domini 1746

I Joseph Boutton Senr. of Norwalk in ye County of Fairfield & Colony of Connecticut in New England being aged but of sound mind & memory do make this my last will and testament

Firstly & principly I Commit my soul unto God that gave it & my body to a decent burial firmly believing its resurrection at ye last day & hoping for eternal life through Jesus Christ my only saviour: And as to my worldly estate my will is to Dispose of it as follows;

Imprimis - To my dearly beloved wife Mary Boutten I will bequeath & demise ye whole of my moveable estate to be at her own absolute disposal for ever, except my young riding mare

Item To my beloved daughter Sarah Hanford begotten of my body and to her heirs & assigns for ever I will bequeath & demise my whole rite of Sedge lying in Bouttens Meadows so called, in Norwalk joyning North to my own meadow south to ye creek east to salt meadow belonging my son in law Deacon John Benedict, west to meadow belonging to my brother Edmund Wairing. Also five acres of land lying in Norwalk above ye late dwelling house of Isaac Wood lying north and west to the high way & east by Land belonging to Ephm Raymond

Item To my beloved daughter Dinah Benedict beggoten of my body and to her hiers and assigns for ever I will bequeath & demise ye whole of my salt meadow lying in Bouttens Meadow so called in Norwalk joyning south to my sedge above mentioned, westerly to meadow belonging to to Edmund Wairing easterly & northwardly to meadow belonging to Richard Everit and also my riding mare

Item To my son in law Deacon John Benedict (in consideration of his taking ye whole cair & charge of my beloved brother Thomas Boutten both in sickness and in health to ye end of my sd. brothers days) I will bequeath & demise two pieces of land lying in Elys Neck so called in Norwalk in quantity about eight acres a piece the one of which pieces lyes between ye land of Elias Reed & Ephm Raymond & Deacon Danll Hait. Also four acres of land lying in ye parish of Canaan encomposed by land belonging to my sd. son John Benedict.

Item To my beloved granson Joseph Boutten I will bequeath & demise my dwelling house in Norwalk Old Society together with one acre of land next adjoyning to ye sd. house to have & to hold ye same for ever.

Item to my four children begotten of my body (viz) Sarah Hanford, Dinah Benedict, Jacin Boutten & John Boutten & to their heirs for ever I will bequeath and demise yt these my children divide in Equal shairs between them all ye land adjoyning to my afore sd. dwelling house in Norwalk Old Society not here to fore disposed of, either by this or any other written instrument - or in other words - my will is yt ye whole of my home lot lying in Norwalk Old Society not otherways disposed of be divided in equal shairs among my four children.

Finally I nominate constitute & appoint my well beloved son in Law John Benedict sole executor of this my last will and testament revoking and disanulling all my former & other wills & testaments whatsoever, wheather written or nuncupative and declairing this & no other to be my last will & testament

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal ye day & date above written (in ye first page line 49 these words were interlined before signing & sealing (viz) lying in Norwalk Old Society)

The above written in this sheet in two pages was signed sealed & declaired by Mr. Joseph Boutten as his last will and testement in presence of us

Robart Silliman Joseph Boutton Caleb Benedict Abram Hayt

The witnesses swore a confirmation of the will to Norwalk Justice of the Peace James Lockwood on 13 January 1746/47. John Benedict brought the will to court in Fairfield on the following 7 February, where it was proved and he accepted executorship.

A true inventory of the estate of the late decd. Joseph Boutton of Norwalk prized by three endifferen men namly Benjamin St. John Caleb Benedict Abram Hayt all under oath.

The hat [£]2-10 [shillings]-0 [pence]
The great coat 7-0-0
a drugged1 coat & jack coat 9-0-0
a flannel coat & jack coat 5-0-0
a pr of leather breeches 2-5-0
a pr of Drugged breeches 1-10-0
a pr of flannel breeches 0-6-0
a pr of Lining [linen] breeches 0-6-0
one wollen shirt 1-5-0
a wollen shirt 0-6-0
a Linnen shirt 1-5-0
a linnen shirt 1-5-0
a linnen shirt 0-10-0
a linnen shirt 0-10-0
a linnen shirt 0-5-0
a linnen shirt 0-8-0
a wollen under wescoat [waistcoat] 0-7-0
a pair of stockins 1-0-0
a pair of stockins 0-6-0
a pair of stockins 0-10-0
a pair of stockins 0-4-0
a pair of stockins 0-5-0
a pair of stockins 0-4-0
a pair of shoes 0-6-0
the great bible 1-5-0
a small bible 0-10-0
2 pieces of bibles 0-6-0
a large sermon book 0-6-0
a sermon book 0-4-6
a sermon book 0-4-0
a sermon book 0-3-6
a nother book 0-1-6
a nother book 0-1-0
a nother book 0-0-9
another book 0-1-0
to tow2 cloath 3-14-0
to one pair of sheets 2-10-0
to one pair of sheets 2-10-0
to one pair of sheets 2-10-0
to one pair of sheets 1-15-0
to one pair of sheets 2-10-0
to one pair of sheets 2-5-0
to one pair of sheets 2-10-0
to one pair of sheets 1-15-0
to one pair of sheets 1-15-0
to one pair of sheets 3-0-0
to one sheet 0-10-0
to linnen cloath 4-19-0
to 1/2 yrd. cloath 0-3-6
To one pair of pillow cases 0-12-0
a pair of pillow cases 0-10-0
a pair of pillow cases 0-8-0
a pair of pillow cases 0-7-0
-------------------
36-16-9

to a table cloath
to a table cloath
to a table cloath [these three items seem to be valued together at] 1-5-0
to a towels 0-5-0
to a towels 0-4-0
to a towels 0-4-0
to 13 pound riyce 0-13-0
to chocolate 0-3-6
to new wosted & drugged cloath 8-1-0
to 2 hallon3 caps and 2 homemade ones 0-10-0
to a bacelonia hankerchief 0-5-0
a silk hankerchief 0-5-0
to 2 pound & 1/2 of druged [fillin? - meaning "filling?"] 1-5-0
to 2 pound of stocking yarn 1-0-0
to 3 run of linnen 0-6-0
to 2 old blancoats 0-10-0
a blancoat 0-7-0
a coverlid 0-8-0
a blancoate 0-15-0
a coverlid 2-10-0
to a coverlid
to a coverlid
a blancoat [these three items valued together] 8-0-0
a ticken wove feather beed 6-0-0
a plain wove bed 6-0-0
to a bolster 0-10-0
to a bolster 0-4-0
a pillow 0-5-0
a pillow 0-5-0
a pillow 0-1-6
a pillow 0-5-0
------------
40-9-0

2 bags 0-16-0
a bag 0-3-0
4 yards of cloath made in a bed 1-0-0
the saddle & bridle 0-19-0
a pillian4 0-4-0
a warming pan 1-0-0
a frying pan 1-3-0
a peel 0-8-0
the tongs 0-5-0
a trammel 1-0-0
a brass kittle 8-10-0
a great iron kittle 1-5-0
a little iron kittle 0-16-0
a porridg pot 0-7-0
a porridg pot 0-16-0
iron skellit 0-2-6
a drinking [glass, in later copy of inventory] pot 0-10-0
a puter platter 0-18-0
a puter platter 0-15-0
a puter bason 0-9-0
a puter bason 0-6-0
a puter bason 0-8-0
2 pint bason 0-6-0
4 puter plats 0-16-0
2 porringers 0-10-0
2 porringers 0-5-0
a puter cup 2-6-0
a puter cup 0-1-0
a tin tunnel5 0-2-6
2 earthin pans 0-4-0
2 earthin platters 0-4-0
earthin 0-2-0
earthin 0-2-6
earthin 0-5-6
earthin 0-3-6
stone ware 0-9-0
stone ware 0-7-0
glass bottels 0-7-0
the our glass and looking glass 0-15-0
to candle sticks & lantron 0-7-0
boxes 0-10-0
chests 0-10-0
a hogshead & dry casks 0-7-6
pails 0-6-0
7 trenchers & woodenware 0-12-0
a straining dish 0-1-0
a wheel & barrel 0-9-0
pouder shot & bullets 0-8-0
bed stead 0-5-0
tobacco 2-9-0
hops 0-15-0
salt 0-14-0
to cheers 1-0-0
beens 0-7-0
bees wax 0-6-0
one ax 0-16-0
sickel 0-3-6
------------------------------------
13-14-0

one pr of cards [for carding wool?] 0-12-0
a chisel 0-1-0
to sheep sheers 0-5-0
to rost meat hook & froe
a pair of sissers & knives & forks 0-7-6
pork 15-10-0
butter 5-0-0
cheese 0-10-0
2 pails & half a bushel 0-5-0
tubs & churn 0-10-0
2 barrels of sider
a emty barrel 3-0-0
candles & box 0-10-0
sope and cask 0-7-6
a table 0-15-0
a bushell 1/2 of turnips 0-7-6
a hoe 0-7-0
a stub sithe 0-10-0
a musquett 12-0-0
a musquett 9-0-0
oats 2-10-0
flax 3-0-0
sheep 12-0-0
swine 2-15-0
a cow 12-10
a cow 12-10
a heffer 2 year old past 10-0-0
a last years calf 2-12-0
a 2 year old jaid6 30-0-0
the wheat 19 bushels 15-10-0
the corn 15 bushels 7-13-0
a bees scup [scoop] 2-0-0
a tub 0-3-0
a bell 0-10-0
a pitch fork 0-6-0
a trunk 1-0-0
wheat on the ground 8-0-0
land above Isaacks wood 40-0-0
land at eeleses [Eell's or Ely's] neck 112-0-0
land at eeleses neck 104-0-0
the house & one acre of land 150-0-0
the orchard one acre 36-0-0
the medow one acre 1/2 36-0-0
the rest of the homested 210-0-0
the salt medow 1/2 acre 35-0-0
the sedge marsh 5 roods 27-0-0
the bed stead 0-10-0
2 pillows 0-5-0
---------------
484-15-0
38-0-0
---------------
522-15-0

The old house on sd. land 75-0-0

the sum total is

[£]1089-16 [shillings]-0 [pence]

Benjamin St. John
Abram Hayt
Caleb Benedict

Prizers

April ye 7th 1747

these are the debts I find due from the estate of ye late deceset Joseph Boutton

to Docr Belden 11-15-10
to Dr Rogers 3-0-6
to Dr Brown 6-7-0
to Major Lockwood 1-0-0
to the funeral charge 2-6-0
to the invantory charge 5-8-0
to the cort charges 3-10-0
to Capn Cluckson 0-18-0
to Joseph St. John 1-4-0
to Elnathan Hanford 1-3-0
to Jonath Husted 1-9-0
to John Bouton 4-0-0
to Samll Richards 2-4-0
to Thoms Hanford 0-9-0
to John Benedick 18-5-0

John Benedick executor

a separate slip of paper says:

their is found in ye hands of Theoph Hanford ye sum of eighteen pound old tener7 due to ye late decest Joseph Bouton

John Benedick executor

children of Joseph Bouton and Mary Gregory (ordered as they're named in his will):

Sarah
Dinah
Jachin
John

vital records sources: Joseph's death occurred between the date of his will and the date it was proved at court. Joseph Bouton was among the heirs of Jachin Gregory by right of his marriage to his daughter, and signed an agreement of distribution in 1707/1708.

1. drugget - wool mixed with other fibers.
2. a form of wool fiber.
3. a copy of the inventory says "hollond" - holland is a cotton or linen and often heavily sized or glazed.
4. a padded item used by women when riding horses.
5. another word for funnel.
6. jade is an obsolete term given to a horse that's unfit due to overworking, for instance.
7. tenor is the time of maturity of a note after it was issued.