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Lettice's mark on his will

The descendants of John Jenne of Plymouth Colony mostly used the spelling "Jenne" before about 1800-1810, which is why I use it rather than "Jenney."

The following is taken from the packet of original probate documents for Lettice's estate:1

The twenty fourth day of January 1731-2 I Lates Jenne of Dartmouth in the County of Bristol in the Province of the Massachusets Bay in New England yeoman being under infermity of body but of perfect mind and memory thanks be given unto God thare fore calling unto mind the mortallity of my body and knowing that is is appointed for all men once to dye do make and ordain this my last will and testament that is to say principlly and first of all I give and recommend my soule into the hand of God that gave it and my body I recommend to the earth to be buried in deasent Christian burial at the discretion of my executors and as touching such worly estate where with it hath pleased God to bless in this life I give demise and dispose of the same in the following mann and fom.

Imprimis that all my lawfull dibts be paid out fo my moveble estate

Item I give and bequeath to my eldest son Cornealus Jenne all that part of my home steed whare I do now liveth and the housing standing on it situate and lying and being on the east sid of Nasktucket Brook so called bounded as followith. I also give to my sd. son three acres of madow be it more or les that I bought of Stephen Samson as by one deed under his hand and seal may apear dated the 26th day of November 1701. My will is that my sd. son shall not have the improvement of any part of sd. madow untill one year after my decease and then for him to improve but the one half of sd. meadow untill my wife deceas or marrige and aftar wards the whole of sd. madow/ I also give to my sd. son all that my land that lyeth adjoyining to sd. madow so far as the madow extands/ all the above sd. lands madows and housing giving to my sd. son are to him his hairs and asigns for ever, he paying to my wife whan she shall so cause to damand it at any time aftar my deceas the full and just sum of ten pounds.

Item I give to my son Ignatious the northwest wardly part of my home steed whare he now liveth and the hous that is standing on sd land and is bounded as followeth. I do give to my sd. son Ignatious to gether with that part of my medow that is adjoyining unto that medow that I bought of Stephen Samson as a bove sd. and to extand from thence so far down ward untill it comes to a detch that lats out a pond into the main crick/ and my will is that my sd. son Ignatious shall not have the improvement of any part of sd. madow untill one year aftar my deceas and then for him to improve but the one half of sd. madow untill my wife decease or marrige and aftar wards the whole of sd. meadow/all the above sd. lands madows and house given to my sd. son Ignatious are to him his hairs and assigns for ever.

Item I give to my son Caleb the south west wardly part of my home steed whare my now dwelling house now standeth excepting one acre of land lying to the west ward of the above sd. brook and to the northward of the way that lyeth by Nathaniel Delenos and is adjoyning to sd. brook and way/ the land given to my sd. son Caleb is bounde east ward by by sd brook and north wardly by that land that I have given to my sd. son Ignatious/ all that part of my home steed that lyeth to the west ward of sd. brook and to the south ward of that land given to my son Igatious I do give unto my sd. son Caleb excepting the acre of land as above sd/ together with my housing and orchards standing upon sd. land / to gether with all my madow that is adjoyning to that land given to him to gether with two nols of sedgg lying in Nasktucket Crick to gether with one pond that a ditch is dug from it to the main crick/ all the above sd. lands madows housing and orchards that I have given to my sd. son Caleb are to him his hairs and assigns for ever aftar my wife deceas or maridg he paying to my wife fifteen pounds whan she shall so cause to demand it of him aftar my deceas.

Item I give to my son Samuel all my land that lyeth to the north of that land that I have given to my son Cornales and to the east ward of the above sd brook to gether with all my madow that lyeth below that ditch that lats out a pond into the main crick as afor said to gether with a nole of land lying in sd. madow/ all the above sd lands and madow given to my sd son Samuel are to him his hairs and asigns for ever he allowing to my wife the improvement of the madow during har natrell life or so long as she remains my wife.

Item I give to my son Nathaniel fifty one acres of land as it is laid out and bounded lying adjoyning to the ceader swamp commonly called Spoonors ceader swamp/ to gether with one acre of land lying to the west ward of Nasktucket Brook afore sd. and to the north ward of the way that lyeth by Nathaniel Delenos and is adjoning to sd brook and way/ and my will is that my sd. son Nathaniel shall not sell sd acre of land last mentioned from my son Caleb provided he will give as much for it as a nother will/ all the lands and ceader swamp given to my sd. son Nathaniel are to him his hairs and assigns for ever/ all the afore mentioned lands madows and ceader swamps are scituate lying and being in Dartmouth afore sd./ and my will is that all my sons shall have convanent ways through each others lands whare it shall be most convenant and least prededishall/ and my will is that if my sd. son Caleb shall be taken away by dese and shall leve no son surviving lawfully begoting of his body/ that then I do give to my son sd. son Nathaniel his hairs and asigns for ever all that estate both lands and madows that I have given to my sd. son Caleb/ and all the lands and ceader swamp that I have given to my sd. son NathanielI do give it to the daughtars of my sd. son Caleb if he has any surviving at his deceas to them their hairs and assigns for ever provided my sd. son Caleb dyes and leves no male hair/ Item I give to my son in law Jaduthan Spooner five shillings

Item I give to my daughtar Sarah the wife of Semeon Spooner besides what I have here to fore given her five pounds and that to be har full part and portion of all my estate

Item I give to my daughter Reliance the wife of Thomas Pope besides what I have here to fore given har twenty shillings and that to be har full part and portion of all my estate

Item I give to my daughtar Mary the wife of Thomas Wast besides what I have here to fore given har six pounds and that to be har full part and portion of all my estate/ said six pound to be paid to har three years aftar my deceas

Item I give to my grand daughtar Ruth Spooner twenty pounds to be paid to har whan she comes to the age of ten years and that to be har full part of portion of all my estate

Item I give to my daughter Elisabeth ten pounds five shillings of it to be paid with in one month aftar my deceas and the remainder part to be paid to har whan she comes to the age of twenty one years and that to be har full part and portion of all my estate

Item I give to my daughtar Pernell twenty pounds five shillings of it to be paid to har with in one month aftar my deceas and the remainder part to be paid to har whan she comes to the age of twenty one years and that to be har full part and portion of all my estate/ and my will is that all my debts and legasies be paid out of my moveble and parsenoll estate.

Item I give to my derly beloved wife Desiar Jenne whome I like wise constitute make and ordan my soule executrix of this my last will and testament the improvement of all that land madow housing and orchards that I have given to my son Caleb as thay are set fourth to him and for har to have the impreovement of them during har natrell life or so long as she doth remain my widow/ I also give to my sd. wife the imprevement of all that madow that Ihave given to my sons durig har life or widow hood as afore sd./ excepting the one half of that madow given to Cornales/and the one half of that madow given to Ignatious/ I also give to my sd wife all and singuler my parsonoll and moveble estate and utansels of all sorts aftar my debts and legases be paid out of them/ and for my wife to have the imprevement of all my moveble estate as afore sd. untill time of payment becoms due as it is set fourth and exprassed to be paid/ and also leberty to cut ceader in my swamp for har own yuse during har widow hood as a fore sd./ and I do here by utterly disalow revoke and disanul all and every other and former testemants will legisies and bequest and executors by me in any ways before named willed and bequeather ratifying and confirming this and no other to be my last will and testemant testament in witness whare of I have here unto set my hand and seal the dy and year first writen

Lates his [L] mark and seal Jenne

Signed sealed published pronounced and declared by the sd. Lates Jenne as his last will and testament in the presence of us the subscribers

Samuel Hammond
Abraham Russell
Benjamin Hammond

[presented at court probably 19 March 1734, 16 and 19 written over each other, but administration was granted on the 19th, suggesting this date for presenting the will. A protest, given below, was not successful, and the will was recorded in April of the same year]


A true inventory of all the estate both real and personal of Litice Jenney yeoman deceased prized at Dartmouth on the twenty fifth day of March Anno Domini seventeen hundred thirty three four 1733/4 by us the subscribers as followeth (viz)

Imprimis: his apparrel 2l [lbs.]/0s [shillings] books 0/8s [pence] table & table lining 1l/10s 3=18=0
Item his pewter 8l/0s earthen ware 1l/0s brassware 1l/15s 10=15=0
Item to 3 beads bedsteds & furniture to each belonging in ye chamber 33=00=0
Item to 2 beds with bedsteds & furniture to each belonging below 19-10-0
Item to one bedstead 12s/0d [pence] three pair sheets & 4 pillow cases 5l/2s 05=14=0
Item to four powdering tubs 3 barrils 3 old hogsheds 03=00=0
Item to yarn 12l/3s/9d wool 2l/10s looking glass & box iron /6s 14=19=9
Item to one iron spitt two tramils slice & tonges 02=10=0
Itom to 8 trays 10 wooden dishes other wooden hollow ware 03=00=0
Item to one loome & tackling 03=10=0
Item to iron hollow ware 5l/0s glass ware 8s/0d 05=08=0
Item to two spining wheels 5l/0s five chears 0l/15s 01=15=0
Item to [torn] 1l/[smeared] eleven sheep skins 1l/2s 03=00=0
Item to 2 lbs fethers 3l/10s beeas wax & bees tallow 2l/13s 06=03=0
Item to one saddle one pannil & one pillian one bridle 3l/10s 03=10=0
Item to old chists & trunks 2l/0s old axes & [?] /9s 02=09=0
Item to grinstone & winch /6s two saws sheep shears 1/12 01=18=0
Item to chans yoaks iron barr betle & wedges 03=10=0
Item to cart & wheels & irons to ye same belonging 08=00=0
Item to four hives of beeas 3l/ one sith and tackling 8s/ 03=08=0
Item to [torn] & colter & old iron 1l/5s [stub?] sith /9s 01=09=0
Item to sundry of lumber in the house 1l/ his stock of pultry 2l/17s/ 03=17=0
Item to 50 sheep 94l/0 four oxen 46l/ four cows 30l/ 120=00=0
Item to 6 yong cattle 25l/10s one mair 5l/ 30=10=0
Item to 7 swine 6l/0 06=00=0
Item his housing and land 2062=00=0
------
the sum total of this inventory is 2362=03=9

Stephen West Jur)
Lemuel Pope)
Jabez Delano) apprizers


On 19 March 1733/1734, Desire Jenne "relinquished her right of executorship of [Lettice's] will" in favor of her son Cornelius. Sureties (bondsmen) were Samuel Willis of Dartmouth and Benjamin Hammond of Rochester. Witnesses were Samuel Hammond and Abraham Russell.


Lettice's son in law Simpson Spooner protested the will on 26 January 1733[/1734], saying "if the executor shall bring [the] will to your honour in order that it may be proved betwen that time and the day that your honour holds his court, I pray that your honor would not pas upon the probaite of it till I am notified at which time I doubt not but that I shall make out, to your honours satisfaction, that he was not in a capacity of making a will with what shall then be further offered."

children of Lettice Jenne and Desire Blackwell:2

i. Cornelius b. 3 November 1697
ii. Sarah b. 28 May 1699
iii. Reliance b. 1 April 1701
iv. Ignatious b. 6 February 1702/1703
v. Mary b. 20 April 1705
vi. Caleb b. 20 June 1709
vii. Ruth b. 5 September 1711
viii. Samuel b. 30 March 1714
ix. Elizabeth b. 16 June 1716
x. Nathaniel b. 30 October 1720
xi. Pernel b. 1 September 1722

1. Bristol Co., MA, probate (Southern District), file 14369.
2.Vital Records of Dartmouth, Massachusetts to the Year 1850, Vol. 1 - Births (Boston:1929).