vital records sources
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Joseph's signature on his will

The following will and inventory were transcribed from the originals in Joseph's probate file:1

I Joseph Russel of Dartmouth in ye County of Bristol in ye Province of ye Massachusetts Bay in New England yeoman being in health of body & of perfect mind and memory thanks be given to God for ye same calling to mind the mortality of my body do make & ordain this my last will & testament and as touching my worldy estate where with it hath pleased God to bless me in this life I give demise & despose of ye same in ye following manner & form

Imprimis I give to Mary my beloved wife ye use & improvement of all ye new end of my now dwelling house dureing ye time she shall remain my widdow. I likewise give to my said wife two cows twelve sheep & ye best horse kind that I shall leave at my decease: together with all ye debts wich shall be due or owing to me from any person or persons at my decease either by specialty or other ways: I likewise give to my said wife ye use & improvement of all ye easterly part of my orchard so far westerly as that row of trees as was cut down for ye drawing of my son Josephs shop across said orchard

Item I give to my son Abraham Russel and to his heirs & assigns for ever all my upland swamp & meadow with all ye houseing standing thereon which I boght of Capt. Jonathan Delano lying on ye east side of Acoshanut River in Dartmth. afore said together with all my right in that called Long Island lying nere & on ye east side of Sconticut Neck in said Dartmth. all which I give to my said son Abraham his heirs & assigns as above said. He or they paying to my two gransons (viz) Joshua & Caleb Smith ye sum of twenty pounds each good bills of credet old tenure when they shall arive to ye age of twenty four years.

Item I give to my son Caleb Russel and to his heirs & assigns for ever all my right title & intrest which I now have of in & to that which was ye homested of my father Joseph Russel late of Dartmth. afore said deceased

Item I give to my son William Russel & to his heirs & assigns for ever ye one half of all my salt medow lying Clarks Neck in Dartmth. afore said

Item I give to my son Joseph Russel and to his heirs and assigns for ever all my homestead farm whereon I now dwell with all ye buildings standing thereon: together with all my land & salt marsh meadow whether at home or abroad not before in this my will other wise desposed of (ceader swamp excepted & likewise ye use & improvement of yt part of my house & orchard ye which was given to my said wife dureing her widowhood) . I likewise give to my said son Joseph all my out door moveables except ye cattle sheep & horse kind given to my said wife as above exprest: All which I give to said son Joseph & to his heirs & assigns for ever as above exprest: he paying to his mother my wife thirty pounds pr year yearly year by year & every year dureing ye time she remains my widdow in good bills of credet of ye old tenure: and likwise find good sufficient keeping suteable [ink spot] all sesons for his said mother my wife for two cows twelve sheep and one horse kind yearly year by year & every year dureing ye time she reamins my widdow: and likewise find sufficent firewood at ye door of my now dwelling house at a suteable length fit for ye chimney in my westerly roome for his said mother my wife all ye year about yearly year by year & every year dureing ye time she remains my widow and pays to his four sisters (viz) Abigail Jinks Martha Green Mary Cornwell & Patience Gifford as I shall order & give them in this my will: and likewise paying all my just debts & funeral charges.

Item I give to my four sons above named (viz) Abraham William Caleb & Joseph & to their heirs & assigns forever all my ceder swamp in Dartmth. afore said to be eaqualy devided between them.

Item I give to my said son Caleb & to his heirs & assigns for ever all my right title & intrest which I have in an island called Palmers Island in Dartmth afore said

Item I give to my said son Joseph & to his heirs & assigns for ever all my right in & unto all ye undevided lands in Dartmouth afore said: I likewise give to my said son Joseph all male servants yt I shall leave at my decease

Item I give to my daughter Abigail Jinks ye sum of sixty pounds good bills of credet old tenure besides what I have alreday given her to be paid to her by my son Joseph above named in two years next after my descease.

Item I give to my daughter Martha Green sixty pounds good bills of credet of ye old tenure beside what I have alredy given her to be paid to her by my son Joseph above named within two years next after my decease.

Item I give to my daughter Mary Cornwell sixty pounds good bills of credet of ye old tenure besids what I have alredy given he to be paid to be by my son Joseph above named with in two years next after my decease.

Item I give to my daughter Patience Gifford sixty pounds good bills of credet of ye old tenure besids what I have alredy given he to be paid to be by my son Joseph above named with in two years next after my decease.

Item I give to my three sons above named (viz) Abraham Russel Caleb Russel & Joseph Russel my great cross cut saw

Item Notwithstanding my above said gift of all my indoor moveables to my said wife: I give to my two gransons above named all my wearing apparril.

Item I likewise constitute make & ordain my said son Joseph Russel sole executor of this my last will & testament and I do here by utterly disallow revoke & disannul all & every other former wills testaments legacies bequests executors by me in any wise before this time named willed & bequeathed rattifying & confirming this & no other to be my last will & testament in witness where of I have here unto set my hand & seal this thirteanth day of November AD: seventean hundred & forty seven.

Joseph Russell

Pronounced & declaired by ye said Joseph Russel as his last will and testament in presents of us

David Chase
David Elsbry
Stephen West Jur.


A true inventory of all ye estate both real & personal of Joseph Russel yeoman late of Dartmouth deceased prized at Dartmouth afore siad ye twenty ninth day of April AD 1748 by we ye subscribers as followeth (viz)

Imprimis his wearing apparril 82-15-00
Item his bills of credet old tenure 03-19-00
Item his books 7/0/ his caine 30/ 07-00-00
Item his tables & table lining 17-10-00
Item his 7 spoones 26-00-00
Item his bed & furniture in ye great roome 90-00-00
Item his bed bedstead & furniture in ye great chamber 76-00-00
Item his bed & furniture in ye lower bed rooms 54-10-00
Item his bed & furniture in ye chamber bed rooms 40-00-00
Item his spare beding 21-16-00
Item his pewter & tinware 26-00-00
Item his glass & earthen ware 04-10-00
Item his case of nine bottles 03-10-00
Item his case of draws 09-00-0
Item his 15 [chears?] 05-02-00
Item his 2 hetchels 06-00-00
Item his 2 cases of knives & a cuting knife 04-02-00
Item his iron hollow ware 10-15-00
Item his frying pan drying pan & spit 03-17-00
Item his box iron & heatters 42/ one pair wisted combs 60/ 05-02-00
Item his steelyards 55/ razor & hone 35s/ 04-10-00
Item his trunk & box in ye chamber 60/ glass & brush 35s/ 04-15-00
Item his spoone & butter mold 4/ warming pan & bellows 85s/ 06-05-0
Item his sheepshears & two sikells 01-15-00
Item his 2 trammils a pair hand irons slice tongs & toster 11-12-00
Item his cubbord & chist & 2 meat cask in ye kitching 05-00-00
Item his saddles bridles & port mantle 27-00-00
Item his shop tools 07-00-00
Item his 3 chains wedges & iron dog 11-15-00
Item his great hack saw 10-00-00
Item his lining cloath in ye huse 15-00
Item his flax tow & yarn 13-01-00
Item his cart wheels plow & plow irons 16-00-00
Item his candlesticks grater & pepper box 01-16-00
Item his spring wheels 04-15-00
Item his sundrys of lumber in ye old kitching 03-07-00
Item his sundrys of lumber in ye kitching chamber 03-00-00
Item his loome slays & harnises with ye other implyments 18-00-00
Item his spade shovels hoes whip hooks & one frow 03-13-00
Item his ax & horse gears 02-00-00
Item his old iron 04-00-00
Item his two horse kind 120-00-00
Item his yoke of oxon 70-00-00
Item his one half of 7 cows in partnership & calves 1333-10-00
Item his one half of two heffers at year & vantage 10-00-00
Item his half of 4 more heffers & a bull 56-10-00
Item his one half of sixty sheep & their lambs 90-00-00
Item his hog 08-00-00
Item his 2 hives of beeas 03-00-00
Item his 2 iron [bars?] 05-10-00
Item his time in his Indian girl servant [presumably indentured] 06-00-00
Item his time in his Indian servant boy 60-00-00
-----------------
1189-02-
Item his housing & lands 5200-00-00
----------------
amounting in ye whole in ye old tenure to L. 6389-02-00

Benjamin Allen)
Stephen West Jur)
Thomas Pope Ju) apprizers

(presented and accepted at court on 3 May 1748)

children of Joseph Russell and Sarah:

i. Sarah b. 24 May 1702

children of Joseph Russell and Mary Tucker:2

ii. Mary b. 1 June 1704, died young
iii. Abraham b. 19 March 1705/06
iv. William b. 2 December 1708
v. Abigail b. 19 March 1711
vi. Caleb b. 9 August 1713
vii. Martha b. 24 June 1716
viii. Joseph b. 8 October 1718
ix. Mary b. 20 December 1723
x. Patience b. 8 October 1727

vital records sources: his birth is in Vital Records of Dartmouth, Massachusetts, to the year 1850 vol. 1 (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1929), 209; his death is in Vital Records of Dartmouth, Massachusetts, to the year 1850 vol. 3 (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1930), 60 taken from the Dartmouth Monthly Meeting of Friends records. Sarah's name appears in the birth record of her daughter. Daughter Mary "Russell" is included in Abraham Tucker's will.

1. Bristol Co., MA, probate file 22135.
2. Vital Records of Dartmouth, Massachusetts, to the year 1850 vol. 1 (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1929), 204-215.