The Will of Thomas Philbrick 

(The Emigrant)

Numbers in Brackets link to footnotes at bottom of page

The Last will and testament of Thomas Philbrick Sun^R I Thomas Philbrick being very Aged and weak in body Butt sound in understanding senc & memory Doe settle my Estate according to this my last will here under written

Impri I Give and Bequeth unto my son James Philbrick {1} and to my Grand Child John Philbrick {2} my fresh medow lying near to the Beach being by Estimation six acres more or less as itt is the which to bee Equally Devided betwen them att such time as shal be . after mentioned: Ittem I Give unto my son James Phil-brick . . Dwelling House and my House lott with the orch-yard and all . . . priveledges and appertinances {3} thear unto belonging to him . . His Heiers for Ever: Ittem I Give & bquith unto my son . . and to my Grand Child John Philbrick my . . . . of Thomas Sleeper lying towards the Clam-bancks in that . . of marsh Comonly Called the Little ox Comon to bee Devided . . them att such time as is hereafter mentioned

Ittem I Give unto my sonn Thomas Philbrick {4} the some of . . pounds to bee payd by My Exequetor after my disease ittem I Give unto my. sonn Thomas Philbrick the land which was sometimes Daniell Hendrakes Called the Hop Ground to bee wholly att His Disposall at this p^rsent time: Ittem I Give unto my sonn James one bed {5} with all the furnituer thearunto belongeing and a payer {6}, of Cob Irons {7} and a payer of tongues {8}: Ittem I Give unto my Grand Child John Philbrick thatt Bed which hee useth to ly upon with the Bedding Belonging to It {9}. and my Beetle {10} and [fower] wedges {11} and one of my Hakes {12}: and a weanable Cow Calfe within a yeer after my Diseace to bee payd by my Exequetor and like wise I Give to my Grand Daughter Hanna Philbrick one weanable Cow Calfe the next yeer to bee payd by my Exequetor

Ittem I Give unto my son James Philbrick my mare and hee is to pay or deliver unto my sonn Thomas Philbrick the first Colt which she shall bring when itt is weanable Ittem I Give my fower Cowes {13} to my fower Daughters to my Daughter Elizabeth one to my Daughter Hanna one to my Daughter mary [one] and to my Daughter martha one to bee Delivered by my Executor after my Deseace and the moveables in the House which [are] not Expressed above are to bee Equally Devided between [my four] Daughters after my Desease. and I Doe appoint my sonn [James] Philbrick to bee my lawfull Exequetor to this my Last [will] and Testament and I Doe Declare itt to bee my Intent thatt [when] my Grand Child John Philbrick shall Come to the age of twenty one yeeres thatt then hee shall Enter upon & posses whatt I have Given him by this last will: and thatt att the Deseace of my Daughter Elizabeth Garland {14} her son James Chase {15} shall have one Cow in lew of the Cow which I have Given my daughter Elizabeth & thatt the Cow Given to my Daughter Cass {16} shalbee for the use and Pfitt of her daughter martha {17}: & for the Confermation Hereof I have sett to my hand & Seale the twelft of march 166 :64: {18}

Thomas [Seal] Philbrick
X
his mark

Signed & Sealed in y^e p^rsents of
Samuell Dalton
Mehetabel Dalton

[Proved Oct. 8, 1667.]

[Essex County, Mass., Probate Files, and Norfolk County, Mass., Deeds, vol. 2, p. 99.]

[Inventory, taken by Thomas Marston and John Redman; amount, £124; sworn to by James Philbrick.]

[Essex County, Mass., Probate Files.]

[Words in brackets are supplied from the recorded copy.]

{1} James Philbrick is the oldest son of Thomas and therefore by custom received the greatest amount of his father's estate.

{2}  Grandson John Philbrick was the eldest surviving son of John Philbrick & Ann Knapp.  John and Ann perished during the infamous "Wreck of Rivermouth" along with John's sister, Sarah on October 20th, 1657.

{3}  This is a misspelling of the word "appurtenance" which means "an incidental right (as a right-of-way) attached to a principal property right and passing in possession with it."

{4}  Thomas Philbrick was the 3rd youngest son of Thomas the Emigrant.

{5}  The bequeathing of bed provides some indication as to the wealth or skill level of Thomas1.  Most 17th Century homes did not contain any beds.  They were expensive to buy or required a skilled craftsman to build.  Space was often a factor too as many early New England "homes" measured a mere 20 feet by 20 feet.  Most family members during the 1600's slept on the floor on a bag stuffed with rags, corn husks and sometimes wool.  Thomas' bed may have been the type fashioned of a wood headboard, footboard and side rails, with rope used to support the homemade mattress.

{6} "payer" is a misspelling of "pair."

{7} "Cob Irons" or Cobirons were iron supports used to hold a roasting-spit over a wood fire.

{8}  "tongues" is a misspelling of "tongs"

{9}  This would appear to refer to a child's bed or even a baby bed.  Thomas' grandson John (Jr.) was about 16 years old at the time of Thomas' will being written.  Thomas and James, John Jr.'s uncles, along with their wives already had families started and probably didn't need a "baby bed."

{10}  Bettle – 1:  a heavy wooden hammering or ramming instrument  2:  a wooden pestle or bat for domestic tasks.

{11} "fower wedges" or four wedges.  This probably refers to metal wedges used in carpentry and used in conjunction with the following mentioned "Hakes" (or Axes.)

{12}  "Hakes" is a misspelling of Axes.  

{13}  "fower Cowes" is a misspelling of "four cows."  Cows not only provided meat, but milk for cheese and butter.  Livestock was sometimes considered more valuable than land in the early 1600's.

{14}  "Elizabeth Garland" is Thomas' eldest daughter who was married to E.P. Garland at the time the will was written.

{15}  "James Chase" was Elizabeth's son from her first marriage to Thomas Chase.

{16}  "Daughter Cass" is referring to Martha Philbrick-Cass, wife of John Cass. 

{17}  "her daughter Martha" refers to Martha Cass, daughter of John & Martha, born Oct. 4, 1649 and who later married John Redman Jr.

{18}  Should read 1664.

SOURCES

Chapman, Jacob.  The Philbrick and Philbrook Families

Hawke, David Freeman.  Everyday Life in Early America.

Merriam-Webster Inc., Publishers.  Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary

Parker, Rowland.  The Common Stream