John Sherman
1644 - 1734I John Shearman of the Town of Dartmouth [Massachusetts] in the County of Bristol being of sound and perfect mind and memory blessed be God for the same but calling to mind the mortality of my body and knowing that it is appointed for men once to dye do make and ordaine this my last will & testament that is to say principally and first of all I give and recommend my soul into the hands of God that gave it and for my body I reccomend it to ye earth to be buried in a decent manner at the discretion of the Executors and as touching such worldly estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this life I give devise and dispose of the same in the following manner and form.
Imps: I give and bequeath unto Sarah my wife during her life or widowhood the house wherein I now dwel with the yard & half the orchard and the best bed and the use of all my household goods and one cow, said one cow to be hers and her order after her and whereas I have given to my son Timothy my homestead by deed my will is that my said son Timothy shall keep a cow for his said mother during her life or widowhood and provide and procure for her fire wood and all the other necessaryes as shall be suitable for her during her life or widdowhood.
Item: I give and bequeath unto my son Phillip Shearman Forty shillings whome I also constitue and appointe one of my Executors of this my last will and testament.
I give and bequeath unto my son Isaac Shearman forty shillings.
I give and bequeath unto my son Ephraim Shearman eight pounds.
I give and bequeath unto my son Timothy Shearman whome I also constitute and appointe one of my Executors of this my last will and testament, my shop and smith tools and all my carts plows and all implements belonging to husbandry.
I give and bequeath unto my daughter Abigail Chase three pounds.
I give and bequeath unto my daughter Hannah Akin twenty shillings.
I give and bequeath unto my grand son John Shearman twenty shillings.
I give and bequeath unto my two grand children Jonathan Shearman & Phebe Shearman twenty shillings a piece to buy each of them a bible and my will is that the above bequeathed legacies shall be paid within two years after my decease, out of all my personal estate or stock and further it is my will that after all my just debts and all ye above legacies are paid out of my personnall estate or stock as abovesaid and my funeral charges and the charge of the Probate that what shall remaine of my said stock shall be equally divided among my four sons Phillip Isaac Ephraim & Timothy & further it is my will that after the decease of my wife Sarah all my household goods shall be devided between my two daughters Abigail Chase & Hannah Akin that is to say two thirds of it to my daughter Abigail Chase and one third to my daughter Hannah Akin and whereas my brother Peleg Shearman deceased hath given unto me twenty pounds in his last will to be paid two years after his decease my will is that I dye before I receive it that then said twenty pounds shall be equally divided amongest my above said four sons that is to say five pounds a piece, and I do hereby constitue and appointe my two sons as aforesaid--Philip Shearman and Timothy to be Executors of this my last will and testament and I do hereby utterly disallow revocke & disanul all other and former testaments wills and legacies bequests & Executors by me in any time before named willed and bequeathed ratifying & allowing this and no other to be my last will and testament.
In wittness whereof I have set my hand and seal this nineteenth day of June 1720.
John Sherman (seal) Signed Sealed Published Pronounced and declared by the said John Shearman to be his last will & testament in Presence of us: John Russel Junr, George Howland & William Bowdish. Proved May 21, 1734, Taunton, Mass., Bristol County Probate Records Vol. 8, page 111. (SG p190; DPS p425).
ESTATE Note: Each line item is totaled like (14-3-6) which means (£14-3s-6d) An inventory of the Estate of John Shearman Late of Dartmouth deceased both reall and personall as was set forth and brought to our knowledge taken the twenty seventh of the second month called Aprill 1734 [Julian Calender]. Taken by us whose names are under written according to the best of our judgment being thereunto judged.
1. Cash £5; Wearing apparril £4-2-6; Books 8s (9-10-06)
2. Bed bedsteed under bed & furniture £14-9-0; Bed bedsteed and bedding £8 (22-09-00)
3. Nine sheets £8-5-0; bolster and pillow cases £1-6-0 (9-11-00)
4. Tabel linnen board cloth napkins and towels (1-06-00)
5. Pewter & potts 10s; Seven basons [basins] 1-3-0 one platter 2 plattes (13 2-06-00)
6. Five porringers 9s; beaker, five spoons & some tin ware 8s 6d (0-17-06)
7. Iron bars three kittles £1-8-0; three potts £1-5-0; frying pan 15s (3-08-00)
8. Grid iron and flesh forks 6s; Tongs _______ 5s; two Tramels 16s (1-07-00)
9. Box iron and heatters 5s; Candl sticks 3s; smothing iron [flatiron] 1s (0-09-00)
10. Brass one kittle £3; skillet & ______ 15s; warming pan 15s;glass bottles 5s 6d (4-15-06)
11. _________ 4s 6d; a morter and pestel and other wooden ware 18s (1-02-06)
12. 2 baggs 6s; three chests £2; 2 boxes 10s (2-16-00)
13. Wooden dishes and trenchers [wooden meat plates] 5s; ______ trays & old lumber 7s; 8 _________________ ?s (2-03-00)
14. Spair [spare] bedsteed and other old lumber (1-03-00)
15. Rasor [razor] knives & inkhorns 3s; six old chares basket 2 benches 1-1-0 (1-04-00)
16. old can two old hoes and other old lumber (1-05-00)
17. horse chaines 12s; ox chaine 6s; old coulter [colter, sharp blade/wheel on plow to cut sod] and hoop 4s (1-02-00)
18. bell 5s; grind stone 10s; an old steel trapp 5s;old rundlet [small barrel] & bridle 2s 6d
(1-02-06)19. one ox £14; six cows £37; two stears & 1/2 a bull £9 (60-00-00)
20. one mare £8; two swine 1-10-0 (9-10-00)
21. one two year old heffer in the spring (4-00-00)
22. the homesteed salt meadow cedar swamp & undivided lands (594-00-00)
Total: £735-07s-06d
The appraisers were sworn Corad Samuel, Willis J Pew, Richard Sanford, Daniel Wood, Willm Bowdish. Bristoll ss May 21 1734.
Then before the honoo Nathaniel Blageoor Esqe Judge of the Probait Office within the county of Bristoll came Phillip Shearman Executor to the Last will and Testament of his father John Shearman Late of Dartmouth swerd [sweared] and made oath that this inventory containes the whole off Estate the said deceased dyed sured of and is come to his knowledge & when he knows of any more he will reveal the same that it may be recorded herewith.
Stephen Paine Register Coram N Blageoor
Bristoll ss May 24 1734
Entered Stephen Paine Register
(Probate Court, Bristol MA)Back to: John Sherman's Bio Page
