Getting cross-eyed!!!

Today for some reason I was drawn to the Hurlburt section of the tree.  I've known for a while that it's a mess ... thought maybe this was a good time to try to sort it all out.  When I look at the tree on ancestry as Family View, as opposed to Pedigree View all I can say is Oh. My. God!!!  So many lines criss-crossing this way and that from cousins marrying back and forth over and over and over!!!  Confusion reigns with lack of dates of birth or death ... then we have a bunch of brothers who decide to name some of their kids the SAME NAME.  Over and over again!  Come on people -- someone should have dragged them by the ear to the next village to meet some other girls and introduce some original names to the family.  Once again I am ever-so-grateful and amazed that we who have descended from these people don't have tails and a 3rd arm.

It's late, I've got to get up early tomorrow, needless to say the Hurlburts will have to wait for another day.

The will of Wells Morton

I often wonder how many other people are finding huge road blocks in their family history, as Capt Jesse is for me, as well as his wife's family.  Sarah Moulton/Morton's father was Wells Morton jr, his father was Wells Morton sr.  I think his father was Robert Morton, based on various things I've read about the Morton family.  Then BABOOM!  another dead end.  People are always saying about how cool it would be to have a time machine and go back to visit great historic happenings, or change things they wish they could change .... I'd probably spend all my time just snooping on my family and taking notes on who belongs to whom.

I have now transcribed the will of Wells Morton jr.  Unlike Capt Jesse, Wells did leave instructions on the care of his wife, so obviously he died before she did.  This contradicts the information I had so I'll have to do some more research to get that sorted out.  He also states that at the time he wrote the will he had 1 son and 8 daughters.  I have the son, Joshua, and 6 daughters ... and NO IDEA who the other 2 daughters are.  I know they often referred to daughters- or sons- in-law as daughter and son, but this doesn't seem to be the case. 

As in Capt Jesse's will, there are some spots that I couldn't tell what a word was and have put ??.  If anyone figures these words out or notices that I've misinterpreted something please let me know asap!  I will post a picture of the actual will on the Searching for Jesse facebook page.  There are also a couple of separate pages of this will written by Benoni d'Entremont (first French Acadian Magistrate of NS and Justice of the Peace) but they are virtually un-readable.  I'll keep at it and see what I can figure out.  In the meantime, here's Wells Morton's will:
 

In the Name of God Amen. I Wells Morton of Argyle in the County of Shelburne & Province of Nova Scotia, Farmer, being very sick & weak of Body, but of perfect Mind and Memory thanks be to God for it.

Calling unto Mind the mortality of my Body & knowing that it is appointed for all men once to Die.  Do make & ordain this my last will and Testament, that is to say principally & first of all I give & recommend my soul unto the hand of Almighty God that gave it & my Body to the Earth to be buried in a decent Christian Burial at the discretion of my Executor, nothing doubting but at the general resurrection, I shall receive the same again by the mighty Power of God.  And as touching such worldly Estate wherewith it has pleased God to bless me in this life, I give, demise & dispose of the same in the following Manner & form.

First I give and bequeath to my beloved Son Joshua all my ? & personal Estate excepting three acres laying on the Southern end of the neck which is to be reserved for my daughter Kezia and the said Joshua shall take my beloved Wife Kezia in care & charge during her natural life or as long as she remains my widow, and shall provide for her the necessaries of life clothing and such like. 

I do also give to each of my Eight Daughters twenty shillings a piece, and at my decease all my stock of creatures such as oxen, cows, hogs, yet that remain, together with the household furniture and movables of all sorts shall be equally divided between my son Joshua and daughters.

I likewise constitute, make & ordain Benoni Dentremont my sole Executor of this my last will and testament, all & singular my lands ?? and ?? by his freely to be possessed & enjoyed.

And I do hereby utterly disallow, evoke & disannul all & every other former testaments, wills, legacies, bequests & executors, by me in anywise before named, willed & bequeathed, ? & confirming this & no other to be my last Will & Testament.

The above said ? legacies of sums of money I will and order shall be paid to the said respective legatees, within twelve months after my decease. 

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal this twentieth day of May in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred & Eleven & in the fiftieth year of his Majestys Reign.

Signed, Sealed, published, Pronounced & declared by the said Wells Morton as his last will and Testament in his presence & in the presence of each other- have hereto inscribed our names

Wells Morton

William W Mathews

William Goodwin

Samuel Hamilton

Wills!!!!!

Yesterday I got mail from the Nova Scotia Archives containing the wills of Capt Jesse Gray and Wells Morton!!!  I had emailed them a week or so ago to see if there was any chance the wills were still around, accessible and if I could get a copy.  They were very obliging and said they'd send it out to me right away.  
I haven't had a chance to get them scanned yet to share, but I have transcribed Capt Jesse's just this morning.  The writing is, of course, challenging to read, some words are spelled unusually, but for the most part it's pretty understandable.  It does clear up a few things. 

 Jesse Gray senior's last will & testament. In the name of God Amen, I Jesse Gray Senior of Kemptville in the county of Yarmouth and province of Nova Scotia, farmer, being weak in body but of perfect mind and memory thanks be unto God but calling to mind the mortality of my body and knowing that it is appointed unto all men once to die do make and ordain this my last will and testament that is to say principally and first of all I give and recommend my soul into the hands of Almighty God who gave it and my body I recommend to the earth to be buried in a decent and Christian-like manner at the discretion of my executor and as touching rich worldly estate wherewith it has pleased God to bless me in this life I give remit and dispose of the same in the following manner and from 1st recommend that previously and before every thing all my just debts be fully paid and all the wrong or damage I may have done to any one be fully satisfied and paid. 2nd I give and bequeath all my real estate to my children in the manner following: 3rd to my well beloved sons Ebenezer and Nelson Gray I freely give and bequeath my homestead farm containing two hundred acres of land with all improvements stock and farming utensils to be equally divided between them which they have promised by bond to allow and give me a comfortable maintenance in every thing requisite during my natural life. To my grandson Collin Gray my daughter Rebecca's son I give and bequeath fifty acres of land for services performed to me. 4th I give and bequeath the remaining seven hundred acres of land to be equally divided amongst all, the girls to draw an equal part with the boys there being fourteen in number which will entitle them to fifty acres each. Lastly I make constitute and ordain my trusty and beloved friends Nathaniel Churchill & John Roberts sole executor of this my last will and testament to whom I give power to execute all the articles of it according to their purport and I hereby utterly disallow revoke and disannul all and every other former testaments will legacies bequests and executor ratifying and confirming this and no other to be my last will and testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this twelf = 12th day of April in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty one. Signed and published and declared by the said Jesse Gray senr as his last will and testament in his presence at his request and in presence of each other who have hereunto subscribed their names as witness Jesse Gray ? James ? Pennington Josiah Harding John Harding - Registered the twenty second day of June 1844 on the oath of John Harding there being no interlineations in the original will.

 
It had been previously unclear as to who exactly Collin Gray was.  We had speculated that he was probably a grandson, but nobody knew through whom.  It is obvious by this will that he was Rebecca's son, apparently illegitimate.  I had heard that one (or more) of Capt Jesse's daughters had at least one illegitimate child, so here's one of them.  Exactly when his wife, Sarah, died has also been unclear.  From what I've been able to figure, she died shortly after the birth of their youngest son, Nelson (b.1815) , around 1817.  He made no provision for her in his will, so obviously she did die before he did.  He does say that his children number 14, so at least that's not a curveball, all are accounted for.  The only ones he mentions by name are Ebenezer, Nelson, and Rebecca ... I assume this is because they're the youngest boys and likely still living at home, and she's got Collin and was as yet unmarried.

He also lists a few people as his trusted friends and then his executors.  These include Nathaniel Churchill, John Roberts, James Pennington, Josiah Harding, and John Harding.  There are some Churchills, Roberts, and Hardings in our tree ... I'm thinking maybe I'll take some time to focus on them for a bit and see what I can come up with, maybe find some other connections.

I'll transcribe Wells Morton's will next, probably within the next week.