The Massachusetts Bay Colony (more formally The Colony of Massachusetts Bay, 1628–1691) was an English settlement on the east coast of America in the 17th century around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the Province of Massachusetts Bay. 

Essex County was created by the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony on May 10, 1643, when it was ordered "that the whole plantation within this jurisdiction be divided into four sheires." Named after the county in England, Essex then comprised the towns of Salem, Lynn, Wenham, Ipswich, Rowley, Newbury, Gloucester, and Andover.

Massachusetts Bay Colony reverted to rule under the revoked charter until 1691, when a new charter was issued for the Province of Massachusetts Bay. This province combined the Massachusetts Bay territories with those of the Plymouth Colony and proprietary holdings on Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. Sir William Phips arrived in 1692 bearing the charter and formally took charge of the new province.

The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a crown colony in British America which became one of the thirteen original states of the United States from 1776 onward. It was chartered on October 7, 1691, by William III and Mary II, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland. The charter took effect on May 14, 1692, and included the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the Plymouth Colony, the Province of Maine, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick; the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the direct successor.

Connecticut Colony, known as the River Colony, was organized on March 3, 1636, as a place for Puritan nobleman. Early on, the English settlers under John Winthrop Jr. struggled with the Dutch for possession of the land, but the English eventually gained control of the colony and set up a permanent settlement there. After the era of the Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell had passed, Charles II took the throne. John Winthrop Jr., the governor of the Connecticut Colony went to England to secure a charter for the colony. Charles II granted his request in 1662. The charter of the colony covered both the Connecticut Colony and the New Haven Colony and they were permitted to choose their own assembly, their own governor, and rule themselves with minimal interference. New Haven was reluctant to give up their independence and deliberated for some time before coming to a decision to merge with the Connecticut Colony. Once merged the colony was called the Colony of Connecticut.

John Abbey Sr. had this document crafted on August 3, 1683, in Wenham, Essex Co., Massachusetts Bay Colony, which indicated how he wanted his estate distributed after his death. Although it did meet the definition of a true will, it was accepted as a substitute by the Probate Court. Since John Abbey Jr. failed to Probate the "will" his father signed in 1683, the Court determined that John Abbey Sr. had died "Intestate" and in December, 1702, granted Thomas Abbey as the administration of his deceased father's estate.  Thanks to Kay Koslan for locating this document:

John Abbey Jr. Death Record. Thanks to Kay Koslan for locating this record.

From Jeromey Ward's Web Site:

Taken from "Abbe-Abbey Genealogy" by Cleveland Abbe and Josephine Nichols.

John Abbe, born in England about 1613; died in Salem, Mass., about1689-90. The place of birth of John Abbe, the founder of the Abbe and Abbey families, is unknown, but every indication points to one of the interior and central counties of England as the home of the ancestors of the emigrant. It is not improbable that he was connected with the Abbye family of Staverton, Northampton. The parish registers of Stoke Bruerne, Northampton, show that there were many marriages of Abbyes recorded there during the 16th and 17th centuries.

A History of Staverton:
Staverton is a village situated in the South Hams. It is 3 miles from Totnes and 7 miles from Torbay. It lies on the banks of the beautiful river Dart nestled in a valley. The name Staverton , or Stouretona, means "the village by the stony ford." The ford, an ancient crossing many centuries older than the bridge, was situated by Town Mills, and provided a route from the village to Dartington.

However old the real history of Staverton parish may be, written records go back to the time of King Athelstan (925-940), who gave extensive lands to the monastery of St. Mary and St. Peter in Exeter, so that the income from the lands could support the work of the church. Falling on hard times however the monastery sold the manors. In 1050 Leofric became the Bishop of Exeter and regained all of the lands which had been given by Athelstan, and Staverton and Sparkwell returned to the church’s keeping. Later, in 1088, the Doomsday Book records the manor of Staverton as being worth £7 and Sparkwell as 15/- (shillings) a year.

Over the centuries, boundaries have moved and manors split. By the 15th century, Sparkwell Manor consisted of Sparkwell, Beara and Blacker. Barkingdon and Kingston were separate manors. From Saxon times, the Wolston family was associated with the area, originally with Sparkwell and later with Blackler and Beara. Their name survives today in Wolston Green, a hamlet within the parish boundary.

Sparkwell and Kingston were later owned by the Barnhouse family, and passed via Agnes Barnhouse to her husband John Rowe. Barkington was owned by the Worths until the 17th century. The boundaries of the manors were not always as now, but where filed names were recorded, it is easy to trace the historical boundaries of ownership. Some are still referred to as they were a thousand years ago.

The manor of Staverton continued to provide income for the Chapter of Exeter. Changes to legal title were made in 1148 concerning the church at Staverton. The Chapter of Exeter was instructed to appoint an "upright man as Vicar and allow him sufficient maintenance."

Some hamlets became independent of the church and changed hands frequently. Tradition has it that Pridhamsleigh was lost as a gambling debt by the Gould family, forebears of Sabine Barring-Gould. However , the Church retained much of the land and this is reflected today with the Church Commissioners still owning substantial areas of the parish.

The River Dart forms one of the boundaries and appears to have caused some problems. For many years the riparian rights were leased by the Chapter in Exeter to Buckfast Abbey. The monks resented any use made of the river down-stream, lest it reduced their supply of salmon, and they would often resort to violence and intimidation of a most irreligious nature, which sometimes landed them in the Courts. The last such incident appears in the Court of the Star Chamber records, just before the Dissolution under Henry VIII. A mill, probably sited near the present bridge, was leased by the Abbot of Buckfast to one John Macy, and it appears that some of the monks had broken in and violently taken stock from the mill for no apparent reason.

Fact and legend are intertwined in the history of Staverton Church. It is said that in Saxon times, after St Paul de Leon landed at Penzance and built his church at St Pol, he sailed along the coast of Devon and Cornwall and then up the River Dart, until he reached the ford at Staverton. He felt that God had guided him to this place, and desired him to build a church. The site he chose was possibly near Wolston Green, and he gathered all the materials together ready to begin building. However, when he awoke the next morning the materials had disappeared. Patiently, he repeated his preparations but by the next morning the materials had again disappeared. When this happened for the third time, St Paul concluded that God was displeased with the site. He therefore chose the present location, which appears to have met with Divine approval, for a place of worship has remained there throughout the intervening ten centuries.

The church built by St Paul was the first of three churches on the site, and would have been a wattle, clay and wooden structure with a thatched roof. The second building was of stone, built in Norman style, and it was much smaller than the present one, the knave being only 16ft 12ft.

A fascinating anecdote is that the timbers from the roof of this Norman church have since been discovered as supporting timbers in the roof of a local farmhouse. It appears that the benefits of recycling are not after all, a discovery of the 20th Century!

It would seem however, that the parishioners did not look after their church too well, as in 1314 Bishop Stapeldon, on a visit to the parish noted several defects and ordered a new church to be built by the people of Staverton. The present building dates from that time, and tradition has it that the villages built such a large church to spite the censorious Bishop. The yew tree survived the rebuilding , and is now over a thousand years old.

A report dated around 1750 quotes the story that a family vault belonging to the Worths was opened in the order to drain it. An oak coffin was found, which must have been that of Simon Worth who died in 1669. When the workmen opened the coffin they found the body not only intact, but quite supple, as if buried only the day before. The body had not been embalmed and although the coffin was left open for several weeks the body did not decay. A surgeon opened the body and found all the organs intact. The vault used to fill with water in the winter, but dried out in the summer, and this coffin was held down with a stone.

In 1877, Staverton Church was "restore in true Victorian style. Sabine Barring Gould, who had a living near London at the time, was contacted as his ancestors were about to be entombed in concrete . He rushed down and removed their memorials to Lewtrenchard Church. The Gould family had lived at Pridhamsleigh (presumably until they lost it in the gambling debt), and Coombe, and were the founders of several Parish Charities. Their name survives today in Goulds, a house near Staverton Station.

The history of the bridges in the parish is not easy to trace and the dates when they were first built are not known. Their existence only comes to light when they were officially recorded for some reason. Before the 14th Century, people and packhorses had to cross the Dart at the ford. The first bridge in the parish was Austin’s bridge, originally 7’ 6’ it was widened in 1809. Dart bridge was built in 1356, and Staverton bridge appears to have been rebuilt after the previous wooden structure, was in danger of collapse in 1413.
The Church decided to finance the rebuilding by issuing Indulgences, an apparently common means of raising finance for such projects in medieval times. Indulgences were sold to people so that they could spend less time in Purgatory, the equivalent of paying a fine instead of going to prison. The morality of this method might be suspect, but at least we now benefit from the superstition of those who had done some wrong and were paying their way out.

The present fine stone bridge features on the Parish Council Chairman’s badge is believed to date from this time. Repairs and alterations have however, been carried out during the bridges long history.
Some colourful events appear to have taken place on the bridge over the years. In 1436, an enquiry resulted from a drunken brawl between a parish chaplain, Sir John Laa and John Gayne. They were returning home from dining out and they started to argue on the bridge. The former drew a knife in self defence and the latter fell on it and was killed. Normally, a priest who had killed a man would have lost his living, but the Bishops enquiry absolved Sir John of any guilt and he continued in office.

Twenty years later, other incidents took place involving John Murry, the Bailiff of Haytor Hundred, who should have been maintaining the peace, but instead appears to have behaved suspiciously like a highwayman, relieving travellers of horses, harnesses and baggage. It would have been an ideal place for waylaying and trapping victims.

The parish seems to have a long tradition of education, as early in the 19th Century, there were four small schools within its boundaries. The location of these is not known and it is likely that they were Dame Schools, the most common form of education prior to the 1870 Education Act. Reference is also made to teachers in the parish since the 17th Century.

Landscove School was built in 1855, and was originally designed for 50 children. It was enlarged in 1897. The school and school house was financed by Miss Champernowne, as was Landscove Church and vicarage.

Staverton School was built in 1875 at a cost of £900. It was designed to provide education for 70 children. During the five years from 1870, when education became compulsory, children were taught in the Court Room. The headmistress however, had to wait until 1878 for a house to be provided.

The earliest records of the slate quarries is 1338, when Penn slate was used by John Holland, a half brother of Richard II, for roofing Dartington Hall. However, they later fell into disuse. Their revival in the 19th Century had a major influence in the development of the parish. During this period , Penn slate was used for the roof of the Houses of Parliament. Sadly however, the only thing worth preserving from the quarries long history is the chimney on the road from Penn to Parkfield.
By 1845, when Penn Recca mine was opened and expanded over four hundred people lived over two miles from Staverton Church. It was therefore decided to build a second Church in the parish. The land chosen was near Thornecroft where the majority of the slate miners cottages were situated. At the time it was used for allotments and the field was called Landscore. This changed to Landscove when the church was dedicated in that name. There are therefore two ecclesiastical parishes within the civil parish of Staverton.

The land was given by the Dean and Chapter of Exeter, and the building was generously funded by Miss Champernowne a former owner of Dartington Hall. The cost of the building work is reputed to have been £3000. The architect, John Loughbrough Pearson also later designed Truro Cathedral. The vicarage, now Hill House, was also funded by Miss Champernowne, and date from around this time.

The slate quarries, which finally closed in 1908, also had an influence on the development on the roads of the parish. In the 19th Century, the road system was very different from now, and the main road from Ashburton to Totnes ran through Five Lanes , on through High Beara to Bumpston Cross, passing about six hundred yards from the adit at Lower Coombe making it easier for the transport of the slate to either town.

The South Devon Railway Company opened Totnes Station in 1847 and proper services appear to have begun in 1848. The line to Ashburton was opened on 1st May 1872.

The original Act of Parliament of 1845 for the Plymouth, Devonport and Exeter Railway, to join the Bristol and Exeter railway at Exeter, granted permission for a line passing through Buckfastleigh and Ashburton. (All new railway lines have to be passed by an Act of Parliament.) In the same year, a proposal was made for the Ashburton, Newton and South Devon Junction railway to run from Newton to Ashburton. (Newton Abbot was just "Newton" at this time.)

Also in 1845, a public meeting held in the Totnes Guildhall agreed that Totnes should be connected to Buckfastleigh and Ashburton. This did not become an Act until July 1848. The line was to be designed by Brunel and would have been broad gauge. On completion, it was to be operated by the South Devon Railway.

By the end of all these negotiations however, the country was in recession and all plans were shelved. But by 1862, it was decided that the area needed the railway to boost trade and the Buckfastleigh, Totnes and South Devon Railway Company Act was passed in 1864. In 1865 another Act extended the line to Ashburton. It was of course, broad gauge, converted to standard gauge in 1892.

The principal traffic was always freight, with passengers a poor second, mainly workman and children attending school in Totnes. Apart from the usual pick-up goods, the main traffic into Staverton was agricultural feeds, timber for the joinery, and over 20 wagons of coal a week. Outgoing traffic was cider from Whiteways at Stretchford and from Hill’s at Barkingdon and furniture from Staverton joinery.

Interestingly, until the end of the Century, the woollen mills of Buckfastleigh provided the railway with more traffic than Newton Abbot.

The branch was closed to all traffic on 10th September 1962, the last passenger train having run in 1958. The line had fallen victim, like so many others, to Dr. Beeching’s cuts. The Great Western Society restored the line and it was re-opened in 1968.

Like many rural settlements, the population of the parish has been in steady decline since the mid-19th Century. Population statistics are scanty prior to 1801, when the first Census was carried out. However, a report of around 1750 said that as many hogsheads of cider were made each year as there were men and women in the parish, and this was about 2,000 hogsheads.

The 1801 Census shows a population of 1053, 473 males and 580 females. The highest recorded population in the 19th Century was in 1851 with the total of 1152, 562 males and 590 females. This was when production in the slate quarries was at its peak, but a sharp fall occurred by 1861, with only 949 people in the parish. The Census report notes that this was due to the decline in employment in the slate quarries. The1881 report also comments that agriculture remained the main source of employment in the parish despite the relatively large numbers employed in the quarries.

From 1861 onwards, the population of Staverton has continued to fall slowly, the lowest figure being in 1971, with 551 people living in the parish. By 1981, this had increased to 627.

The fact that Staverton village alone at one time could support three public houses, bears testimony to a once larger population. In 1850, the Landlord of the Ring O’ Bells Inn, whose name survives in Ring O’ Bells hill was the aptly named Robert Beer! The other two pubs at the time were the Church House Inn (now the Sea Trout Inn) and the Union Inn. The exact location of the latter is not known but was possibly in the Sherwell Close area. In addition, there was also the Live and Let Live at Wolston Green which still exists today.

This has been only a brief glimpse at some of the more notable events and developments which have taken place over the centuries. It is hoped however, that it helps to put the parish into it's historical context and links us with the men and women who played their part in shaping the parish which we know today.

John Abbe, from the age given approximately at his death, was born about 1613. The first mention which seems to be of this John Abbe is on a register of the names all of all ye passengers which passed from ye Porte of London for a whole yeare endinge at Xmas 1635 - Those underwritten are to be transported to Virginia imbarqued in ye Mercht bonaventure James Ricrofte Mr bound thither have taken ye oath of allegeance - Jo: Abby yeares 22 Although this statement says bound for Virginia, it is a well-known fact that many of the early ships destined for Virginia landed many or all of their passengers at other ports, even in New England, and records of the name John Abbe begin in New England about that time. The above Jo: Abby does not appear in the records of Virginia, nor in the Head Rights for lower Norfolk from 1637 to 1666. The abbreviation Jo: sometimes stood for Joseph, but there are proven instances where it was used for John.

The first reference to the name in the Salem records is on page 11,volume 1, in 1637, or, according to the old method of marking time, 2d of the 11th month, 1636. John Abbie is Recd. ffer Inhabitant & is to haue one acre lott for a house next beyond the Gunsmiths, and 3 acres of planting ground where the Towne hath appointed beyond Castle Hill.

There has existed some confusion regarding the various freemen of the name Abbey and Alby. Benjamin Albye was admitted freeman, May 18, 1642, and John Albye in Salem, May 10, 1643. These were, without doubt, the two Albys, John and Benjamin, mentioned in the early records of Braintree about this time. Benjamin Alby removed to Mendon and had numerous descendants, whose names occasionally appear in printed records as Abbey. John Abbey, sen., of Redding, freeman in 1634, may have been an Alby.

On the 21st, 11th month, 1638, John Abby had a further grant of five acres, location not specified, but, as on the 15th, 2nd month, 1639, this record occurs, Granted unto John Abby 5 acres neere to Mr Throgmortons hoggehouse, it may be that the first was the grant and the second the location. Under date of the 25th, 10th month, 1637, it was agreed the marsh and meadow lands that have formerly been laid in common to this town shall be appropriated to the inhabitants of Salem, proportioned out to them according to the heads of families. To these that have the greatest number an acre thereof, and to these that have least not above half an acre, and to these that are between both three quarters of an acre, always provided and it is agreed, that none shall sell away their proportions of meadow, more or less, nor lease them out to any above three years, unless they sell or lease out their houses with their meadow.
Under the above division a list of the inhabitants was taken, and the land divided. Jo. Abby is named in 1638 as having three in his family,and he receives half an acre.
On the 23d, 11th, 1642, ten acres are granted to John Abby together with several other ten-acre grants, all to be laid out near to Kings lot.This was on the Beverly side near Bass River, and on the 15th of the 12th month, 1642, it is voted á Oordered that John Abby shall have 10 acres of land at Enon in exchange of 10 acres of land bounded out near Basse River. The lot near Bass River was afterward granted to Michael Sallows.

The record of the grants to Abbey show that he was of the same standing in the community as the great majority of the early inhabitants. The grants were in a great measure made with an eye as to the ability of the grantee to develop the land so granted, small grants to the poorer and the larger grants to the richer sort. In 1642, Mr. Fiske organized a church at Enon and the following year the name Enon was changed toWenham, while a permanent church organization was effected in 1644.

In 1644, under the date of the 13th, 6th month, it was agreed that John Abby shall have all that wastground which lyeth between ye end of ye lott which he lives upon and ye meadow which blelongs to ye town, leaving apoles bredth most convenient for a way. (Wenham town records, Worcester.)
Under the date of 1653 is a list of engagements with Goodman Haws aboutthe mill, and John Aby gives a day and a half of his labor toward itserection, and others contributed in a like manner, some also giving theuse of oxen.

Mr. Fiske left the town in 1655 followed by a number of the church, andin 1657 Mr Newman was procured as pastor. Under date of November, 1657,in a total rate of £42, 19, divided among twenty- four persons, of whomfive paid a total of £14, John Abey is assessed £1, 5, which was aboutthe sum paid by eleven others, but two being less. In 1659, twenty-seven pay a rate of £46, 2, of whom sixteen pay £1 or a trifle over. Of these John Abey pays £1, 5, as before, in corne or cattle.
In 1660 he was assessed as Goodman Abey at eight shillings toward a new meeting house or repairing the old one. The new house was built in 1663.
Under date of 6th, 11 month, 1661, John Abbey, Sr., and Edward Waldron had a town grant of land to be equally divided between them. The use of the title Senior at this time helps to place the birth of the son John.
In 1663 Goodman Abey, Sr., and John Clarke are chosen to join with the selectmen to make the ministers rate for the present year.
In 1669 and in 1671 John Abbey appears as constable, an office of great local power and responsibility.
April 3, 1675, John Abbe deeded 10 acres of land to his son Samuel,Thomas, John and Mary Abbe, being witnesses. John Abbe, sen., was awitness to the will of Edwd Walden of Salem, 4th month, 1679.

In 1683, John Abbey, who had been supporting his son Thomas, who lived with him and cared for him, dismissed Thomas on account of his bad behavior and called his son John, junior, to take charge of him and his affairs. The son, John, proceeded early to build a new house, as the old one was unfit to live in.
Know all men By these presents that I John Abbey (Senjr.) of Wenham in the County of Essex being sensible of my owne & my wives inability to Carry on my affaires So as to provide for our Comfortable Livelyhood by reason of our age & weakness of Body Attending vs by reason thereof Doe make Choice of & Request my son John Abbey as my ffeiofe in trust to take into his hands my house & all my Lands in Wenham together wth wt right I have in that Land which was sometime Richard Gooldsmiths. to ocquipie & improue for myn & his muttuall Benifit So long as my wife & I or eyther of us shall live: & for his incouriagment to maniage my affaires as abovesaid & he provide Comfortably for my owne & my wives maintenance I doe hereby Give and Bequeath to him my afforesaid ffeiofe all my houses & Lands fforeuer Except wt I doe hereby Give out of it to the rest of my Childrin viz Samuell Sarah Marah Rebeca Obadia & Thomas & to each of them as followeth viz to Samuell I haveing alridy Given him a Lell of Land I give him one Shilling more & to all the rest of my Childrin above mentioned viz Sarah Marah Rebeca Obadia & Thomas two Shillings a peice or to so many of them as shall sirviv at the deacease of my selfe & wife: & in Case God shall take awaye my Son John abovesaid before the Decease of my selfe & wife if his Heires Shall Continue to maniage & Carry on my affaires as my abovesaid ffeioffe ought to doe then they Shall have the houses & Lands abovesaid as therin ordvard & in Confirmation of what is above written I have here vnto set to my hand & Seale Signed Seald &Deliverd August the 3 1683 in the presence of
Thos ffiske Senjr: John Abbey Senjr
martha ffiske his marke

John Abbey Senjr did acknowledg this writing above written to be his act & deed August ye 3d: 1683 before
me

Samuel Appeton
Assistant.

On the outside of the above document is the inscription:
John Abbey's Disposale of his Estate 1653 Record In Ips in ye Regr office for ye probate of Will for sd County
of Essex Decr 1702 p mee Danl Rogers Regr

Administration on the Estate of John Abbey senjr of Wenham. John Appleton Esqr. Comissionated by his Excellency Joseph Dudley Capt.Generll and Governr in Cheif in & over her Majess Province of yeMassachtt Bay in New England, with the advice and Consent of her Majestes Counsell of said province for the Probate of Wills and Granting Lettersof adminstro. Within the said County of Essex &c. To Thomas Abbey ofEnfield in ye County of Hampshire son to John Abbey senjr of Wenham-Deceased
Intestate-Greeting-Trusting in yr Care and ffidelity I doe by Thesepresents Comitt unto you full power to administer all & singular the Goods, Chattells, Rights & Creditts of the said Deceased & well & ffaithfully dispose of ye same according to law which to him while he Lived & att ye time of his Death did appeartain & belong, to aske sue fordemand Levy Receive & Recover and to pay all Debts in which the Deceasd stood bound so farr as his Goods Chattells Rights & Creditts Can extend according to the value thereof, and to make a true & prfect Inventory of all & singular the Goods Chattells Rights and Creditts of the Deceasd and to Exhibit the same into the Registry office of ye sd County att or before the Last Day of ffebruary next Ensueing, and to render a plain & true accott of ye said adminjo upon Oath att orbefore ye Twentieth Day of Decembr which Will bee in ye year of or Lord God One Thousand Seven hundd &Three-and I doe by These presents Ordaine
Constitute and appoint you administratoer of all & singular the Goods Chattells Rights & Creditts of ye Deceasd aforesd. -

In Testimony Whereof I have herunto Sett my hand &caused the Seale of said office to be affixed-Dated in Ipswich the 12th Day of Decembr anno. 1702. Annoq. R: Reginae Annae Angliae &c primo.

Examd-11 John Appleton.
Daniel Rogers Regr.
Recorded Book 307, Page 456. Essex Probate Office.

 

Know All men by these presents, That We Thomas Abbey of Enfield inye County of hampshire as principle and Waltar ffairfeild Senj & Thomas Edwards both of Wenham as sureties within His Majesties Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England are holden and stand firmly bound and obliged unto John Appleton Esqr Judge of the Probate of Wills and granting Administration within the said County of Essex in the full sum of Two hundred Pounds Currant Money in New England. To be paid unto thesaid John Appleton Esquire his
Successors in the said Office or Assignes. To the true payment whereof.We bind our selves, and each of us, our, and each of our heirs, Executorsand Administrators, joyntly and severally for the whole and in the whole firmly by these presents Sealed with our Seals. Dated the Eleventh day ofDecembr Anno Domini. One thousand 702 Annoque Regni Reginae Annae primo.
The condition of this present Obligation is such, That if the above-bounden Thomas Abbey administrator to all & singular the Goods,Chattells, Rights & Credits of his ffather John Abbey Senjr Late of Wenham Deceased to make or cause to be made a true and perfect Inventory of all and singular the Goods, Chattells, Rights and Credits of the said Deceased, which have or shall come to the hands and possession or knowledge of him the said administrator or into the hands and possession of any other person or persons for him. And the same so made, do exhibitor cause to be exhibited into the Registry of the Court of Probate for the aforesaid County of Essex at or before the Last day of ffebruary next ensuing. And the same Goods, Chattells, Rights and Credits of the said Deceased, at the time of Death, which at any time after shall come into the hands and possession of any other person or persons for him do well and truly administer according to Law. And further do make, or cause to be made a just and true Accompt of his said Administration upon Oath, at or before the Twentieth day of Decembr which will be in the year of our Lord, One thousand 703. And all the rest & residue of the said Goods, Chattells, Rights & Credits which shall be found remaining upon the said Administrators Accompt (the same being first examined and allowed of by the Judge or Judges for the time being of Probate of Wills and granting Administrations within the County of Essex aforesaid) shall deliver andpay unto such person or persons respectively as the said Judge or Judges by his or their Decree or Sentence pursuant to Law shall limit and appoint. And if it shall hereafter appear, That any last Will andTestament was made by the said Deceased: And the Executor or Executors therein named do exhibit the same into the Court of Probate for the said County of Essex making request to have it allowed and approvedaccordingly. If the said administrator within bounden being thereunto required do render and deliver the said Letters of Administration (Approbation of such Testament being first had and made) unto the said Court. Then the before written obligation to be void and of none effect, or else to abide and remain in full force and virtue.

Thomas TA Abbey (mark & seal)
Walter fayerfield (seal)
Thomas O Edward (seal)

Sealed and Delivered in presence of

Francis Crumpton
Daniel Rogers.

 

This Inventory of the Estate of John Abee Senor formerly of Wenham decesed about thirten yere since Intestate we whos names are her vnto subscribed on this twentey-fovrth of febuary in the yere of our lord 17did at the Request of thomas Abee one of the sons of the decesed and Administrator of his fathers estat or by his order vallew and aprise the said decesed his house and land in Wenham on which to our certain knowleghe lived for many yers and dyed seased of the same as his owne Estat of Inheritance as we ever understod we being his nere neighbors for manyyers the sayd decesed his homsted being about twenty and three acers of vpland and medow together with the housing and fences ther on theapertenances ther onto belonging together with his Right in the Comon allwhich we vallewed at ninety and two pounds £92-s00-d00. We also being Informed that the sayd decesed in his lifetime did to acomodate his son Obadiah acording to his desire with a trad for his futer benifett when the sayd Obadiah was eighten yers old give to Richard Goldsmith threeyers sarvit of his said son Obadiah and vntill he was one and twentey yers ould to learne him to be a shoemaker and all the sayd time his saydfather did find his sayd son meat and drink and Clothes washing and Lodging which we doe Judg to be worth thirtey pounds. the acount was settled betwen thomas Abee and his fathers Estat by the Children of the sayd decesed in our presents as witness our hands this 24 of the 12thmonth 1703/2
Richard RH Hutton (his mark)

Joseph ffowler Aprisers.
the estate debtor to his sonn thomas Abee for severall things for which our said father John Abee Senor was Indebted to his son thomas Abee before the death of our sayd father John abee Senor the acount whereof was settled and alowed by vse vnderwritten which debt is thirtey and twopounds £32--s00-d00.
as wittnes our hands this 24th febuerary 1702/3
Richard kimball for himself & Rebecc his wife (his mark)
mary killam (her mark)
Thomas Abbe (his mark)
May 18th 1703
Then ye above sd Thomas Abbe made oath to this Inventory
Before John Appleton

John Abbe married (1) MARY -. She was born in England about 1615/1620, and died in Wenham, Mass., September 6, 1672. "Mary, the wife of John Abbey, senr. dyed the 9 Sept. 1672"; Wenham records. She was doubtless the mother of all of his children. Her name is given as Mary Loring, by Frederick Orr Woodruff, who says that the name was found on Enfield records by one who made researches for him there. John Abbe married (2) November 25, 1674, MRS. MARY GOLDSMITH, widow of Richard Goldsmith, who was killed by lightning, May 18, 1674. She was living in 1683. "John Abbie and Marah Goldsmith maryed 25 of Novemb, 1674"; Wenham records.

John married Mary about 1634 in Probably England. Mary was born about 1615 in England. She died on Sep 9 1672 in Wenham, Massachusetts.