Will of Comfort Starr, dated April 22, 1659 COMFORT STARR.--22 Aprill 1659. Will.
My body to be burryed within ye vsuall place of buriall in Boston, so neere my late wife as may be possible with conveniency. I giue vnto Samuell Starre, my large book of Martyrs, with ye frame belonging therevnto; vnto Euery one of my Grand Children, 12d apiece, in English money; vnto ye fiue daus. of my dau. Maynard (deceased) £10. apiece, to be payd vnto each as they either of them come to ye age of 16 yeare; vnto my sonne Thomas Starre, (deceased) his children, £10 apiece, to be payd vnto each as they either of them come vnto 18 yeares of age; vnto my sonne Thomas, his fower youngest, one Mare to be disposed & equally devided at ye discretion of my Supervisors; if they thinke meete, ye Mare to be sold, then, my will is, either of them Children should have one quarter pt of what said Mare is sold for; vnto my grand Child, Symon Eire, £6. p. Annu to be payd him yearely, vntill he come unto ye age of 18 yeares; it being so giuen by me vnto him for ye Advancement, helpe & furthering him in Learneing. For ye assurance of ye due paymt of ye said £6. yearely, I Engage my now dwelling house, That he, or his Guardian, or those who have ye oversight of him, shall and may lawfully enter into ye said house, and distreine for euery defect so much as shall satisfy ye said sume yt is not payd, & ye charge or charges yt ariseth by reason of such distresse for ye non paymt of ye said £6. yearely, ye overplus to be returned. My minde & will is, That if ye said Symon Eire desist goeing forward in Learneing, yt is yt he doe not goe vnto some Gramar Schoole & to some Academia, or to be with some godly Minister whereby he may be instructed in ye Toungs, Arts & Sciences, then ye said Annuall paymt of ye said £6. shall cease. My minde is, yt ye said Symon Eire should enjoy his house & land yr vnto belonging wch apptaineth vnto him, of right, by inheritance, And also, yt my Executor shall pay vnto him yt wch I am Engaged vnto him by ye Honored Court, yt is, about £60, wch is as much as I haue receiued of his, by my Administring of his moveable goods after ye death of his prents. My sonne John to be my Executor. The rest of my Estate in New England I giue to my sonne John Starr, and vnto my dau. Elizabeth Ferniside, equally to be devide betweene them; then, yt my sonne John shall devide his share into three pts; one third of it shalbe giuen vnto his Children, vnto Euery one a equall share, [The portion of Elizabeth to be divided in the same manner.] If my dau. Hannah Starr come into New England, my mind is, yt [she] shall haue my siluer guilt double salt Celler. I giue vnto my dau. Hannah Starr, all my debts due vnto me in old England. I giue vnto said Hannah, £50 sterling to be payd vnto her, out of ye Rent, as it ariseth of my house & land, wch I haue in Eshitisford, in Kent, in old England. I giue vnto my sonne, Comfort Starr, my before mentioned house & land in Eshitisford, pvided my said dau. Hannah be payd ye aforesaid £50; And also provided, yt my sonne Comfort Cause to be payd at Boston, for ye vse of my Grand Children, for my Executor, to distribute to Euery one of my Grand-Children in good Kersy & Peniston & Cotton to ye worth of 40s. a peece, to be payd within 4 yeares after my decease. Vnto my dau. Elizabeth, all my Right of yt Land, wherevpon her now dwelling house is built, & also ye Land adjoyneing, from ye high way before theire house, downe backward, vnto ye mill pond. I appointe my beloved Brothrs in Law, Mr. John Morley & Faithfull Rouse my Supervisors, vnto either of wch I will, 20s. a peece. I giue vnto my dau-in-law ye late wife of my sonne Thomas Starr, one siluer bossed wine Cupp. It is my minde (in regard of ye scarcitie of money in this Countrey) yt my Executor shall pay my Legacies, if he Can Conveniently, with shop pay, but if he Cannot so suite or fitt them, then he shall pay them in such Comodities as this Countrey brings forth, except such legacies yt is Expressed to be payd in money or siluer.COMFORT STARR.
in ye prnce of Christopher Gibson
John Collins, Richd Taylor, William Read
2 Feb. 1659, Richd Taylor, & Wm Read deposed
Inventory of the Goods & Chattells of Mr Comfort Starr Deceased 2d Jan., 1659, prized by John Chickering, Edward Burt, 3 Feb 1659, when John Starr deposed. Sume totall, £613. 02.
More apprized
8: 1: 59-60. £32.14.11.
Debts due the deceased from John Carrey, Faithfull Rouse, Samll Bryant, James Vahan, Johannah Mills, Wm Wenborne, Alexander Waits, James Luxford, John Borne, Georg Clarke, John Rogers, Joseph Ramsden, John Howard, Francis Weston, Hen Sampson, William Spowell, Rebecca Taylor, John Harding, Edward Hall, Phillip de La Noe, Margaret Vassall, Job Hawkins, Bourne, of Muddy River; Edmund Weston, Jonathan Brewster, junior; Joseph Gallop, Evan Thomas, Pate Feild, Joseph Pryor, Edward Page, Joseph Harding, Thomas Wheeler, George Wheeler, Symon Tuttell, Mr John Cutts, Boson Russell, Will Edmonds, Mathew Grosse, Jno Holloway, Arthur Keayne, Mr Westmerland, John Hanmore, Good. Wheat, Good. Wooley, Tho Walker, John Matson, Doman Mathewes, Good. Felt, Tho. Call, Mr George Broome, Anthony Dodson, Georg Turner, Tho Fox, Will Hartwell, George Howard, John Hill, Zachary Phillips, Humphrey Turner, John Tuckerman, Daniell Aleborne, Cornelius Wright, George Dobson, David Faulkner, Good. Pecke, Mr Auldine, senior; Good. Baker, Wm Dickerman, Samll Norden, Vrsilla Batten, Wm Read, Mr Euerill, for John Fris; Wm Clarke, Joseph Bettle, John Coles, of Lovells Island; Edw Bruffe, Charitie an old maide; John Aymes, &c.
From Suffolk County Wills; Abstracts of the Earliest Wills Upon Record in the County of Suffolk, Massachusetts; Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc.; Baltimore, MD; 1984.