THE "HOT MESS" PROBATE FILE OF NATHANIEL STOW JR PT3

The judge had questioned three other sons of Nathaniel Stow Jr about whether or not their
late father had intended for their brother Samuel to receive a share of his estate. All three
brothers said that was not the case, and cited conversations with Nathaniel as proof. Now it
was time for the judge to question Samuel. 

He was asked three questions, as shown by the bottom part of image 35.

Middlesex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1648-1871.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives.)Case21772 p.35

 

Middlesex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1648-1871.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives.)Case21772 p.35

The handwriting is rather ornate, so some words are hard to decipher:

Questions to Saml-
Whether Father said any thing abt {?} in Consideration of Learning?------answeres------Denyd.

Ditto----- whether he ever rec'd any money of Father. Answer-Yes. -- did you ever give a Rec. in
Consideration of Learning  ----denyd--answer-denyd.

Ditto--did you ever give a Rec. of  an {?}-- ans: refused.

Well, this didn't look good for Samuel. Given that Harvard University was the only place at that time in colonial Massachusetts he was probably a student there and would need to somehow pay
to finish his education. But his brothers had testified that there was no further money coming to
him from the estate and when questioned himself his answers weren't cooperative.

The other side of the paper is in image 36 and it's another messy collection of writing at different
angles and parts of the page. Among some figuring of the money value of the estate is this line:

"Samuel's 35 L allowed by the judge"

Middlesex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1648-1871.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives.)Case21772 p.36

Middlesex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1648-1871.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives.)Case21772 p.36

So Samuel did receive some money from the estate. What he did with it I do not know.

I next turned back to the other pages in the file.

To be continued.