Estate of Thomas Harris of Ipswich
Essex Probate Docket # 12551

In the Name of God Amen. The 16th day of July & in the yeare of Grace 1687. I Thomas Haris of Ipswich in the Shire of Essex in New-england doe make $ declare this my last will & testament in writing revokinge therby both in deed & in law all other former wills & Testaments. I being at this time weake in body, but of good & pfect memory (blessed be God) first I commend my soule into the hands of God my maker hopeing assuredly through the onely meritts of Jesus Christ my Savior to be made ptaker of life everlasting, & I comend my body to earth wherof it is made to be desently buried by my loveing wife Martha Harris whome I make & ordaine my sole executrixof this my will & testament, my Just debts to be paid by her out of my estate; And the remainder I give as followeth.
Inprimis I give & bequeath unto Martha Harris my Deere & loveing wife, my dwelling house & Barne & the orchyard, & gardin, & three marsh Lotts at Plumb Island. And I give unto her two third pts of my Planting lott at Towne on the south side of the highway as far as the old fence, and all that planting lott on the North side off the highway afore named, & also I give to her one halfe of the Claypitt meadow, And two thirds of my marsh lott at the hundreds with my parte in the boate. Also I give unto her fower Cowes, & fower Qxen, with all my Sheepe & Swine; and all my household stuff with the Instruments & utensills of husbandry whatsoever duringe he naturall life, More over my will is that my Loveing wife may give & dispose of all my household stuffe & other things not mentioned in this my will at her pleasure amongst or Children.
Item I give to my sonne John harris & to his heirs forever, the new house which I built in Ipswich, also I give to him & his heirs forever my two marsh lotts purchased off Deacon Goodhew at Plumb Island, and that part of my planting lott at Towne from the old fence to Samuell Graves his pasture after my debts be paid. Also I give unto my sone John & to his heirs for ever one third part of the planting land at Middle Island, and two oxen, And halfe the Clay pitt meadow, And one third pt of my marsh in the hundreds for quantity & quallity, And more over I give to my sonne John & his heirs forever, after his mothers deseace one third part of the houselott & orchyard, & my will is that my sonne John shall have one thord pt of the fruit of the orchyard during his mothers life yearly.
Item after their mothers deseace I give my sonne William Harrs & Ebeneser my younger sonns, the three marsh lotts at Plumb Island, & halfe the Clay pitt meadow, & all the planting land which their mother enjoyed during her life: And also two third parts of the house lott & orchyard, And two third parts of the marsh lott at the hundreds for quantity & quality. Also I give my two sones William & Ebenezer the same, with the shop betweene them, to them & their heirs forever after their mothers deseace. my will is that if any of the brothers be minded to sell their part of Land or Meadow that the other brethren may have it giveing as much as an other will give.
As for my oldest sonn who dyed beyond sea, I gave him forty pounds to redeeme him out of Turkie which I account was his portion.
In witness wherof I have heere unto sett my name & seale.

Thomas Haris [seal]
Witnesses,
Daniel Epps senr
James Chute senr

On January 1, 1696, Thomas' widow Martha pointed out that to the court that Thomas' will did not mention two of the Harris children: Elizabath Gallop and Margaret Staniford, "which fell out by the fault of him that wrote the same,". She requested authority to settle personal property on these two daughters. ( Essex Probate, 304:183)
Source: "The Ancestry of Bethia Harris", Walter Goodwin Davis, southworth Press, Portland, ME, 1934

Submitted by: Bob Bamford

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