Nicholas Potter

I nicholas Potter of Salem, being weak in body, but of good & perfect memory & vnderstanding blesses be God, doe make this my last will & testament this 10:8mo:1677, first after my debts & funerall charges be paid, the rest of my estate I dispose of as followeth, viz: whereas I lately made a deed to my sonn Robert Potter of my house & land at linn dated 26 of May 1675, which conveyance I doe by this my last will & testament confirme, upon the condition therein exspressed, to be observevd, 2 for the land in the north feild in Salem, which I had in a former will given to my daughter Elizabeth Newall, but made it voyde in the aboue said conveyance, which said land I doe now giue & bequeath the said land be it more or less, to my two sons had by my last wife, viz: Samuell & Benjamin, to be to them & theire heires for euer in equal part. 3 Alsoe I giue & bequeath to my said two sonns, Samuel & Benjamin, all that my house & ground at Bostone, to them & theire heires, an equall part, to injoy it at the age of twent one years & if either of them dy before, the whole be to the survivsor, only my will is that out of the said house & ground, there shall be pd to my two daughters viz: Sarah & Mary each of them the value of ten pounds to be paid them within one yeare after my sons come of age to injoy the sd house & ground. 4. I giue & bequeath that which will be due to me from Isaack Williams at or after my decease, as by his mortgage to me doe appeere, which is eighty pounds: viz: to my Daughter Bethiah fiue pounds, & the reast I giue to all my six children, borne by my last wife viz: Samuell, Benjamin, Sarah, Mary, Hannah & the said Bethiah, to be equaly devided betweene them. 5. Alsoe I give & bequeath, to my said six children, viz. Samuell, Benjamin, Sarah, Mary, Hanna & Bethiah, my house & ground adjoyning in Salem, to haue each of them an equall part or the value of it, alsoe about four acres of ground caled Pigden's lot to be equally deuided. 6. I giue & bequeath to my fouer daughters, viz: Sara, Mary, Hanah & Bethiah, all my moueables & houshold stuff &c: to be equally deuided betweene them. 7. And my will is that what I haue giuen aboue said to all or either of my children, they shall haue & injoy it to them selues & theire heires foreuer, when they come to the age the sons at twenty one years & the daughters at eighteene yeares or marriage & in the meane time the rents & profits of the whole estate viz: houses & land & efects of whateuer is elce, to be for the breeding up of my sd children, soe far as it will goe, at ye ordering & discression of my executor & over seers (here after exsprest) 8. My will is that if God should see good to take by death any of my said children before they come to age or are marryed, as aforesaid, that then there pt to be equally deuided amongst the suriuers: that is to say respectiuely where they are all concerned, there all to share in ye deceased's pt: & the sons Joyntly, the suruier to haue ye whole of the deceased sons, but if both die before they com of age then the daughters to haue theire estate deuided amongst them, & where Sarah & Mary are concerned together in the twenty pound out of the house at Boston: the suruier to Injoy the whole, or if bother dy before she be of age or married her fiue pound to be deuided amongst the suruiuing children Lastly I doe desire & apount my Hond father John Gedney to be sold executor of this my last will & testament & my son Robert Potter & my brothers, Bartholmew Gidney & Elezaer Gidney to be ouerserrs. In witnes heare if U haue put to my hand & seale the day & yeare aboue written."

Nicholas (his P mark) Potter (Seal)
Witness: Hilliard Veren, Senr., Nathaniell Beadle.
Proved 29:9:1677 by the witnesses."^[9]

his dwelling house in Salem with about halfe an acre of Ground adjoyning, being most pt. an oarchard, £70;
about 4 acres of ground called Pigdens Poynt, #20;
about 5 acres of land in the north feild, £10;
an old feather bed, bolster, 3 pillowes pt of a bolster, an old blandett & Ruff, £3;
a smale old feather bead, 2 blanketts, old Rugg & old flock pillows, £2. 5s.;
severall smale lumber in a chest, 5s.;
wearing apparrell, £5;
1 ell cloath rash, an old child's blanket & old child's coar, 16s.;
an old carraile bed, old curtaines & 2 or 3 old pillowes with an old blandett & covering, £1. 6s.;
pewter, 18s.;
brass pan & warming pas, 8s.;
an Iron kettle, 2 potts, hake & fire pan, £1. 2s.;
a chest with a small pr. Doggs, 2 old swords, with some Iron lumber, 12s.;
earth ware, 2s.;
a wooll & linen wheels, 8s.;
3 or four old hats & pr. shoes, 10s.;
7 old chaires at 7s.; a Joyne stoole & som old barrells, 2s.' linnen, 46s.;
bookes, 10s.;
swine, 16s.;
a cow, 40s.;
a cubbord & 3 bedsteeds, 30s, £4, 6s.;
a chest 6s.;
13 B. aples, 10s.;
wood, 7s.;
a flock bed with feathers, with 2 Jarrs, 20s.;
curtain rods & spitt, 5s.;
due from Isaack Williams to be pd in 4 yeare, £30;
one house & Land att boston apprised by Mathew Barnard & Edw. Grant, besids the house & land at linn formerly giuen to his son Robert Potter, £90;
total £206 11s.
Estate debtor to severall, £15
severall charges £4.
Attested in Salem court 29:9:1677 by the executor.^[10]

Nicholas Potter, Dr., to Capt. George Corwin, a boat, £1 8s.;
John Milk, £2 12s
Goodwife Bamfield, 10s;
Tho. Rix, 9s.;
Mr. Batter, 5s.;
Mr. Wm. Brown, sr., £6, 7s. 6d.;
Mr. Neale, 7s.;
Philip Crumwell, £2 19s.;
Walter Skinner, 2s. 6d.^[10,11]

Agreement made between William Roch and Hannah his wife daughter of Nicholas Poter late of Salem, deceased, and Mary (her mark), Elson and Bethia (her mark) Witt the other daughters of said Potter as a final settlement and distribution of said estate: That Mary Ellson and Bethia Witt shall have for their part the house, land and appurtinances that was their father's being in Boston situate in the back Street in the north end of the Towne near the dwelling house of the Rev. Increase Mather, in equal parts; that William Roch and Hanah his wife shall have for their part the dwelling house, Land and appurtinances that was the said Potter's situated in Salem bounded on the south with the street or highway on the east with the land of Wiliam Bath and land that was formerly the widow Eastwick's, on the north with the land of Joseph Miles, deceased, an on the west with the land of Nathaniel Gedney & also a peice of land on the Neck in Salem called Picdens point being about four acres. Signed and sealed Aug. 14, 1697. Witness: Bethia Gedney, Debora Gedney.

Acknowledged Aug. 14, 1697 before the Hon. Bartho. Gedney, Judge of probate, which is allowed and confirmed by him. [Essex County Probate Files, Docket 22, 582]^[12]