Person:Rachel Martin (1)

The Will of Rachel (Martin) Bigge of Cranbrook, Kent and Dorchester, Massachusetts

"Rachell Bigg (17. Nov^r. 1646) of dorchester, widdow, hauing soulde my house and land wherein now I dwell vnto Nephew Hopestill ffoster for one hundred & twenty pounds, to be paved w^thin halfe one yeare after my decease, he shall paie vnto thankfull Stowe Threescore pounds within halfe a yeare next after my decease, & I giue more vnto thankfull Stow, Twenty pounds, which is due from said Hopestill to be paid her w^thin three months after my decease; if the said Hopestill do not pay the three-score pounds so giuen, then I giue the house & land vnto her; he performing y^e payments. I giue him three score pounds the remainder of the said some of one hundred & Twenty pounds, & the Rent of the said house & Lands so it amounted not to aboue Eight pounds, out of w^ch he shall giue three pounds vnto his dau. Thankfull, to bee layed out vpon a siluer Pott for her, marke w^th R. B. and twenty shillings to his sonne Hopestill to buy for him three siluer spoones,—also fforty shillings to his dau. Patience, to be lay'd out vpon sixe siluer spoones for her; all the spoones to be marked w^th R. B.─also I giue vnto him the said Hopestill a ffeather Bed & boulstcr. My sonn in Law John Stow oweth me one hundred and fforty pounds, which he promiseth to pay out of his house and lands in Roxbury, out of w^ch I giue vnto his Eldest sonn Thomas Stowe Thirty pounds, he paying out of it fforty shillings to be layed out vpon sixe siluer spoones to be marked w^th R. B. of w^ch I giue three of them to his dau. Marie, the other three to his son Sam^l.─Vnto his Eldest sonn John, a siluer cup, w^ch I bought of his father; ─vnto Elizabeth Stow, wife of henery Archer, Thirty pounds, ffiue pounds out of it in fifteene spoones marked R. B. sixe to her dau. Rachell, three to John, three to Isaac, three to Theophilos, ther three sonnes; ─vnto Elizabeth Stow my siluer Pott, and my Booke of dockter Preston to be deliuered by executors. Vnto Nath^l Stow, Twenty pounds, hauing giuen him formerly a small Tenement & land; vnto Sam^l Stow Thirty pounds, to be paid vnto them by their ffather w^thin one year after my decease; ─vnto Peter Masters, my sonn in law, now liuing in England, Twenty shillings; ─to his dau. Elizabeth Tenn shillings; to his wife, Katherin, my fille kirtle; ─vnto m^r Richard Mather, fforty shillings; ─to the poor in Dorchester, Twenty shillings, to be distributed to them by the deacons where they see most need; ─vnto m^r Newman & m^r John Miller tenn shillings apecce; ─vnto James Batte senio^r, ffiue shillings, to his sonne James, ffiue shillings; the now wife of Thos. Lyme ffiue shillings; ─Clement Batte Twenty shillings; ─his dau. Rachell ten shillings; ─to the residue of his Children, ffiue shillings apecce; ─Thos Beatts, Twenty shillings; Thos Beall, John Compton, Goodwife Turner, wife of Rich^d Brittaine, Goodman Meade, Old margery, & Goodwife Place, to euery of them ffiue shillings; ─poore Goodwife Hill, & goodwife Patching, tenn shillings apeece; ─some considerations moueing I further giue Thankfull Stow all my household stuffe & plate. ─All the residue of my goods &c to louing sonne in law John Stowe, ─my executor. ─Dated the day & yeare aboue written,

The marke of R. B. Rachell Bigg & seale

1646. In p^rsence of Rich^d Peacocke, Gabrell Meede.

Rich^d Peacocke Testified that this was the last will of Rachell Bigg Taken vppon oath &c 30 (4) 1647 [June 30, 1647] W^m Aspinuall Record^r

Entr^d & Record^d 20 Feb. 1653 at Request of Ensigne Hopstill foster Edw^d Rawson Recor^d"

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7} Rachel Bigg, in Anderson, Robert Charles; George F. Sanborn; and Melinde Lutz Sanborn. The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635. (Boston, Massachusetts: NEHGS, 1999-2011)
   1:284-89.

   "ORIGIN: Cranbrook, Kent"
   "CHURCH MEMBERSHIP: 'Rachel Bigge' was admitted to the second church at Dorchester about 1638 [DChR 4]. (The next entry in the church admissions was for Patience Foster, her daughter.)"

2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} Coddington, John Insley. Bigge Family. New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (New England Historic Genealogical Society, Oct 1938)
   92:397.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Trask, William B. Abstracts from the Earliest Wills on Record in the County of Suffolk, Mass. New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (1848-1866, 1876-1878)
   5:300-01.