Person:Thomas Roote (2)

References

• Root, James Pierce, Root genealogical records, New York, NY, 1870
• Messier, Betty Brook and Janet Sutherland Aronson, The Roots of Coventry, Connecticut, Coventry, CT, 1987

Links

• Descendants of Thomas Roote
• Some Descendants of Thomas Roote
• The Root Family

FROM KELLOGG GENEALOGY, NEHGS

- FROM WESTFIELD

Will of Thomas Roote, Sen'r, of Northampton

In ye name of God Amen. Whereas I Thomas Roote Sen^r of Northampton, in y^e County of Hampshire, in y^e Province of y^e Massachuesits Bay, in New England, being through y^e goodness of God, grown into a considerable old age: and am dayly expecting when y^e Lord will call me out of this troublesome World, and Knowing my duty to Leave things setled among my children as to prevent as much as in me lyeth matter of striffe and and contention hereafter, and being at p'zent of sound memory and perfett understanding, I Doe therefore ordaine, constitute and appointe this to be my last will and testiment in manner and forme as ffolloweth; viz, my Soul I comitt into y^e hands of my most deere Redeemer the lord Jesus Christ, and my Body I comitt to y^e grave to be interred in a Comely and Christian manner, there to Rest until y^e Resurrection when I hope and believe it shall be raised a glorious body, and then Soul and Body being againe united togeather shall be forever with the lord; and as for that portion of Worldly estate which the Lord in Mercy hath bestowed upon me I doe hereby order and dispose of in manner and form following:

Item, to my son Joseph I give out of my Six acre lot, in young Rainebow four acres y^t is all y^e plowing land in that lot, and a persell of Land which was granted to me as a part of my homelott, which land Joynes to my son Joseph's homelot; alsoe two acres which was formerly Joseph Janes his land; I give to my Grandchild Thomas Roote, son to my son Joseph Esteeming of it as part of my son Joseph's Portion to be to them and their heirs forever: Provided alsoe y^t for what lands I give to my son Joseph and what Lands I shall give to my other sons, that they shall injoy and have the possession of dureing my life, hee and they shall from y^e date hereof yearely for every such acre of Land by them improved cleer all comon charges and pay cleerely five shillings p^r acre dureing my life to me or my son Jonathan, with whome I live towards my maintenance and what he or they shall in payment fall short accordingly in my lifetyme shall be fully made up to my son Jonathan after my decease within one yeare, or he s'd Jonathan Roote to have soe much out of the Lands given to them from each of them according to what they shall fall short in payment upon an indifferent valuation.

Item, to my Son Joseph I give my great table.

Item, to my Son Thomas Roote I give my Munhan Lots containing about Eleven acres and one q^r upon Item, to my Son Thomas Roote I give my Munhan Lots containing about Eleven acres and one q^r upon y^e same conditions as abovesd to be to him and his heirs forever as alsoe five acres out of the Ventures Lots joyneing to y^e sequestered Land which five acres I give him in Lue of an homelot granted to him by the Town in way of Exchange, to be to him and his heirs forever provid^d that Jonathan Roote and his heirs that now stands possessed of that homelot may freely and quietly injoy the same forever.

Item, to my Son Jonathan Roote upon y^e same conditions above mentioned I give and bequeath my five acre lot in y^e first square half and my Lots in Great Rainebow and alsoe my upland all y^t parsell of Land lyeing betweene a Lot formerly granted to John Allin and a persell formerly granted to David Troo all which Land lying between these two a Lotmints and y^e pussell aboves^d to be to him and his heirs forever, alsoe my will is that in case my son Thomas, or his successors shall molest my Son Jonathan or his heirs in there quiet possession of ye sd four acres or homelot formerly granted to s'd Thomas then sd Jonathan shall have ye five acres in my Venters field now in the possession of s^dThomas Roote.

Item, to my Grandchild Benjamin Roote Son to Hezekiah Roote deceased I give and bequeath my nine acre lot and one part of my Ventures field lott Butting upon y^e highway Westerly and running from thence over y^e for st Swamp and alsoe half my home lot where I formerly lived and half my barne and that part of my house which was Last built to be delivered to him by my Executor hereafter mentioned when he shall come to the age of twenty-one yeares then to be to him and his heirs forever or in case he dye in his nonage then to be to his Sistors or Sistor then Liveing which I give to him upon condition he pay to his Sistors fifteene pounds apeece within four yeares after they come to y^e age of eighteene yeares or in case any of them dye before marriage then to pay to y^e others thirtie pounds alsoe to allow Jacob Roote libertie of a way through his Venters field Lott but in case they cannot agree, about y^e way or it prove matter of difference then Jacob and he to fence out a way of one rod wide and the fence to be equally maintained betwixt y^e syr heirs forever.

Item. To My son Jacob Root I give the other halfe of my Lott in great Rainebow And my Walnut tree Lott about four Acres more or less, upon the same condition he paying as abovesd. And also the Remainder of my Venturesfield Lott provided also that he clear it very well within two years after my decease. But in case he shall not so clear it as to make it fitt for mowing or plowing within two years as aforesd then it shall be to Jonathan and his heirs forever.

Further whereas there hath binn A contract or bargain between my sons Jonathan and Jacob for Exchange of Houses and the lands where they stand. My will is that In case my son Jonathan and his heirs peaceable Injoy that house and land where he now liveth without Molestation from Jacob or any other by from or under him That then the other part of my homelott and half my House and half my Barn Be to Jacob and his heirs forever otherwise to be to Jonathan According to my former gift and his heires forever hereby declaring my desire and will is that Jonathan Injoy the house and land where he now liveth.

Item, I give to my Son Jonathan the mowing land in my six Acre Lott which contains about two acres after my Son Joseph's four acres is taken out.

Item, I give to my Son Jonathan all my right and interest to all and every parcel of land vch I have in hartford, not already legally sold especially one parcel lying on the East side of Connecticot River to him and his heirs forever.

Item, To My Daughter Sarah Kellogg I give ten pounds Beside what she hath Already Received. To be for her own Proper use and shee to have the free dispose thereof without the consent of her husband As she shall see meet. And to my Grandchild Thankful Root I give Twenty pounds all to be paid for Current Pay, which summ of Ten pounds is to be paid to my Daughter Sarah within one year after my Decease and to my Daughter Thankfull provided she be of age otherwise to be paid within one year after she come To the Age of Eighteen years; And I do hereby order that the ten pounds to my Daughter and twenty pounds to my Grandchild thankful Be paid By my sons In proportion to what Lands I have given them And that my Grandson Benjamin's part be paid By my Executor and To be Repaid to him again By Benjamin In case he see cause to Require it.

Item, All my Debts and Dues and Rents of lands yet Remaining or that hereafter may be due I give to my son Jonathan Root as Also All the Rest of my moveable Estate for his own proper use and dispose.

Item, To my Grand children Elizabeth and Hester Root Daughters to my Son Jonathan Root I Give all my Commonages Due or any ways belonging both to my personal and Real estate To Be equally Divided Between them And their heirs for yr proper estate forever.

Item, That my funerall expenses be pay'd by my sons equally 'Mongst them

That what Lands I have Given to my sons They shall make such dispose of Them To their children Lawfully Begotten, as They shall se cause But to no other person or persons whomesoever.

And I Do hereby Appoint my loving son Jonathan Root the Sole Executor of This My Last will and Testament hereby revoking all former wills or writings of this kind whatsoever.

Dated In Northampton This Third of Dec. 1691.

In witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed and Sealed.

The word out and these words (four acres that is all the plowing land for that lot) Interlined In the sevententh line was before signing.

his mark Thomas T R

Signed and Seaied In the presence of us Joseph Hawley Nathaniel Phelps Sen. Nathaniel Phelps Jun^r

Joseph Hawley Esq^r Nath^l Phelps and Nath^ll Phelps Ju^r made Oath that they were pzent wⁿ Thomas Roote y^e Testator to y^e above sd will did Signe Seale and declare the above s^d Judgment to be his last will and testament and that he was of sound mynde and perfect memory to their understanding and knowlidge wⁿ he made and confirmed it: Octob^r 16, 1694 Attest. SAM^L PARTRIGG Regist^r

Exhibited in Sp^rd y^e 22^th of Oct 1694 and allowed. J. P. Entered into Record this 5^th December 1694 folio 3 lib 1^st A true Copy of Original. Attest Luke Lyman Register of Probate Court."

1.   350. Thomas Roote, in Root, James Pierce. Root Genealogical Records, 1600-1870: Comprising the General History of the Root and Roots Families in America. (New York: R.C. Root, Anthony & Co., 1870)
   101-02.

   "Thomas Roote, believed to be the son of John Roote and Ann Russell of Badby, England, born Jan. 16, 1605, came to this country about the year 1637, and was among the first settlers of Hartford, Ct., where he lived many years, and where his children were born, although on account of the incompleteness of the ancient records of Hartford, as they have come down to this generation, the birth of only one of them (John) is recorded. This Thos. Roote is to be distinguished from the |Thomas Rootes who was a resident of Salem, Mass., about the same period, and who remained there until his death. … 'Thomas Roote (probably this settler of Hartford) went to Pequot in 1637, as a soldier,' says Hon. R. H. Hinman. The name of Thom. Roote is mentioned in the list of proprietors of undivided lands in 1639, and may be found on the monument in the old grave-yard in Hartford, in the rear of the Center Church, erected by the Ancient Burial Ground Association in memory of the first settlers of the city. He was a considerable landholder there, and one parcel of the land assigned to him was located on what is now North Main street, about a mile west of the State House. After a residence of about fifteen years in Hartford he removed with his six sons and one daughter, and settled in Northampton, Mass., on the 9th day of May, 1654, as one of the planters of what was then called Nonotuck. In the Massachusetts Colonial Documents we find that in 1659, on petition, he was appointed one of the selectmen. He was both farmer and weaver of cloth. His record of lands assigned him by the town is dated 7th Dec., 1659. On the 18th of June, 1661, the parish church was gathered, and the Rev. Eleazar Mather was ordained as pastor and teacher of the flock. Among the eight pillars of the church thus organized was Thomas Roote. It is believed by some that he was a deacon of the church. The old Root homestead in Northampton was on King street, opposite where the Roman Catholic church now stands, and it has only within a few years been torn down. Thomas Roote died at a very advanced age, on the 17th of July, 1694, age 89, naming his children in his will, and mentioning that he lived with his son Jonathan at the old homestead. The name of Thomas Roote's wife is not known."

2.   Messier, Betty Brook, and Janet Sutherland Aronson. The Roots of Coventry, Connecticut. (Coventry, CT: Coventry 275th Anniversary Committee, 1987)
   175.

   Thomas Root is first recorded in America in 1637 as a soldier who went to Pequot. He was listed as a proprietor in Hartford, Connecticut by 1639. He owned several lots in Hartford, including one on North Main Street. He was one who signed the petition, dated 6 May 1653, to the General Court of Massachusetts to establish a new town on the Connecticut River above Springfield, at a place called Nonotuck, but renamed as Northampton. The petition was promptly granted and he moved there with his family of six boys and one girl the following May. He is described as a farmer and a weaver and was elected selectman of Northampton in 1659. The births of six of his children were never recorded in Hartford, but the names can be found in his will. Most of the information on the family of Thomas Roote is from "Root and Roots Familes" by James Pierce Root, published in 1870.