Person:Thomas Porter (6)

The Estate of Thomas Porter, Senior, of Farmington

"VOL VI, 1695 TO 1700. PROBATE RECORDS. Page 36.

Porter, Thomas sen., Farmington. Invt. £96-00-06. Taken 13 December, 1697, by John Hart & Daniel Andrews. Will dated 3 March, 1690-1.

The last Will & Testament of Thomas Porter sen. is as followeth: I give to my wife Sarah Porter, during her natural life, my now Dwelling house, wth half the Benefit of the Orchard, half the Garden behind the house, and Pastureing for a Cow during summer. Also my Personal Estate, within doors and without, to be disposed of by her among my Children that have the most need thereof. Also all the Divisions of Outlands given her by her Honoured Father Stephen Hart, to be disposed of by her and as she seeth meet forever. I give to my son Thomas Porter ½ of my House lott on the Side next to Mr. Wadsworth's houselott, and all my Land at the Round Hill that lyeth on the West side of the Way, the Cart way that now runneth through the Lott which is called the Farme Path, and also my whole Lott that runneth from the River across the Plaine West, on the North side of John Clarke's Lott. Also 12 acres up the Farme Brook, and also my whole Division of Upland abutting on Hartford Bounds. I do give to my son Samuel Porter the other half of my House lott, with the House that he now dwelleth in, and my part of the Barn, to be possessed by him immediately after my decease, except what I have before given to my wife, which he shall not possess until after the decease of my wife. Item. I do give to my daughter Dorothy Porter my Division of Lands lying against Wethersfield in the middle Division, on Condition that she shall make no alienations thereof, but shall first let her Brothers have the Refusal thereof. 5thly, I do give to my gr. son Timothy Porter my musket, Sword & Bandeliers. 6thly, I do further give my two sons, Thomas Porter & Samuel Porter, all my Divisions of Lands, divided & undivided, in the several Out-Divisions of Lands or elsewhere, to be equally divided between them, except what I have before given to my well beloved wife & to my daughter Dorothy Porter to each of them in particular. I say I do give to my two sons all my Out-Divisions as before mentioned, together with those before mentioned particular parcels of Land, to each of them and to their heirs forever, on the Conditions that they pay 40 Shillings apeice in Country pay to my wife and winter her a Cow yearly as long as her natural life shall continue, which 40 Shillings is to be understood to be paid yearly. I appoint my wife & two sons, Thomas Porter and Samuel Porter, Executors of this my Will.

Thomas Porter, Ls.

Witness: Thomas Hart, John Hart

Court Record, Page 15 - 3 March, 1697-8: Will proven."^[2]

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Thomas Porter, in Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England: Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May, 1692, on the Basis of Farmer's Register. (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co, 1860-1862)
   3:464 as corrected at 3:660.

   Thomas, Hartford, m. [20 Nov.] 1644, Sarah, d. of Stephen Hart, rem. to Farmington, had Sarah, b. 1646; Thomas, 1648; Joanna, 1652; wh. all were bapt. 24 July 1653, prob. but not, as in Geneal. Reg. XI 323, 29; Dorothy, bapt. Nov. 1654; Thomas, again, 1656; Samuel; [Rachel, bapt. Dec 1658, wh. m. 12 May 1685 Samuel Cowles; Martha, wh. m. Joseph North, and next 13 Jan. 1732, John Porter, s. of Daniel;] and Ruth, wh. m. 24 Mar. 1687, Samuel Smith, and next, Joseph Root [, beside Mary, the youngest, wh. m. 1 Oct. 1684, Joseph Royce, and next, 18 Oct. 1714, Joseph Langdon.] He d. 1697, and his will of 3 Mar. 1691, names only Thomas, Dorothy, and Samuel. Perhaps his d. Sarah m. [4] Apr. 1664, Nathaniel Winchell; and Joanna m. [Nov.]1676. Stephen Taylor [, 7 Feb. 1708, Samuel Tudor: Dorothy m. Jacob Overman of Carolina].

2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4} Manwaring, Charles W. A Digest of the Early Connecticut Probate Records. (Hartford, Conn.: R. S. Peck & Co., 1904-06)
   579.
3.   Society of the Descendants of the Founders of Hartford
   [1].

   Thomas Porter was not one of the original proprietors of Hartford, but a lot was granted to him conditionally, in Jan. 1639-40, and his name appears on W. S. Porter's map of Hartford, 1640, when his lot was on what is now Albany Ave. He m. Nov. 20, 1644, Sarah, dau. of Stephen Hart; removed to Farmington, where he and his wife joined the church, July 19, 1653 ; d. 1697.