Person:William Bellingham (7)

The Estate of Mr. William Bellingham of Rowley

"William Bellingham's will, without date, proved in Ipswich Court, 24 : 7 : 1650, mentions, 'my debts be paide, as I haue formerly ordered, that is to say that John Smith haue the little heifer at Merrimacke; & the rest in Corne; for John Aslet, if it appeare upon reckoning that I doe owe him anything I Will y^t it be paid in corne according to our agreement, for Hugh Smith that he be paid partly by the hire of his Cowe, & the rest in Corne according as we agreed, Michaell Hopkinson in beading & Corne. Richard Holmes for Merrimacke Fence, is to be paid in Corne, for fencing the upper lott he is to be paide in Corne & beading. M^r. Broughton's father in law demandeth three pounds of me, but he must make it appeare to my executor before it be paid. For M^r Rogers he hath my filly & her fole for Seuen pounds which I ought him, and nine pounds more which I owe him, he is to be paid out of my cattle. Item I doe freely giue to my servant Jeremy Northende fowre pounds whatsoeuer other small debts doe really appear to be due from me to any man, I will to be paid out of the rest of my goods, from whatsoeuer time my man Jerimy is to serue I will that he shall Serve that time wholly to m^r Rogers, to whom I give him ouer & his Care, Item I doe give to my loring Freinde m^r Thomas Nelson my smallest byble which was my wiues, Item I doe giue to Jeremy my man two Cloth Suits, a white one & a browne. Item I giue Margaret Crosse my ould w^t Cloth Coate. Item I giue Eliz: Jackson m^r Rogers maide Twenty shillings. Item to William Hobson fiue shillings & as much to Hannah Grant. Item I will that after all my debts be paide the whole remainder of my Goods, lands & whole estate be giuen, & I doe giue it to my louing Nephew M^r Samuell Bellingham, & this is my last will & testament I doe Confirme with my owne hand & Seale' William Bell _____. Wit: Ez. Rogers, 'who writ this,' and Tho. Nulson.

Mr. Richard Bellingham, of Boston, caused much trouble by the suits he brought in order to obtain possession of William's estate. The following deposition was part of the evidence submitted at the trial of these suits: 'the deposition of Richard longhorne aged about forty five this deponent wittneseth that … M^r Richard Bellingham and this deponent being discorseing to geyther about a young gentlman called as he supposeth Samson Eaton who was akine to M^r William Bellingham now deceased the said M^r Richard seemed to be much affected in that the young Gentleman was disapoynted of his end in comeing ouer the said M^r Richrd in ty mated to this deponent that he the said m^r Richard thought that if the aboue young Gentleman had come before the decease of the said M^r William in all liklly hood he had obtained it. and he the fore said young man missing the tyme (M^r Richard add this in the discourse) my brother gaue it to my son Samuel Bellingham and further deponent saith not.' Sworn 25 Mar., 1662. See Rowley Hist. Soc. Pub. No. 2."^[1]

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4} 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)
   1:162.

   William (Bellingham), Rowley, br. of Richard, freem. 12 Oct. 1640, d. 1650, left prob. no fam. for his will, pro. 24 Sept. in that yr. gave his est. to neph. Samuel.

2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4} 14. Mr. William Bellingham, in Jewett, Amos Everett, [Editor], and George Brainard [Compiler] Blodgette. Early Settlers of Rowley, Massachusetts: A Genealogical Record of the Families who Settled in Rowley before 1700 with Several Generations of their Descendants. (Rowley, Mass.: Amos Everett Jewett (Newcomb & Gauss Co., Printers, Salem, Mass.), 1933)
   19-20.

   14. Mr. William Bellingham, freeman 12 Oct., 1640, was appointed, 14 June, 1642, to solemnize marriage in Rowley and Newbury (Mass. Col. Rec. 2:14). He had a four-acre house lot, registered, 1643; "bounded on the north side by a piece of Comon, part of it lyinge on the East side of the Streete, and part of it on the West side." The larger part of this lot is on the northwest corner of Main and Pleasant streets, and now (1932) owned by John Harris Todd. There is no record of Mr. Bellingham's death, but it is probable he died about 1643-44 as is brother, Mr. Richard Bellingham, sometime Colonial Governor, in a suit brought by the latter against Thomas Wood and James Bailey, presented the following to the court: "Mr. Rogers settling his plantation at Rowley betwixt Ipswitch and Newbury were very much straitned, & so forced to buy farmes on both sides, which were paid for mostly by M^r Rogers himselfe, & some principal men y^t came over with him, who had considerable Estates, amongst whom M^r William Bellingham paid about y^e 16th part, … M^r William Bellingham about nineteen years ago falling sicke M^r Richard Bellingham his brother was sent for, who hastening thither, found y^t he was both dead and buried … afterwards I sent my son Samuel to Rowley, being a youth and under age" (Essex Quar. Connecticut. R. June, 1662).