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Notes for Samuel Dennis and Mary Crow

1694-5 March 5. Power of attorney. Samuel Dennis of Woodbridge, having married Mary, the widow of Edward Crow, and thereby legally become the administrator of the estate of said Crow, who has died intestate, empowers his said wife to manage the estate for the benefit of her children by Crow, vizt: Mary, Yelvarton, Joseph and Edward; followed by the inventory of the part of the estate, belonging to the children, and the receipt by Mary Dennis for it on behalf of her children. [1]

1700 John Dennis was on a jury to prosecute participants in a riot in Woodbridge. Samuel Dennis was a justice of the peace. [2]

1709 On January 23, Samuel Dennis "of the quorum" was commissioned as justice of the peace in Middlesex County, New Jersey. [3]

1719 The will of Samuel Dennis [Dennes], of Woodbridge, Middlesex County, yeoman, was dated March 20, 1719. The will named wife Mary; children: Sarah, Reliance, Elizabeth, Samuel. Real and personal estate. Executors: the wife and dau. Sarah, with Edward Freeman and Benjamin Bloomfield as overseers. Witnesses: Yelverton Crowell, Edward Crowell, Moses Rolph. Proved April 21, 1720. [4]

A transcription of the will of Samuel Dennis (d 1720, Woodbridge, New Jersey) (by Clarence McDaniel, Mar 7 1992, http://www.gloverfamily.com/dennes/samueldenneswill.htm) "In the name of God, amen the fourteenth day of March in the sixth year of the reign of our sovereign lord George by ye grace of God of Great Brittain, vc?, King, anno domo one thousand seven hundred and nineteen-twenty I Samuel Dennis of Woodbridge in ye county of Middlesex in ye province of New Jersey yeoman being very sick and weak of body but of perfect mind and memory thanks be given to God therefore and calling to mind ye mortallity of my body and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die do make and ordain this my last will and testament principally and first of all I give and recommend my soul to God that gave it and my body to the earth to be buried Christian like and decent manner at ye desretion of my executors hereafter named. Nothing doubting but I shall receive ye same again by ye mighty power of God in a glorious resurrection at ye last day and as touching such worldly estate wherewith he hath blessed me with in this world I give devise and dispose of the same again in manner and form following - - - imprimis I give and bequeath unto my true and loving wife Mary Dennis after ye payment of all my just debts and funeral charges the whole of all my movable estate excepting one cow hereafter given to my daughter Sarah and also the use and enjoyment of ye house and land I now live on it being three house lotts containing about thirty acres more or less and the two acres of pasture land wch joins to Timothy Bloomfields pasture and Moses Rolph medow and also the issue and improvements of the one half part of ye eight eight (88) acres of medow bought by my father of Mr Bullin it being that part of ye sd medow hereafter given to my daughter Reliance Dennis wch (which) land I give her ye use and improvements of during her natural life or widowhood and my movable estate forever to her own dispose to enable her to bring up my children

Item I give and bequeath unto my loving daughter Sarah Dennis one of ye house lotts I now live on it being ye house lott that my father bought xxxx Mr (Wm?) Bullin the lot with the understanding to remain to ye use of my wife as above said and also ye second division lott in Woodbridge common laid out to my sd father in his right of freehold containing twenty two acres and a half lying at a place called and known by ye name of Woolfe Pitt place also the twenty acres of land my sd father bought of sd Mr Bullin lying by ye road that leads from Woodbridge to Amboy and all ye moiety or half part of the Salt Marsh or medow joining to sd land and bought of ye sd Bullin to be layed out to her at ye eastermost end of ye medow ye (quality?) as well as ye (quanity?) to be considered for ye division and also ye half acre of land at ye foot of Straw Berrie hill on wch stands ye old house I formerly lived in all which tracts of land and medow I give to my daughter Sarah Dennis and to her heirs and assigns forever and also one cow out of my moveable estate.

Item I give and bequeath to my loveing daughter Reliance Dennis the house lott on which my now dwelling house standeth which lott was layed out for my father in his own right and also ye other moiety or half part of the above mentioned piece of medow and the lott and medow notwithstanding to remain to ye use of my wife as above sd and also eight acres of land it being a fourth division lott in Woodbridge common which I bought of Moses Rolph and also ye two acres of pasture land wch joins to Timothe Bloomfields pasture & Moses Rolphs medow all and every of ye sd piece of land and medow I give unto my daughter Reliance Dennis and to her heirs and assigns forever.

Item I give and bequeath to my loving daughter Elizabeth Dennis ye house lott or piece of land lying at ye rear of ye two above mentioned house lotts commonly called my co??es or upper pasture containing ten acres more or less yet so as to remain for ye use and occupation of my wife as above sd and also ye moiety or half part of sd piece of my medow that joins to ye sd house lotts of Samuel Smith & Francis Walker (Walter?) to be layed out to lower most or southmost cut of ye sd medow I give to my daughter Elizabeth Dennis to her heirs and assigns forever.

Item I give and bequeath unto my loveing son Samuel Dennis two fir division lotts in Woodbridge common one of which was layed out to my father in his right of freehold and ye other I bought of Joseph Ayers and also ye other moiety or half part of ye last mentioned piece of medow and last my right of freehold in ye undivided land in Woodbridge and all other remainders and resevations of my real estate whatsoever to be and to remain to my son his heirs and assigns forever and I do desire and request my two loveing friends Edward Freeman and Benjamine Bloomfield to take special care that no wast be made of ye timber growing or standing on ye two above mentioned lots given to my sd son and if any be to give notice to my executors who are hereby impowered to (prosecute?) any person or persons or ye same as ye law permits I do hereby make ordain constitute and appoint my true & loving wife Mary Dennis and my loveing daughter Sarah Dennis ye whole and sole executors of this my last will and testament hereby disannuling and making void all other former wills by me in any will made and ratifying this and no other to be my last will and testament in witness whereto I have hereto set my hand and seal ye day and year first above written. Witnesses: Yelverson Crowell, Samuell Dennes, Edward Crowell. Moses Rolph"


Footnotes:

[1] William Nelson, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 21. (Patents and Deeds, 1664-1703) (1899), 231, [HathiTrust], [GoogleBooks], [InternetArchive].

[2] William A. Whitehead, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 3. (Administration 1703-1709) (1881), 486, [HathiTrust], [GoogleBooks], [InternetArchive].

[3] Mrs Harry Rogers and Mrs Alexander H Lane, "Abstracts of New Jersey Commissions," Publications of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, Vol. 7 (1920), 62-9, 147-57, and 236-44, at 148, citing p 113, [GoogleBooks].

[4] William Nelson, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 23. (Wills and Administrations 1, 1670-1730) (1901), 134, citing Lib. A., p. 175, [HathiTrust], [GoogleBooks], [InternetArchive].