Janet and Robert Wolfe Genealogy --- Go to Genealogy Page for Thomas Betts

Notes for Thomas Betts

See "Betts Family" by John Insley Coddington, NEHGR 92 (1938), p. 296-301. Said to have been at Milford, CT, in the summer of 1639, certainly at Guilford, CT, before first allotment of land in that town, in 1644. He removed to Milford, CT in 1658 and to Norwalk, CT, in 1660. He was a founder of the new settlement at Wilton (then a part of Norwalk) in 1672, but continued to dwell in Norwalk until his death in 1688.

1688 Will (from a rootsweb posting):
"To all Christian people To whom these prsents shall come Greetings. I Thomas Betts of ye Towne of Norwalke: aged seventy years or thereabout beinge by ye hands of God at prsent infirme and weake of body, yet thro the mercy of ye most High: of prfect understandinge & memory Doe make appoint manifest & declare this to bee my last will & Testament. Imprimis I doe Comit my soule into ye hands of God my Creator that hath made it And my Deare Redeemer Jesus Christ that hath brought it; And my body I bequeath unto ye Dust from whence it was to be Decently Interred & buried In hopes of a happy & glorious Resurrection At ye Last Day, And as for ye Temporall Estate which God hath pleased to bless mee withall I will & dispose as followeth, vizt. I doe will & bequeath unto Mary Betts my Dearly beloved wife my now dwelling house (viz) ye south end thereof, halfe my home lott both plowinge Land & pasture Land And halfe my orchard with all the Immunities as fences & ye like, And also half my household goods & at her decease to dispose of all her estate unto her owne Children & her grandchilde Hannah Camp, also I doe give unto her one Cow & five pound pr Annum, Dureinge ye terme of her Life, which I doe appoint my Sons to pay equally, unto her Annually, Also I doe give & bequeath unto my Son Thomas Betts Besides what I have heretofore given him, my meadow which lies at Charles Creeke, Also all yt my meadow which I have Lyinge at Sacatock River, also a third pte of my Land at [primpawalke?], As also pte of my Lot at Calfe pasture from ye Lott of John Beldin, on ye west side of ye Cart path, to ye narrow of ye Lands betweene ye path & ye Creeke. Also I doe give & bequeath unto my Son John Betts my second homelott which lyeth upon Dryhill, Allso my pine hill Lott, which Lyeth betweene two Lotts of John Bouton Senr. Also my Cove Lott Lyinge betweene Richard Holmes & Christopher Comstock And my meadow at Rocky Springe. Allso I doe give and bequeath unto my son Daniell Betts ye rest of my Calfe pasture Lot not Given to Thomas Betts, also one third pte of my Land at primpawalke, also my second division of meadow on ye other side of norwalke river. Allso I doe give and bequeath unto my Sonn Samuel Betts one halfe halfe of my Gratuety Lott, also my second Division of Six Acres to ye hundred: also my pasture Lott, also my meadow which Lyeth betweene ye home lott of Samuel Reeber & ye Cove also a third pte of my Land at primpawalke. Allso I give & bequeath unto my Son James Betts ye other halfe of my now dwellinge house & halfe my homelott arrable & pasture Land, also halfe my orchard not given to my wife also my first Division of meadow on ye other side of Norwalke river, also all my Land neare Strong Brooke, also halfe my gratuity Lott, also my Lotts at Sacetock Brooke Lyinge on both ends of mathias Sention Senr Lott, also one acre & halfe of my Land Lying neare ye boggy meadow brooke. Also I doe appoint my five sons Thomas John Daniell Samuel & James to pay to my dearly beloved wife twenty shillings a peice pr Annum dureinge her widdowhood And also I doe appoint my sons all of them to provide for & winter my wives Cow & any young Cattle yt shee may have. Also I doe give and bequeath unto my Daughter Mary ye wife of John Raymond ten pounds besides what I have given her: which I doe give to her children, Shee to have ye improvement of it dureinge her life, & at her decease to returne to her Children. Also I doe will & bequeath unto my daughter Sarah Betts yt other halfe of my household goods, & ten pounds to bee paid her in Currant Country pay. Also I doe will & bequeath unto my five sons all my twenty acres to ye hundred & estate of commonadge equally to bee divided. Allso I doe make & appoint my dearly beloved wife my whole & sole Executrix & [administratrix?] of this my last will & Testament and I doe Request my friends James olmsted & John olmstead to be ye overseers of this my will to assist & advise in ye distributing. In Confirmation of ye prmises I have set to my hand & seale this tenth day of may in ye yeare of our Lord one thousand six hundred eighty & eight And in ye fourth yeare of our Soverain Lord ye King James ye Second."

The inventory of the estate, dated 4 December 1688, included: "Impprimus one pre of oxen, one Cow & 2 heifers, 2 Calfs one horse, two swine 5 pigs, four Beds with ye Coveringe, 3 Boulsters pillows & pillow Cases, five pre of sheets & other Linen, wearinge Clothes, one great brass kettle & 2 kettles & one skillet, two iron potts & one Iron [Betle?], one warminge pan 2 frying pans, pewter & Spoons, woollen yarne & flax, Cart Irons Hows [?] [Luispins?] [?] & pin, plow irons & chaines, wedges & [Betle?] rings & one Ax 3 Augres hand saw, one Tramell Tongs [fireshise?] bellows, Six bags 3 Candlesticks, one Table one Chest 3 boxes & Books, 30 bushell of wheate 60 bush of Indian, 12 bushell of pease 8 bushells of oates, Hows Lumber Barrellls & Casks." The total was £45.05.06.