The Last Will and Testament of Jacob Benton with my added comments pertaining to the properties he owned and bequeathed to his heirs
Dated: June 11, 1760
In the Name of God amen: ye 11th Day of June A. Dom.: 1760. I Jacob Benton of
Harwinton In the County of Litchfield & Colony of Connecticut in New-England,
being at this present time Under Somewhat of Indisposition of Body: Nevertheless
through ye goodness of God Enjoying Soundness of Mind & Memory: & Calling
to mind my own mortality & yt it is appointed unto man to die, I Do therefore
make & ordain this my last will & Testament, hereby, Revoking &
Disannulling all former or other wills, Testaments or Executors by me Made ----
And first of all I Recommend my Soul into the hands of God my faithfull Creator:
hoping for the forgiveness of all my Sins, through the Merits, Righteousness
& Mediation of Jesus Christ my Saviour & Redeemer: I Recommend my Body
to ye Earth to a Decent Buriall according to the Discretion of my Executors
hereafter Named: & as touching Such worldly Estate or Goods as God hath
pleased to bless me with in this Life, I Give Demise & Dispose of the Same
in Manner Following ---
First I Do Give to my Eldest Son Jacob Benton my Sixth or Last Division of Land
in Harwinton, which Consists of Two Parts or Lottments, the one Containing twenty
two acres & one Perch, the other five acres as may be Seen in the Survey
Bill on Record having heretofore given him part of his portion; & in particular
a featherbed with the furniture there-off which he hath now in possession
These two lots were in southern
Harwinton between the present Plymouth and South Roads. My map of East Harwinton
is not complete and I do not have the exact locations drawn yet.
I Do also Give him my Meadow lott which Lieth west of Cyprian Websters Esq.
being on the other Side of the highway from his house: & Contains about
thirty three acres and an Half, be the Same more or less. I also give him my
Great Bible.
According to the Von Tobal Scrapbooks
referencing Harwinton reminisces Cyprian Webster II or III had moved to Harwinton
center from the original Cyprian Webster home. During this period the original
home burned. My measurements taken from the East – West Harwinton Land Records
conclude that the original was at the site of the present Joseph Rusin home.
Joe told me that the lower portion of his foundation is of the ancient clay-mud
and boulder construction. The upper has been laid with mortar. Typically fire
cracks and weakens foundation stones so that their replacement is necessary.
The 33 ˝ acres as indicated today bounds south on Bull Road and includes Bull
Pond. The northern border was near the present day barn of Michael Flowers.
I Do also give to (my Grand child) Phinehas (ye Son of my Son Jacob) one yoke
of oxen: or the Value of a good yoke of oxen out of my Moveable Estate; in Case
he arrives to ye age of 21 years; otherwise, I give ye above Specifyed to my
Son Jacob: ---
I Give also to my Grandchild, Elizabeth; viz: my Son Jacob's Daughter, my best
bed with all the furniture thereoff; & my big Chest with Drawers & the
Box that Usually Standeth thereon, & also my Great table, & my best
looking glass & Two platters & two plates, all which things here mentioned.
If She Should not live to possess or dispose off; or have heirs to possess &
Inherit ye my will is that they Should be my Son Jacob's & his Heirs for
ever ----
Secondly: I give to my Son Amos Benton the one half of the Lott on which his
Dwelling house Now Stands, having Already Given him the other half by Deed of
Gift, the whole Lott Containing about 57 acres; I give him also my Lott which
Lyeth & is Bounded Upon ye Highway North of his dwelling house; Sd, lott
lying on the North Side of Sd Highway, & Contains about 50 acres; I give
him also my weaving loom & ye tackling or furniture which belongs thereto,
which he hath Now in possession.---
The 57 acres was laid out to Gideon Carter as the 10th chosen in the second division of East Harwinton land. Gideon died prior to December 1746 when the lot was sold by one of his heirs as follows: John Carter of Hartford to Jacob Benton, 57 acres more or less, price 400 pounds. Possibly this land was highly valued for a mill site as Rock Brook crosses it. This deed also notes "bounds north and west on highways". Most of it is now owned by Jonathan Fauver and Janet Duchaine. Parts of the lot to the east are owned by Tom and Tito Rotondo, Mr Santore, Henry Camp and the Family that bought the home of James Kenyon.
Gideon also owned the lot directly to the south it having been granted as the 15th lot chosen in the third division . I added the information of the lot to the south because the deed transfering it states: "We John White and Sarah White his wife …for the consideration of two hundred and sixty four pounds … received of …Nathaniel Moody of Harwinton …containing in quantity fourty four acres being part of an hundred acre lot laid out to Gideon Carter late of Hartford deceased and now belonging to the heirs of said Gideon Carter…"
"The "lott lying on
the north side of sd. Highway" of 50 acres now is the southern half of
the fairgrounds. Jacob Benton bought it from Isaac Butler.
Thirdly I give to my Son Barnabas, my Homelott or Homestead, with the Buildings thereon; the lott being about 64 acres. I give him also my Lott that is North & in the Same teer with my Homelott, being a lott that I Bought of Dan.ll Hinsdell & Contains Fifty Six acres; & is Bounded North on land belonging to Jonathan Butlers Heirs, & South on Land Now belonging to Janna Griswould:-----
The 64 acres and homelot of Jacob bounded south on the country road or the present Rte. 4 and west on the present Harmony Hill Rd. Today it encompasses the past home of Henri David, the home of Randy Bell, the Firehouse, Harwinton Texaco and Cook’s Dam. The Hinsdell lot was on the east side of Harmony Hill Rd. about a half mile north of Rte. 4.
I Give him also my great Kettle & my Great Pot, & the Remainder of my
Chairs: which I have not already disposed off, also my Gun & my Small looking
Glass & my Dish Kettle.
Fourthly: I Give my Daughter Abigail one Cow; & also So much out of my Moveable
Estate as with the Cow Shall Make Seven Pounds taking ye Cow and Sd Moveables
as they Shall be prized by the Executors of this my will; I give her also an
Equal part with my children yt is to a Say a fourth part of my Books (the great
Bible excepted) being already disposed off: which with what She hath already
had is to be Understood as her whole Portion ----
And Now having Some Rights of land not as yet mentioned, viz: In New Haven,
which fell to me by my Honoured Mother, Sarah Benton & in Hartford by my
Uncle Ebenezer Benton --- & also in Harwinton In all undivided Lands: &
if there Should be any belonging to me otherwhere Not here mentioned: my will
is ye all & every Sd Rights Should be equally Divided between my Sons, Jacob,
Amos & Barnabas.
Moreover as there Remains yet Some Moveable Estate not disposed off I Do give
in the first place to my Son Jacob one Cow & Six Sheep or ye worth &
value of them out of my Moveable Estate.
& in the Next place I give to my Son Amos one bed which I Call & is
to be Understood as ye meanest bed or least worth with its furniture
& my other bed Not yet disposed off I give to my Son Barnabas, with the
furniture thereoff---
& Now as to the Remainder if my Moveable Estate Not as yet disposed off
My will is, that after my Just Debts & funerall Charges are paid; that it
Should be Equally Divided between my Sons Jacob, Amos & Barnabas ----
Moreover I Do Constitute & ordain my three Sons: viz: Jacob, Amos &
Barnabas Executors of this my Last Will & Testament hereby Revoking all
former & other wills & Testaments
& Pronounce & Declare this to be my Last will & Testament
Made & Dated in Harwinton this 11th Day of June --- A.D. one Thousand Seven
Hundred & Sixty ---
Signed Seald pronounced & Declard
to be the Last will & Testament
of Jacob Benton In presence off ---
Abj_ Cutting
Andrew Bartholomew
Joseph Cook
November the 30th day 1761 then personally appeared Abijah Cutting & Andrew
Bartholomew and Joseph Cook the witnesses of ye aforegoing will and made oath
that the above named Jacob Benton Signed Sealed and declared the Same to Be
his Last will and testament in our presence and the he was in his perfict mind
and memory this before me
and we the above wit-
nesses Signed in the pres-
ences of each other
(Cyprian Webster Justice of Peace)
This was allowed by the Probate Court, at Litchfield, where it is now on file,
November 30, 1761, but no inventory of the estate is to be found.