Will of

Benjamin Mead Jr

(1701 - 1783)

Dated 1772

BIRTH18 Mar 1701

Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut, USA

DEATH22 Oct 1783 (aged 82)

Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut, USA

BURIAL

Mead Plot

North Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut, USA

Benjamin Mead was the son of Lieut. Benjamin Daniel Mead and the grandson of John Mead an early settler and a member of the family that founded Greenwich, CT.

Benjamin Mead served in the French and Indian war and was the father of Captain Sylvanus Mead (1739 - 1780). Captain Mead was commander of a company of rangers in Connecticut during the American Revolution. As a Lieutenant, he was captured by the British at the battle of Fort Washington but was traded back. He was killed in 1780 at the home of his sister & brother-in-law by "cowboys" (bandits in the employ of the British)

Obadiah Mead (1762 - 1779), son of Benjamin Mead III and grandson of Benjamin Mead jr was 17 years old when he was shot after being captured by Tories who were attempting to steal the family's livestock. Young Obadiah hid in the barn of a neighbor but the neighbor was a British sympathizer who told the Tories his location. He ran but when he realized he would be caught he surrendered and was immediately shot (The shirt worn by Obadiah at the time of his death is preserved in the Greenwich Historical Society.)

Learn More about the Mead family from the blog kept by their descendants here: Hallowed Ground

In the name of God amen---
I Benjamin Mead at Greenwich in Fairfield County and colony
of Connecticut being in health and sound mind and memory
but calling to mind mind the certainty of death and the uncertain
ty of life Do make and ordain this my last will and teste
ment in the following (^ Manor) way ---
(Illegible) I resign my soul to (^ God) who gave it and my body
to the earth to be buried in a christian manor according to the
discression (sp) of of my executor here after (^ to be) named --
Itam I order my executor to pay my funeral charges and my
just debts out of my personal estate
Itam I give unto my loving wife Martha one third part
of my residue (^ of my) personal estate and the use and improvement
of one third part of my real estate during her natural
life ----
Itam I give unto my son Thaddeus Mead the sum of thirty
pound New York money to be paid unto him by my executor
at my decess (sp) ---
Itam I give unto my two sons Silvanous (sp) Mead and William
Mead the sum of five pound New York Money to each of them
to be paid to them at my decess by my executor --
Itam I give unto my four daughters viz Martha the wife of
Nathan Rockwell Sarah wife of Joshua Peck Mary the wife of
Silvanous Ferris Reachel the wife of Caleb Lyon jr to each of
them the sum of Ten shillings New York money to be paid
to them at my decess by my executor ---
Itam I give unto my daughter Elisebeth the sum of seventy
pound New York money to be paid to her by my executor and
the previldedge (sp) of living in my hous (sp) so long as she shall
remain in a single state ---
Itam my will is that if either of my above named children
shall die before me that the legacy as above express shall
be paid to their heirs ---
Itam I give unto my gran son gedion son of gedion mead
decess the sum of one hundred pound New York money to be
to him when he shall arrive to the full age (of twenty one)
and my will is that if he shall decess before he is of full age
then the hundred pound is to be equally divided between my a
fore named sons or to their heirs if all or either of them should be decess
Itam the residue of my estate real and (^ or) personal I give
unto eldeth son Benjamin Mead Jr and to his
Turn over

and asigns and I do here by constitute ordain and appoint my (So)
son Benjamin Mead Jr to be the sole executor of this my last
will and testament and I do revoke all former wills and declare
this and this only to be my last will and testiment -
In witness where of I do here unto (illegible) my hand and (seal)
affix my seal in Greenwich November this the twentieth
day of anni Dom 1772 ---
Signed sealed published and declared to be the
last will and testament of the testator
in presents of as
Amos Mead
Justus Sackett Benjamin Mead Jr
Henry Studwell