MIDDLETOWN UPPER HOUSES
WILL OF DEACON SAMUEL2 STOCKING.
a history of the north society of Middletown, Ct.
from 1650 to 1800
with genealogical and biographical chapters
on early families.
Charles Collard Adams
New York: Grafton Press, 1908.
THE STOCKING FAMILY
[transcribed by Coralynn Brown ]
      
1. George Stocking1, his wife Anna, and their four children came over in 1633, in the ship Griffin, which brought the Hooker company. His antecedents are unknown, but the name Stockin, Stocken, Stocking can be found in the Domesday Book. He built a house in Cambridge, at the corner of Holyoke and Winthrop streets. He was made a freeman May 6, 1635, and in 1636 came with Hooker to Hartford, being one of the original founders and a prominent proprietor. He was selectman in 1647; surveyor of highways in 1654 and 1662 ; chimney viewer in 1659 and was excused in 1660 from military duty owing to his "great age." He d. May 25, 1683, aged 101 years and his name is among the one hundred cut in the brown stone obelisk erected in the old Center Church burial ground. His will, made July 15, 1673, names his wife, Anna, and each of his children. His only son, Samuel, was his chief heir and the executor of his estate.
Children:
Sarah, b._______; m. Samuel 0lcott.
Lydia, b._______; m. John Richards.
Hannah, b._______ ; m. 1649, Andrew Benton.
2. Samuel2 Stocking (George), b. in England about 1620, removed 1850-1, with others, from Hartford to Middletown Upper Houses. His adjoining neighbor was George Grave, whose father had witnessed his own father's will. His home-lot is shown on the map of 1675. He was one of the three signers in 1673 of the Indian deed. When the church on the "south side" was organized in 1668, he was one of the original members. He represented the town in the General Assembly for seven years, and held local offices and served on many committees. He was a sergeant in King Philip's war. He and each of the four others who located on the same side of the street was given two acres on the west side. The four others returned to Hartford and Wethersfield and he had his west side two acres increased to eight and then to eleven and he built his barn on the west side. The well is still in use.
       He m. Bethia Hopkins, dau of John and Jane Hopkins, and, granddaughter of Samuel Hopkins, one of the signers of the Mayflower Compact, in 1620. He d. Dec. 30, 1683, and the widow m. James Steel, of Hartford, who had to sue for his wife to get what her first husband had given her by his will. It will be seen that he remembered his pastor in his will, which was witnessed by Nathaniel White and John Savidge, Sr., while his codicil was witnessed by his pastor and by Nathaniel White, who, with pastor Collins, had laid hands on him to ordain him one of the first deacons in 1670. The anxiety to have his children brought up in the "Nurture and Admonition of the Lord" is made known therein.
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Dated in Middletowne 13th of November 1683.
       Know all men, whome these presents may concern: That I Samuell Stocking Senior of MiddleTowne, In the corporation of Connecticut and County of Hartford; Beeing under Bodily weakness, but otherwise in perfect use of my understanding and memory : Committing my Soul into ye hands of Jesus Christ my Redeemer in hopes of finding mercy through his merits, and leaveing my body unto decent Buriall according to ye Discretion of my Beloved wife, Executor and overseers, Do Leave this as my Last will & Testament concerning that outward estate which God bath entrusted me with as a steward thereof.
       1. Imprim. All just Debts & Legacies beeing first payed by my Executor, I give unto my Loveing wife Bethia Stocking my whole Homestead lying on both sides of ye Highway with all ye buildings thereon and appurtainances thereto belonging with my whole Lot at Pistol-point ; and half my Meadow lying on ye other side of ye Brooke, that is to say, that part of it that lyeth next ye great River, with all my Meadow Land at Wongink; both plowing and mowing, together with all my stock and moveables. These I give and bequeath her my loveing wife during ye Terme of her Widdowhood, and upon Marrying again I will to her four pounds yearly to be paid to her by my Executor to be raised out of that estate which I bequeath my Son Daniel Stockin, with the use of the one half of ye moveables (if she see cause), which aforesaid four pounds is to be payed in currant pay of ye Country and both that and the aforesaid moveables to be onely dureing the Terme of her naturall life. It is moreover my will that my said wife upon her marriage (in case she marry again) divide the one half of ye moveables equally between my two daughters Bethia and Lydia, and that the other half of ye moveables whereof she stood posest, be at hir decease, in like manner divided, between my aforesaid daughters.
       2. I give to my Samll. Stocking my whole allotment upon ye Hill between be Land of Lieutennt White and Israel Wilcox; only excepting six Acres Adjoining to ye land of Lieut. White, which I give to my daughter Bethia, to hir and hir heirs forever More over I give to my son Samuel, The Remaining half of ye Meadow over the Brook with ten acres of the swamp adjoining to it. Moreover I give him my whole allotment at the Cold Spring on ye west side of ye Highway to Heartford, Moreover I give to him, my said son Samuell, the whole of my lot at Pipe Stave Swamp with ye half of my alotment next unto Wethersfield Bounds with the half Lott at pistol point, on his mothers Decease, or change of her condition by Marriage. These unto him and his heirs forever.
       3. I give unto my Son John Stocking the whole of ye lands and Buildings my Father Stockin deceased bequeathed me by his last Will and Testament within ye Township of Heartford, These to him and his heirs forever, he paying the due debts and legacies bequeathed in the aforesaid will, which the other estate willed me by my said father deceased will not amount unto.
       4. I give unto my daughter Lydia, my lott lying next unto Thomas Rannie's abutting upon ye common west and Dead Swamp east. This I give to hir and hir heirs forever with a good Mich Cow to be delivered hir within a twelmonth after my decease.
       5. I give to my sons George & Ebenezer, all my lands on ye east side of the great River, both meadow and upland, to be equally divided between them, excepting the one half of my Great lot next unto Haddam Bounds, these as before specified I give to them and their heirs forever.
       6. I give to my son Steven my whole loft upon the Hill, bounded upon ye land of Thomas Rannie, North, the common, east west and south : with my whole alottment in the boggy meadow with all my meadow and upland in the farther neck. Thes I give to him and his heirs forever, giveing the improvement of ye boggy meadow unto my son Samuell till the aforesaid child come of age to inherit.
       7. I give to my son Daniel, my whole homestead lying on both sides of ye Highway with all ye buildings, with my whole lott in ye Long Meadow, with the half of my lot at pistol point, and half my meadow over ye Brooke with the remainder of the swamp ad-joining thereto, with the one half of my lot lying on ye west side of ye as you go to Heartford, Adjoining to the land of Anthony Martin on ye North, the land of Thomas Ranny south, ye highway east, and common west. This I say I give to my son Daniel that is to say the west end of it, ye other half of said lott to my son Samuell. These aforementioned parcels as specified I give to him my said son Daniel and his heires forever wth ye other half of my lot next Wethersfield Bounds.
       8. I give unto or Pastor Mr. Nathaniell Collins (as an expression of my affectionate Respect to him) three pounds to be payd within a year after my decease.
       9. Moreover I leave my son Samuell Stocking Sole Executor of this my Last Will & Testament wilting that what needfull expens he is at in ye execution hereof, be well and truely payed him out of the stock before distribution be made, and ye remaining stock be upon my wife hir decease or marriage distributed equally among all my children.
       10. It is also my will that in case, any of ye children decease before they come of age to inherit that then the estate of the child deceased be divided among those of them whoe survive, In Manner following, that is to say, that my son Samuell have a Double the rest an equal or part thereof.
       Finally. It is also my will, That my Respected and Beloved brethren Mr. Nathaniell White and John Savage Senior, should accept the oversight of the execution of this my last Will and Testament in all and each the peticulars of it, which office of Love I request from them, and in speciall (as in all things needful to afford their oversight and counsel, so I say in speciall) that my children be brought up in the Nurture and Admonition of the Lord. And that this is my Last Will And Testament I witness by subscribeing my hand this 13th day of November in the yeare of or Lord. 1683.
Signed In presens of us Nath: White
John Savidg Senr.
Upon further and serious consideration I, underwritten being stil in perfect use of my reason and memory as aforesaid though under increaseing bodily weakness, see cause to make this following Alteration in my Abovementioned Last Will and Testament, Namely, I will and Bequeath my whole lot in ye Long meadow to my Son Samuell and his heirs forever which I had formerly given in my above written will to my son Daniel, ye use of it to remain unto my loveing wife during ye state of hir widdow hood and that this is my last Will and Testament in reference to ye premises I witness by subscribeing my hand this 25th of December in ye year 1683.
Signed in ye presence of us
Nath : White
Nathanll Collins.
His inventory concluded as follows:
To washers & exnayls ls-6d To cart & wheles 10s
To two old boxes 2s
To a small hand saw is two hogs 21b 14s on sow 1lb five shoats 21b-10s
To a broad shovell 2s four broad hows & an old pickax & another old ax 6s
To a from ward 3s two old axes 3s To four pichforks 4s to a hay knife 4s
To tackelling for a sith 2s-6d on peas hook is To four pound of lead 1s-4d
To an old harrow 5s two old sithes 2s
To two oxen 121b the old Red Cow 31b-15s the other Red Cow 3lb-5s
To two black Cows 71b two hifers 71b on hifer 2lb-5s on bull1lb-15s
To two calls-es 21b on mare 41b To twelve sheep 71b-4
To the dwelling hous 801b and the barn 101b
To the home loft three acres 241b to eight acres over the way where the barn is 401b
To three acres in the long meadow 211b to eight acres of meadow by the dead swamp 481b
To four acres at pistle point 201b two acres & a halfe of bogie meadow 151b
To two acres & halfe of meadow in the neck 41b & three three acres of upland 31b
To fifteen acres of upland 15lb to six acres 101b
To a percell of land on the east side the way to Wethersfield
The legatees:
Sammuell Stockine 27 year old;
John Stoekin 23 year old;
Georg 19 year old;
Ebenezer 17 year old;
Stephen 10 year old;
Danill 6 year old;
Bethia Stow 25 year;
Lidea Stockine 21 year.
LINE OF REV. C. H. W. STOCKING, D. D.
       Timothy Sage had inherited the homestead of his father on the west side of the highway. The Kirby homestead, which had been bought by Samuel3 Stocking, and by him given to his sister Lydia, must have been given to Daniel, so that Daniel owned on the west side to the Sage line. The following taken from the Middletown Land Records, Vol. 4, explains itself:
"We the subscribers here unto haveing been summoned to take the free holders oath before John Hamlin Esq; and required to settle bounds between the lands of Timothy Sage and Daniel Stocking, of Middletown, as the law directs—fol. 246: 247:
       "And upon the 28th day of June, 1722: We proceeded on said work ; haveing heard both by Daniel Stocking & Timothy Sage what they could say ; & Received what Intelligence we could concerning the bounds between sd Stocking & sd Sage : between their adjoining lands on the north side the ferry River sd Sage's land being his hom lott & sd Stockings land adjoining on the north side. We did go first to the Westernmost end of sd lofts In company with the above sd Stocking & sd Sage where we did see that the fence had settled towards the south. The old stakes lyeing near the bottom of the fence & newer stakes sett near the top of the old stakes and we also scraped away the trash stiks & leaves on the north side said fenc at the Roots of the old stakes where we found the hoales of the old stakes ; and, also in the fence att the west end sd lotts we saw three stones newly had been laid against an elm stump. sd Stocking was then asked how these stones came there: he Replyed: that he had laid them there: he was also asked, where he had them he told us there, which was near three foot from sd Elme stump and the trash being scraped away we saw the hoales where two of sd stones had lay, which we tryed and laid into the same hoales againe & then viewed the hoales of the old stakes which Ranged directly to the two stones which we had then new Relayed into the old hoales near three foot north ward from the above said Elm stump, & on the south side an ash stump. and we haveing viewed and heard what both parties had to say, we pitched a ston on the south side the above sd two stones, for the bound between sd Stocking and sd Sages land there, which stone was marked on the south side with: T S : & on the north side with four strokes or scratches, and we marked the top of the stone with a cross ; after that we went to the eastermost end of the same lotts. with said, Stocking & Sage there being present. Thou Stow, Sr, Ebenezer Ranny & Sam' Stow; we examined & searched for the true bounds & the best Information we could attaine & finding the eastermost poast something more southerly than the other which stone stood very very strait & near to a range of fruit trees. which sd Sage told us were planted by his brother Jonathan before his father's death and we searched near to the easter most poast in sd devideing fence & we found a stone standing up on edge near to sd poast & another flat stone leaning on the top of sd stone which seemed to us very provable to be the bounds and of long standing, & we pitched a long stone on the south side sd two stones as close to sd Eastermost poast as we could ; to be the bound between the above said loft, between sd Stocking & sd Sage; but Daniel Stocking pulled up that long stone which we last pitched for the bounds & flung it over into the street, before we had gone many Rods from it."
"JOSEPH ROCKWELL,
"NATHANIELL BROWN,
"SAMUEL GIPSON."
"A True Record of the free holders Return.
"Test. Joseph Rockwell, Register.
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Florence, b._____.
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LINE OF REV. A. M. STOCKING.
LINE OF CHARLES HENRY STOCKING.
LINE OF EDGAR BLOOD STOCKING.
LINE OF CYRUS ROOT.
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