Digest of the Early Connecticut Probate Records
(Hartford District),
Charles W. Manwaring,
Hartford, 1902,
Vol 2, p 598

Thomas WARD, Middletown. Will dated 3 may 1728. I, Thomas WARD, Sen., of Middletown, do make this my last will & testament: I give to Elizabeth my wife the one equal half of my down dwelling house & cellaring, which parts she shall choose; also th 1-2 of my homestead, 1-2 of my parn, 1-2 of the cellar under it, 1-2 of my lott called Bow Lott, and alsot the whole of that land I bought of Daniel HARRIS, Jr., and also my negro man called Peter, for her improvement for comfort of life so long as she shall live & continue my widow, and no longer. I give tomy wife 1 equal half of a pair of oxen and of one horse kind, with one equal half of my cart, plows, harrows, sleds, with all iron & wooden utensils, and also one-half of my cider mill & presses, with my cider tub and empty casks. And yt remains at her decease or marriage shall return to my son James WARD. And whereas, I have in this my will given my wife elizabeth considerable estate so long as she shall continue my widdow, and that if she marry it will fail her, it is my will that if my wife should by the providence of God be joined in marriage to another man, that then my sd. son James WARD shal pay to her £50 in or as money within one year after such marriage. I give tomy son Thomas WARD, besides what I have given him already, 7 acres of my Hornet Bay meadow. Also I give unto my sd. son Thomas his tow sons Thomas & Tappin the whole of my right in the lottment of land which was my hond. father William WARD's decd., which lyeth in the West Division lotts, of which my son William hath part, and my part lying on the southern side, this I give unto my above named grandsons equally to be divided between them. I give to my son Thomas one equal third part of my wearing apparrel, to be equally divided between him & his brothers William & James. I give to my son William WARD, besides what I have given him, the whole remainder part of my Hornet Bay land besides what I have given to my son Thomas. And also I give unto my sd. son William, my lottment of land on the east side of the Great River in the last division. I give to my son William, one equal third part of my wearing apparrell. I give unto my son James WARD, besides what I have given him before, the one equal half part of my dwelling house & banr & Cellering, and the one-half of my homested and 1-2 of my bow lott so called, both plowing & mowing & orcharding. These I give to my son James to enjoy and improve with my wife equally (with her half so long as she shall continue my widow, and at her decease or marriage shall be the proper propriety of my abovesd. son James WARD). So that I do hereby invest my sd. son James WARD in the possession & reversion rights of the whole of my now dwelling house, barn, cellering, bow lott, Harris lott, & negro man called Peter. I also give to my son James WARD my hubbard lott & my Crowel lott so called, he paying my two daughters, his sisters, Phebe, now the wife of Daniel HALL, and Mary, nowthe wife of Benedict ALVERD, £50 to each of them in or as current money. I also give to my son James my gunn & sword & amunition. I appoint my beloved wife & my son James WARD executors.

Thomas WARD, L.S.

Witness: William WARD, John WARD, Joseph ROCKWELL

Court Record, Page 194 -- 3 Jul 1728: The last will & testament of Capt. Thomas WARD, late of Middletown decd., was now exhibited. Proven.