Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts

Printed abstracts and transcripts of the Essex County court files, read in the archive.org full text (vol. 3 at https://archive.org/details/recordsfilesofqu03esse). Used for Job Tyler of Andover:

• The 1658/9 petition against John Godfrey: “Jobe tyller of Andever for a bird coming in to suck his wife” (2:157-158).
• Godfrey v. Simonds (1659): “Verdict for the plaintiff, but the jury ‘notwithstanding doe conceiue that by the testimonyes he is rendered suspicious.’” (2:157)
• The 1662 warrant for “Hope Tiler a youth of about 13 yeares of age, who is run away from his M[r] Thomas Chandler of Andouer” (2:403); Godfrey’s testimony on the burned indenture and the Ballard deposition on the burning of Job Tyler’s house (2:404-405).
• The arbitrators’ award in the Chandler slander, with costs set “considering Job’s poverty and necessities” (3:443).

Used for Ralph Ellinwood of Salem and Beverly and his family (the Ellingwood book, books/ellingwood/): the 1669 depositions giving “Ralph Elingwood, aged about three score years” and “Elenor Elingwood, aged about thirty-three years” (4:216); his will of 7 January 1673/4 and the inventory of 30 January, “brought into court, proved and allowed” (5:363-364); “Martin Hall v. Wm. Bath and Elenor, his wife, relict of Ralph Ellenwood, deceased”, June 1677 (6:288).

Used for the Riggs, Wheeler and Allen families (vol. 1 at https://archive.org/details/recordsfilesofqu01mass):

• The Newbury petition of about 1653 asking the General Court to restore “our loving friend Lt. Robert Pike of Salsbury”, who had been censured for words against the Court. The Court said it “cannot but deeply resent” the petition and had commissioners question every signer; “Jno. Wheler” was among those who “acknowledged that they were sorry” (1:366-367).
• Thomas Riggs’s first Gloucester record, testimony in Nov 1658 (2:134), and his deposition at Salem court, 25 June 1667: “Thomas Riggs, aged about thirty-two years” (3:431).
• The grand jury at the court held at Salisbury, 10 Apr 1666, with Lt. Challis as foreman and William Allen among the jurors (3:315).

Used for the Low, Varney, Proctor, Cogswell, Lord and Boreman families of Ipswich and Chebacco (vol. 1 at https://archive.org/details/recordsfilesofqu01mass; vol. 4 at https://archive.org/details/recordsfilesofqu04esse; vol. 5 at https://archive.org/details/recordsfilesofqu05esse; vol. 6 at https://archive.org/details/recordsfilesofqu06esse; vol. 7 at https://archive.org/details/recordsfilesofqu07esse):

• William Varney: with William Bartholomew, inventory of Thomas Cook, 1650 (1:196); the Langton child to “continue to live with his grandfather, William Varney, and his grandmother,” 1652 (1:258); his estate, 1654 (1:338); “John Prockter and Wm. Varnye” take the inventory of John Cogswell Jr., 25 Sept 1653 (6:69).
• Thomas Varney: deposition of 1659 “aged between twenty and twenty-one years,” and the Cogswell fence (2:187); fined, about 1662 (2:383); the marsh quarrel (2:435; 3:86); the Chebacco petition of about 1668, with “Martha (her mark) Low” (4:76); his mother Bridget’s will of 10 Nov 1671, “my sonne Thomas Verney Seaven Sheepe” (5:119); 1676 depositions in the Cogswell suit (6:154, 159); “Thomas Varny, aged about forty years” at “the house which was formerly his father Procter’s,” 1679 (7:218); “Thomas Varny, for his wife,” on the Chebacco meeting house, 25 June 1679 (7:245). A “Widow Varnie, aged about seventy-one years,” in a Gloucester case (6:116).
• Abigail (Proctor) Varney’s deposition of 17 June 1673 on her sister Sarah Dodge’s portion (5:195), and Dodge v. the Proctor executors (5:194). John Proctor Sr.: trial jury, Sept 1663 (3:84); “aged seventy-five years,” 1667 (3:397); his suit against the town, March 1671 (4:330).
• Thomas Low Sr.: “aged about fifty-five years,” with his daughter Sarah, 1660 (2:200); malt attached “in the hands of Capt. Appleton and Goodman Low,” 1670/1 (4:333); grand juror, 26 Sept 1676 (6:196). Thomas Low Jr.: the Chub horse case, 1669 (4:124-126, 157); “aged about thirty-seven years,” 1669 (4:156); deputy for Marshal Lord, 1669 (4:171); with Martha, for Thomas Bragg, about 1670 (4:243); “aged about thirty-six,” 1676 (6:159). A Thomas Low in John Fuller’s hog case, 1657 (2:22).
• Robert Lord Sr.: “aged fifty-nine years,” 1662 (2:434). Robert Lord the marshal: the suits of 1662 (2:351); the writ of Sept 1662 (2:434); “aged about thirty-one years” and “his father-in-law Day’s” horses, March 1664 (3:122-123); the training day, 1664 (3:139); a writ of 1679 (7:259).
• Thomas Boreman’s inventory, 26 May 1673, “amounting to 553li. 6s. 6d.” (5:167).
• The Cogswell estate suit of 1675-76, William Cogswell against his nephew John: James Coleman’s testimony (6:68) and the papers at 6:152-162.

For the Rowlandsons (research/ellingwood/Ellingwood_Kin_Connections.md; vol. 1 at https://archive.org/details/recordsfilesofqu01mass, read and checked): “Thomas Rolinson, sr., freed from training. [To pay 2s. 6d. per year to the company.]” (1:143); “Tho. Rolinson, sr.” on the grand jury; “Thomas Rolinson, proven impotent, on complaint of his wife, was to take counsel of physicians forthwith, follow their advice, and report to court” (1:221, 1651); “Daniell Rofe v. Thomas Rolinson, jr. Slander” (1:233); Joseph Rowlandson’s “scandelous lybell” and letter of confession, and “Joseph Rowlison appeared before Mayor Denyson, 17:5:1651, and confessed that he was the author of the libel. Bound in 50li. to appear at Ipswich court. Surety: Thomas Rolandson” (1:234-235). As quoted in the research: William Beale’s suit of 1657 against “Tho. Roulandson. For wrong done his wife under pretence of marriage” (2:59); the Beales’ petition of 1670, “Whereas by Reson of a nullitie of Marriage betwixt Thomas Rowlandson ye guilty & Martha Bradstrete ye innocent, Som persons Take ockacion To abuse us” (4:269-270); Thomas Rolenson admonished in 1674 “for charging the pastor of the church at Salisbury with inhumanity” (6:23-24); and “Dorethie Rolenson, for stealing from Mr. Wm. Bradbury to the value of 20s.” (6:265, 1677).

Used for the two Thomas Lows of Chebacco (all eight volumes read for the Low master research, 6 Oct 2026; vol. 8 at https://archive.org/details/recordsandfiles01dowgoog):

• Thomas Low the immigrant: “Tho. Loe fined for not appearing to serve on the jury,” Sept 1655 (1:398); juror of trials, March 1656 (1:414); “Thomas Low deposed that John Fuller’s wife owned some of the hogs,” 1657 (2:22); “Thomas Low, sr., aged about fifty-five years, and Sarah Low, aged about twenty-three years,” on John Lee’s hogs, 1660 (2:200). Juror 1663 (3:21) and grand juror 1667 (3:436), which Thomas not certain.
• Deacon Thomas Low (“Thomas Low, jr.”): the 1668 petition of Chebacco neighbours for Thomas Wells and his wife, signed by “Thomas Low, jr.,” “Martha (her mark) Low” and Thomas Varny (4:76); the 1669 case of John Chub, his servant, who killed Goodman Reynold Foster’s horse, with John Burnum jr.‘s deposition “that he saw Thomas Low, jr., run at Renall Foster’s horse with a pitchfork” and Martha Low’s, “aged twenty-eight years” (4:124-126, 156-157); “Thomas Loe, aged about thirty-seven years,” on the Knowltons’ spoiled planks (4:156); serving a writ “as deputy for Robert Lord, marshal of Ipswich” (4:171); the 1670 testimony for Thomas Brag, “the quietest young men in all oure ende” (4:243); malt attached “in the hands of Capt. Appleton and Goodman Low,” 1671 (4:334); “Thomas Low, jr., aged about thirty-six years,” 1676 (6:159), and trial juror, Sept 1676 (6:196); appraising timber cut on the Cogswell farm, 1679 (7:203-204, 259); rated 16s. 7d., 1682 (8:310); and “Thomas Low took the freeman’s oath,” 26 Sept 1682 (8:377).