Will of Gideon Holbrook of Plymouth, gentleman

Residue in nine equal shares to Lois Tribble, Martha Covington, Betsey Morton, Gideon, Richard B., Elisha, Polly and Eliphalet, and his granddaughter Jerusha, daughter of his late daughter Harriet Davie. Wife Nancy executor. Inventory $3,991.50.

The will left his wife the use of his whole estate “In order to enable my wife Nancy Holbrook to bring up those of my children who may be under the age of twenty one years, having entire confidence in her judgment & discretion,” and let her sell outlands “without the formality of a License or a sale at Auction.”

In the partition of 1850, one third of his real estate was set off to “his Widow Nancy Holbrook for her use during her life” (FamilySearch 3:1:3QS7-L97D-DWZQ).

From the FamilySearch images (3:1:3QSQ-G97D-VD5L; 3:1:3QS7-897D-JZGX), as quoted in the Freeman-Ellis Anecdotes: “In order to enable my wife Nancy Holbrook to bring up those of my children who may be under the age of twenty one years, having entire confidence in her judgment & discretion I do give, devise & bequeath unto her my said wife the use, income & improvement of all my Estate.” If the income proved “insufficient for their comfortable support & education,” she might sell outlands “without the formality of a License or a sale at Auction.” Witnesses Nathaniel Clark, Ezra Clark (Nancy’s son-in-law) and Luther Lucas. The inventory, sales and partition are in probate-gideon-holbrook-1842.