A coppy of the County Court Sept : 30^th. 1679. their division and
Settlement of the Estate of John Stebbeins Sen^r of
Northampto who died Intestate; as follows,

Whereas the Settlement of the Estate of Jn^o Stebbins Sen^r of Northam
pton was in the Court April 29:1679 ressisted to this Court & the widow of
the said deceased & the children of the s^d deceased did appeare in this court for
the Attendance of that worke, when also the widow Abigail Stebbeins
did p^rsent her petition to this Court, that they would set out such a part of
the said estate as might enable her to bring up the younger children,
And this Court being desirous to hear ease & releive the widow & likewise to
carry it as a father to the fatherles, & considering that the widow hath
that difficult taske of educating divers smal children [it is]for her en=
couragm^tin that worke appoint her to have a 3^d part of the movables
set out to her, as her own proper Estate which third part is sixty pounds, and
that she have her ful Dowry or 3^d part of al Lands & houses set out to
her use & improvem^t, & some other helps & encouragem^ts as in the sequel
And after y^e Deduction of the said widows portion of movables, y^e sum of
Jn^o Stebbeins deceased his Estate is accounted as 540^lb for that over
plus of some Lands found out by a new Measuring Exceeding what the Inventory Expresses
is wel reckoned to be amply helpful to set y^e Estate fully free of al Debts, & make
it good 540^lb which 540^lb is distributed into 14 equal parts (tho the
number of the children is but thirteen) that so the Eldest son Jn^o Stebbeins
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------L s d

may have his parts, which is---------------------------------

77^lb - 02^s -10^d

and the other Sons which are five viz. Benoni, Samuel, Thomas,-}

Joseph & Benjamin to have 40^lb apeice}

200 00 00

which is 200^lb}

And the Daughters which are seven, viz: Abigail}

Hannah, Mary, Sarah, Deborah, Rebeca, &}

238 00 00

Thankful, 34^lb p^r child, which comes to 238}

who are al to have their portions at age respec=

tively according to Law

now In this division y^e wil be remaining of the

Estate of 540^lb — 24^lb - 17 – 2------------------

24 17 2

540 00 00 Total

which remnant of 24^lb -17^s--2^d This Court doth order
to the above said widow as further encouragem^t,
& do order her y^e widow to have the improvm^t
of the Estates of the yonger children for
their education, whose estates if any of
them dy before they come to be of age, or
have their portions set out to y^m, is to be shared equally amongst the sur=
viving children: And in as much as the Administrator & children
in Court nominated M^r John Strong, Medad Pomery & Jn^o King to Assigne y^e
said widows Dowry, this court doth allow & authorize them a comittee
for that purpose, to set out her just thirds in several in metes &
bounds. In this Division or settlem^t y^e Lands at Deerfeild are not medled w^th,
but the widows part & y^e childrens parts in those Lands at Deerfeild to be set
out to y^m, according to this settlem^t of y^eEstate, & by this settlem^tit is intended that
the land be wholy my sons, y^y paying y^e Daughters y^r portions, as also that the
lands be bound over to y^e performance of y^e premises:
Extracted out of & comp w^th y^e Court Records
& vera coma per mr Jn^o Holyoke, Recorde
Oct:2^d
1679:
(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
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John Stebbins(1626-1679) was part of a big group of Puritans who moved from England because they were not happy with the king. With his parents and family he arrived in Roxbury, Massachusetts, in 1634, and the next year he moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, where he grew up and married. Four children were born to John and his first wife. After his wife died, Stebbins moved to Northampton and married again; he and his 2nd wife, Abigail, had 11 children. He became Proprietor at the new frontier settlement of Pocumtuck, later called Deerfield, but never moved there. When he died suddenly in his early fifties, he had left no will. The court divided his many things and land among his many children and his widow.

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