Will of Captain James [Jeames] WHITE (1621-1666)

Born at Hornchurch Essex; Nephew of Rev John White Patriarch of Dorchester and raised there from 1633 to become a
Merchant of Dorchester & later London; Resident & plantation owner of Barbados; who died at Boston New England

Will dated 10th September 1666 (with codicil 12th October 1666)

Proved London 11 February 1668

Transcribed by Michael Russell OPC Dorchester - March 2012

Transcription of the Will of Captain James WHITE carried out by The New England Historical and Genealogical Society - Boston

Written on two sheets of paper :- First Sheet:-

Link to Transcription of an original copy of the Will held at the National Archives London

James WHITE- Boston In New England 1666:


I, James WHITE of Barbados, Mrchant, Infirme of body but of sound and perfect memory, ordain this my last will and testament. As to my worldly estate in Barbados or elsewhere I bequeath as followeth:

Vnto ye parish of Horne church in ye County of Essex, and to ye parishes of St Johns and St Michalls in Bardados, to each of them, a piece of plate of tenn pounds for value to ye seruice Comunion table, for ever.

To ye said parish of Horne church, being ye place of my Natiuity, one thousand pounds, for ye Erecting or buying of an Almes house yt [i.e. that] Cont: sixe poore men which Cannot [    ] otherwise, & to be pd on euery 5th of Nouember sixe pound str: to each of them, & a new gound; [i.e.gown]

And ye ministers of yt parish to haue forty shillings for A sermon for euer; ye aforesaid monys I doe Will shall be paid within twelve months after all my Just debts are pd & to [be] disposed of in purchase of ye Discretion of my suruiueing executors, in trust with ye aduice of the next two Justices in yt parish of Horne church, or Adjacent theirto; but in any case my Es[tate] amount not to tenn thousand pounds str: my debts pd, then I giue but fiue hundred pounds str: to ye Vse & behalfe aforesaid, & to be disposed of as aboue mentioned.

I giue vnto Mr William LEISLY & [    ] Johns [    ] ministers in Barbados, to each a Ring of ten pounds sterlin in Value;

To Mr John BOWDEN, Mr Rich: SEAWELL, Mr Chr. JASON, Mr Job BROWNE, to each them Rings of 20s value.

I giue vnto ye parish of St Michalls, in Barbados, one tenth part of ye neate [i.e.net] Value or rent Raised by my houses & Land in ye said towne & parish; & in case my Executors, in trust, shall sell & dispose of all or any p't thereof, then I Will & ordaine yt one tenth pt [i.e. part] of the produce or p'veneiw [revenue] shall bee to ye Vse of ye said parish for ye building, buying of a worke house, or ye setting of poore people at worke, at ye discretion of any of executors in trust with ye advice of ye Justices in q'tr sessions of yt place; this is to be after my debts are pd vzt. in 12 months after.

I giue Vnto Ann GOLLOP, Ralph & Catherin TRUTLE, to each of them £50 str.; & to William TRUTLE, £100 str. to be pd two yeares after my debts are pd; but in case my estate be not valued at £10,000 str. at my decease, then I giue but halfe ye sumes to be pd as aboue mentioned.

I giue vnto ye children of my well beloued Brother Willm WHITE, Late of London, in old England, vzt. John, Willm, Ann, Dorothy & ye rest, Equaly, Except Josiah & Jeames , £700 to purchase of their father ye free holde of ye farme of Fethes, alias fethes, in ye County of Essex, by Chensford [note:- Chelmsford] , ye which farme so purchased, I giue vnto his sonn, Josiah WHITE, student in Oxon, & to his heirs for euer, which if he haue of his owne, if not, then of his Relation, I desire him to bestow it yt their may neuer want one of ye name to serue at ye Alter, Vntill Christs second comeing in glory. I meane £700 str: amongst them; not each.

JEAMES WHITE


The Will of James [Jeames] WHITE

Written on two sheets of paper :- Second Sheet:-



James WHITE- Boston In New England 1666:

I giue vnto my wife, Katherine WHITE, £100 str. to buy her a Ring in Remembrance of mee, with my Jewells, plate, household stuffe for euer, & ye vse of my dwelling house on my plantn & ye prouision, stock, vntill her mariadge, Besides ye bond giuen her by feafeas in trust, for which she is to release all claime of thirds or other interest in or to any part of my estate, & not other wise, this Legacy being in ful of her Dower.

I giue to ye child she now goeth with [    ] pounds starling to be pd after my debts or [    ] my Executors besides ye bond giuen & made to feafees in trust, for his portion, ye which bonds I leaue be[aring] date wth this my Will in ye hands of Col. Daniell SIRLE.

I giue vnto ye Eldest child of Mr Edward BOWDEN, deputy secretary of Barbados & to Elizabeth MORE Late daughter of of Thomas MORE to each of them, £100 str. to be paid at each, of their day of Mariadge; my debts being pd, this Elizabeth MORE Desire speedily. To my Bron . John & Willm WHITE & [their] wiues, to each of them, Rings of £10 str. in Value, wth mourneing.

Vnto my Nephew, Jeames WHITE, my Brother, Willm WHITE, of London, all my [estate] Reall & p'sonal, hereby constitueing ye said James, my sole heire & executr of this my Last Will & Testament.

Appointing Coll. Henry HAWLY, Edw: PY Esq, Jeames BEAKE, Esq: Willm BATE my brother Willm WHITE & Jearamiah EGINGS march'ts: [i.e. merchants] Executrs in trust of this my Will, in behalfe of my said Nephew, James or any two of them, & ye suruiuer [surviver] desireing them to follow the aduise of my said Bro: Willm his Guardian to ye be[st] aduantage of my Nephew, his son Giueing my sa[id] Executrs in trust or any two of them, full power to buy more Lands, stock or other necessaryes for my plantn &c, or sell Lease, or to farme. Let any [or] all my estate, reall or prsonall, as in their discretion may seeme most for ye profit of my said Nephew & heire, desiring them to doe by him, As they desire others may doe for theirs, in ye like case.

I giue vnto Mrs Elizabeth HAWLEY (Long since maried) dau. of George HAWLEY marchs, in Gracious Streate, London, £300 str: to bee pd three yeares after my debts are pd, & in case of her death, without Ishue, then to ye meanest of relicts of ye Children of ye said George HAWLY, at ye discretion of my Executrs in trust.

I hereby revoke & declare voyde, ye Will & Bonds Left with John HARRIS, to giue Mr Job BROWNE, at my Comeing from Barbados Last, & all other Wills or papers tending thiereto, prvided this & ye bonds come safe to hand; & to my Executors yt come & appeare in trust for my Nephew, to each of them I giue a Ring of tenn pounds; & if my Brother Willm, Come not ouer, I giue yt Executr, or any two, one, yt will take sume p'ticular charge thereof.

To Coll Daniel SIRLE, I giue a Ring of fiue pounds; to Thomas GREY, Jeames CLUTERBROOKE, to each of them, two thousand of musCo: sugar, vzt, to John HARRIS & George FRYAR three thousand pounds each of them

10th September 1666 JEAMES WHITE

Indorst.

Acknowledged by James WHITE to bee his Last Will & by him signed, sealed and deliured in these words In ye presentes of vs with ye Adition vnder written GEORGE FRYER

Tes John GOBLE, Fre. PUNCHARD, Richard GREGORIE.


Boston in New England. att a meeting of ye Gouenor, Richard Bellingham Esqr, John Leuret Esqr, Major Generall & Edward Rawson, Recordr in Boston 28th of March 1667

John Goble, aged forty three yeares or thereabouts, Frances Punchard, aged thirty eight yeares or thereabouts, Richard Gregorie, aged twenty foure years or thereabouts, & George Fryer, seruant to ye late Capt James WHITE, of Barbados, aged twenty three yeares or thereabouts on theire Corporall oathes deposed yt on ye 15th of this Instant March, being present with ye sd Late Jeames WHITE, at his lodgings in Boston, on his request, & did heare the sd Jeames WHITE acknowledge and publish these two sheets of paper to be his Last Will & Testament ye wch he had formerly according to ye date therof so signed & sealed; & on ye sd fifteenth Instant, they did see ye said James White put also on & take his seale therefrom, saying, I deliuer this as my act [&c. The words -- "Richard Gregorie, aged twenty four years" was interlined; and John Goble affirmed. "yt he set his hand, as a Wittnesse, some day in March, but before the fifteenth"]

An addition to my Will --Whereas I am advised of a great fire in London,(5) to my Brother Willm WHITE great [loss] as well as others, I hauing invited him ouer, his wife and children, I will declare & giue him my household stuffe, being in more want thereof than my wife, whose bond I doe giue her to make void her Dower & debare her all therds [i.e. thirds] clames [i.e. claims] or other Interest in any of ye Estate, reall or prsonall belonging vnto me, or anything to ye contrary before exprest.

JEAMES WHITE

Boston October 12th 1666.

Test: [Testimony of ] Richard Gregorie, Fra Punchard, George FRYER, who deposed to the above, March 28th 1666.


Boston 1666 - Instructions to my Executors, in trust, nominated in my Last Will, bearing date wth these prsents, being the 10th Oct. 1666.

As to my wife, Ka: [i.e.Katherine] WHITE (6) I haue wrote her Letter, which I desire you, H HAWLEY, or some other, to prvse [i.e. preserve] & be verry priuate in it; then seale and deliuer it at your owne time, I doubt not but I shall recouer ye £4,000 of Mr BANTLY, £2,000 may be secured to her & her child, either by mortgage or to let it ly in a Judgement to ye payment of her child £150 pr annm, or if M.B. not willing to keep it, Let it be deuided, & she take her £1,000 to her new husband, but Let it not goe wthout securing a Joynture Vpon her; if she be Kind to ye Child, let her haue £40 pr annm out of ye interest of his £1,000, for I would haue yt £1,000 be let out to M.B. at 4 pr Ct Vntill ye Child be 17, & if A boy that he be fitted for a marcht [i.e. merchant] & bound out, ye hee wch hath ye mony shall advance £200 to binde him out, and keep ye mony fiue yeares gratis; this is but by way of aduise, I leave it to ye care & Discretion, as in all things else. As to those two great debts I owe, you will find p'tiall Instructions herewth, & another Copy in ye hands of Mr BROWNE or John HARRIS. If my wife is not Contented wth her Legacy. vtz my bond which I giue her in full of her therds, Dower, & all other claime to my Estate, reall & p'sonal then wthhold ye present yearely allowance mentioned in my Will, for she deserves no kindness from mee.

Yor seruant JEAMES WHITE

Boston Oct 10th 1666

Test: [Testimony} John Goble, Geo. Fryer, Fra. Punchard, Richard Gregorie, who deposed March 28th 1666 Edward Rawson Records


Captain James WHITE's Estate:

Boston the 30th 1m: 1667

Inuentory of the Estate of the late Capt. James WHITE, deceased, as it was shewen vnto vs , the subscribers, by George Fryer, his domestic seruant. Signed by rich. Cooke, Josh: Scottow, Amt. £178.12.5. Debts the deceased oweth, to Joshua Scottow, Mr Alwater, Mr Lynes, Edward Lilly, Deacon Trusdall, Mr Ruddock, Mr Lidget, Leisft. Cooke, Arthur Mason, Ben: Gillam, John Lake, Mr Bendall, Goodman Felch; to George Fryer for his Sallery, in pt whereof he hath £6.11.6d paid in 69 gall. of Rum & a bill. Colondl Searles hath tooke the negro boy ( The negro boy valued at £25) as in pt of the funerall Expence" Amt of debts £184.11

George FRYER deposed April 1, 1667

 


Genealogical Notes:-

(1). Source for Will : The New England Historical and Genealogical Society Register Volume 16 published by the New England Genealogical Society - Absracts of Wills - pages 228/9.

    Abbreviations used in this text stand for:-annm [annum]: Brors [brothers]: Coll. [Colonel] Cont: [contains]: Ct [cent]: pd [paid]: pr [per]: pt [part]: sd [said]: St [Saint]: str: [sterling]: wch [which]: wth [with]: ye [the]: yt [that]: The letters "U" and "V" in old English were interchangeable

    Note:- Another abridged ref to his Will is published in "Barbados Records Wills and Administrations Volume 1 1639-1680. Compiled and edited by Joanne MaCree Sanders - This refers to "William Loveby & Johnson, ministers in Barbados. 'Ministers' in the context used means Clergyman, (Vicar, or Rector)

    Note:- The full version of the above Will is held at the National Archives (PRO 11/326 Will of James White, Merchant of Barbados) and was proved by William WHITE at the Strand in London, in the County of Middlesex on 11 February 1668. It includes the account of the Meeting held on 28th of March 1667 but does not contain the instructions to his executors or the inventory.

(2). The coat of arms is compiled from the Visitation of Hampshire -1634 page 229 and are those for his great grandfather John WHITE of Timsbury Hampshire. He is listed on page 230

(3) Captain James [Jaems] WHITE (1621-1666) was baptised at Hornchurch in the County of Essex in England on 18th Nov 1621 (CLDS parish register extraction programme C04222-1 Film 571181) and was the 4th and last son of Rev. Josias WHITE (c.1573 - 1622/3) the elder brother of Rev John WHITE Patriarch of Dorchester. His father died the year after he was born and his mother Anne (nee Barlow) remarried to Francis Drake of Walton in Surrey. When his stepfather also died in 1633/4 he was 11 years old and his widowed mother moved to Dorset to live under the protection of the Patriarch.
    His fathers Will was published many years ago and the following brief summary is taken from the book 'John White The Patriarch of Dorchester [Dorset] and Founder of Massachuesetts' by Frances Rose-Troup published by GP Putnam's Sons in 1930.
    Will of Josias WHITE Clerk of Hornchurch Essex [PCC11/141] 5th Feb 1622. To son Josias, at 21 messuage and farm called Fetches or Thetches containing 35a. in Roxwell. To sons John & William, at 21, crofts etc of 26a. called Cookes, adjoining Thethes, and Cookes land mead, ½ a., all in Roxwell and 100li each. To son James 150li. Wife Anne to have benefit of land during sons minority and to be executrix. Overseers brothers John and Steven White. Wits: - Ad Harsenett, John Morse, isaack reynolds. Proved 3rd March 1622, by Relict
(4). His mother Anne DRAKE also left a will (PRO 11/316) and Rose Troup also provides a brief summary:-

    21st April 1665 Will of Anne Drake, Widow of City of London. sometime wife of Josias White of Horn Church Essex Clerk and late relict of Francis Drake of Walton Surrey Esq. In pursuance of Will of son Josias gives to son William WHITE of London Grocer "whome I thincke & have found most serviceable to me " messuage, etc called Fetches or Theches in Roxwell in parish of Writtle Essex and also cookes land mead, said William to pay 20li each to my sons John White of London Merchant and James White of the Isle of Barbadoes merchant. Wit:- mathew Martine, Eliz.Martine, Eliz. Watty. Proved 8th May 1665 by son William White.

(5). The Great Fire of London took place between the 2nd and 5th September 1666

(6). Katherine WHITE remarried after his death in Barbodos to Thomas ISAAC at St Johns on 26th June 1667 [Caribbean, Select Marriages, 1591-1905. Salt Lake City, Utah: Family History File 1157937]

(7). Re probate of the London Will - Peter Lane was also Rector of Saint Benet Paul's Wharf, City of London and died in 1688. William Mericke Doctor of Laws left a will at the National Archives which was proved 12 February 1669

 

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