Will of Daniel Rea
The will of Daniel Rea of Salem was proved in the court at Salem 24:4:1662. The
following is a copy of the original paper which was proved as and for his last will and is
on file in the office of the clerk of courts at Salem, volume VIII, leaf 16.
Whereas there hath beene a Will begun to be made by Daniell Rea of Salem, lately deceased,
but he not being able to finish it, whereby great inconvenience is like to arise to his
Children, if it be left as it is, Wee therefore whose names are vnderwritten, takeing it
into our Considertation, haue made this our Joynt Conclusion & Agreement, (if the
Honored Court ||now Assembled || please to Accept of, & Confirme the same) in
Manner as followeth.
Ffirst, that his sonne Joshua Rea shall haue ye improuement of the whole farme, where he
lives, & when his sonne Daniel is growne vp to ye Age of Twenty one yeares, he shall
have halfe ye farme, & his father to have ye other halfe, dureing ye terme of his owne
life, & also of his wifes widowhood, in Case she should outlive him, & then that
halfe also to be his sonne Daniells, & so ye said Daniel then to haue ye whole farme,
which is ye proper Will of ye Testator.
Secondly, that ye said Joshua Rea shall haue the vse & improvement of the seventeene
Acres of land, lying on Salem North River, vntill his two daughters, Rebecca & Sarah,
exprest in ye will, shall attaine to ye age of sixteene yeares, & then they to haue ye
land with ye improvement of ye same equally divided betwixt them.
Thirdly that ye said Joshua Rea, shall have also the one Acre & halfe on the South
Rivers side in Salem, as his proper right, to dispose of as he shall see cause.
ffourthly, that his sonne Thomas Lothrop, & his wife, shall haue the ffarme, Comonly
Called Captaine Damports farme, as their proper right, in a Cowe, beallowed me out of ye
other estate.
ffifthly that our Mother shall have ye thirds, of all of this Estate,
dureing her life.
Lastly, for the rest of ye Estate, we leave it to the wisedome of the Honoured Court, to
dispose of the same, as they shall thinke best, according to lawe.
This aboue writing or agreement is by the Court alowed of & is to be as the Courts
determination & ordering of the estate of Danyell Ray deceased being consented
||there|| to by ye children of ye deceased in
Court at Salem 24:4mo1662
atteste, Hillyard Verin Cleric
"The Essex Antiquarian"
