This is an extension of the Biography of Captain Richard Arnold and contains information pertaining to his last will and testament.
Council Meetings
At a meeteing of ye tovvne councill May ye 19th 1710 –
This day Richard Arnold, John Arnold & Thomas Arnold, sons of ye deceased Richard Arnold have exhibbeted an inventary of the sd Richd Arnold (their ffather), his estate desireing ye councills examination thereof; the which sd inventary hath this day by ye councill been examined.Sarah Arnold, widdow of ye sd deceased Richd Arnold, & Richd Arnold & John Arnold & Thomas Arnold sons of ye sd deceased Richard Arnold all before ye councill made oath to ye said inventarey; so also did Joseph Jenckes junr & Samuell Comestock as to their appriseall thereof.
As also together with ye sd inventarey the sd Richard Arnold, John Arnold & Thomas Arnold, sons of ye sd Captn Richd Arnold (deceased) presented ye councill with a written paper beareing date ye 8th day of June 1708, signed Richard Arnold & sealed, & in ye begining of the paper it is worded; I Richard Arnold of Providence in the Collony of Rhode Jsland &c. do make & appoynt this my last will & testament; but there was not one witness to ye sd. writeing in which writeing it is also by words Certified how he would have all his houseing & lands & moveable estate disposed of; & also did nominate his three sons, Richard Arnold John Arnold & Thomas Arnold, & by that writeing made them his Executors joyntly;
The which writeing the Councill haveing well perused, & considering that by a statute made in the Reign of King Charles the Second it is strictly required that to each Will there should be thre or foure wittnesses, but unto this written paper there was not so much as one witness, neither would any persons make oath unto it that it was sd Captn Arnolds last will & Testament; and the law requireing the councill to act according as the lawes direct; the Councill doe not see cause to allow of the sd written paper for ye last will & testament of ye said Captn Richard Arnold by proveing of it, but leave it as it is, only concludeing it to be very good directions for his said sons to follow as concerning what in sd paper is contained;
But as there was an inventarey of sd Captn Richd Arnold his estate was exhibbited to the councill; as abovesd; the councill tendered the administeration of sd estate unto Sarah Arnold, widdow of sd Captn Arnold, but shee refused it, whereupon the councill granted the administration of sd estate unto Richard Arnold, John Arnold & Thomas Arnold sons of ye sd deceased Richard Arnold for them, (as persons next Related to him) legally to administer thereon. The meeteing is adjorned unto Tuesday ye 30th instant.
Tuesday May ye 30th 1710 the councill meeteing is againe in being by adjornement from May ye 19th 1710.
This day Richard Arnold, John Arnold, & Thomas Arnold sons of ye deceased Captn Richd Arnold, have given in bond to the councill for their legall administration on their ffather sd Captn Arnold his Estate. Ordred that Tho Olney, clerk of ye councill, shall on the councills behalfe signe & seale a letter of administration, to Richard Arnold, John Arnold, & Thomas Arnold to administer on the estate of their sd deceased ffather Captn Richd Arnold.
A letter of administration was on ye councills behalfe, by Tho Olney clerk, was unto Richd Arnold, John Arnold & Thomas Arnold, sons of sd Captn Arnold, signed & sealed. The meeting is desolved.
Early Records of the Town of Providence, Vol 07, pp. 1-2
The Will
Here ffolloweth the record of the written Paper signed Richard Arnold & sealled, the which was presented to ye councill by Richard Arnold, John Arnold, & Thomas Arnold sons of ye deceased Captn Richard Arnold.
I Richard Arnold of Providence in the collony of Rhode Jsland, etc, being aged & something oasey of body; but of sound & perfect Memory, thankes be to God; but considering the uncertainty of this life, & not knowing how soone it may please God to take me out of this world I am willing to do something for the setling of that small estate I have to dispose of; and therefore do make & appoynt this my last will & testament as ffolloweth. ffirst I give to Sarah my wife for the terme of her naturall life my two lotts in the towne with the orchard & house upon them & also my meadow at the west river which I bought of Edward Manton, and after my said wifes decease, to be, both the lotts & said meaddow unto my three sons Richard Arnold, John Arnold & Thomas Arnold; their heirs or assignes forever. I also give to my sd wife two cowes, & one third part of my household goods here in the towne & all the Estate that was hers before I married with her.
– I give to my aforesaid son Richard Arnold all the land within his fence where he now dwelleth at Wansoket on ye east side ye litle river to be to him his heirs or assignes for ever.
– I give to my said son John Arnold all the land within his fence where he now dwelleth,
with my jntrest & part of ye saw mill at the falls, as also the slang of meaddow he vseth to mow being within fence on ye east side the little river with the piece of meaddow called the jsland joyneing on ye west side the little river; bounded on ye norwest with the ditch, & on ye south with the draine; to be to the said John Arnold his heirs or assignes for ever;
and all the rest of lands adjoyneing belonging to me at wansoket with my ffarme granted by ye towne lieing on ye west side the branch of Pautuckett River I give to my said two sons Richard & John Arnold to be equally devided betweene them & theirs for ever.– I give to my son -Thomas Arnold all my land adjoyneing at the place where’ he now dwelleth on that lieth on both sides the high way that leades from the towne to Loquasqussuck, with the house & other buildings on said ffarme; that part of said ffarme lieing on ye north east sidee said high way is bounded on ye south west with said high way, on ye norwest part with the land belonging to Edward Smith & his brothers, & partly with land laid out to William Whipple, & on ye north bounded with the land of John Dexter, & on the south east with Eliezer Arnold; and that on ye south west side the said highway, bounded on the south east with ye land of said Eliezer Arnold, & on the south west with land belonging to Thomas Olney, & on ye norwest, partly with land belonging to John Angell & partly with common or vndevided land neere unto land laid out formerly to Epenetus Olney. The sd land I give to my said son Thomas Arnold, his heirs and assignes forever, he paying the severall sums as followeth; that is to say, ffifteene pounds in money to his brother Richard Arnold, & tenn pounds to his brother John Arnold, & twenty five pound to his sister Mary Steere.
– I give to Thomas Steere that piece of land belonging to me which heth at the bent of ye river below ye bridge neere Thomas Steere his meaddow; and my will is, that Thomas Steere shall have halfe the mills at Naspatuckett, and the other halfe of said mills, with the ffarme now in the hands of Elisha Smith, the effects of said mill & ffarme to be to my executors hereafter named. And my right in common or vndevided lands with all other lands belonging to me, not before specified, I give to be equally devided to my sd executors;
– And my will is that Toby my negro servant, serve with my son Thomas Arnold till he come to the age of twenty five yeares which will be in ffebruary the yeare 1716 or 1717; and that my sd son do then set him free, & give him two suits of apparill, a good narrow axe, a broad hoe, & a sithe with tackling fitt for moweing, & twenty shillings in money; and I do make my three sones, Richard Arnold, John Arnold, & Thomas Arnold joynt executors of this my last will & testament; Jn witness hereof I hereunto set my hand & seale, this eigth day of June, 1708. Richard Arnold
On the back side of the paper in which what is above written & signed Richard Arnold is contained; it is endorsed as flloweth, whereas Captn Richard Arnold of the Towne of Providence in the Collny of Rhode Jsland, etc. departed this life Aprill ye twenty-second 1710, & leaveing a witten paper behind him which signified how his desire was that his lands
& other his estate should be disposed of; the which writeing is contained on the other side of this paper; in the begining of it being worded; do make & appoynt this my last will & testaments.
The which sd written paper, upon the 19th day of may 1710 being exhibitted to the towne councill of Providence for their examination thereof; the which said paper was by the sd councill perused, but not proved for a will, but left as it was, as by their records may appeare concludeing it to be good directions for those who, were concerned with the sd Captain Richard Arnold his lands & estate to act according thereunto;
And wee rich Arnold John Arnold & Thomas Arnold sons of the aforesd, Captn Richard Arnold, & mentioned in sd written paper joynt executors, & conserned with ye said Richard Arnold our ffather his lands & estate, do all mutually agree & fully detirmine to proceede and act with the same according to the directions in the said written paper given, enjoyneing ourselves & our heirs, executors, administrators & assignes, accordingly to rest satisfied. Jn Witness whereof wee do here unto set our hands this thirtieth day of May in the yeare one Thousand seven hundred & tenn. Signed in the presence of the towne councill of Providence Jos Jenckes Assistant.
Attests: Richard Arnold, John Arnold, Thomas Arnold.
Early Records of the Town of Providence, Vol 07, pp. 3-6
Inventory
Here followeth the record of the inventarey of ye estate of ye deceased Captn Richd Arnold; Providence May ye 12th 1710.
A true inventarey of all & singular the goods chattels & cattell of Captaine Richard Arnold, who departed this life on 22th of Aprill last past. (lb s d) [pounds, shillings, pence?]
– his weareing Apparill i6:-o8:-oo
– kash 15-09-10
– Deers Leath : 24s, a Turky work’d Carpit 30s 02-14-00
– Hnnen Cloath 22s a frying Pann 7s 01-09-00
– Carpenters Tooles 31s, to nailes 10s, to a sledge & one old hoe 7s 02-08-00
– a bedsteed 12s an old sadle, portmantle 12s 01-04-00
– 2 Axes, a hoe & a crow 00-14-08
– a Tenant saw & an old hoe 7s, & 4 augers 8s 00-15-00
– two Cowes & two Calves 05-12-00
– severall perticulars at Wanasquatuckett 04-02-06
– a bed pan 14s to 2 rasors, 3s, to one horse 5lb, to a deviders 2s 05-19-00
– pewter, brass & other goods at his son Thomas his house 09-01-10
– more goods and Old Iron at Thomas his house 02-10-00
– goods at the Towne;
– one bed, bolster & two blanketts 06-10-00
– one bed, bolster & two blanketts 08-05-00
– a set of greene curtains 25s, & other bedings 04-05-00
– one chest, with linnen, bokes, scoales, weights, stilliards & tinn boxes, with many other small things in it 05-1-06
– one trunke with many pieces of pewter & other things in it 02-01-00
– Pork & Cheese, & two old brass Kittles & a skollett 01-11-00
– a deske with some bookes 00-14-06
– old caske, chaires, a kettle, & a chest 01-18-00
– one bedd, partly filled, & old beding 02-15-00
– fire shovell & tongs 7s 2 trammills 9s, a warming pann, 10s, 2 kettles 2lb 03-06-00
– iron potts, 11s, to a Candlestick & a skellet 5s, pewter Potts 7s tinn waare 2s 01-05-06
– a great glass bottle 3s, & severall other small things 00-08-00
– a chest & other old lumber 17s 00-17-00
– a dram cup 7s, & thre meale baggs 12s 00-19-00
– other small things 00-02-06
– a bedd steed & bedding 01-07-06
– goods in ye house at Towne 05-00-06
46-17-0– armes, tooles, old iron, etc. not house-hold goods 08-12-00
– horse kind & one cow the which we see not 10-00-00
– two two yeare olds, & one yeare old 10-00-00
134-05-10The above written is a true apprisement according to the best of our judgements, apprised on ye 12th & 19th Jnstant, Sarah Arnold widdow Providence 19th, us, Jos Jenckes junr of ye abovesd deceased May 1710 Samuell Comestock / Richard Arnold, & Richard Arnold, & John Arnold, & Thomas Arnold, the sons of said Captn Richd Arnold have made oath unto ye abovesd inventary, that it containes all his moveable estate as they know of, & if more come to their knowledge it shall afterwards be added; Joseph Jenckes junr, and Sam Comestock, who were ye apprisers have also made oath to ye apprisall May ye 19th 1710, at a councill meeteing of the towne councill of Providence the abovesaid inventary was examined by said councill; attests, Tho Olney Clerk.
Here followeth what hath been added to ye within inventary after ye appriseall made; (viz)
– shingles & horse chains 00-07-00
– old Jron 00-0-05
Early Records of the Town of Providence, Vol 07, pp. 6-9
Administration
Here followeth the record of the letter of administration granted by ye towne councill to Richar Arnold, John Arnold & Thomas Arnold, sons of Captn Richard Arnold, for to administer on their ffather Captn Richd Arnold (deceased) his Estate.
Whereas you Richard Arnold, John Arnold, & Thomas Arnold of ye towne of Providence, in the collony of Rhode Jsland & Providence Plantations, etc, the sons of the deceased Captn Richard Arnold, formerly of said Providence: haveing manifested yourselves to be willing to take administration on your sd deceased ffather Captn Richard Arnold his Estate, and haveing given in bond to ye councill of the towne of Providence for the true faithfull & legall administration thereon; wee the towne councill of sd Providence do now by these presents (so farr forth as the law doth us impower) comitt to you Richard Arnold, John Arnold, & Thomas
Arnold, sons of ye sd deceased Captn Richard Arnold, full power of administration on ye sd estate of your said ffather, thereon to administer, & therein to act do & performe in
your administration on the said estate in all poynts according as the law doth require administrators in such cases to do & performe, and to render an account unto ye towne councill of said Providence from time to time of your actings and performance therein, when by ye councill it shall be required.Dated at a Towne Councill meeteing. May ye 30th 1710 held by Adjornment.
By order of ye councill & on their behalfe, Tho Olney Clerk
Early Records of the Town of Providence, Vol 07, p. 9
This concludes the extension of the Biography of Captain Richard Arnold containing information pertaining to his last will and testament.
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