“Do we all get turnips and cider?”

A Look at Moses Mather’s Last Will and Testament.

The Rev. Moses Mather signed his will “this twenty-six day of December AD 1793,” thirteen years before his death. He did make some very specific bequests and even more specific allotments were made to his four surviving children at the time of the distribution of the estate’s assets.

From the will, of note:

“Item-I give to my son Joseph and my daughter Hannah, the wife of Jesse Raymond, my land adjoining Mr. Whitney’s land in consideration that it was purchased with their mother’s money…”

“I give the weavers shop and a twenty pound right in my dwelling house and barn (in consideration of his service in building and repairing the same) to my son Samuel…”

“The remainder of my estate I give to be equally divided among all my children: Joseph, Hannah, Noyes, Isaac, Samuel…” (Note Isaac died in 1791 and division was only among the other four.)

An inventory of Moses Mather’s estate listed well over 100 items, from a crowbar to a beaver hat, from a wooden tray to a copper pie pan, and from a cow to “one half of the old mare.”

Moses’ agreement with the Congregational Church allowed for some of his annual salary to be paid in produce. It is thought that may be why the inventory included 40 bushels of turnips and 5 barrels of cider! (Both of which were divided equally among the four heirs.)

Moses’ land holdings included 3 acres for “house, barn, and homestead,” 16+ acres of land near “Eliaseph Whitney’s” and 6+ acres at “flat ridge.” Each heir got a portion of the value of the house ($1100) with some getting more of the physical items and a lesser share of the house.

Just fyi, Hannah got “Saunders and Simpson Fluxions” [an early treatise on calculus]. Joseph got the beaver hat. Noyes got the crowbar and pie pan. Samuel got the cow, the “old mare,” and

all the inventoried hay!