UNIQUE Signed Will of JOHN COLBY, SARDINIA, NY 1848 THOMAS HOLMES & E & A RICE

Description: UNIQUE Signed Will of JOHN COLBY, SARDINIA, NY 1848 THOMAS HOLMES & E & A RICE FAMILY CORNERSTONE HEIRLOOM DOCUMENT Signed by John Colby Handwritten Last Will and Testament Also Signed by Thomas Holmes, Elihu Rice & Alfred Rice All early residents of Sardinia, NY! This original document would be fantastic as a framed piece. The single page document measures approximately7 1/2 by 12 1/4 inches. This wonderful item is signed by John Colby who specifically names his children, refers to his grandchildren and itemizes their share of his estate. In addition to his signature the document is also signed by two generations of the Rice family, also of Sardinia: Elihu Rice, a veteran of the War of 1812, and his son, Alfred Rice. The document is also signed by Thomas Holmes of Sardinia, NY. Holmes was the Postmaster of Sardinia in the 1850's. He, too, like Elihu Rice, was a veteran of the War of 1812. All four of these men were early residents of Sardinia, NY! These four people undoubtedly have thousands of descendants living today! DESCRIPTION: This document is 160+ years old and is still in sound condition. There are just a couple of light foxing spots. There is a little age toning to the paper. All written words are well defined. The signatures are a bit bolder and darker than the rest of the text. John Colby's signature indicates an unsteady hand. Don't miss this singular opportunity to own a piece of your family's heritage! THIS DOCUMENT FOR SALE CONSISTS OF THE ORIGINAL 1848 LAST WILL OF JOHN COLBY, SIGNED BY HIM AND ELIHU RICE, ALFRED RICE, AND, THOMAS HOLMES AS DESCRIBED AND PICTURED, GUARANTEED! BELOW IS THE COMPLETE TEXT: "Be it remembered that I, John Colby of Sardinia, NY, in the County of Erie and State of New York, being of sane mind, do make and declare this my last will and testament in the manner following that is to sayFirst, I do order my Executor to sell my real estate consisting of Forty Acres of Land, It being the east part of Lot Number ten in the 7th Town and 5th Range of Townships, according to the original survey, being the place on which I now reside in the Town of Sardinia, together with all my personal property not otherwise disposed of and from the proceeds of the sale of said property, I do order all just and legal demands against my estate to be paid and the remaining Sum to be divided as follows2ndly. To my son Henry, I do give and bequeath my Rifle and to Henry’s Children, one hundred and fifty Dollars3dly. I do give and bequeath unto my daughter, Susanna Thompson, one Hundred Dollars4thly. I do give and bequeath unto Abigail, widow of my son, Mikael, one hundred and fifty Dollars together with the one horse waggon and harness and Chaldron Kettle 5thly. I do give and bequeath unto my son, Thomas, fifty Dollars to be paid to Abagail, widow of Mikael to settle a demand that Mikael had against ThomasShould there be more money than shall be provided for in this will then it shall be apportioned to Henry’s Children, to Susanna Thompson and to Abigail, Mikael’s widow, in proportioned to to what is bequeathed unto him and should I fall short then to be apportioned accordinglyMy sons John and Stittman, had had their share of my estate as also had my daughter Abagail.I do hereby appoint Elihi Rice my Executor of this my last will who shall be paid a fair compensation for services humanly rendered.In testimony whereof I have herewith set my hand and seal this 18th Day of March in the year of our Lord 1848.JOHN COLBY (signed)THOs HOLMES of Sardinia, Erie County. (signed as representative for Mr. Colby)ALFRED RICE of Sardinia, Erie Co., N.Y. (signed as a witness)ELIHU RICE Sardinia, Erie, Co. N.Y. (signed as a witness)(SEAL)" Now, I am presenting some detailed information about each of signers. The information about John Colby is the most extensive citing thefamily he was born into as well as the children born of his marriages to two wives. There is a great deal of information so be prepared! Hopefully this will be helpful to some descendants of these signers. Sardinia NY JOHN COLBY WILL Let me tell you a bit about this document and the names of the people who were a part of it. First, this came into my possession about 30 years ago. I purchased it and many other papers of the Rice family from a friend, Ivan Cherry. Ivan ran a business near Belmont, NY, where he purchased entire estates and then sold off the items individually. He died a few years ago and I still miss him! Now, John Colby, whose will this is, deserves some attention. Let me mention upfront that researching genealogical information runs into problems. Sometimes there is a difference in spelling, even in a person’s name. Sometimes there is confusion about when a person lived in a particular place, especially when a man, like John Colby, moved fairly often. Also, it is worth noting that people were often labeled with a nickname or a rank which followed them throughout their life. For example, John Colby’s father, Ezekiel carried the nickname of rank, Captain, from some military service. Because of his religious preaching, John Colby was nicknamed Deacon John. We will explain the basic details for each person who signed this last will and testament: John Colby, Elihu and Albert Rice (father and son), and, Thomas Holmes. Right off the bat, I will mention that two of them, Elihu Rice and Thomas Holmes, were veterans of the War of 1812. John Colby was born on March 1, 1760, in Concord, Merrimack, New Hampshire. He was the son of Captain Ezekiel Colby, Sr.,and Sarah “Sally” (Fowler) Colby (1742-1817). He had at least ten brothers and sisters: Jerusha Colby, Ebenezer Colby, Miriam (Colby) Davis, Ezekiel Colby, Jr., Abner Colby, Sara Sally (Colby) Silloway, Henry Colby, Sally Colby, Nathan Coiby and Abigail Colby. Below, besides John, there are twelve brothers and sisters listed. Adding to a little confusion, among the names below there is no “Jerusha” who is named above. More detailed…John Colby was born on March 1, 1760, in Concord, Merrimack, New Hampshire. He was the son of Captain Ezekiel Colby, Sr.,and Sarah (Fowler) Colby. However we have other references which states that he was born in 1771. It cites the same location for his birth. He is also referred to as Deacon John Colby.Ezekiel Colby, Jr.,was born on September 25, 1763, when John was three years old. He was born in Washington, Vermont. He died in 1848.Abner Colby was reportedly born in Buffalo, NY, on September 25, 1763. Obviously this doesn’t fit with Ezekiel’s birth above. A child named after the father would seem to be the most logical one to acknowledge. But then Buffalo is in Erie County, NY, the same county as Sardinia, NY. A source reports that Abner died in Buffalo on September 25, 1827. John’s sister Sally Colby is reported as being born in 1765 in Washington, Vermont when Deacon John was five years old. She died in 1829. Another sister, Sarah, is reportedly born in 1768 in Concord, New Hampshire when John was 8 years old. She died in 1829. Moses Colby was born in 1768 in Washington, Vermont, when Deacon John was eight years old. He died in 1829. Again there is a little confusion with two children born in the same year about 100 miles apart. Definitely could happen, but it just makes you wonder. Many of these early Americans moved around quite a bit and the Colby family seems to be one such family. Hannah Colby was born in 1772 in Concord, New Hampshire, when John was twelve years old. She married a Mr. Norris. She died in 1859. In 1777, in Newbury, Vermont, Henry Harvey Colby was born. He died in 1857.Nathan was born in 1778 in Washington, New York when John was 18 years old. Nathan died in 1857.Harvey Colby was born in 1779 in Vermont. Hezekiel Hezekiah was born in 1780 in Sardinia, New York, when Deacon John was 20 years old. He died in 1848. This is the same year that John made out his will that is shown here.In 1782, John’s sister, Abigail was born and passed away the same day in Corinth, Vermont. Here is a good place to mention that Deacon John’s first wife was named Abigail and in 1808 he named a daughter Abigail. In 1784, when John was 24, his sister Mary Colby was born. She married a Mr. Noyes. I didn’t find a year for her death. On March 27, 1791, Deacon John Colby married Abigail West (1776-1818) at Corinth, Vermont. Their first born child was a son. In that same year, his father, Capt. Ezekiel Colby died at the age of 52. Ezekiel had married and had John when he was 21 years old. John, upon his marriage, was 31 years old. Their first born was named Thomas who went on to be a minister. He was born on November 3, 1792, in Corinth, Vermont. The Reverend Thomas Wells Colby died in 1853.A daughter, Eunice, was born on February 21, 1796, in Corinth, Vermont. There are no other details I could find for her.Henry, a second son, was born on June 5, 1798, in Corinth, Vermont. He passed away in 1845. John Colby had a son he named on April 19, 1800, in Rumford, Vermont. He died in 1845. There seems to be conflicting record which names a son, John, born on that date but in South Hampton, New Hampshire. A son, Michael, was born on June 18, 1802, in Corinth, Vermont. The spelling for this son in the will is “Mikael”. He died in 1844. On December 14, 1804, in Corinth, Vermont, John and Abigail had a daughter who was name Susannah. She lived for 90 years and died in 1894. A daughter who was named Abigail was born in 1808 in Holland, New York. She died in 1839.In 1812, a son, named Stillman, was born in Holland, New York. He died in 1845. In 1814, a son was born who was named Nathan. In 1816, a son named, Hezehiah, was born in Holland, New York.A couple of side comments can be squeezed in here. First, around 1810, Deacon John Colby was living in Tunbridge, Vermont. However, as you can see from the locations for the births of their children, they moved around quite a bit. That is also very much in keeping with Deacon John’s role as a traveling preacher. Then, in 1817, Sarah “Sally” Colby, his mother, died in Corinth, Vermont, at the age of 75.In 1818, a son, named Moses Colby was born in Sardinia, New York. The same year, 1818, Abigail Fowler Colby, Deacon John’s wife, passed away at the age of 42. She and John had been married for 27 years. She died in Tunbridge, Vermont. In 1819 or 1820, Deacon John married Hannah Boardt (1790-1846) in Massachusetts. Around 1820, Colby was living in Tunbridge, Vermont.In 1821, the John and Hannah welcomed another son, George F. Colby.In 1827, John’s brother, Abner, died in Ohio.Then, in 1829, John’s sister, Sarah Colby Silloway(1768-1829), died in Wyoming, New York. Also in 1829, his brother, Moses, died in Corinth, Vemont.In 1830, John’s sister, Miriam (1751-1830) died in Page, Iowa. In 1839, John’s daughter, Abigail passed away in Spring Creek, Pennsylvania, at the age of 31.John’s son, Michael (1802-1844), died at the age of 41 on February 23, 1844, in Sardinia, NY.In 1845, Deacon John Colby’s son, John Colby (1800-1845), died in Pennsylvania.Also in 1845, his son Stillman (1812-1845) passed away on September 3, in Conneaut, Pennsylvania, at the age of 33.And, further, in 1845, his son Henry Colby (1798-1845), died on September 3, in Conneaut, Pennsylvania, at the age of 47. The following year, Deacon John’s wife, Hannah Boardt Colby, passed away on the 4th of July, 1846, in Sardinia, New York. John and Hannah had been married for 26 years.In 1848, John’s brother, Hezekiah, died on March 24, 1848, in Holland, New York. Hezekiel Hezekiah, John’s brother, died on March 24, 1848, in Somme, France. Also in 1848, on March 24, in Holland, New York, Ezekiel Colby, Jr.(1763-1848) died.Over the years, Deacon John fathered at least twelve children. Finally, on April 27, 1850, John died in Sardinia, New York, at the age of 90.If you look closely at the photo of the signatures, you can see that John Colby’s signature looks like it was difficult for him to write. It was just two years before he died. Next on our agenda is providing some information about Thomas Holmes. THOMAS HOLMES - ELIHU AND ALFRED RICE - ALL OF SARDINIA, NY THOMAS HOLMES - (See his picture below) -When Thomas Holmes was born on 27 November 1786 in Westchester, New York, USA, his father, Richard, was 67 and his mother, Phebe, was 22. Richard Holmes (1719-1799) passed away on 30 March 1799 at the age of 80. Thomas was the only offspring of his father and Phebe. In 1811, on Christmas Day, December 25, Thomas married Martha Sanford in Niagara, New York. They proceeded to have nine children over the next 23 years. He died on 22 February 1865 in Sardinia, New York, USA, having lived a long life of 78 years, and was buried there.Richard Holmes (1719-1799) passed away on 30 March 1799 at the age of 80. Thomas Holmes married Martha Sanford in Niagara, New York, USA, on 25 December 1811 when he was 25 years old. Martha Sanford, 1794–1875 His first son, Cynemus C Holmes (1813-1846), was born on June 25, 1813 in New York.His second son, Sylvanus (1815-1875), was born on May 29, 1815 in Aurora, NY.His first daughter, Urania M. Holmes (1817-1889), was born on May 13, 1817.His next child, another son, Sylvester Holmes (1819-1879), was born in East Aurora, NY, on June 27, 1819. Sylvester Holmes 1819–1879 Chester Holmes was the next offspring to arrive. He was born in Aurora, NY, on June 22, 1821.His next child, Ezra Holmes (1823-1905), was born in New York.Stephen Holmes (1827-1858) was born in New York State on January 7, 1827.A second daughter, Mary M Holmes (1830-1861), was born in Erie, PA, on September 19, 1930.Another son, Harrison Holmes (1836-1911), was born in Sardinia, NY, on November 18, 1836.According to census results, the Holmes family was living in Erie, PA, in 1840. During the 1840’s the family moved to Sardinia, NY. On May 21, 1846, Thomas’ son, Cynemus Holmes died in Sardinia, NY, at the age of 32. Thomas Holmes’ mother, Phebe, died on September 10, 1849, at the age of 85.When the 1850 census was taken, the Holmes family now called Sardinia, NY, home. During the 1850’s Thomas Holmes was appointed a U.S. Postmaster for Sardinia, NY. At the age of 78, Thomas Holmes died on February 22, 1865, in Sardinia, NY. As for Elihu Rice and Alfred Rice - When Elihu Rice was born on 27 February 1785 in Coventry, Rhode Island, USA, his father, Joseph, was 26 and his mother, Sarah, was 24. Joseph Rice was a Colonel in the militia during the American Revolution. Elihu was a veteran of the War of 1812. Elihu Rice had a brother and a sister also born in Coventry, RI. His brother was named Joseph (1787-1869) and his sister was named Melinda (1790-1857). Three other sisters, also born in Coventry, were: Sophia Charlotte (1792-1881), Olive (1795-1889), and Hannah Bowan (1799-1871). One other brother, also born in Coventry, was Alfred (1802-1828). Elihu married Elizabeth Betsy Nott on December 5, 1816 in Canandaigua, New York, USA. They had eight children in 20 years. Elizabeth’s father was one of the first two founders of Sardinia, NY. The children of Elihu and Elizabeth were: Cyrus (1817-1887), born on December 24, 1817, in Sardinia, NY.; Edwin (1820-1900), born on February 2, 1820, in Sardinia, NY.; Mary (1822-1881), born on July 1, 1822, in Sardinia, NY.; Delos (1825-1903), born in Sardinia, NY.; Alfred (1827-1923), born on May 3, 1827, in Sardinia, NY.; Alfred Rice 1827–1923 Martha (1829-1881), born on July 21, 1829, in Sardinia, NY.; Martha Rice 1829–1881Charlotte (1831-1836), born in Sardinia, NY.; Melinda (1838-1921), born on February 13, 1838, in Sardinia, NY. Melinda B Rice 1838–1921 Elihu’s brother Alfred died on October 30, 1828 in Coventry, Rhode Island.Elihu’s mother died in Coventry, R.I., in 1835, at the age of 74. His father, Col. Joseph Rice, the veteran of the American Revolution, also died in1835 at Coventry. Elihu Rice died on 22 March 1863 in Sardinia, New York, having lived a long life of 78 years, and was buried there. Listing and template services provided by inkFrog

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