source 2635 (Cocks, George) gives John Townsends wife and mother of Hannah as Susannah Harcurt but Genealogies of Long Island Families page 472 shows how this source made the wrong conclusion from wording in Harcourt wills.


His [John Townsend's] widow, in the petition to Governor Andros, above men tioned, says:

"Your Honor's petitioner's husband, many years last past, was seiz ed of a certain parcel of land, containing eight acres by estimation, lyi ng and being at the Fresh Water (Collect), New York, then called New Amste rdam, where your Honor's petitioner's husband did build, and make large im provements, and peaceably enjoyed the same divers years in the time of gre at calamity, being daily alarmed by the Indians, and other difficulties at tending upon your Honor's petitioner's husband, and afterwards got no bett er reward than such discouragements as caused your Honor's petitioner's hu sband to his good improvements. However, your Honor's petitioner is well c ontented at present, hoping her husband and others, by their adventures, a nd running through many fiery trials of affliction, has been in some measu re instrumental to bring a chaos into goodly fields, buildings, and garden s; and instead of your Honor's petitioner's husband reaping the frui ts of their labors, but on the contrary, was forced to hew a small fortu ne out of the thick wood, with his own hands, for himself, wife, and child ren."

Her object in this petition was to reclaim the eight acres taken up by h er husband; but as it had been thirty years since he left it, never havi ng had any title but possession, it is not surprising that her petition w as not granted. Perhaps she might have fared better if it had been writt en in the clear, condensed style of her son Thomas, instead of the clums y, involved, tedious, and inelegant document elaborated by George Cooke.

Townsend Memorial, page 85-86

As he died intestate, his widow, according to a Custom prevailing here, di vided his estate, with the advice and consent of her older sons, and her h usband's brothers. We give this document below. The solicitude which she s hows for the comfort and welfare of "the lads," as she calls her two young er sons, is very touching.

"These presents declare unto whom it may any wise concern, that I, Elizabe th Townsend, widow of the late deceased John Townsend, in Oyster Bay, in t he north riding, on Long Island, because my said husband deceased witho ut any will, I herein, with the advice of my husband's two brothers, Hen ry and Richard Townsend, and with the advice and consent of my two elde st sons, John and Thomas Townsend, all of Oyster Bay, above said, have tog ether parted my said husband's estate amongst his six younger children, f or their portions, instead of a will, by which will, each of the childre n, namely, James, Rose, Anne, Sarah, George, and Daniel may know what sha ll be, and what to claim for their portion of their father's estate, and t his to stand firm and unalterable by me, or any through, or by me, b ut to remain for a settlement of peace between me and my children, whi ch is as followeth. Imp. 1st. Unto my son James, I give for his portion o ut of the estate, in present possession, in lands, beside cattle and hors es he have in hand already, first, three acres of land and three-quarter s, lying on the south side of that was old Armitage's lot, in Oyster Ba y, lying or adjoining to the highway on the eastward and western sides, wi th commoning and common privileges to it, of wood, land, timber, as oth er such lots have; and he is to have the land upon part of his common righ t, that his father did improve, on the east side of Matinecock Creek, join ing on the south of his uncle Henry's land, and two shares of meadow lyi ng on the west side of the Creek, or Beaver Swamp, and one share of mead ow on the east of the said Creek; and he is to have the land his father fe nced and improved on the west side of the Mill River Swamp, with the sha re of the swamp joining to the east side of it; and he is to have six acr es of Plains, and a quarter of a share of meadow at the south, and so mu ch of the south side of the swamp at the rear of my house as prov es to be mine, of which swamp Josias Latting hath a part. To my daughte rs I do engage to give to each of them thirty pounds apiece, for their por tion, and to my eldest daughter Elizabeth, although not above mentioned, y et she is to have, with what she hath already received, thirty pounds, a ll at such pay as passes between man and man, after the rate of Indian co rn at three shillings a bushel, and wheat at five. 2d. To the said Elizabe th, or her husband, Gideon Wright, towards her portion, I give, with wh at her father had before given her already, first, two cows, ten pound s; a young horse, five pounds; a bed and furniture, ten pounds; two shee p, one pound; one kettle, one pound; in all twenty-seven pounds; and Gideo n, her husband, is to have three pounds more; and that will be thirty poun ds in all. 3d. To my daughter Rose I give half a share of meadow at the so uth, with two cows and two calves she hath already received, and commoni ng in Oyster Bay, with twenty-six acres of land, and three pounds in Richa rd Townsend's hands, and a yearling mare colt, it all being call ed by us at thirty pounds. 4th. To my two youngest daughters, Anne and Sar ah, their portions are to be thirty pounds apiece, out of the sto ck or in lands, as they may desire, if their mother decease before their p ortions are paid; but if they be disposed of in marriage while I rema in a widow, I have liberty to pay to each of them their portion in catt le or land, as I see they have most need and I able to do it, or part on e, part of the other. 5th. It is my will, and I do fully agree that my t wo youngest sons, George and Daniel, shall have these two homesteads I n ow possess, with the privileges belonging to them, after my decease, but t hey are to be mine and for my use, to possess and enjoy for my use and com fort, during my life, and at my decease to be theirs as above said, with p rivileges as follows: to each party is nominated his particular interes t. 6thly. To my son George I give for his portion as above said, being t he eldest, the house and house lot that I now possess, and orchard which t hen shall be on it, and two shares of meadow that lie in the Town of Oyst er Bay, which was bought with the lot, and six acres of Plains, with commo ning and common privileges, in the First Purchase of the Town. 7th. To you ngest son, Daniel, above mentioned, after my decease above said, is to ha ve the other lot, or that part of land lying between his brother Jamesís l ot and his brother George's lot. It was bought of old Armitage. I sa y, he is to have it, with the privileges belonging to it; namely, two shar es of meadow lying on the north side of the town, which was bought with t he lot of the said Thomas Armitage, and six acres of Plains, and twelve ac res of land and common privileges. And I do by this will and appoint, th at if I decease before these my two youngest sons be of age, that two of t heir eldest brothers take them and bring them up, and to have the use of t he boys' land and what other goods and chattels fall to them. The goods a nd chattels are to be priced when they receive it, and delivered back to t he said boys the same price or value again, when they go from their brothe rs, whether they be of age or not; for I do appoint my brother, Henry Town send, their uncle, to have the oversight of them if he outlive me, a nd to remove one or both to the rest of their brothers or sisters, with t he lands and estates to make use of toward the bringing up of the said lad s; but when they go away to have their whole principal returned to or wi th them, but not to remove them with¨out their complaint to him on good gr ounds, for the said removal, of hard usage. And I do by this will and appo int that, at my decease, unalterable by me, or any through or by me, a ll my estate undisposed of, as goods, household stuff, and cattle, are a ll to be equally divided amongst all my living children; and I further ord er and appoint that, if anyone or more of my said sons or daughters die un der age, undisposed of in marriage, the deceased's lands and estates are a ll to be divided equally amongst all my living sons and daughters; b ut it is still to be understood that whoever have the bringing up of the t wo young lads, and the use of their estate towards their maintenance, the ir lands and houses is with fences to be delivered up in good repair as wh en they received it, and the property of lands and houses, and orchar d, is not to be altered to or from either of the said lads, although the p roperty of other goods or chattels may be altered upon just and honest ter ms. And further, it is agreed that my eldest son, John, is to have such la nd at Hog Island, at my decease, or at south, if I leave any undisposed o f, to my youngest daughters, Anne and Sarah, above said. But a lot on H og Island, of the third division, number ten, my husband gave my son Thoma s. Unto all the promises and engagements above mentioned, I do hereby enga ge to perform, under my hand and seal, the twenty-third year of the rei gn of Charles the Second, King of England, and the tenth day of the fif th month, 1671. Before signing was entered in the fifth and eighth line s, that I now
as witness my hand and seal,
"ELIZABETH TOWNSEND.

"In the presence of us,
ìMOSES FURMAN,
ìBENJAMIN HUBBARD.

" I do own my brother Richard did consent to the substance of which is abo ve mentioned, and with advice also, as witness my hand.
"HENRY TOWNSEND.

And we consent to the above said.
" JOHN TOWNSEND, JAMES TOWNSEND,
"THOMAS TOWNSEND, GIDEON WRIGHT."


The thirty pounds allotted to each of the daughters seems, to our idea s, a very small fortune, while the Fort Neck estate, given by Thomas Towns end to his daughter Freelove, we regard as a munificent portion; but we mu st remember that thirty pounds would have bought two such estates. John 's daughters, however, received nearer one hundred pounds than thirty, f or Rose sold her land for thirty pounds, the cattle and money allott ed to her were worth at least twenty, and her dividend, at her mother's de ath, must have been considerable; for the widow Townsend appears very oft en on the Records, buying land and receiving allotments, and was evident ly a woman of great energy and ability. So that, no doubt, her daughters w ere among the greatest fortunes of their day, as it was not expected th at any girls should share equally with their brothers.

Townsend Memorial, page 87-92