Everett is also spelled Everetm Everette, Everit, and Everitt.
A constable was an elected official who was responsible for keeping the peace. His duties were more limited than the sheriff's. He apprehended and punished offenders, helped settle estates, and collected taxes.
John Everett was born about 1650. He may have been the son of Richard Everett. He lived in Jamaica, Queens County, New York.
When he was about 12 years old in April, 1662 the town records indicated that he was to bring Mr. Prudden a load of wood every year. Reverend John Prudden was the pastor of the first Presbyterian church in America, at Jamaica, Long Island, in 1672.
Elizabeth and John's children included:
Elizabeth Everett (about 1666),
John Everett (1670, married Sarah Wells),
Thomas Everett (1675, married Bathsheba Sands), and
Jonathan Everett. (about 1678).
On April 18, 1673 the town directed him "to heave fences" in the south quarters.
On February 24, 1679/80 he became part of the committee to readjust the Fleshing boundary.
Right of meadow, lying and being on East Neck, being my second devision, belonging to my twenty acre lot of meadow.
On September 27, 1684 and November 19, 1685 he was elected to take care of town affairs.
On April 8, and December 4 in 1689 he was chosen to be town constable.
John wrote his will on November 29, 1689. His wife was given the use of the homestead and the children inherited the remainder equally. His land in the hill division went to his sons John, Thomas, and Jonathan. His daughter Elizabeth was given five acres. His wife, Elizabeth was named the executrix. The witnesses were
Thomas Oakley, William Fowler, and Samuel Rusco. The will was proved on May 21, 1691.
Queens County, New York is on Long Island. Jamaica was called Rustdorp by the Dutch. It was originally settled by English settlers from neighboring Hempstead. Hempstead was founded in 1644 by emigrants led by Reverend Richard Denton. Jamaica and Hempstead are now in Nassau County.
Old Style Calendar
Before 1752 the year began on Lady Day, March 25th,. Dates between January 1st and March 24th were at the end of the year. Old Style (O.S.) and New Style (N.S.) are used to indicate whether the year has been adjusted. Often both dates are used.
Mister ( Mr.) was derived from master and Mrs. and Miss were derived from mistress. They indicated people of superior social status in colonial America.
It was common for bequests to include wearing apparel.
Estate inventories give us a glance into the home life of Colonial Americans.
A bed warmer or warming pan is a metal container with a handle which was filled with hot coals and placed under the bedcovers to warm the bed.
Early European settlers in the American colonies were mostly farmers and craftsmen. They had to work hard to provide daily neccesities for themselves.
Thomas Stevenson of London, England and His Descendants
by John Rudderow Stevenson
Edward Stevenson was one of the early settlers in Newtown, Long Island. He was a near relative of Thomas Stevenson of the same place, and was deceased by 1662, as on July 10th of that year the "widow of Edward Stevenson" signed the agreement made by the citizens of Newtown, to pay rent to the Dutch Director-General. Her name was Ann (or Anne), and at some time between the before-mentioned date and 1670, she married William Graves.
Ann Graves' will is dated at Newtown, December 31, 1670. In it she bequeaths to her
daughter, Elizabeth Everitt, a feather bed, a warming pan, an iron plate, a fire shovel, a pair of tongs and a trunk.
All the rest of her estate she leaves to
my two daughters, Elizabeth Everitt and Abigail Denton, and my clothes that were prized by Mr. John Coe and Mr. Jonathan Fish;
to her cousin, Thomas Stevenson, she leaves her Bible. William Graves, his son, John, and daughter, Hannah, were all dead in 1679.
Edward and Ann Stevenson's children [included] . .
Elizabeth Stevenson, married John Everitt, of Jamaica, Long Island, whose will is dated November 24, 1689, and was probated May 21, 1691. In it he names his wife and children:
A. John Everitt, married Sarah, died in 1729.
Had issue:
Sarah Everitt, married Daniel (born 1704), son of Samuel Denton;
Mary Everitt;
Elizabeth Everitt;
Daniel Everitt, of Goshen, New York.
B. Thomas Everitt, married Bathsheba, daughter of James and Sarah (Cornell) Sands. Had issue: James Everitt, baptized January 24, 1723.
C. Jonathan Everitt.
D. Elizabeth Everitt.
Eastern Long Island was settled at Southold by English Puritans on October 21, 1640. Western Long Island was Dutch. The Conklins and other related families owned the entire area in the 17th century. The Dutch granted an English settlement in Hempstead (now in Nassau) in 1644. In 1664, the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam became English and was renamed New York.
