The Massachusetts Bay Company was a trading company chartered in 1629 to settle an English colony in New England. Puritan leaders saw it as a religious and political refuge. About 900 colonists arrived in 1630.
Faith Browne Warner was born in the early 17th century.
Faith died on June 10, 1679 in Ipswich, Essex County, Massachusetts. Her first husband had left her property so she left a will to dispose of her own property.
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.
Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of Boston and Eastern Massachusett edited by William Richard Cutter published by Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1908
Edward Browne was of Ipswich, colony of Massachusetts Bay, between 1654 and 1660, and is the same who from 1656 to 1659 bore the title of "Marshall" Browne, indicating the office he held in the colony. He died February 9. 1659-60, in Ipswich, leaving a will which mentions his wife Faith and his brother Bartholmew, and his estate was appraised at a little more than two hundred twenty-five pounds. His widow survived him and married second, July 1, 1660, Daniel Warner.
Edward and Faith Browne had children
1. Joseph, born about 1639.
2. John, lived in Waping, or Wapin, England; owned in 1682- 83 lands in Ipswich, devised to him by his father.
3. Thomas, died in or before 1659, having an aunt Wattson then living in England.
4. Bartholomew, living in 1659.
5. Daughter, living 1659.
6. Daughter, living 1659.
Estate inventories give us a glance into the home life of Colonial Americans through their possesions.
The town of Ipswich was established on August 5, 1634, from common land called Agawam. On October 18, 1648, that portion called the "Village" at the New Meadows was set off as Topsfield. The boundary line between Ipswich and Topsfield was established, February 28, 1694.
Estate Of Mrs. Faith Warner Of Ipswich
Whereas there was an estate left by Edward Browne late of Ipswich deceased and he haveing by will disposed of his Reall estate unto his two sons Joseph & John Browne, and left all both Reall & psonall in the hands of his widdow ffaith Browne for tearme of life (except eight acres of Land & a pcell of meadow) and by his will his sd widdow to dispose of the rest of the estate to his children,
Know all men by these presents, that I ffaith Warner late wife unto the aforsayd Edward Browne being in good health at present, not knowing how soone a change may happen we are all subject unto and somtimes suddaine, for the settling therfore of that estate left me to dispose off by my aforesayd husband, do make this my last will & testament
first for my eldest sonn Joseph Browne, his ffather haveing suficiently provyded for him by his will, to more then a dubble portion, I therfore have only given unto him, the shop tooles wch amounted unto three pounds six shillings, wch he hath had in full possession ever since his ffather dyed
Item I give unto my other son John Browne besyds, the little pcell of land he is to enjoy after my decease, I give unto him a flockbed, & bolster Rugg & blankett and one paire of sheetes, out of the chest & the straw bed all wch are in the house, and left with my sonn Joseph, also I give him a cow wch is also in my sonn Josephs hands, also I give unto him the sd sonn John Browne eleven pounds ten shillings after my decease, wch is due to me by bond from my prsent husband Daniell Warner,
and to my eldest Daughter I have allredy given unto her a feather bed, bolster, downe pillow, and the one halfe of my lenin & other houshold stuf wch I judge to be her full portion,
and to my daughter Lidia Browne I give a cow now in the hands of John Browne glasier, and also a featherbed & bolster & pillow after my decease, and the other halfe of the linnen, standing in the house, with the other houshold stuff, and bedstead & tables left in the house,
and I do apoint my son John Browne and my daughter Lidia to be my executor & executrix of this my will and desire my present husband Daniell Warner to be overseer to see this my will pformed, In wittnes heerof have sett my hand the 25 of June 1669.
Faith (her mark) Warner.
Witness: Robert Paine, Robert Lord.
Proved in Ipswich court Mar. 30, 1680, by Robert Lord, sr.
Cattle were vital to a household and an important legacy.
Unweaned cattle are calves.
Female cattle are heifers and cows (had a calf).
Male cattle are steers (castrated) and bulls.
Oxen are trained draft animals and are often castrated adult male cattle.
American colonists continued to use British monetary units, namely the pound, shilling and pence for which £1 (orli) equalled 20s and 1s equalled 12d. In 1792 the dollar was established as the basic unit of currency. Encyclopedia of British and Early American Coins
A flock bed [mattress] is stuffed with waste wool or cotton.
Inventory of the estate of Faith Warner, formerly wife of Edward Browne,
taken Mar. 31, 1680, by Thomas Knowlton, sr. and Edmond Heard:
one featherbed, bolster, Rugg and sheete, 5 li.;
one pare of sheetes & one pillow-beere, 1li. 3s.;
one chest, pewter & bras, wooden ware & earthen in it, 18s. 6d.;
one paire of sheetes, thre towells, 3 pillowbeers [pillowcase], one tablecloth & small lining, 1li. 9s. 6d.;
two pewter dishes, one quart pott, pr. of bras scales & earthen ware, 8s.;
one old trunk, one brass waite, & a peece of bed ticking, 2s.;
two old Iron potts, one old brass kettle, one frieing pan & fire fork, one tramell and an old gred iron, 14s. 6d.;
one bedstead & bed-cord, 3 curtains & vallins, one meale trough, 1li.;
one table & one table frame & one chaire, 4s.;
a small flockbed, bolster, one Rugg, one blanket, one pr. of sheetes, 2 li. 5s.;
debt by bond, 11 li 10s.;
total, 24 li. 14s. 6d.
Attested in Ipswich court Mar. 30, 1680, by Lidia Chaffen formerly Lidia Browne, executrix to her mother's will. Ipswich Deeds, Volume 4, page 341.
Pewter is an alloy composed mainly of tin, but can include lead. It was used for dishes and utensils. Some colonists suffered lead poisoning from using it. It dents easily and lasted about ten years. It was expensive and wooden dishes were used most often.
A trammel an arrangement of links and a hook in a fireplace for raising and lowering a kettle.
Gridirons were used for grilling meat. They were iron grills which stood on 3 legs with a handle. A drip pan was placed beneath them.
Essex County, Massachusetts was created on May 10, 1643 by the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, when it ordered "that the whole plantation within this jurisdiction be divided into four sheires."