Interpreting a Man’s Life Through the Bequests in His 1787 Will
James Chandler: 1706-1789 (Maternal 5th Great-Granduncle)
I love finding old wills in my research. People in the 17th
and 18th century were often very specific about who should receive
their possessions, listing the recipients of everything from their books to
their underwear. So I was delighted to discover the transcript of my
fifth-great-granduncle Rev. James Chandler’s will. I was sure it would provide
insight into his life and character. And I was right: what James Chandler left
behind and how he chose to distribute it was quite revealing.
James Chandler was born on June 19, 1706 in Salem,
Massachusetts. He was the third of Thomas Chandler and Mary Stevens Chandler’s
eventual twelve children, two of whom died in infancy. James attended Harvard
University, and was one of the 42 graduates in the class of 1728. He continued
his education at Harvard, earning a Master’s Degree as well. (1)
In 1732, he was named pastor of the parish in Rowley,
Massachusetts. George Chandler’s history, cited below, stated that “every man
in the meeting [of the church] voted for it, and he was ordained over it 18
Oct. 1732.” Nine months later, the parish voted to pay for the construction of
James’ house and barn, paying a Mr. Nelson twelve pounds to complete the
project. (2)
 |
| Rowley, Massachusetts where James Chandler served as minister for 58 years |
Four years later, Rev. Chandler married the daughter of
another minister in the area, Mary Hale. The wedding was performed by Mary’s
father, Rev. Moses Hale on November 14, 1636. James was thirty years old, and
Mary was twenty-three. Sadly, the couple had no children during their long
union.
Rev. Chandler served the Rowley parish for an amazing
fifty-eight years. Family histories note that:
"He was active and influential in civil and
religious affairs; guardian of children and administrator of Estates. He was
sound in doctrine, exemplary in life and conversation, dignified in department
and greatly esteemed, generally by his own people, highly respected abroad, and
very successful in his ministry." He was quite a fruit-grower in his day.
He introduced and cultivated the best kinds of apples, and also many kinds of
medicinal plants.”(2 & 3)
Headstone at the Union Cemetery in Georgetown, Mass. It reads: "This Monument is erected in memory Revd JAMES CHANDLER firƒt Paƒtor of the ƒecond Church of Chriƒt in Rowley who departed this life April ye 19th 1789 in the 83d year of his age and the 58th of his Paƒtoral care of sd Church."
James Chandler died April 19, 1789 at the age of eighty-two.
His will, dated May 22, 1787, was recorded and probated. Many of the bequests
are financial in nature. Since he had no children of his own, he left most of
his money to his siblings’ children. Those nieces and nephews were not treated
equally, however.
To the children of his brother William Chandler:
Mary: 7 pounds
Thomas: 7 pounds
Stevens: 7 pounds
William: 5 pounds and and “my English Dictionary.”
Rose’s daughters (William Chandler’s granddaughters) Mary and Hannah: 5 pounds each
To Joseph, the son of James’ brother Joseph Chandler: 7 pounds
To his brother John Chandler’s daughters:
Mary: 4 pounds
Elizabeth: 6 pounds
To each of his deceased sister Mary Ballard’s daughters: 15 shillings each.
To the daughter of his sister Bridget, Bridget Burroughs, 2 pounds, and to Bridget Burroughs’ son John Chandler Burroughs, 4 pounds.
Captain George Burroughs: 40 shillings “and a note”.
Rebecca Burroughs, widow of
Thomas: 5 pounds
Mary Burroughs, Rebecca and
Thomas’ daughter “that now lives with me 10 pounds, and the bed she lodges on
and bedding”
Each of Mary Burroughs’ siblings:
3 pounds
The differences in the amounts these family members received seem to have been based on their individual needs. Those that were poorer received more money. The great-niece who had helped to care for him received the most money of all. His bequest to his late sister Phebe Dana’s children supports this supposition. James wrote:
“The children of my late sister Phebe Dana dec are plentifully provided for by Providence so as not to need gifts of mine. However to the widow of her late Son Caleb Dana dec I give 3 pounds.”
James also made bequests to non-relatives. “Samuel Merrill, the lad that lives with me” was given 3 pounds. He left his niece-in-law Sophia Spofford “my gold Sleeve Buttons.” I wonder what Mrs. Spofford did with his gold buttons.
I loved his additional bequests, which read as follows:
“My apparel I dispose of thus. My Gown and Linen I give to my wife. The remainder of my apparel I give to Thomas Chandler and Stevens Chandler, Sons of my late brother William, and to Joseph Chandler Son of my late Brother Joseph, to be equally dived between them. …the Pew in the meeting House in the West Parish in Rowley, I give to my Nephew and Kinsman John Tenny Junior, son of my late sister Rose Tenny…To this church and Parish…[ten pounds]to begin a Library. My Real Estate I give to the Parish for a Parsonage [on condition that the Parish take care of my widow].”
It seems only right that he gave the Parish his house for a parsonage, as the Parish had paid for its construction, probably assuming the property would eventually return to the church. It is also interesting that his nephew William did not receive any clothing in the will. He was treated differently than his two brothers, receiving less money (five pounds instead of seven) and receiving James’ English dictionary. Was William in better financial condition than his brothers so didn’t need clothing or as much money? Was he more educated than his brothers and would make better use of the dictionary? Perhaps I will investigate his life story later.
It is also interesting to note that James’ church pew was considered an item of value. The Newport History website cited below explained that most early churches used box pews, which “served as a means to raise money for the upkeep and operation of the church. They were purchased, sold, inherited, and assessed an annual tax…” (4) Apparently great-nephew John Tenny was the recipient of a small but valuable piece of real estate.
 |
| Box Pews in the colonial meeting house in Alna, Maine (USA) Photo credit to: Paul Wainwright |
There was one additional bequest, the most stunning one of them all. It reads as follows:
“To my Negro woman Phillis her manumission or freedom and five pounds, a chest and such other things in my house as are known as her things and also the Bed that she and her mother lodge in, and all the bedding belonging to it; and I hereby testify that I gave her her freedom when she was 18 years old and covenanted with her that, if she would live and serve in my family, I would give her one pound and six shillings and eight pence per year for her services and find her her clothes. She has live with and served me ever since, and I have paid her nothing of the money that I promised as her wages, and therefore I owe it to her and order my Executors to pay it to her. I suppose my keeping her child more than answers for interest, but I release what more it might be reckoned at.”
The Chandler book noted that James had performed the marriage of his slave Phillis and another man of color, Cicero Green of Newburyport, on March 1, 1783. Despite the marriage, it appears James did not allow Phillis to live with her husband—she was still living in his house with her mother and apparently her first child.
What is truly striking about this passage is James’ open admission that he lied to Phillis. He made promises that he failed to keep. I would guess that she had probably been “freed” before her 1783 marriage. Given that James died six years later in 1789, she was owed far more than the five pounds he left in his will, so he cheated her even in death. As a minister and a believer in God and the commandments, how did he justify his multiple sins against this woman, beginning with her enslavement?
He tried to justify his cheating her by claiming that his “keeping her child more than answers for interest” he would owe on this unpaid debt, but really, how much money would he have actually spent feeding and housing a young child? The most disgraceful part of this bequest is that the value of James Chandler’s total estate was well over 400 pounds—he could easily have given her far more money. He deliberately chose not to even though he recognized that he was doing wrong.
James Chandler’s will provided me with some fascinating insights into colonial morality and values. What James left behind and how he chose to distribute his personal wealth provided a rather troubling image of his character, which was not as sterling as one would expect from a well-respected minister.
1.
Harvard University. 1905. Quinquennial
Catalogue of the Officers and Graduates of Harvard University. Cambridge,
MA: Harvard University. p 129
2.
THE
CHANDLER FAMILY. The Descendants of William an dAnnis Chandler Who Settled in
Roxbury, Mass., 1637. Chandler, George. Press of C. Hamilton, Worcester,
Mass. 1883. Pg. 101-104. https://archive.org/details/chandlerfamilyde00chan/page/104/mode/2up
3.
Genealogy of Descendants of Thomas Hale of
Watton, England, and of Newbury, Mass. Hale, Robert Safford, 1822-1881. Albany,
N.Y.: Weed, Parsons & Co., 1889. Pg. 158. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62282/records/4432764542?tid=46986934&pid=322823898937&ssrc=pt
4.
History Bytes: Church Pews. https://newporthistory.org/history-bytes-church-pews/
5.
Box Pew photo—Colonial Meeting House in Alna,
Maine. Photo by Paul Wainwright.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_pew#/media/File:Box_pews_Alna_ME.jpg
No comments:
Post a Comment