JAMES JACKSON, SR. -- PART IV, THE ANCESTORS OF JOHN SEABORN "SEBE" JACKSON

 JAMES JACKSON, Sr. (1671-1735)

QUAKER OF FLUSHING, LONG ISLAND

            Is there any married person who has not wondered (at least to themselves), “Where would I be?  What would I be? Who would I be? If I had married differently?”  Choosing a spouse is probably the single most momentous decision most of us make.  Certainly this was true for James Jackson, youngest son of Col. John Jackson.  His marriage to Rebecca Hallett altered his destiny, changed his religion, added to his wealth, and brought him FAMILY (to the max).  Together the couple created their own large family; but additionally, Rebecca brought James into the sphere of influence of her numerous, famous, charismatic, and controversial family.

The bride was 19 and the groom 23, when they were united in marriage in1694.  Over the next 25 years, Rebecca would give birth to 21 children. Remarkably, only one would die in infancy; 20 would live to be adults; and 17 would survive their parents (see summary chart of their children below).  In an era in which 60% of children died before their 16^th birthday, Rebecca and James were well ahead of the odds.[i]  The survival rate of their children testifies to their parenting skills.  There is little doubt of the couple’s familial devotion. Above all, we can conclude that James Jackson, Sr. was truly a Family Man.

Jackson's and Hallett's of Long Island -- James' father, Col. John Jackson owned much of the South Shore of Long Island, including what is now Jones Beach.  Rebecca's father, William Hallett, Jr., owned much of the North West Coast of Long Island, including most of what is now Astoria.  James acquired and developed land on the North West Coast of Long Island.  Jackson Heights in Queens is named for James Jackson, who was the original owner of the land.  His land also included what is now Laguardia Airport.

In leaving the geographical area of his Parents and moving to the geographical area inhabited by his in-laws James Jackson set a pattern that would be followed by 6 subsequent generations of his male descendants of our Jackson line (through John Seaborn "Sebe" Jackson).  In each case, after marriage, they made their homes in the vicinity of their in-laws, and remained closely aligned with their wives' family.

Observation and Inference – At this point, I offer an observation that will eventually span eight generations of Jackson Men, so you can study the emerging pattern over the generations. James Jackson, Sr., like his father Col. John, and his son Benjamin, and Benjamin’s son down to the current generation of Jacksons, married the daughters of a rich, and/or prominent, and/or highly respected men.  While we do not have portraits or descriptions of many of the Jackson wives, the descriptions that exist, use the adjectives “fair,” “handsome,” and/or “comely”.   In short, it seems that Jackson men consistently married very well.  They courted and wed young women who were highly desirable.  Given their success in the marriage game, it is possible to infer that the Jackson men were handsome or charming or both.  I salute my male Jackson nephews and cousins, who continue to prove the truth of this inference.

Rebecca Hallett’s Family[ii] (James’ In-laws) --

The Jackson’s of Hempstead, L.I. were a distinguished and respected family, but compared to Rebecca’s family, the Jackson’s were downright BORING.  Murder, insanity, scandal, and adultery are the highlights, but Indian raids, slave revolts, pirates, banishments, and ghosts add spice to Rebecca’s family history.  Her father, William Hallett, Jr. was a respectable citizen (well most of the time), but his mother, Elizabeth Fones Winthrop Fake Hallett was the most notorious woman in New England and New Netherlands.  Even after 400 years, her life and adventures arouse the imagination and are the basis for at least two novels and a made for TV movie.  (Missy Wolfe.  Insubordinate Spirit: A True Story of Life and Loss in Earliest America, 2012. And Anya Seton. The Winthrop Woman, 1958.  See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Fones and http://williamhallett.com/elizabeth-fones-winthrop-feake-hallett-b-1610/). 

Rebecca’s extended family on the North shore of Long Island included her maternal Aunts and Uncles (her grandmother, Elizabeth Fones’ children).  Elizabeth’s 8 children (by three husbands) were Martha Johanna (Joan) Winthrop; Elizabeth, Hannah, John, Robert Jr., and Sarah Feake; William Hallett, Jr. (Rebecca’s father) and Samuel Hallett, Sr.  Samuel Hallett had a daughter Elizabeth, who married John Jackson, Jr. (James’ older brother).  Thus, Rebecca Hallett Jackson and Elizabeth Hallett Jackson were cousins and sisters-in-law.  Their children were double first-cousins (genetically as close as siblings).

The scandals surrounding Elizabeth Fones Winthrop Hallett’s multiple marriages pale by comparison with the history of matricide in her grandmother Rebecca Cornell’s family.  In 1673, two years before Rebecca’s birth, her great uncle, Thomas Cornell, Jr., was executed for the murder of his Mother (Rebecca’s grandmother), Rebecca Briggs Cornell.  Of course, Thomas, Jr. may or may not have been guilty, since the primary witness against him was his Mother’s ghost.  The case was one of the earliest and most bizarre murders in the history of New England, and is chronicled by Elaine Forman Crane in Killed Strangely: The Death of Rebecca Cornell (2002).  In a twist of fate, the murderous son (Thomas, Jr.) would have a 4^th great granddaughter, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Borden, who would be found not guilty of the ax murder of her father and stepmother. (See http://www.history.com/news/family-tradition-did-lizzie-bordens-ancestor-kill-his-mother-too-2 ).

The violence that haunted her family extended to Rebecca Hallett Jackson’s older brother, William Hallett, III.   Along with his wife and five children, William was the victim of a gruesome mass murder.  The ax-killings of her brother and his family took place in 1708.  William III owned two slaves, an Indian named Sam and his African wife. When the entire Hallett family was found chopped to pieces, suspicion fell on the slaves.  Sam’s wife was burned at the stake, and Sam was mounted on a large, sharp blade or spike, and literally cut himself to death.  The atrocity of the murder was matched by the brutality of the executions. (See The Encyclopedia of Slave Resistance and Rebellion, Vol. 1 edited by Junius P. Rodriguez (2007) or the website --    http://www.executedtoday.com/2013/02/02/1708-indian-sam-william-hallet-slavery-new-york/ )

The colorful and fascinating saga of Rebecca’s ancestors is too long to include in a report, focused on her husband.  Therefore, we are devoting a separate chapter to recounting the stories briefly mentioned here.  In this report, we include events directly related to the Flushing Quaker Meeting where the James Jackson Family worshiped for at least 30 years. (see http://www.nyym.org/flushing/history.html; and http://longislandgenealogy.com/Quaker3.pdf)

SIDE NOTE:
In 2014, one of our CORNELL "cousins," neuroscientist, James Fallon, discovered, through the course of his work, that his brain demonstrates structural and functional patterns associated with psychopathic violence.  His work subsequently led him to study the genetic transmission of this pattern, and to trace his genealogy to the Cornell Family.  As we consider our line of the descendants of JAMES JACKSON and REBECCA HALLETT, the potential for violent behavior is a theme we will investigate.  The following links are among the many that relate Dr. Fallon's reports.
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127888976
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-neuroscientist-who-discovered-he-was-a-psychopath-180947814/ 
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/01/life-as-a-nonviolent-

James and Rebecca Hallett Jackson and the Religious Society of Friends –

Given their history, you will probably be surprised to learn that the Halletts and their kin were mostly Quakers.  The peace-loving Religious Society of Friends does not seem a natural match, but the Hallett kin were involved from the earliest Quaker activity on Long Island. 

The Dutch proprietors of West India Company were practical people who granted greater religions freedom than any other colony in North America.  Only Rhode Island demonstrated similar tolerance for religious diversity.  Indeed, The religious tolerance of the Dutch (described in detail by Russell Shorto in The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America, 2005) drew many religious dissenters.  It is not surprising then that Richard Smith, the first known Quaker in the United States, lived in Southampton, Long Island, before 1656.  

However, Gov. Peter Stuyvesant took deep offense when several Quakers arrived in New Amsterdam, and began preaching and exhorting in the streets.  He was particularly appalled because several of the preachers were women.  He arrested the group, and although they were eventually released, he issued and edict forbidding anyone in the Dutch Colony to entertain a Quaker or allow a Quaker meeting to be held in his house, under penalty of a fifty pound fine. 

 In 1657, Henry Townsend, a highly respected colonist in Flushing, held a Quaker meeting in his home and was fined and banished.  The Townsend family was closely connected with the Jackson, Hallett, and Feake families. Two of James and Rebecca's children would marry Townsend's. 

The unfair treatment of Henry Townsend hit close to home for William Hallett, Sr.  (Rebecca’s grandfather) who had previously been banished by Stuyvesant for entertaining an Episcopal minister in his home.  He backed the protest that followed Townsend’s sentencing.

The citizens of Flushing, Quaker and non-Quaker, joined together to protest Gov. Stuyvesant’s actions.  They drew up a document, which has been widely praised as the first demand for religious freedom in America.  Their complaint is called the Flushing Remonstrance, and remains an eloquent statement in support of religious tolerance.  An exemplary phrase in the preamble illustrates the tone of the document:

“Wee desire therefore in this case not to judge least we be judged, neither to condemn least we be condemned, but rather let every man stand or fall to his own Master. Wee are bounde by the law to do good unto all men, especially to those of the household of faith.. . . . whether Presbyterian, Independent, Baptist, or Quakers.”

The 28 signers included three families closely aligned with the Jackson/Hallett families – the Townsends, Fields, and Thornes.  James’s children, Thomas, Mary, Elizabeth, and James, Jr. would marry into these families.  The Schout (Sheriff) of Flushing, who joined the protest, was Tobias Feake (a cousin of William Hallett, Jr.).  Tobias was jailed by the governor for his role, and only released after making an abject apology.  Stuyvesant then dismissed the Flushing Town government and replaced it with his own appointees.

Rather than quenching the Quaker fire, the governor’s action seems to have added fuel.  Many of the signers of the Remonstrance became Quakers.  Hannah Feake (Rebecca Hallett Jackson’s Aunt) was one convert.  Hannah married John Bowne, and in 1661, the couple built a house, which still stands on Bowne St.  Their home became the meeting place for the Flushing Quakers.  Stuyvesant soon learned of this violation of his edict, and in 1662, John Bowne was arrested, imprisoned, tried and fined.  A stubborn man, John refused to pay the fine, or to escape, even when the prison door was deliberately left unlocked.  The governor was finally forced to banish Bowne from the Colony.  John, the ultimate stubborn man, made his way to Holland where he appealed his case before the Dutch West India Company.  In 1663, the Company ruled in Bowne’s favor, and sent a letter establishing religious liberty in New Netherlands, stating: “The consciences of men at least ought ever to remain free and unshackled.” 

This freedom was short-lived because in 1664, the English seized the Dutch Colony.  They imposed fines and penalties on the Quakers, but did not forbid their worship.  The Flushing Quakers continued to hold meetings in the Bowne house.  In 1672, George Fox, the founder of the Quaker movement. came to America, and visited the Bowne House.  Fox preached under a stand of oaks near the Bowne home.  The oaks are gone, but the house stands, and the site of his sermon is marked with a memorial stone.

 A meetinghouse was constructed, and in 1694, the first recorded assembly was held in the new building.  The Historic Quaker Meeting House of Flushing opened the same year Rebecca Hallett married James Jackson, Sr. It is not known whether the simple marriage ceremony took place in the new church, in the Bowne house, or in the Hallett home but James became a Quaker at the time of his marriage.  The births of their children and their marriages are duly recorded in the records of the Flushing Yearly Meeting.(http://longislandgenealogy.com/Quaker3.pdf)

The Family of James and Rebecca Hallett Jackson –

As noted, James and Rebecca had 21 children, 10 boys and 11 girls.  The youngest girl Abigail (b 1718) died young, while the remaining 10 boys and 10 girls attained adult status.  Of the 20 survivors 19 are known to have married, and all of these are believed to have left children.  Fourteen of the 20 lived and died on Long Island.  Three (James, Jr., Joseph, and Phoebe) moved to nearby New Jersey; and three (John, Stephen, and Benjamin) moved south to the Carolinas. Two, Joseph and Benjamin, were congregants of an established church (Episcopal or Presbyterian).   Records indicate that at least 12 married Quakers or worshiped with the Society of Friends for part of their lives.

Notes on the Tables:  Six of the children are shown as dying after 1735.  The exact dates of their deaths are not known, but they were alive at the time of James’ death in 1735.  Some genealogies show them all as dying in 1735, as though there was some massive plague. 

Many records are in error with regard to Mary Jackson’s marriage and death dates.  Her first husband, Jacob Willets died in 1722, and this is often given as Mary’s death date.  Mary was very much alive after 1722.  She married Nathaniel Townsend in 1724, and their 3 sons were born in 1725, 1727, and 1729.  We do not know the exact date of her death, but she was deceased when her father died in 1735, because he left her share of his legacy to her three Townsend sons. 

Three pairs of the Jackson children married siblings.  Mary Jackson and her brother Thomas married Nathaniel Townsend his sister Mary.   The Townsend siblings were the children of James and Audrey Almy Townsend.

James Jr. and his sister Phoebe married Mary and Edward FitzRandolph.  The name is given variously as Fitz Randolph, FitzRandolph, Randolph, and Randle.  They are the children of Edward and Katherine Hartshorne FitzRandolph.  The FitzRandolph Family were Quakers who pioneered the settlement of New Jersey.  Their relationship and influence on the descendants of James and Rebecca would have a lasting impact on our family.

 It is probable that the Jackson twins, Jemina and Jeremiah also married siblings.  Jemina married Henry Hicks.  We do not know the first name of Jeremiah’s wife, but her surname is given as Hicks.  Henry’s parents were Col. Isaac and Elizabeth Moore Hicks.  Isaac was a close friend and neighbor of James Jackson, and the two men often worked together.

TABLE 1

The Jackson Children Summary Chart

#	Name	DOB	DOD	Age	Place
1	Thomas	1694	1759/60	65/66	Oyster Bay, Queens, NY
2	Mary	1696/7	Between 1729 &1734	32-38	Oyster Bay, Queens, NY
3	Sarah	1697	After 1735[iii]	??	Long Island City, Queens, NY
4	Rebecca	1698/9	1730?	31	Long Island City, Queens, NY
5	John[iv]	1700/1	1768-1772	67-71	Anson, North Carolina
6	Charity	1702	After 1735	??	Long Island City, Queens, NY
7	Elizabeth	1703	1769	65	Long Island City, Queens, NY
8	James, Jr.	1704	1750	46	Woodbridge Middlesex, New Jersey
9	Hannah	1706	After 1735	??	Long Island City, Queens, NY
10	William	1707	Before 1794	86	New Jersey or New York (not established)
11	Martha	1707	About 1790	81	Long Island
12	Joseph[v]	1709/10	1769	58	Rockaway, Morris, New Jersey
13	Richard	1711	1739	27	Jerusalem, Queens, NY
14	Phoebe	1712	1777	65	Plainfield, Essex/Union, New Jersey
15	Robert	1713	After 1760	??	Long Island City, Queens, NY
16	Jemima[vi]	1714	After 1735	??	Long Island City, Queens, NY
17	Jeremiah[vii]	1714	1804	90	Long Island City, Queens ,NY
17	Samuel	1716	After 1735	??	Long Island City, Queens, NY
19	Stephen	1717	1800	82	Chesterfield, Craven, South Carolina
20	Abigail	1718	Died Young	??	Queens, NY
21	Benjamin	1719	1805	86	Mt. Croghan, Chesterfield, South Carolina

In Quilted Families, the list of Jackson Children differs in some specific ways from the list presented here.  The scholarship and research underlying Jerry Gross's work on the Hempstead Jacksons is excellent.  Further, Jerry is supported by prior research by Janie Jackson Kimble and Bob Mitchell.  In this Table, I use a slightly different list, but will note the differences, and will continue to review the research and revise.
NOTE -- In QUILTED FAMILIES, there are two WILLIAM Jacksons.  The first, born in 1705 (child #9) and died in infancy; and the second WILLIAM born in 1707 (child#11). 
In QUILTED FAMILIES, JEMINA Jackson is not shown as a twin, and JERMIAH is not included in the listing.
Finally, in QUILTED FAMILIES, ABIGAIL Jackson (child #20 in our list), who died young is not listed.
In summary, QUILTED FAMILIES, includes WILLIAM (1) (who died in infancy), but does not include ABIGAIL (who died young) nor JEREMIAH (twin to JEMINA).  We have included Abigail and Jeremiah, but not William (1).  QUILTED FAMILIES shows 20 children and we have 21.  Since the differences center around two children who died in infancy (William 1 and Abigail), the only difference with consequence for descent is Jeremiah (Jemina's twin).

TABLE 2

The Jackson Children’s Spouses and Religious Affiliation

#	Name	DOB	DOD	Age	Spouse(s)	Religion[1]
1	Thomas	1694	1730	35	Mary Townsend	Quaker
2	Mary	1696	Between 1729 & 1734	21-26	Jacob Willets Nathaniel Townsend	Quaker
3	Sarah	1697	After 1735[1]	??	Samuel Clements	Unknown
4	Rebecca	1699	1730	31	Sylvanus Seaman	Quaker
5	John[1]	1701	1772	71	Sarah Doty	Probably Quaker
6	Charity	1702	After 1735	??	John Dingey	Unknown
7	Elizabeth	1703	1771	68	Nathaniel Field	Quaker
8	James, Jr.	1704	1750	46	Mary FitzRandolph Sarah Thorne	Quaker
9	Hannah	1706	After 1735	??	John Claude Hewett	Quaker
10	Martha	1707	After 1735	??	William Green _	Quaker
11	William	1707	1795	87	Prudence Smith	Unknown
12	Joseph[1]	1710	1769	59	Margaret Burgess Ann Unknown Mary Ann Robinson	Presbyterian
13	Richard	1711	1739	28		Unknown
14	Phoebe	1712	1777	65	Edward Fitz Randolph	Quaker
15	Robert	1713	After 1760	??	Joanna Unknown	Unknown
16	Jemima[1]	1714	After 1735	??	Henry Hicks	Quaker
17	Jeremiah[1]	1714	1804	90	Unknown Hicks	Quaker
17	Samuel	1716	After 1735	??	Sarah Carpenter	Quaker
19	Stephen	1717	1800	82	Mary Lewis	Unknown
20	Abigail	1718	Died Young	??
21	Benjamin	1719	1805	86	Mary Lively Rushing Amanda Powell Paul	Episcopal

James the Miller – In addition to farming, James was a miller.  Indeed, over the course of his life he operated two very important mills.  In 1708 he opened a mill on the Jerusalem River.  Col. John Jackson (James' father) obtained the license for the mill when James was only 3 years old (1678), and eventually passed the permit to James.  Today the ruins of his mill and millpond are part of Mill Park in Wantagh.  

After he married and moved to Flushing (and what is now Astoria) on the north shore of Long Island, he founded a second mill.  This mill was located on land that is now part of Laguardia Air Port.  The mill pond was located just outside what is now the main entrance to the airport.  Jackson Mill Rd. commemorates the location of the old mill.  

I was under the impression that James operated a “gristmill,” because this is stated in one description of the Wantagh park mill.  However, a Rootsweb file describes James’ mill as a “fulling mill.”  The distinction is important.  A gristmill grinds various types of grain, creating flour or meal.  In contrast, a fulling mill cleans and compacts cloth, using water.  In either case, the mill was a major occupation and source of income for James.

Rebecca’s Death -- All of James and Rebecca’s 21 children were born between 1694 and 1719.  Elizabeth was 20 when her first child (Thomas) was born, and 44 when her last (Benjamin) entered this world.  She died ten years later at the age of 54.  Records indicate that Thomas and his mother died on the same day, April 12, 1730.  Thomas was only 35, and no explanation is given for either death.  

James' relationship with his father-in-law 

James’s Remarriage -- James was 59 when his wife and eldest son died.  He remarried only 52 days after Rebecca’s death.  His second wife was named Abigail; her surname is unknown.  Some records suggest that the motivation for his hasty remarriage was the need for a mother for his children.  This is possible since he had 10 children between the ages of 10 and 18 years.

Banished Quaker – After Rebecca’s death, the Flushing Quaker Meeting censored James.  Two reasons are cited – (1) his unseemly marriage, too soon after the death of his wife, and (2) attending the wedding of his daughter to a non-Quaker.   We don't know if  James ever regained his status within the Religious Society of Friends. 

Impartial Arbiter – On Oct. 31, 1733, James embarked on the most significant civic service of his life.  Along with his neighbor Isaac Hicks, James was invited by the government of Rhode Island to be an impartial arbiter in a boundary dispute between the Rhode Island and Massachusetts Colonies.   Jackson and Hicks apparently did an exemplary job of resolving the dispute.  The Rhode Island Colony voted to reward each with a silver tankard valued at 50 pounds and engraved with the Arms of the Colony.

James Jackson, Sr. ‘s Death and Will –

            James died at the age of 64, on Oct. 15, 1735.  According to several records, he died on Cows’ Neck (today’s Port Washington) on the north shore of Long Island.  This locale has great meaning for my family because we have special ties to Port Washington.  We lived there for seven years; our daughters were educated in the Port Washington schools; and our younger daughter met her future husband there. James is buried in Rocky Hill Cemetery in Flushing.  

http://www.longislandsurnames.com/getperson.php?personID=I06260&tree=Woolley  

            Comments on the Contents of His Will – In his will, James disposes of his property in a manner that differs dramatically from the wills of all of the other Jackson’s in our line.  He orders that his real property (land and buildings) be sold, and the cash receipts be dispersed to his heirs.  This is atypical behavior for Jacksons, who tend to hold tightly to real property.  On the other hand, few people have as many heirs, and perhaps this was the only way James could envision an equal distribution of 20 shares.

           

            The will demonstrates that James was a wealthy man, but the number of his heirs diluted the value of each share.  The cash provision for Abigail, his wife of four years is especially generous, i.e. 250 pounds and a slave.  However, James frugally reserves the residual of this bequest to be divided among his children after Abigail’s death.  He divides his estate and belongings among his many children, and takes care to make bequests to the orphaned children of his deceased son and daughter.

            At the time of his death, James’ two youngest sons, Stephen and Benjamin were only 18 and 16 respectively, and James makes special provision for them, leaving them 70 pounds each as compared with the 50 pounds bequeathed to each of their older brothers.

            This Version of the Will -- The following version of the Will of James Jackson is taken from the site owned by Janie Jackson Kimble -- http://www.jacksonfamilygenealogy.com/pages/WillJamesJackson.htm. 

Specifically, this version is from the Image found on LDS film 874521, Record of Wills, Vol. 12, Surrogates Court, New York County, New York
Pages 336-340 (old Liber 362-?).   

James Jackson's Will was first posted as a transcription copied from Oscar Burton Robbins' book "History of the Jackson Family of Hempstead, Long Island, N.Y., Ohio and Indiana - Descendants of Robert and Agnes Washburn Jackson".  

In November, 2009, Linn Baiker contributed an image of the actual Will which has minor differences in wording plus major difference in naming the Executors.  A benefit of seeing the actual copy is also learning the actual spelling of James' daughter Charity was not Denzey, Dengey or Dingee.  James spelled it Dingey.  This actual image also includes three witnesses of the will and the proving of the will on October 21, 1735, which the earlier version did not include. 

Will of James Jackson -- 1670 - 1735

In the name of God, Amen.   I, James Jackson of Flushing, in Queens County within the Province of New York, Yeoman, being sick and weak, but of sound and perfect mind and memory, praise be therefore given to Almighty God, do make &s ordain this my present last Will and Testament, in manner and form following, (that is to say) first and principally I commend my soul unto the hands of Almighty God, hoping through the merrits of my Saviour, Jesus Christ, to have full pardon and forgiveness of all my sins, and to inherit everlasting life, and my body I committ to the Earth, to be decently buried at the discretion of my Executors hereafter named, and as touching the disposition of all such temporal estate as it hath pleased God to bestow upon me, I give and dispose thereof as follows.   First,-I will and order that all the debts which I do owe unto any person or persons and my funeral charges shall be well and truly satisfied and paid.

        Item.         I give and bequeath unto my well beloved wife, Abigail, the sum of two hundred and fifty pounds lawful money of New York, to be paid by my Executors hereafter named at some reasonable time after my decease, the same being for her subsistance and support during her life, and also a negroe girl slave called Sylvia, and after the decease of my said wife I will and bequeath one hundred pounds of the afore reciped money unto my sons William, Joseph, Richard, Robert, Samuel, Stephen, Benjamin, Thomas, James and John, to be equally divided amongst them share and share alike, and to their heirs and assigns for ever and the aforesaid negroe girl slave called Sylvia, I give unto my daughters, Rebecca Seamans, Charity Dingey, Elizabeth Fields, Hannah Hicks, Martha Jackson, Phebe Randal, & Jemimah Hicks, to be equally divided after being sold, between them share and share alike, and to their heirs and assigns for ever.

        Item.         My will is, and I do order that all and singular my lands, messuages and tenements wheresoever the same may be found, shall be sold to the best advantage after my decease by my Executors hereafter named at their discretion, and the monies arising from such sale shall be applied shall be applyed (sic) and paid in manner and form following, that is to say, the before mentioned bequeathed two hundred and fifty pounds unto my said wife, Abigail, for the uses aforesaid.

        Item.         I give and bequeath unto Jacob - Steven, and John Townsend, the sons of Nathaniel Townsend, to each of them the sum of fifteen pounds, New York money, and to their heirs and assigns forever.   And the sum of one hundred and fifty five pounds, I give and bequeath unto my daughters Sarah, Rebecca, Charity, Elizabeth, Hannah, Martha, Phebe and Jemimah, aforesaid to be equally divided between them and to their heirs and assigns forever.  I also further give and bequeath unto my said daughters and to their heirs and assigns forever, all and singular my movables, of what kind or nature soever they be, or wheresoever to be found to be equally shared and divided between them, but it is the true intent and meaning hereof, that before such division thereof be made, my daughter, Sarah Clements to whom I have formerly given a negroe woman, shall have the sum of sixty pounds short what the rest of my said daughters have, and that before such division my daughter Martha shall have my negro girl called Nanny to her and her heirs and assigns forever.

        Item.         I do will and ordain that the residue and remaining part of the moneys which shall arise from the sale of my messuages, lands and tenements aforesaid shall be applyed as follows, that is to say, I give and bequeath unto my sons Joseph, Richard, Robert and Samuel and to their heirs and assigns forever each the sum of fifty pounds New York money, and unto Stephen and Benjamin and their heirs and assigns, each the sum of seventy pounds, and what moneys there shall be then remaining shall be equally divided share and share alike unto all my said male children, that is to say, William, Joseph, Richard, Robert, Samuel, Stephen, Benjamin, Thomas, James and John, and to their heirs and assigns forever, and my son James, for whom I am counter security to James Burling for one hundred pound bond, and having paid the interest therof several years, which said bond and the money therein due with the interest if paid at any time and discharged by my Executors, and thereby acquitting my said son James from paying the same.  The said James shall have then have so much short of his share in the division, with the rest of my said sons.  And I do hereby revoke, disannull and make void all former Wills and Testaments by me at any time made, and do also hereby  nominate and appoint Richard Jackson, Samuel Jackson and Henry Hicks to be the Executors of this my last Will and Testament.  In testimony whereof I the said James Jackson have hereunto set my hand and seal the twenty seventh day of September in the year of our Lord seventeen hundred and thirty five.

                                                                                                        (Signed) James Jackson L. S. 

Signed, Sealed, Published, Pronounced and Declared by the said James Jackson as his Last Will and Testament (severall razours being first herein made) in presence of Gabriel Luff, John Doughty, William Mott.

Probate to James Jacksons Will

William Cosby, Captain Generall and Governour in Chief of the Provinces of New York, New Jersey and the territories thereon Depending in America Vice Admiral of the same and Collonel in his Majesties Army ve.  To all to whom these presents shall come or may concern Greeting:  Know Ye that at New York the twenty first day of October Instant before Fredrick Morris being thereunto delegated and appointed the Last Will and Testament of James Jackson was proved and now approved and allowed of by me having while he lived and at the time of his Death Goods Rights & Creditts in Divers places within this Province by means whereof the full Disposition of all and singular the Goods Rights and Creditts of the said Deceased and the Granting Administration of them as also the hearing of account calculation or Reckoning and the final Discharge and Dismission from the same unto me solely and not unto any other Inferior Judge are manifestly known to belong and the Administration of all & singular the Goods Rights and Creditts of the said Deceased and his Last Will & Testament in any manner of way concerning was Granted unto Richard Jackson and Henry Hicks, two of the Executors in the said Will named (Power being reserved to Samuel Jackson) Chiefly of well and truly Administring the same and of making a true & Perfect Inventory of all and singular the Goods Rights and Creditts of the said Deceased and exhibiting the same into the Registry of the Prerogative Court in the Secretarys Office for the Province of New York and that at or before the twenty first day of April ????  ???? suing & of Reckoning when thereunto requires.  In Testimony whereof I have caused the perogative Seal of the said Province of New York to be hereunto affixed this twenty-first day of October 1735.

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[i] Demographers estimate that during this era, 1% of newborns died on the first day of life; while 5% would die by the end of the first week; and an additional 3-4% would die in the first month.  A total of 12-13% would die within the first year.  36% would die before the age of 6; and another 24% between the ages of 7 and 16 (yielding a total of 60%) before age 16 (childhood mortality).

[ii] Descendants of William Hallett, Sr. (Rebecca Hallett Jackson’s grandfather) include Bill Gates  (http://www.wargs.com/other/gates.html) and John Kerry. (http://www.wargs.com/political/kerry.html )

[iii] For 6 children we do not have a date of death, but we know they were alive when their father died in 1735

[iv] Participated in Regulator Movement in Alamance

[v] Joseph was a General in the French & Indian War, and five of his sons served in that War

[vi] Twin

[vii] Twin