Joanna Shattuck

Notes:

Died:
She died unmarried.

Other Events:

• Immigration: Massachusetts
• Will: 3 Aug 1672, Watertown, Massachusetts
• Probate: 23 Aug 1672

Notes:

Anecdote:
From "Descendants of William Shattuck":
William Shattuck was the most remote ancestor with whom we have been able to connect ourselves, in our history, upon satisfactory evidence ; and we begin with his, in our classification, as the first, or earliest generation. He was born in England in 1621 or 1622, and died in Watertown, Massachusetts, August 14, 1672, aged 50 years. His exact origin and early history are involved in obscurity. Neither the place of his birth, nor the year in which he came to this country, nor the names of his parents, are certainly known. There is no doubt, however, that his immediate ancestors and connections were residents of England. It has been conjectured that his father might have died on his passage or soon after his arrival ; and also that he may have been the son of widow Damaris Shattuck, who was b. c. 1597 ; she was admitted to the church of Salem, in 1641. She died Nov. 28, 1674.

Massachusetts was first colonized by the English Puritan emigrants, in Boston and it's vicinity, in 1630. Watertown was settled in the same year, ten years later than the founding of Plymouth. This town is in Middlesex County, from four to seven miles westerly of Boston, and has Cambridge, easterly, intervening between the two places. It originally included the present city of Waltham, incorporated separately in 1737. It is thus one of the most ancient, and it was early one of the most important, towns in the Province. The General Court and the Provincial Congress held several sessions in this town. Mr. Shattuck's name appears in an old list of the proprietors of Watertown, made about 1642, twelve years after its first settlement, although he was then only twenty years of age. The first lot of land granted to him is described upon the records as follows:

William Shattuck
1. An Homstall of one acre, by estimation, bounded souwest with commonland, ye east wth John Clough and ye west wth William Perry in his possesion.
2. Three acres of upland , by estimation, bounded the north wth Joseph Morse, the south wth William Perry, the east wth John Clough & ye west wth commonland in his possession.

To this estate he made large additions by subsequent grants and purchases. Among other parcels of land the records state that on the 4th July, 1654, he bought of his neighbor John Clough, his house, garden, and thirty acres of land, situated on Common Hill, near his own estate, bounded east by William Payne and E. Goffe, west by the highway, north by Joseph Morse and "south by the highway to the pond;" probably lying in the corner easterly and northerly of the intersection of the two roads, now called Common street and Washington street. Also twenty acres of upland ; three acres of swamp land ; and one part of twelve acres of meadow land. He also bought a farm at Stony Brook , near the present bounds of Weston, and four acres of meadow in Pond Meadow , which he bequeathed at his death, in equal shares, to his sons, Philip and William. He also bought a dwelling-house and a large farm of Edward Sanderson ; but a question having arisen as to his title to some parts of it, the town voted, December 27, 1664; that "William Shattuck shall enjoy the land he bought of Sanders; provided he pay to Sanders twenty bushels of good merchantable Indian corn to spend in his house."

We have found it difficult to ascertain the exact place where Mr. Shattuck resided. It was, however, undoubtedly on Common Hill, near "King's Common" so called the Common land reserved and owned by the town. This locality was northerly of the celebrated residence of J.P. Cushing, Esq. ; southerly of the Wellington Hill Station on the Fitchburg Railroad ; and easterly of Common street, leading from that station southerly to Watertown village. Permission was frequently given by the town to make bricks "at the clay pits near William Shattucks" This bed of clay was then considered a rarity ; and it was reserved by the town as a public place for brick making. It was on the hill northerly and near Washington street, then an ancient highway leading from Common street to Fresh Pond, and in vicinity westerly of the residences of Mr. Chenery and Mr. Stone, as laid down on Shield's Map of Boston and Vicinty, published in 1852. And Mr. Shattuck's dwelling-house was on the hill, somewhere on the north side of this highway. The Watertown records, in describing a piece of common land sold by the town, in 1743, to Ebenezer Chenery, " lying above the clay pitts," say the bounds run " on a line to a rock at said Chenery's fence, above or west of a spring [commonly called Shattuck's Spring.]" The residences on this hill command a fine view of Fresh Pond, near by, and of Boston and its vicinity in the distance ; and are among the most delightful in Watertown. Successors bearing the name Shattuck occupied the estate for about one hundred years, but has since been in the possession of others.

Mr. Shattuck is sometimes denominated a weaver ; a humble but honorable handicraft of considerable importance in his day, when all articles of clothing were the product of household manufacture. And it is not improbable that he combined his mechanical with other occupations, and wrought in his loom as well as on his farm ; for at his death he actually bequeathed his " loom and its appurtenances" to his son William. Agriculture seems, however, to have been his principal enjoyment, as it has been that of the larger part of his posterity. His example of uniting the labors of the farmer and mechanic in one person has been followed by many of his descendants. He resided in Watertown about thirty years. He appears, so far as can be ascertained from contemporary records, to have sustained the character of a sagacious, energetic, and successful business man ; of an honest, upright, and worthy citizen ; and of a good and peacable neighbor. He held a respectable social position among his fellow townsmen ; and his family and the families to whom they were allied by marriage were highly respected, and among the most wealthy and influential in Watertown.

William Shattuck was married about 1642, when he was twenty years of age. The name of his wife was Susanna Hayden, it is believed she was born in Watertown in 1621. In his will Mr. Shattuck mentions "his ten younger children," as if he had others, but it does appear that he had more than that number. The births of the Second, third, and tenth only are entered upon the Watertown records. The remainder are ascertained from authentic evidence.

William Shattuck died on August 14, 1672. He was interred in the ancient burying-ground situated on the old road leading from Cambridge to Watertown, a short distance westerly of Mount Auburn.

Susanna Shattuck remained a widow for about fifteen months after his death, and married, Nov. 18, 1673, Mr. Richard Norcross. She died in Watertown, Dec. 11, 1686, fourteen years after the death of her first husband William Shattuck. A petition, dated June 19, 1683, purporting to be from Philip Shattuck, is on court files of Middlesex County , in which it said, "Our two youngest brothers , Benjamin and Samuel, were left to the care and government of our honored mother, unto whom our honored father did bequeath the most considerable part of his estate ; but after our mother did marry again, she thought it would be beneficial for our youngest brothers to have trades ; and she accordingly put them out, Benjamin to my brother William, and Samuel to myself. But before Benjamin came of age, God was pleased to visit him with a long and lingering sickness, of which he died, being in his 20th year ; and by reason of the long sickness, the charges of the doctor, his attendance, and the funeral charges, were considerable." And he prays that they may be paid out of the estate that was bequeathed to him, which was probable done.

Will:
The will of William Shattuck, executed while he was on a sick bed, is dated August 3d, eleven days before his death, and was proved in court August 29th, fifteen days afterwards. This will and the inventory of his estate were deposited in the office of the Middlesex Probate Court. These documents will undoubtedley interest the family, and faithful copies of the original are given below.

The Last Will and Testament of William Shathock, aged 50 years
Watertown Aug: 3d :1672

I, William Shathock, being under the afflicting hand of God, sick and weak but in perfect memory, not knowing how soone I may end the days of my weary pilgrimage, do constitute this my last will and testament, for ye disposal of what I shall leave behind me, as followeth:

Item. I give my ten younger children thirty pound in money to be equally divided amongst them ; to them that are married, I will their parts should be payd a month after my disease ; that which belongs to the unmarried my will is it shall be in their mothers hand to be kept for them till they come to age capable.

Item. I give to my son Sam: Church six pound in money, to be payd a month after my disease.

Item. I give to my son, Philip Shathock, the one half of my farm and two acres of meadow in pond meadow, to him and his heyers forever.

Item. I give to my sonne, William Shathock, the other half of the sd farm and two acres of meadow in pond meadow, to him & his heyers for ever ; as also a young horse with all his trooping furniture ; also the loom and its appertinances.

Item. I give to my four small children my mare with all her increase. All the rest of my moveable goods I give to my dear wife, Susanna, for her owne maintenance & bringing up my younger children ; and also the use of my hous and land which I now dwell upon with that I bought of Edward Sanderson, til my two younger sons , Benniman & Samuel, arrive to twenty on years of age . If my sd wife marry, my will is that she receive four pound per year out of my said house & lands ; if she marry not, I give them to her during her life.

Item. I give to my sd Benniman & Sanuel my house and land I now dwell upon, with that I bought of Ed Sanderson, and my half dividend, to them and their heyers forever.

Item. I give to my grand children living at my disease forty pound, to be equally divided and payd after ye death of my wife by my sd sons, Benniman & Samuel, within the space of ten years, four pound per year, beginning with the children of my eldest children ; always provided, that if any my legitees dy before marriage my will is that what I have given divided amongst ye rest. I do father constitute my deare wife, Susanna Shathock, sole exectutor of this my will ; requesting my loving friends, John Coolidge, ioner, and Sam Livermore, assistant my said wife, and to be payd for their pains.

Signed, sealed & delivered Witness my hand,
In presence of us, William Shattuck
John Coolidge
John Livermore


Probate:
From "Descendants of William Shattuck":
No description of ours could give a better idea of the domestic arrangements, the household economy, and the interior life, of William Shattuck than is afforded by a careful examination of this inventory of his estate. It will aid us in paying an imaginary visit to his "parler,"his "ceichen," his "shope," his "dairy," and his farm generally, to ascertain their extent and the various implements in use in his daily life.

" An Inventory of the estate of Wilyam Shathauk, late of Watertown, who deceased August the 14th, in ye yeare 1672, made and taken by us whose names are under written, August the 23"

£ s. d.
005 00 00 Imprimis. In the Parler, his wearinge cloathes, shirts, hate, boughts & shoes,
103 17 05½ It. In money,
002 00 00 It. A bedstead, curtanes, a table, 2 chests, a great char, and basket, and some small things,
003 00 00 It, eight napkeens, 3 pilowbers, 2 table clothes, & 3 pair of sheets,
002 00 00 It, forten yds of coaten and woollen clooth
000 04 00 It, a cuple of tobacko boxes, and a pair of silver buttons,
003 00 00 It the ceichen [kitchen] one great ketle, 2 old ketles, & 2 scillets,
001 00 00 It, two iron pots, & a friing pane, tramell, firepane & tongs, rost iron,
001 02 00 It, six puter[pewter]platers, a basson, 2 puter poats, 3 poringers, seaven spoons, a chamber pot,
001 10 00 It 3 pailes, 3 tubes, and a churne, 3 wooden dishes and boule,2 botles, a duzen trenchers, and some earthen ware, & 2 pair of cards,
001 05 00 It, a table and forme, an other small table, 2 buffit stooles, 6 chairs, and other small things,
001 10 00 It. the shope, a loome, warping bar and wheal, and all things belonging to it,
000 12 00 It, In the dairy, five tubes, 3 keelers, 2 seives,
001 00 00 It, 3 bush. Of moult, a bush. Of wheat meall, half a bushell of ry meall, halfe a duszen pound of hops, and other lumber,
000 06 00 It, 3 sackes,
001 00 00 It. the ould seeler, a poat of butter, some pork, 2 tubs, a form and earthen poat,
002 10 00 It, In the lodging roome, two bedsteads, 2 barrells, one forme, a heir bage and cheese, 2 wheels,
000 10 00 It. In the new seller, 4 barils, a small vessell & beer stool,
004 00 00 It. In the first chamber, 3 guns, 2 pistools, and a cutlash,
000 06 00 It, his geilding tools and horne,
000 10 00 It. A mate, a fane, 3 pease scepe, a wheel, 3 ould sciths,
002 00 00 It, one crow of iron, a crose cut saw, one hand saw, 3 axis, 2 sikles, 3 ougers, a plan, chaine, cap, ringle and sople, a bill hook, a sped, a shovel, weges and betle, and hammer, a pair storke cards, a pair of sheers,
006 19 00 It. In the corn chamber, fifty bushels of indein corn, a bushell and a hafe of ry,
001 00 00 It, in sheeps wool,
005 00 00 It, 2 fether beds, a boulster, 4 pillows,
002 15 00 It, 2 ruges, 2 blankets,
003 00 00 It, one flock bed and bedsted and bed corde, a pair of blankets, 2 boulsters, and 2 pillers, and a ruge,
002 10 00 It, a carte, a yoake, an ould plow, a pair of haners, grind stone and sithe and 400 bords
000 06 00 It, 2 pair of iron filers, and a pair of glaxes,
000 15 00 It, a carte roupe, an ould tumbrell, two horse coalers and traise, a dung fork, and 2 pitching forks, 2 rakes, & a hoe,
006 00 00 It, pease, wheat, barley, and ry,
006 00 00 It, the hay in the barne and abrood and in the meddow,
006 00 00 It. five acres of Indian corn,
020 00 00 It. a farm near stony brooke
004 00 00 It. four acres of meadow, at pond meddow,
007 00 00 It, a said mare, and an ould horse,
007 00 00 It, an ould mare, and a young horse,
009 00 00 It, a pair of oxen,
012 00 00 It, four cows,
004 00 00 It, a bull, and 2 calves,
006 00 00 It, ten sheep and 9 lambs
004 00 00 It, 6 hoggs, 8 piges
180 00 00 It, one dwelling house and barne, and also the land belonging to it, homestall and meddow, with the land bought of Edward Sanderson, and halfe a divident,
002 02 00 It. in debts,
434 19 11½

John Coollege
John Livermore
Thomas Hastings

Some questions arose to the proper interpretation of the will of Mr.Shattuck, after the marriage of his widow ; and the following bond or order, dated April 8, 1674, was passed by the court at Cambridge, and entered upon its record. This document is given in connection with another, relating to the final settlement of the dowry, to illustrate the manner in which these matters were managed at that early day. It does not appear to be the result of a law suit that had been commenced, but a mutual agreement to avoid any occasion of one.

" For the finishing of all controversy that has or may arise concerning the estate of William Shattuck's widow brought to her with her present husband, Richard Norcross, this court with the mutual consent of all concerned therein, doe order that the said Richard Norcross shall have the use of the whole part of the estate that was left to her during the time of the younger children's minority, to wit, two boys twenty-one years, and the girl eighteen, or else at marriage, which of either shall first happen. And in case that he decease before his wife, that she shall have ye same fully made good to her again besides what he shall have out of his owne good will or the law will give unto him. And in case she decease before him, that then, unless by will she shall bequeath any part thereof to him, the said Richard Norcross, He shall then pay, or cause to be paid, forty-five pound , which is the sum ye inventory of her goods came to his hand, and the same he shall pay in full value to the children of his new wife, which shall then be living, as his said wife shall pay in full value to the children of his new wife, which shall then be living, as his said wife shall appoint, by her last will or otherwise. To the performance whereof the said Richard Norcross acknowledges himself, executors, administrators, to stand fully bound in a bond of ninety pound sterling, to be paid to the treasury of the county.
" And the court do further order that ye aforesaid Richard Norcross, performing according to the above said request, all other obligations by him made , in reference to person or estate, shall be null and void, to all intents and purposesin the law ; and the said Richard is to bring up the three younger children as his own untill they come to age to chose guardians or be put to apprentices.

Sworn to the court Richard Norcross"

" This writing , bearing date this 29th March, 1687, testifieth, that we, Philip Shattuck, William
Shattuck, Samuel Shattuck, Jonathon Brown, John Fay, and Abigail Morse, all children, natural or by marriage, of Mrs Norcross, late widow and relict of William Shattuck, deceasesd , do owne and acknowledge ourselves to be fully satisfied with what we have now received of our father inlaw, Mr. Richard Norcross, being fully of what he was to pay to us of what he received of our father Shattuck's estate, and agreed by bond, given into County Court, at Cambridge, the eighth of April, in the year of our lord 1674. We say we have each and every of us received our proportion in full, according unto that bond. As witnessed our hands , the day and year above written.

Witnessed by us,
Joseph Sherman
William Shattuck,
Nathaniel Bright
Philip Shattuck,
Samuel Shattuck,
Jonathon Brown,
John Fay,
John Mors, in ye behalf of
Abigail Mors, late widow."
Produced in Court, June 5, 1688
Recorded In Register of Deeds,
Vol. X., p.105.

It will be perceived that neither the heirs of John Shattuck nor Rebecca [Shattuck] Church, were represented in this last agreement. It is probable that the Latter were dead at the date of its execution, but the former were then living in Groton. Why they were omitted does not appear. Perhaps their portion of the estate bequeathed to their father, might have been paid to their mother, at another time, either before or after their removal to Groton.


Buried:
Inscriptoin:
o perpetuate the memory of
WILLIAM SHATTUCK
who died in Watertown
Aug. 14, 1672, aged 50.
The progenitor of thr race
that have borne his name
in America,

And his son
JOHN SHATTUCK
who was drowned
in Charlestown Ferry
Sept. 14, 1675, aged 28.

This simple memorial
was erected in 1853 by
LEMEUL SHATTUCK
who holds in grateful veneration
the character of
the puritan fathers of
New England.

William married Susanna Hayden about 1642. Susanna was born about 1621; died on 11 Dec 1686 in Watertown; was buried in Old Burying Place, Watertown, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Name: Susanna Norcross
• Name: Susanna Shattuck

Notes:

Birth:
She may have been born in Watertown, Massachusetts.