The children of Isaac (1805-1890) and Amelia Benson (1803-1880) of Plymouth, Massachusetts

I’ve already written a sketch about Isaac and Amelia Benson, but wanted to learn more about their children and writing really helps me get the facts in order. Isaac was born Woodstock, Vermont, 3 July1805, to Moses and Experience (Gibbs) Benson. Around 1825 he married Amelia Benson who was born Woodstock 10 May 1803, the daughter of Elisha and Sophia (Nye) Benson. See Isaac's sketch here. Both of their Benson families were originally from the southern Massachusetts. The couple returned to their roots, raising their family in Plymouth, Massachusetts. I find this couple so interesting because I’ve always felt my family has salt water in our veins coming from  coastal towns in Plymouth County and Cape Cod. For generations we’ve also been drawn to boating. At least some Bensons must have felt otherwise and went to settle landlocked Woodstock, perhaps for the fertile land. I wondered if Isaac felt the ocean calling to him, but from records it seems he was a turkey farmer and a mason. However, all five sons earned their livelihoods from the sea at some point. Maybe that salt-water obsession skips a generation now and again!

Josiah Benson. I descend from Josiah, their eldest child who was born 24 July 1826 in Woodstock, Vermont (date and location from his death certificate). He married Aurilla West Nye in Middleborough, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, 10 March 1853 (MA VR 1841-1910, 70:335). She was born 12 April 1829 (as Orrilla) in the coastal town of Rochester (now Mattapoisett), Massachusetts, to William and Nancy (Snow) Nye (Rochester VR p 263; no maiden name for mother). June 1863 Civil War Draft Registration, Plymouth: Josiah Benson, age 34, married, seaman, at sea. Josiah was a fisherman and his home was not far from Plymouth Harbor. He once pulled in a net and found it filled with gold but the net broke from the weight and he only grabbed one gold coin (story re-told in his obituary in Old Colony Memorial). After he retired from the sea, he was a watchman at Hayden Mill on Eel River. He and Aurilla had at least seven children: Charles A. who died young, Nellie, Hattie, Lizzie, Charles W., Carrie C., Lydia F. 

Harlow House, Plymouth

Aurilla (as Aurelia) Nye Benson died Plymouth 24 March 1905 at age 75 (MA VR 1841-1910, 1905/77). Josiah died at this home in Plymouth on 26 Oct 1910, age 84 (MA VR 1841-1910, 1910/85:354). His cause of death was enlargement of the heart with valvular disease at his home at 119 Sandwich Street, now a house museum known as the Harlow House owned by the Plymouth Antiquarian Society. I wrote more about Josiah and Aurilla here.

Elvira A. Benson.  She was born 7 September 1828 in Carver, Plymouth County, Mass (calculated from her age at death). On 10 Apr 1864 she married Winslow Thomas at Plymouth (MA VR 1841-1910, 172:280); it was his third marriage and her first at age 35. Winslow had married first Ruth Shaw and they had at least three daughters: Ellen, Mercy, Emma. Mercy died as a newborn with Ruth dying soon afterward and Emma must have died young also. Winslow married second Mary Thomas and they had at least three daughters, Ruth, Emma and Alice. At the time of his marriage to Elvira, he had recently returned from serving in the Civil War where he was imprisoned in Brashear City, Louisiana.  

Elvira and Winslow had one daughter together, Janette/Jennie, born in 1865. Winslow was born Middleborough 4 May 1817 to Winslow and Charity Thomas. He was a moulder in the iron industry. Sadly Winslow died just two years after their marriage on 7 Jun 1866 of consumption at age 49.

Elvira was back in Plymouth in 1870 when she’s keeping house for Lorenzo and Susan Bennett, and daughter Jennie age 5 is with her. She’s in Plymouth in 1880 as head of household, with her daughter Jennie who is 15 and working in a well, and a boarder. Elvira died at Plymouth 18 Mar 1885 at age 56 of heart disease (MA VR 1840-1910, 365:348).

Benjamin H. Benson. Benjamin was born 10 May 1829 in Woodstock, Vermont (he couldn’t be born spring 1829 if Elvira was born fall 1828 so one or other date is wrong). He is listed with his family in 1850 census in Plymouth, age 19, a seaman. He married Saphronia Thomas on 14 March 1855 in Virginia, where she was from (Virginia, U.S., Select Marriages, 1785-1940, Ancestry database). In the 1860 census he and Sophronia are living in Plymouth with their young family, he’s 39, a mariner, born Vermont. They had children Joseph and Owen, born Virginia, and twins Harriet and Henry who both died in infancy. In 1870 Benjamin is a carpenter, living with his wife, two sons Joseph and Owen, as well as his brother Isaac and sister-in-law Mary, in the coastal town of Bristol, Rhode Island. In 1880, Benjamin is 48, a rubber worker, living in Bristol with his wife Saphronia. In 1900 Benjamin is 69, working for the National Rubber Company, with his wife Saphronia, age 61, living at 5 High Street in Bristol. They’ve been married for 45 years and both can read and write. 

Sophronia died by 1911 when Benjamin is 81, widowed, living with his sister-in-law Ellen Benson’s family in Plympton, Mass. Ellen was the widow of Benjamin’s brother Ezra. Benjamin H. Benson died Plympton, 25 May 1911, age 82 years, married of a cerebral hemorrhage, he was a box maker at the time of his death, born Plymouth to Isaac Benson who was born Woodstock, VT and Amelia Benson born Mattapoisett, Mass. He was buried Bristol RI on 29 May. This would give him a birth date of 1829, a bit off from the ca 1831/32 inferred by other records. He also would have been a widower, unless he married his sister-in-law!

George H. Benson. George was born ca 1833. He is listed with the family in 1850 census and 1855 state census at Plymouth. In 1855 he is listed as a mariner. I thought George died young as he disappeared from Massachusetts records, but his third great-grandson told me he moved to Buffalo, Erie, New York, and then the northern neck of Virginia where he married Elizabeth Wilson, and had 11 children. According to findagrave.com, George died 14 Aug 1895 in Richmond County, Virginia, and is buried at Farnham Baptist Church. I was surprised to find he served as a confederate soldier in the Civil War, in Company K in the 4th Virginia Infantry. I wonder what his family thought of that, especially his brother-in-law Winslow Thomas who was a prisoner of war in Louisiana. Elizabeth died 8 Feb 1923 of influenza at age 86, the daughter of William Wilson and Betsy Virginia Conley (Virginia Death records 1912-2014 Ancestry database, certificate no. 1923005728).

There was a George Benson born about 1832 who enlisted in the Union Army 26 Dec 1861 at Buffalo, NY, in Company B of the 12th infinity and deserted on 21 Jan 1862. This could be the correct George since his great-grandson said he lived in Buffalo, and if he sympathized with the southern cause, it would explain how he came to live in Virginia. 

Timothy Manter Benson. Timothy was born 12 March 1839 at Plymouth (gravestone reads 1838) (MA VR, Carver, 1: 17). He married Rebecca Sears at Carver on 19 October 1866. (MA VR 1841-1910, 190:381) Rebecca was born 3 July 1844 to Edmund and Lucetta (Thomas) Sears (Births, Marriages & Deaths on Ancestry). June 1863 Civil War Draft Registration, Plymouth: Timothy M. Benson, age 24, married, seaman, fishing.

They had had one daughter Clara who never married. They lived in Carver, MA, and he was a master mariner. He died 20 January 1890, at just age 50, of dropsy. (MA VR 1841-1910, 440:413) He is buried with an impressive stone with an anchor carving at Center Cemetery in Carver. Rebecca died 25 Sept 1921 (gs). 

Timothy’s family donated many of his maritime-related belongings to the Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut. There is a display including ship furnishings and portraits of the family and a treasure trove of his papers digitized and available online. It’s been fascinating to learn about and I became fairly obsessed for a while! I’ve visited his grave and hope to find the house where he lived but haven’t discovered that yet, only that he lived on Wenham Road in Carver. He was involved in the trans-Atlantic and oriental trade and often took his wife and daughter with him. What an adventurous life for the three of them! He was master of the British Bark Viking and the Bark Martha Davis.

Letters and Timothy’s log give a snapshot of what his life was like. He wrote from London saying when he arrived there he heard of his mother’s death. He sometimes mentions his brother Isaac Benson being on board. He writes of dangerous storms, crew member deserting, his vessel being damaged to the point of the crew’s lives being at risk, and places he visited including Hong Kong, Calcutta, Chile, Hawaii, Rotterdam, Java, Singapore, Philippines, Cuba, Scotland.

Timothy's sea chest; the charts have his hand-written notations

After Timothy’s death, Rebecca and her daughter Clara taught at American International College, Springfield. In the 1920 census Rebecca was 75 and still teaching—she must have been a remarkable woman!

Ezra F. Benson. Ezra was born 10 August 1840 in Middleborough (a few records state he was born Plymouth) (calculated from age at death). He married Ellen Thomas at Roxbury on 14 October1864 (MA VR to 1910, 172:226). Ellen was born 29 October 1844 at Carver, the daughter of Winslow Thomas and his first wife Ruth Shaw. (MA VR 1620-1850, Carver, 1:70) Interestingly, Ezra’s sister Elvira married Ellen’s father Winslow as his second wife. So Elvira was Ellen’s sister-in-law and step mother! 

They lived in Plymouth and had children Annie, Mary, Bertha, and Ezra. In 1870 Ezra and his family were living with his parents Isaac and Amelia and he’s called a train fireman. In 1880 he is the head of household in Plymouth, a train engineer, living with his wife, children Annie, Mary, Ezra, his 76 year old father Isaac, and a domestic servant. In 1900 he is living in Somerville, near Boston, with wife Ellen, grown children Ezra and Bertha. His daughter Mary had died 18 October 1898 at Somerville at age 30 of consumption. 

June 1863 Civil War Draft Registration, Plymouth: Ezra Benson, age 21, seaman, married, so even Ezra started out as a mariner. 

Ezra died 30 March 1907 at Plympton (MA VR 83:166). He was 66 years old, died from diabetes, and was a farmer. He’s buried Vine Hills Cemetery in Plymouth.

Isaac Benson. Isaac was born 6 April 1846 in Plymouth (Plymouth VR p 569). He married Mary Benson 8 December 1869 at Boston (MA VR 219:176). Mary was born Lowell, Massachusetts, to Samuel and Emily Benson. Marriage attentions were filed in Franklin New Hampshire where Mary lived. Impressively Isaac was already a sea captain at age 23.

They had daughters Emma, Annie, and Ida. In the 1870 census, Isaac and his wife Mary are living with his brother Benjamin’s family in Bristol, Rhode Island, a coastal town. Isaac is 24, a seaman; Mary is 24, working in a cotton mill. In the 1880 census he’s back in Plymouth, living near the Harbor on Court Street, with his wife Mary, daughters Emma 8 and Ida 6, and a sister [in law] whose name I can’t decipher, possibly Fannie.

Some letters he wrote to his brother Timothy are included in the digitized items of the older brother at Mystic Seaport. In 1867 he is paid 4 pounds 4 shillings at Scotland for 21 days of service on board his brother Timothy’s vessel The Viking. Also that year he is paid 34 pounds 4 shillings for service on The Viking at Greenock, also in Scotland. He often writes of things he’s dissatisfied with, such as family members not writing, and in 1869 he wrote “I will not go to sea for the rest of my lifetime if I can help it.” That year he mentions being in a gale off Hatteras and asks after his parents as well as Ez and Ellen. In 1875 Timothy writes in his log that “Benson” was off duty sick with a fever at two separate times in February and March, totaling over 20 days. 

Tragically he died at sea during a hurricane on 25 October 1897, south of Cape Hatteras. The brig Stacy Clarke of Boston was floundering so the crew had to abandon ship and spent 20 hours in a yawl boat before being rescue. As the crew was being picked up by the John Twohy, which was challenging because there was a gale and the Twohy was also damaged, the smaller boat capsized and the Captain (Isaac) and his mate drowned. The tragedy was written about in The Norfolk Virginian on 29 Oct 1897, The Wilmington Messenger, as well as a Boston paper. Some accounts omit his first name, but the Boston paper mentions it.

The Boston paper calls Isaac a well-known shipmaster who formerly commanded the barkentine Henry Warner, that he was about 50, and resided at Waltham where a widow and two grown daughters survive him. 

In 1900, Mary Benson is listed in the census, living in Waltham, Mass., as a widow. She lived to age 84, dying in Cranston, Rhode Island, at the home of her daughter Emily who was also a widow. Ida has died in 1903 at just 27 years of age. 

Ephraim Morton born about 1623, of Plymouth, Mass., and His Wife Ann Cooper

Ephraim Morton was born about 1623, possibly in Plymouth, Massachusetts, the son of George and Juliana (Carpenter) Morton. According to John K. Allen, Ephraim was said to have been born aboard the ship Anne in 1623 during the voyage to New England. I have not seen any proof of this, so I am unsure if Ephraim was born in England shortly before the voyage, on board the ship (either the Anne or Little James as his father was in the 1623 Plymouth land division), or at Plymouth after their arrival. His parents were Separatists who were with the Pilgrims at Leiden, Holland. Ephraim is my 10th great-grandfather on my grandfather Arthur Washburn Davis’ side of the family. I also descend from Ephraim’s siblings Nathaniel, Patience, and Sarah. 

Ephraim was just a baby when his father George died in 1624. His mother married Manasseh Kempton and they were, along with her children Nathaniel, John, Ephraim, and Patience, in Gov. William Bradford’s company in the 1627 Cattle Division. Her daughter Sarah Morton is in Christian (Penn) Eaton’s company. It is likely that Governor Bradford raised Ephraim. Bradford was married to Alice Carpenter, Ephraim’s aunt. 

Ephraim married Ann Cooper on 18 November 1644 at Plymouth (PCR 2:79) whose parents I have not discovered. She was born about 1624, but not in Plymouth as she is not listed in the 1627 Cattle Division. 

Children with Ann, order uncertain (first seven from Ephraim’s will which is badly water damaged):

Patience

Mercy/Marcy

George

Josiah

Nathaniel

Thomas 

Eleazer

Joanna

Ephraim

Rebecca 

I descend from Joanna who married John Gray. The Mayflower Families book on James Chilton and Richard More states that John Gray married the daughter of Ephraim and Ann (Cooper) Morton. Although Joanna is not mentioned in Ephraim's will, the 1709 will of Ephraim’s son Nathaniel Morton names Ann Gray, the daughter of his sister Joanna Gray. Nathaniel’s will also mentions his brother Ephraim and sister Rebecca. 

Ann (Cooper) Morton died on 1 or 6 September 1691. Ephraim Morton married, second, Mary Shelley Harlow on 1 October 1692 (Plymouth Vital Records 1:86). Mary was first married to William Harlow. After Ephraim’s death, she married Hugh Cole in 1694. 

The marriage covenant between Ephraim Morton, of Plymouth, and Mrs. Mary Harlow, widow of Mr. William Harlow, deceased, of said Plymouth, dated 11 October and acknowledged 19 October 1692, provided: She is to have her right of dower in the estate of her late husband, and is to quitclaim her rights to the estate of said Ephraim Morton if she survived him. Witnessed by Thomas Faunce and Jon Faunce. Ephraim signed the agreement and Mary used her mark. 

Ephraim Morton is on the Plymouth 1643 list of men able to bear arms. He was made a Plymouth Colony freeman on 7 June 1648. A member of an important and influential family, Ephraim clearly lived up to the family expectations. He served his community and the colony in a variety of important positions and was clearly well respected. He was elected Constable in 1648, named to a Grand Inquest in 1654, was head of the Plymouth Board of Selectmen for close to 25 years, and was elected Representative to the Plymouth General Court in 1657 where he served for 28 years. Ephraim was Magistrate of the Colony in 1683 and became one of the first representatives to the General Court in 1691/92 when Plymouth Colony merged into Massachusetts Bay. At the time of his death was a Justice of the Court of Common Pleas. 

On 1 August 1669, Ephraim was chosen as a Deacon for the Plymouth Church, serving for the rest of his life. Ephraim served in the Plymouth Militia and is often referred to as Lieutenant or Left. in records. He was first a sergeant and was elected Lieutenant in 1664. In 1671 he was appointed to the Council of War, something on which he served for years, including during the time of King Philip’s War. Mass Officers and Soldiers in 17th Century Conflicts includes Ephraim Morton of Plymouth for the year 1664 but the “conflict” column is blank. 

Ephraim and his brothers also conducted inventories for their neighbors’ estates. On 20 February 1652 Ephraim and Nathaniel Morton took the inventory for the estate of William Pontus of Plymouth. Ephraim and John Morton took the inventory of Thomas Southworth, presented 1 March 1669. 

Some land transactions involving Ephraim Morton: 

8 June 1644, Anthony Snow, Ensign Mark Eames, Joseph Warren, Richard Wright, William Harlow, Nathaniel Morton, Ephraim Morton, William Paybody, John Dunham Jr., and John Rogers were given liberty to look for land for accommodations. (Plymouth Land Records 4:20) 

1 October 1668, Ephraim Morton sold to Edward Gray of Plymouth for 8 pounds, land at Nemasket River that was granted to Ephraim 7 June 1665. (PLR vol 3, part 2, p 57) 

Nemasket River, Middleboro

16 May 1670 Ephraim Morton of New Plymouth, yeoman, sold to Edward Gray of same town, for 5 pounds sterling, land in a neck of land called Punckateesett Neck lying against Rhode Island, being one half of the 33rd lot, 11 acres more of less. (PLR vol. 3, part 2, p 68) 

8 November 1673 Lt. Ephraim Morton of New Plymouth sold for 10 pounds, already paid, to Mr. Barnabas Laythorpe of Barnstable, mariner, parcel of 50 acres of Plymouth land called Manomett Ponds, bounded on southeast side by brook that run into the same pond, bounded northerly corner by the brook, running westerly up the brook to a great rock on the easterly side of the cartway, running southerly to a small white oak and then to a heap of stones lying near the pond. His wife Ann agreed. Acknowledged 7 Jan 1673/4. (PLR vol 3, part 2, p. 174) 

Ephraim Morton’s will was written 27 September 1693 and recorded 9 November 1693, record no. 14264, Plymouth. It is damaged by water, so very difficult to decipher. It names his dear and loving wife [damaged but must have been his second wife Mary] as well as children: wife of John Nelson [this would be Patience], Marcy, George, Josiah, Nathaniel, Thomas, and Eleazer.  He left money to his daughters Mary and Patience, He bequested land to sons George, Nathaniel, Thomas, Josiah, and Eleazer. He left his wearing apparel to son George. Witnesses were Thomas Faunce and Joseph Faunce. 

Ephraim Morton's signature

Plymouth Vital records recorded by Elder Faunce, volume 1, p. 248: My aunt Ann Morton the wife of my uncle Ephraim Morton deceased on the 6th day of September 1691. 

Same volume, p 249: Left. [for Lieutenant] Ephraim Morton deceased 8 October 1693 

Inventory of his estate taken 1 November 1693, by Eleanor Churchill and Thomas Faunce, is also water damaged. Items include: 

Wearing apparel

Books

Cash and armor or arms

Housing and land valued at 6o pounds

Sheep, horse kind, and swine 23 pounds 5 shillings

Bed, bolster, pillow, rug, sheets, blankets, and pillobears

Bed, bolster, rug, coverlet

Table, linen, two table cloths, and six linen napkins 

Pewter, brass, iron 

Pots, kettles, frying pans 

Great table, joint stools 

Cupboards and two chests 

Bedstead curtains

7 chairs

2 bedsteads 

Wooden and earthen ware 

Tongs, fireman, hurks[?], pot hangers 

Old cart, wheels, and tackling 

Plows, chains, and horse goods 

English grain of all sorts

Indian corn

Sheeps wool, flax, and yarn 

Loom and goods 

Remnant of new cloth

Saddle and pillion, pillion cloth and bridle

Two spinning wheels and cards 

Tobacco and soap, axes, hoes, and old tools

Canoe and old lumber. 


Estate is owed 2 pounds 16 shillings in debt

Estate owed debts of 17 pounds 3 shillings 8 pence.

Sources not listed above: 

Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins 

John K. Allen, George Morton and Some of His Descendants, 1908 

Torrey’s New England Marriages 

Mayflower Families, James Chilton and Richard More, 15:37

Hiram Kelley 1800-1868 of West Dennis, Massachusetts

 

Hiram Kelley was born 5 Mar 1800 in West Dennis on Cape Cod to Elihu Kelley and his wife Thankfull. Some give Thankfull’s maiden name as Baxter, but I have not found proof of that yet. Hiram is my great-great-great grandfather on my grandmother Milly (Booth) Rollins’ side of the family. It just occurred to me I haven’t written about him yet! I did write about his wife Abagail Howes Kelley, which can be read here. Their last name is sometimes spelled Kelly.

Hiram married Abagail Howes in South Dennis on 10 Feb 1820 (Dennis Vital Records, book 2, p 574). She was born 27 August 1799 in Dennis Port to David and Rebecah (Howes) Kelley. Her nicknames included Abby and Nabby.

In 1829 Hiram built a Cape Cod-style house that is still standing at 50 Ferry Street in West Dennis. My great-great grandfather David Howes Kelley was born there and raised his own family there, including my great-grandmother Ethel. My grandmother Mildred “Milly" Booth Rollins was born in the house as well. Milly told me about the house and what it was like when she lived there at several points in her childhood, so I have long had an affinity for the house and, in turn, Hiram Kelley. It originally included land that went to the shores of the Bass River, with a fishing shack. Over the years parts of the land were sold off so there are now houses between Hiram’s house and the river. Hiram’s father Elihu also lived on Ferry Street and that is likely how Hiram came to own land there.

50 Ferry Street West Dennis

Ferry Street is now a residential street, but in the past it was the home of Judah Baker’s mill (which was later moved across the river to Yarmouth), a shipbuilding enterprise, and Hiram’s father Elihu “the Ferryman,” with a brother and cousin, operated a ferry across the river before the bridges were built. 

Vintage postcard of Bass River Bridge

Hiram was a mariner and at times is listed as a mechanic, blacksmith and farmer. From my understanding, a mechanic at this time was someone who repaired metal parts of windmills and saltworks. 

Hiram and Abagail had at least eight children, all born in West Dennis:

1. Hiram born 19 Jan 1822; he was a mariner; died 8 Jun 1843 of yellow fever in the West Indies at just 21 years old, according to Eunice Kelley Randall’s book on the Kelley family
2. Rebecca born 24 Aug 1824; m. David Kelley 23 Feb 1843; died 5 Feb 1908 in Dennis
3. Ezra born 7 Oct 1827; m. Althina Nickerson 26 Jun 1855 in Dennis; died 13 Nov 1902 in West Dennis
4. Benjamin born 30 Jun 1830; he was a mariner; m. Mercy Lewis 12 Feb 1852 at Duchess County, New York; when he was just 24 he died of consumption 12 Mar 1855 at Dennis, leaving behind a wife and one surviving son (they had lost an infant in 1853)
5. Hope D. born 20 Jun 1833; m. Richard Nickerson, a master mariner, on 24 Oct 1852 at Dennis; died 24 Nov 1865 at West Dennis of consumption; at 32 she was already a widow so she left four children orphaned 
6. Abba/Abby born 17 Jun 1836; m. Robert Studley, a mariner, at South Yarmouth 3 Jan 1856; died 28 Feb 1882 at West Dennis at age 45 of “mesenterica” which I’ve read is an inflammation of the lymph nodes and a form of consumption; she was the mother of seven children one of whom pre-deceased her
7. Isaac Dunham born 07 Apr 1839; m. Gabrelia Chase in Dennis on 21 Apr 1859; died at sea when his ship disappeared off the coast of Rhode Island on 4 Apr 1863; he was just 23 years of age and had two young daughters
8. David Howes Kelley born 02 Mar 1842; m. 1st Lucina Doane Ellis 7 Dec 1874 at West Dennis, 2nd Mary E. Chase 04 May 1876 at Harwich, 3rd Mary Ann Kelley 27 Dec 1881 at Boston; early on he was a mariner but later did other jobs including house painting; he died at West Dennis in 1925 

David Howes and Mary Ann Kelley are my great-great grandparents. I wrote about them here. Abagail’s 1888 obituary states she had ten children, with seven pre-deceasing her, but I’ve never found any information on two additional children. Perhaps these were children who died so young that their births weren’t recorded. At the time of her death Rebecca, Ezra and David were still living. 

Hiram received a half-acre of land in his father's 30 June 1835 will, and was to split the rest of the land with his brother's and nephew after their mother's death. It appears all of the  Kelley brothers lived very close to their parents and owned several schooners together.

Hiram  Kelly of Dennis wrote his will on 24 November1863. He left his wife Abigail the use, improvement and income of his estate which she had power to sell as needed to be comfortable during her life time. This is one of the reasons I think so much of Hiram — instead of treating his widow as someone to just hold onto his estate before it would be passed to their children, he was primarily concerned about her quality of life. He also did not even add a clause that she would forfeit his estate if she remarried. 

Son David H. Kelley would receive his homestead with outbuildings and land after Abigail’s death if she did not sell it during her lifetime. He also received one feather bed. His daughters Rebecca Kelly wife of David Kelly, Hope D. Nickerson widow of Richard Nickerson Jr., and Abba Studley wife of Robert Studley, to receive equal shares of all household furniture and indoor moveables that remain at the decease of wife Abigail. He mentions that his son Ezra and heirs of his late sons Benjamin and Isaac “have not been forgotten,” so it seems he had already gifted or deeded them something. Hiram signed his will.

Hiram Kelley died in West Dennis on 8 Apr 1868. He was 68 years old and died of lung fever. 

On 11 August 1868 Abagail Kelly, widow of Hiram Kelly, requested the court allow her to have access to some part of his personal estate valued at $230.40. John Larkin was executor. On 21 April 1868 heirs at law are listed as Ezra Kelly, David H. Kelly, Abby Studley wife of Robert C. Studley of Dennis, Rebecca Kelly wife of David Kelly of Harwich children of said deceased, Amelia, Bradley C, Richard, Ella M. Nickerson children of Hope D. Nickerson and grandchildren of said deceased residing in said Dennis.

On 24 August 1868 the heirs include children of the late sons Isaac and Benjamin, David H. Kelley, Ezra Kelley, Rebecca Kelley wife of David Kelley, Abby Studley wife of Robert Studley,  children of Hope D. Nickerson deceased.

On 3 June 1868, Nehemiah Crowell, James Chase & William White made oath to Hiram’s inventory which included two boats, 1/64 of the schooner Samuel Gilman, blacksmith tools, and various household items. Total of personal estate was $551.15 which included $326.55 in cash on hand. 

Real estate totaled $485 and included homestead with land and a building on the sea valued at $475 and one-fifth of shore landing work $10. 

Hiram and later his son David's fishing shanty on the Bass River

Abagail lived for another 20 years, dying in West Dennis 17 Oct 1888. She kept the Ferry Street house and her son David and his family lived there and did inherit the house. She must have been a great help to David when he lost two young wives and three young children.

Hiram and Abagail share a headstone at West Dennis Cemetery which reads "Dear parents, tho we miss you much we know you rest with God.”

Sources Not Listed Above:

Eunice Kelley Randall, David O’Killia and His Descendants, 1962

Dennis Historical Society  Newsletter, November, 1978

Probate records of Hiram Kelley/Kelly, Barnstable County Courthouse, Case 5377