Hi Betty, I'm still waiting for my inheritance from the RICHARDSON and WYMAN families. I wonder if they buried it and just forgot to tell me which oak tree to start digging under. LOL Sue -----Original Message----- From: mamiddle-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:mamiddle-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Betty Sent: Monday, October 05, 2009 7:46 AM To: MAMIDDLE@rootsweb.com Subject: [MAMiddle] People in 1600's in MA with "MONEY" - did you Inherit any? Hi again, Kathy has brought up a good subject. It has brought to mind another thing I've thought about. Because I have so many ancestors who arrived in the MA Bay Colony in the 1600's, I have read that at least some of them were - rich ! Or, at least they had enough money to buy a large piece of land ! Or, a large house and property ! Etc. For example, James KIDDER, seems to have done this. And, even while raising 12 children with his wife, Anna MOORE, he was still able to buy property and have money. And, his sons seem to have had a lot of money as they lived in large, expensive houses in the area. And then the grandsons had large, expensive properties in the area, and 3 of them in New Ipswich, NH. And, for many descendants this situation existed through the 1800's. But, then Calvin left NH at Age 18 and traveled with other families up to New Brunswick. We have no way of knowing how he spent the next 15 years (1784 to 1798). So we don't know if he had money. His only son, born one week before he was killed in a boating accident, grew up in New Brunswick and was a "woodsman" / "lumberman" but did he inherit any money? We have no way of knowing. The son, J. Calvin (1799-1891) lived his married life in and near Calais, Maine, and, as far as I know, all 3 of his sons who survived to adulthood - never had too much money. So, the money that existed back in New Ipswich, NH, never came down to them. And, in New Ipswich, Reuben KIDDER had vast properties and large houses, and several thriving businesses. His homes were full of expensive items and some "KIDDER memorabilia." How many generations down did that "family money" come down? We'll never know. And several of those "KIDDER items" have been "lost." There are probably many stories among researchers where people in the 1600's and 1700's had "MONEY" but the descendants in the 1900's - didn't know about it ! And never saw any of it ! Betty (near Lowell, MA) To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MAMIDDLE-request@rootsweb.com with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject and the body of the email with no additional text. ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MAMIDDLE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

You know the barter system was in effect also and men were given plots of land(granted). Everyone pitched in a got places built very quickly to provide adequate shelter for families. My lines all came over in the 1620-1630 and had homes, farm, boat building businesses--they moved inland slowly from the coast of Massachusetts-each time purchasing more and more land--but they were mostly farmers and somehow managed to acquire what they needed and left their heirs land and money in their wills. They lived with so much less than we do--when I read the wills, telling how many spoons and trenchers etc., cattle, pigs etc. it was a hard life they lived for us to be where we are today! I actually live on land once owned by ancestors who sold it in the 1890's! Now there are condominiums on it! Helen