This is the will of Oliver Washburn, of Raynham, MA, who died in 1824, from LDS microfilm #0577880. Oliver was born in Raynham on 14 May 1764, the youngest child of Capt. Israel Washburn (Jr.) by his first wife, Leah Fobes, who were married in Bridgewater, MA, on 3 Jan. 1739/40. Oliver married Sarah "Sally" Liscomb in Raynham on 17 Jan. 1788. The vital records of Raynham, MA, were not published in book form like most other Massachusetts towns. Portions of them were published serially in The New England Historic Genealogical Register, in Volumes 51 through 55, [1897-1901], and were reprinted in "Mayflower Source Records" by the Genealogical Publishing Company in 1986, but there were few 19th century births included, and the births of the children of Oliver and Sarah Washburn were not listed. The will is important in establishing the names of the children of Oliver Washburn, and they help a little in estimating the birth order of their children. The will of Oliver Washburn In the name of God Amen. I Oliver Washburn of Raynham in the county of Bristol yeoman do, this thirty first day of January in the year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred & Twenty three, make & publish this my last will & testament in manner following, that is to say, first of all, I commend my soul to Almighty God who gave it, humbly trusting in his mercy, through the merits of Jesus Christ for pardon, grace, & a glorious & happy immortality; my body to be decently buried at the discretion of my Executor hereinafter named; & as to my worldly Interest, I dispose of it as follows viz Imprimis I give & bequeath to my dearly beloved wife Sarah Washburn the use & improvement of one half of my dwelling House and furniture together with the use, profit & improvement of one third part of all my other estate, both real & personal, during her natural life. Item I give & bequeath to my three Daughters viz. Elenor Holmes twenty five Dollars, Patty Gushe ten Dollars, & Mary Snow twenty five Dollars (in addition to what I gave them at the time of their marriage) Item I give & bequeath to my four daughters, viz. Rhoda, Pamela, Sarah & Charlotte E. Washburn, the sum of one hundred & fifty Dollars each, to be paid them by my executor hereinafter named in two years after my decease. ~ Also the right & privilege of living in my dwelling house so long as they shall remain unmarried. Item I give, devise & bequeath to my son, Caleb S. Washburn, Eighteen acres of land at the northerly part of the lot which I purchased of Lemuel Wilbar, lying upon & adjoining the county line; also about two acres of swamp land in Titicut swamp, be the same more or less, being the same which I purchased of Almon Gushe, to have & to hold to him the sd Caleb, his heirs & assigns forever. Lastly, I give, devise & bequeath to my son Otis L. Washburn all the rest, residue & remainder of my Estate, both real & personal of whatever name or nature soever, not before disposed of, to have & to hold to him, the said Otis, his heirs & assigns forever, ~provided nevertheless, it is my will, that the said Otis shall pay all my debts & funeral charges out of the estate which I have given to him, & I do hereby constitute & appoint the sd Otis L. Washburn sole Executor of this my last Will & testament, & do order & direct my sd Executor to pay all my just debts & give me a decent Christian burial out of the estate which I have herein given & bequeathed to him. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand & seal the day & year above written. Signed, sealed, published & declared by the same Oliver Washburn to be his last Will & Testament. Oliver Washburn In presence of us, who have hereunto subscribed our names as Witnesses in presence of the Testator Lloyd Shaw Ellis Hall Abby Shaw January 6, 1824, approved On 29 Dec. 1823 the heirs of Deacon Oliver Washburn, late of Raynham, deceased, were notified by the executor, Otis L. Washburn, that probate of the will would be on 6 Jan. 1824, and they acknowledged notification by their signatures: Sarah Washburn Thomas Holmes Eleanor Holmes Wm Gushee Patty Gushee William Snow Mary Snow Rhoda Washburn Caleb S. Washburn Pamela Washburn Sarah Washburn Charlotte E. Washburn The will was proved in court by Lloyd Shaw, Ellis Hall and Abby Shaw on 6 Jan. 1824. Otis L. Washburn posted bond as executor on 6 Jan. 1824, with Lloyd Shaw and Ellis Hall, yeomen, as sureties. No final accounting was in the probate folder. Only three of the children were still alive in 1850, as far as I know: Otis L. Washburn, Mary W. Snow, and Charlotte E. Leonard. From their ages in the census, it appears that Otis was born about 1795, Mary about 1797, and Charlotte about 1806. Rhoda Washburn, Pamela Washburn and Otis L.Washburn were all witnesses to the will of their uncle, Israel Washburn, of Raynham in 1816, so Rhoda and Pamela may have been the two oldest children in the family. It appears that neither of them married, and both died before the will of their uncle was probated on 2 Mar. 1841. Patty was married before 1823, so she was probably born around 1800. The others, Caleb and Sarah, I have not been able to trace, but by her placement among the daughters, Sarah was probably a younger daughter, born possibly around 1804, and from the wording in the will, it appears that Caleb was already at least 21 in 1823, so he may have been born around 1802 or earlier. John A. Maltby Redwood City, CA jamaltby@creative.net