John R. Seely asked if I had seen a document containing an inventory of immigrant Obadiah Seeley’s estate. John thought that if there were tools a “turner” might use in his estate, it would be another indication that the Obadiah Seeley who appeared in the records of Stamford, Conn. in the 1640s was the same Obadiah Seeley who was an apprentice turner to Nehemiah Wallington in London. We know that Wallington’s turner apprentice was recorded as being the son of William Seeley of Birmingham and that Obadiah Seeley was christened in 1614.

I went to Google on the Internet, entered “Obadiah Seeley inventory,” and up came a Family History Center film number. I ordered the film and, after reading it, found I could not understand what it said. I contacted Mr. Clifford Stott CG, AG a professional researcher and he indicated he could read the document.

Over a period of three weeks I presented four probate wills to Mr. Stott to be translated: Obadiah Seeley SGS#4, Obadiah’s son Obadiah Seeley SGS#17, Obadiah’s son Jonas Seeley SGS#19, and Obadiah’s wife’s first husband John Miller.

NOTE: Spelling/misspellings are true to the original documents.

Obadiah Seeley SGS # 4, Death- 25 Aug 1657, Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut

Probate Inventory List

Translated by Clifford Stott CG AG, 11 Sept 2007

[page 1]

The Inventory of the Estate of obadiah Sely deceased Anno 1657

Taken by Willm Newman and Robert Tasker the 29th of the 12mo 1665 the aprizement by George Slawson and John Holly

                                                 [pounds-shilling-pence]
Imprimis 1 house 4 Acres of Land                       20 - 00 - 00
Item 5½ and [illegible word] Acres meadow              18 - 00 - 00
Item 5 Cows & a three year old heifer                  21 - 12 - 00
Item 2 two year Cattell                                05 - 10 - 00
Item 4 yearlings 2 Calves                              08 - 10 - 00
Item 6 yearling Swine                                  06 - 00 - 00
Item 1 fether bed, 2 blankets                          06 - 00 - 00
Item 4 fether pillows                                  02 - 00 - 00
Item 3 pair Courss Sheets                              04 - 10 - 00
Item 1 sheet 5 pillow cases beers                      01 - 09 - 00
Item 2 sutes of Apparell                               01 - 10 - 00
Item 2 hats 3 [illegible] bands                        02 - 03 - 00
Item 2 or 3 handkercheifs                              00 - 01 - 06
Item 1 musket 1 Sword                                  07 - 00 - 00
Item 1 Chest 1 Powder horn                             00 - 09 - 00
Item 5 Peces of Pewter                                 01 - 00 - 00
Item 1 Cresent Saw                                     00 - 08 - 00
Item 1 hand saw 3 wedges                               00 - 08 - 06
Item 1 brewing tub                                     00 - 04 - 00
Item 1 Taper Auger 1 Tap borrower                      00 - 03 - 06
Item 2 Axes 1 hatchet                                  00 - 07 - 06
Item 2 Turning Chissels                                00 - 02 - 00
Item 2 Turning Googes[?]                               00 - 02 - 06
Item 5 [illegible] [illegible]                         00 - 02 - 06
Item 4 Stocks 1 hammer[?]                              00 - 04 - 00
Item 1 Sieth 1 Turnmill                                00 - 08 - 06
Item 1 pair pot hooks                                  00 - 01 - 06
Item 1 Smoking Iron                                    00 - 03 - 00
Item 1 meall[?] Trough                                 00 - 01 - 06
Item 2 Ancors 1 dubble Ancor                           00 - 07 - 00
Item 1 keler 1 Charn                                   00 - 05 - 00
Item 2 great bools [bowls] 1 Tray                      00 - 03 - 06
Item 4 Payls 2 Piggons 1 whele                         00 - 09 - 06
Item 2 small wheles                                    00 - 08 - 00
Item 5 Chairs 3 meall[?] sines                         00 - 16 - 06
Item 1 pair of Tongs 2 reels                           00 - 02 - 08
Item 1 hooke 1 sickle                                  00 - 02 - 00
Item 1 bagg[?]                                         00 - 03 - 04
The Sum is errors excepted                            106 - 09 - 00

Debts payd out of this estate to the vallu of 5 or 6l

This aprizement made ye 3d: 9mo: 66 (according to the order of the Courte) by us whose names are under wrttn

George Slawson, John Holly, 11: May 1666

The widdow Sely is to administer upon the estate

[three illegible words] and Selyes Estate

William Hill Clarke

At A Court held at Fairfield the 7th Novem 1666 The widow maks oath that this is a true Inventory of the Estate of her husband Sely deceased acording to the best of her knowledge

William Hill Clarke

[page 2]

9th Novem 1666

Wheras the Inventory of obadiah Sely was this day exhibited to the Courte the Said Sely dying Intestate:

That the Court distribute the estate as followeth: wheras there is three Children Left obadiah Cornelius and Jonas the Court orders that the Eldest son obadiah shall haue Twenty six pound[s] to be payd in the Land he is to have all the Land and what the Land amount to more then Twenty six pound[s] he is to pay it to the younger Child Jonas in part of his portion : The second sonn Cornelius is to have payd him Twenty pound[s]: and Jonas is to have Twenty pound[s]: And the widdow Mary Sely is to have the rest of the Estate as her proper portion: with the use of the Two Acres of ye meadowe pertayning to the Estate during her widowhood The sons to have ther portion at Twenty one years of age And yf any of them dye before they come to ther respective ages the survivors is to enioy there portions: The Court admits of the widdow to be administratrix on the Estate [dark smudge covering two words] Yf ther be aboue five pounds or six pounds of debts payable out of the Estate what debts shall more Legally appeare the widow and the Three sons shall abate for the payment therof proportionally to ther por.

William Hill Clarke