John BOUTON, II

  General Notes:

THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF JOHN BOUTON, of Norwalk, Fairfield Co., CT;

IN THE NAME OF GOD AMEN.

December twenty-fifth, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Six.
I, JOHN BOUTON, SENIOR, of ye town of Norwalk in county of Fairfield, Colony of Connecticut, being by the hand of God upon me weak and inform of body but perfect mind and memory (thanks be given unto God Therefor) calling unto mind ye mortality of body, and knowing that it is appointed unto all men once to die-Do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament.

Principally and first o all I give and recommend my soul into the hands of God who gave it, and my body I recommend to the earth, after death, to be decently and Christianlike burie at the discretion of my friends, nothing doubting but at ye general resurrection I shall receive the same again by the mighty power of God.

And as touching such worldly estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this live, I give, demise and dispose of the same following manner and form: After my just debts and funeral charges are paid and legacys payd and discharged.

Imprimus: I do give unto Mary Bouton, my beloved wife, half my homestead and the whole house and half my barn, that side of my home lot of land at fruitful spring, and also my lot of land at Pine Hill, and to dispose of said parcels as she shall stand in need for her relief, and in case she shall not stand in need for her necessity to sell and dispose of them, then she may dispose of them to my children by her as she shall see cause. And also I doe give to my said wife two cows and all my movable estate, as shall or may remain when all debts and dues are paid, as abovesaid. Also my will is that what movable estate I had of her at marriage with her shall not be inventoied as my estate, but to remain to all the above mentioned estate I doe give unto her during her natural life.

Item: I do give to my grandchild, John Bouton, of Danbury, the sum of five shillings.

Item: I do give unto my son Matthew Bouton, besides what I have already given him as portion, the sum of five shillings.

Item: I do give to my son Joseph Bouton and to his assigns all my right, title and interest in land lying near Ebenezer Canfield's land over the river in the bounds of Norwalke; also my part in Barren Marsh Creek, he paying to my daughter Abigail Smith the sum of five pounds.

Item: I doe give to my daughter Rachell Sension,(*) besides what she has had a portion already, the sum of five shillings.

Item: I doe give unto my daughter Abigail Smith the sum of five shillings.

Item: I doe give unto my daughter Hannah Betts the sum of five pounds, to be paid by Joseph Bouton as above said and my two sons Thomas and Richard Bouton equally between them when they shall attain to the age of twenty-three years.

Item: I doe give unto my son Thomas Bouton and to his assigns my Cove lot: also half my meadow lying on west of ye Cove over the river in the bounds of Norwalk: also one-half of my land lying between the parts of Norwalk river, near ye staddles, being in quantity eighteen acres and a half of land; also seven acres at Cranberry Plains in ye borders of Norwalk; also five acres of land in ye Indian fields; also half a meadow above Silver Mines, so called.

Item: I doe give unto my daughter Elizabeth Waring, to be paid by my sons Thomas and Richard Bouton, equally between them when they shall attain to the age of twenty-three years, the sum of five pounds.

Item: I doe give my son Richard Bouton and his assigns that lot lying in the field behind Moor, so called, near ye swamp called Bouton's swamp; also half of my meadow on ye west of the Cove; also half my land between ye parts of the Norwalk river, being eighteen acres and a half; also seven acres at Cranberry Plains; also half of my meadow above Silver Mines, so called; also half of my swamp and meadow east of Pine Hill lying in the common field.

Item: I do give to my daughter Mary Bouton the sum of five pounds, to be paid by my two sons Thomas and Richard Bouton when they shall have attained the age of twenty-three years.

Item: I doe give to my three sons Joseph, Thomas and Richard Bouton my whole right of bogg lying on the mill brook and all my commonage equally to be devided between them.

Item: The half of my home lot not given to my wife and half of ye barn not given I doe give to my two sons Thomas and Richard Bouton and their assigns equally betweenI doe give to my two sons Thomas and Richard twenty acres of land lying on ye east side of Five Mile river equally between them; and furthermore I do make and ordain my beloved wife and my son Joseph Bouton administrators of this my will, and that this is my last will and testament, revoking and making void any and settlements that have been by me made. In testimony whereof, I, John Bouton, Senior, have set to my hand and seal the day and year above written.

Ye signment JOHN BOUTON (Seal)

John Bouton, Senior, Did, on the day and date thereof acknowledge the above within instrument to be his las will before JAMES OLMSTEAD, Justice of the Peace.

Signed and sealed in presence of us witnesses, WILLIAM HAINS, JOHN GREGORY.

[The testator's son, Joseph Bouton, and widow Mary (???) Stevenson-Bouton, approved the will when it was presented in court, on January 27, 1706-7; but] Matthew Sension, Edmund Warrin, and James Betts, sons-in-law to the deceased John Bouton, agrieved, appealed. [However, at] Fairfield, Feb 18, 1706[7]--Joseph Bouton approved the inventory of the administration of the estate of his father, Serg. John Bouton, [and the will as allowed was recorded February 7, 1708-9. The recorded copy is not a true copy of the original will].

The aforesaid will does not name the testator's eldest son, John3 Bouton, Junior, who before the making of the will seems to have received his portion of the estate and removed to Danbury, Connecticut, where he died on January 3, 1704/5, about two years before the death of his father. Although there are now no gravestones to the memory of John2 and Abigail (Marvin) Bowton (or Bouton) at Norwalk, they must be believed to rest in the churchyard there somewhere among the many old headstones now preserved with care.

SOURCE: Fritz Knapp

FREEMAN STATUS: 13 Oct 1664, admitted at Norwalk, Fairfield Co., CT.
MILITARY SER: Abt. 1677, Sergeant - Norwalk Trainband [Militia]

WILL: 25 Dec 1706, dated at Norwalk, Fairfield Co., CT
ESTATE INVENTORY: 18 February 1706/07, presented to Probate Court - Fairfield Co., CT - Norwalk Probate District
WILL PROVED: 27 Jan 1706/07, Probate Court - Fairfield Co., CT - Norwalk District, approved by Widow Mary Bouton & son Joseph Bouton
ESTATE DISTRIBUTION: 16 Jul 1720, at Norwalk, Fairfield Co., CT

John married Abigail MARVIN, daughter of Matthew MARVIN and Elizabeth GREGORY, on 1 Jan 1656 in Norwalk, CT. (Abigail MARVIN was born about 1637 in Hartford, CT and died before 1689 in Norwalk, Fairfield Co, CT.)

John next married Mary UNKNOWN after 1689. (Mary UNKNOWN was born about 1636 in Norwalk, CT and died on an unknown date.)