INTRODUCTION PAGE FOR TRANSCRIPTION OF WILL BOOK E PAGES 200 ET SEQ.
SOCRATES BROOKS
DIED TESTATE ON AUGUST 12, 1841
AT HIS HOME IN PLYMOUTH, CHENANGO COUNTY, NEW YORK
OF CONSUMPTION
Recorded in Will Book E at Page 200 et seq. is the Will of Socrates Brooks. This Will refers to the court file where the original 1841 hand written documents, notes, depositions and etc were filed. These documents due to their age and the natural deterioration of the parchment paper on which they were written are somewhat fragile and hard to read and copy. The surrogate clerk was kind enough to allow these documents to be copied totaling about 80 pages in all. This court case contained so much valuable information about the family, neighbors and friends, how they related to each other that it soon became apparent that these documents should be transcribed and posted on the internet for use by other genealogists and historians. The following pages are transcriptions of those documents contained in that file.
Notes: Headings and Comments at Beginnings and tops of pages marked as "(BOLD ITALIC UNDERLINED) " are comments by transcribers for indexing purposes and etcetera and was not on the actual documents.
Extreme care was taken to insure that the transcriptions were as complete and correct as they could be. At points in the documents the spelling of words were found to be incorrect with today’s usage such as the word "colour" and many others, which we chose not to change and left them intact as written. In the Brookins deposition his name was spelled both Brookins and Brookings by the surrogate, again we choose to print it as written. Punctuation, periods between sentences, where one began and the other ended were many time non-existence which explains the hyphens between -- or " run on" sentences.
(NOTE ABOUT TRANSCRIBERS)
(Socrates Brooks produced a son John Brooks who married Lurinda Sheffield. Their marriage produced a female child named Janette Jennie Brooks who married Castello Newton Holford. Castello & Jennie’s marriage produced a male child named Frank Newton Holford who married Ruth Lyons. Frank & Ruth’s marriage produced a female child named Mildred Anne Holford who married Raymond Hart, and a male child name John Edward Holford who married Helen Frances Duffy. John and Helen’s marriage produced a child named Carol Jane Holford who married Gary Stuart Cooke.
This transcription was
prepared by a joint effort of M. Anne Holford-Hart,
Carol J. Holford-Cooke and Gary S. Cooke on 12/30/2000)
(SOCRATES BROOKS PROOF OF DEATH)
Socrates Brooks
Proof of Death
Filed August 28.1841
S McKoon Surrogate
Chenango County NY
Lucena Brooks of the town of Plymouth in the county of Chenango being duly sworn deposes and says that Socrates Brooks, a resident at the time of his death of the said town of Plymouth, died a natural death at said town of Plymouth on the twelfth day of August 1841. And the deponent further says that the said Socrates Brooks left a instrument in writing which purports to be his last Will and Testament and which this deponent verily believes to be his last Will and Testament, which said instrument relates to both Real Estate & Personal Estate and in which this deponent is named as the sole executrix. And this deponent further says that the said Socrates Brooks left a widow surviving him, viz Lucena Brooks this deponent. And that he left heirs & next of kin surviving him viz, John Brooks, Roswell Brooks, Caius, C. Brooks, George T. Brooks, Jesse Brooks, sons, and Lucy Brooks, a daughter, all of whom reside in the said town of Plymouth & that he left no other heir or next of kin surviving him & that each & all of the above named are above the age of twenty one years, except the above named George T. Brooks, Jesse Brooks, & Lucy Brooks who are minors under the age of twenty one years and have no General Guardian residing in the state of New York as she knows of. And this deponent as such executrix hereby applies for a Citation to issue to the proper persons to appear and can record proof and probate of the said last will & Testament and for the appointment of a Special Guardian for the said Minor Heirs.
/s/Lucena Brooks
Sworn this 28th day of
August 1841 Before me
Samuel Mckoon Surrogate
(LUCENA BROOKS DEPOSITION TO COURT TO APPOINT TRUSTEE)
Chenango County, NY
Lucena Brooks widow of Socrates Brooks deceased deposes There is considerable personal property in her late husband’s will to go to waste & which much needs attention & that she deeming it necessary that some person shall be appointed with power over its sale until a question on the will is settled. She believes said personal property will not probably find four hundred dollars.
/s/Lucena Brooks
Signed Sept 10 1841
Before me
S. McKoon Surrogate
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