Capt. Nathaniel Norden

Biography

From Lieutenant Joshua Hewes: A New England Pioneer, and Some of His ..., Volume 1 By Eben Putnam page 555

THE NORDEN AND COPP FAMILIES

CAPT. NATHANIEL NORDEN of Marblehead, son of Samuel, was born 27 Nov., 1653. He was at first a mariner, and later a prosperous merchant. He was one of the selectmen of Marblehead in 1690, and that year he and Capt. Legg are asked by the General Court to explain why they have not kept better order at Marblehead. He was of the Council for Massachusetts, 1708-28.

He was married to JANE LATTIMER, a daughter of Christopher Lattimer of Marblehead, prior to 1686. She died 20-2-1722, and he married again 20 Sept., 1722, MARY LEGO, then widow of Capt. Edward Brattle, and who after his death married, 24 July, 1728, Col. Edmund Goffe of Cambridge.

Will

Capt. Nathaniel Norden made his will 16 Feb., 1724. It was proved 11 March, 1727-8 (Essex Probate, 19: 555). To his two loving kinsmen, Nathaniel and Joshua Huse (sic), sons of Samuel Huse, late of Boston, cooper, deceased, and grandsons unto Joshua Huse, formerly of Boston, cordwainer, deceased, and Hannah, his wife, “who was my owne sister,” £40 apiece, and also to their sister, Hannah Huse, £80. To Sarah Grice, daughter of Hannah Huse, “my late deceased sister,” £40. To the children of Joseph Dolbier (sic) of Boston, brazier, whom he had by my niece Hannah Huse, namely, Edmund Dolbear, £40, and to his two sisters £30 apiece. To Mary Perkins of Boston, widow, late Mary Hooper, wife of Samuel Hooper of Marblehead, deceased, .£40, and to Mary Hooper, her daughter which she had by Samuel Hooper, deceased, £40.

To Samuel Hooper, who is son to my half-sister, who was daughter of my father by my mother-in-law,‘ £10.
To Rev. John Barnard, my pastor, £10. To beloved wife, Mary Norden, one-third of the estate during life, and one-half the personal estate, after debts and legacies are paid, and she is also to enjoy all personal estate she had at the time of her marriage to me. Also dwelling house, meadow and orchards, stables and warehouses, etc., in Marblehead for her life; also for life, the rents and profits of my real estate. Wife Mary, and William Welstead of Boston, Esq., to be executors, and to whom £50 and £10 respectively.

Residue of estate to the children and grandchildren of my sister, Hannah Huse, which may survive me, to be equally divided between them, their heirs and assigns.

4 Step-relatives are invariably so described in those days.

Estate

The widow, Mary Norden, and William Welstead declined to accept administration of the estate, whereupon Samuel Hewes, merchant, and Edmond Dolbear, merchant, both of Boston, were appointed as administrators with the will annexed, 26 March, 1728.

An inventory of the estate, taken the preceding day, showed the estate to be worth £4,593-10—8, including 862 ounces of plate at 15 shillings, £271-10—0, land in Freetown, part of island at Minheegen, Kettle Cove in Gloucester, mansion house with gardens, and a small dwelling house, etc., in King St., £1550, orchard adjoining, £100, meadow adj oining, £250, another house and land in possession of Mary Tucker, £50, a farm with house and barn, being Maverick’s "purchase," £500, purchase that was Codner's adjoining the farm £100, fish stage, lease land and other land on the Neck, £10.

A number of interesting papers are filed with the will. There are receipts from legatees as follows:

• 8 July, 1728, from William Dollar (possibly Dolland) for £40, legacy to his wife from her " uncle Nathaniel Norden." (This was probably Mary Hooper.)
• 4 March, 1728-9, from Sarah Grice and Mary Perkins, who make their mark, for legacies of £40.
• 21 July, 1729, from William Killworth for his wife, Elizabeth KillWorth, and from Charles Busso for his wife, Hannah Dolbear, now Busso, these last being witnessed by Hannah Hewes.
• 16 Dec., 1729, from Nathaniel Hewes, for his legacy.
• 25 Feb., 1729—30, from Edmond Gofl'e for £50 legacy for his wife.
• A complaint was entered 26 July, 1729, that the administrators had not made an accounting of the estate, consequently, on the 5 August, they made their first accounting, showing debts paid of £1271. From the bills on file we learn that Norden was attended in his last illness by James Strahan, who presented his bill for attendance and medicines from 80 Jan., to 3 Feb., 1727-8, £5.
• Edward Pell presented a bill, July, 1728, " to painting 8: gilding 10 escutcheons @ 22 shillings, £11, to hatchment and frame 6 shillings, five yards of Allimode @ 7/6 £1-17-6. Total £18—17-6." Evidently the funeral was graced with an abundance of heraldic emblems. It would be interesting to know if any of the ten escutcheons have remained in existence. The Gore roll of arms, printed in Heraldic Journal, Vol. 1, has the following entry,
  • “ No. 12. Nathaniel Norden, Esq., of Marblehead, one of his Majesty’s Council. Norden and Latimer. Argent, on a fesse gules between three beavers passant, a cross let fitchee between two fleurs-de-lys, gold. Crest, a demi-beaver, holding in his mouth a branch of leaves. The impalement is, Gules, a cross patonce urgent" (for Latimer).
• There is an order on Mrs. Hannah Hewes, dated “ Marblehead, 11 March, 1727-8. Please pay to Robert Robinson, Esq., three pounds six shillings money on demand. I am yo" Dutiful Son Sam' Hewes "
• A deed dated 21 Feb., 1686-7, from Christopher Lattimer, of Mar— blehead, vintner, to son-in-law, Nathaniel Norden, of Marblehead, mariner, in consideration of £20, conveys land whereon the house of said Norden stands, and the land, house and orchard which was the estate of and occupied by my father, William Pitt, deceased. Archibald Ferguson of Marblehead, mariner, and Moses Hawkes of Lynn, planter, empowered to sell the real estate of Mr. Moses Maverick, sometime of Marblehead, in consideration of £65, convey, 4 Sept., 1699, to Nathaniel Norden of Marblehead, merchant, part of the Great Plain farm laid out to Moses Maverick, deceased, i. e., 87 acres, etc., being the whole of his £15 first purchase. (Essex Deeds, 9:8; 14:86.)
• Samuel Hewes of Boston, merchant, for £1500 old tenor on 28 Oct., 1749, sold to Nathaniel Bowen of Marblehead, gentleman, all his right, title and interest, being 9/13 part in the messuage, lands, etc., in Marblehead, which of right belonged to Nathaniel Norden, Esq., deceased, that is to say, the messuage where he dwelt at the time of his death, except so much as was recovered by law by the heirs of Christopher Lath'more, deceased; a messuage formerly Capt. Andrew Pratey's, a messuage formerly of Henry Tewksbury; Norden’s farm 50 acres, near to Forest River, called the Dungeons, being part of the Plain Farm socalled, except so much as belonged to heirs of Christopher Lattimore. The said thirteenths being the shares of Samuel Hewes, the grantor, and by purchase of \Villiam and Elizabeth Killworth, Charles and Hannah Burso, John and Elizabeth Reed, Hannah Blay, Edmund Dolbear, Stephen and. Hannah Winter, Joshua Hewes, Edmund Grice Dolbear and wife Elizabeth. Wife Elizabeth Hewes releases dower. (Essex Deeds, 95: 66.)
• On the 8 Oct., 1729, Mary Perkins and Sarah Grice, widows; Joshua Hewes, tailor; Nathaniel Hewes, blacksmith; Hannah Blay, William Killworth, and Charles Busso, cordwainer, all of Boston, released to C01. Edmund Gofl'e of Marblehead, all their right, etc., in the estate of Nathaniel Norden, granting him power of attorney, etc. (Essex Deeds, 56:57.)
• The purchase by Samuel Hewes of the various interests in the estate are as follows: For £100, from John Reed, J r., of Barrington, Bristol Co., brickmaker, and wife Elizabeth (Elizabeth Hewes, daughter of Joshua, the gunsmith), 1 July, 1729.
• For £300, from Charles Busso of Boston, cordwainer, and wife Hannah, and from William Killworth of Boston, cordwainer, and wife Elizabeth (Hannah and Elizabeth were daughters of Joseph Dolbear by Hannah Hewes), 3 July, 1729.
• For £100, from Hannah Blay of Boston, widow, granddaughter of Hannah Hewes, wife of Joshua Hewes, cordwainer (she was sister of Elizabeth Reed), 4- Nov., 1729.
• For £65, from Edmond Dolbear of Boston, bookkeeper, and wife Deborah, said Edmond being one of the grandchildren of Hannah, wife of Joshua Hewes. 12 Aug., 174-5.
• For £25, from Edmund Grice Dolbear of Boston, tailor, and wife Elizabeth. (He was a grandson of Hannah Hewes, who married Joseph Dolbear.) 30 Apr., 174-8.
• For £25, from Stephen W'inter of Boston, jeweller, and Hannah, his . wife. (She was Samuel Hewes’ own sister.) 12 August, 1745.
• For £84—6-0, from Joshua Hewes, tailor, who gave his bond for £100, to be void if he repaid the said £84; his interest in the estate and his legacy being collateral for the loan. (He never discharged the bond, and his share was forfeited to Samuel.) 25 April, 1729. (See Essex Deeds, 53: 164-, 167; 54-: 171; 95: 6, 7, etc.)
• On the 4 Feb., 174-5, Benjamin Hewes and wife Prudence of Kingston, Jamaica, gave power of attorney to Samuel Hewes of Boston, merchant, doubtless in relation to the settlement of their interest in the Norden estate, but not specifically mentioning the same. (Suffolk Deeds, 71: 234-.)

The four—thirteenths which Samuel Hewes did not attempt to convey to Bowen were probably the interests of Sarah Grice, hfary Perkins, Nathaniel Hewes, the blacksmith, and Benjamin Hewes, which if the case would presume the death without issue of both Joshua and Nathaniel, sons of Samuel. The latter, however, would seem to have been living in 1729, when he receipted for his legacy. There is no receipt from Joshua for his legacy, but it is to be noted that Joshua, the tailor, in pledging his interest to Samuel in 1729, mentions his legacy as well as interest in estate. Could he have been the younger Joshua? There is as yet confusion in the records relating to the two Nathaniels and Joshuas.

• Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Feb 11 2017, 19:21:53 UTC