Historical detail in NOTES
WILLIAM OSGOOD, the youngest of the three emigrant Osgoods, Christopher, John and William, was born 1609 and came to this country in company with the family of the emigrant John in the ship Confidence, which sailed from Southampton, England, April 11, 1638. The family of John consisted of wife Sarah and four children born in England.William may have served as protector of John's family as the father was already in New England, judging of the country. The first mention of William in this country is that of his building a barn for John Spencer, of Newbury, in 1640.John settled first in Newbury, and William no doubt had his home with John's family, as we have no account that he 1 See will of William Osgood was married at that time. He was a millwright and carpenter. He and his associates, in prospecting the valley of the Merrimac for a place to locate, hearing the sound of waterfalls at a distance, went in the direction of the sound and came to the falls on the Powow river, not far from its junction with the Merrimac. The place being favorable for mill sites he located there and built and owned the first mills in Salisbury, which long retained the name of Osgood's Mills.These mills were built where now stand the Salisbury factories. He was one of the proprietors of Salisbury, 1640, and had a grant of land on each side of the Powow extending from its junction with the Merrimac back half a mile, embracing a large portion of the land on which stands the settlement of Salisbury and Amesbury Mills. This homestead farm contained a six-acre lot on Round Hill, in Salisbury, besides which he owned other tracts of land.His wife's name was Elizabeth, which is all the account we have of her except what comes by the way of tradition. The story runs thus: After the decease of Elizabeth when the emigrant had become aged, there was a husking in the log house where William lived. In the course of the evening, as the young people became merry, cracking their jokes over the red ears of corn, their merriment awakened, in the aged emigrant's mind, recollections of his earlier years. The old man who was in a part of the room by himself, in response to their hilarity broke out in a sort of musical speech, "My wife was Betty Cleer, and I loved her before I see her."The emigrant William died in 1700, at the advanced age of 91. At the time of this writing, there is no trace nor knowledge of the place of his burial.THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF WILLIAM OSGOOD OF SALISBURY, ESSEX CO., MASS.In the name of God, Amen. I, William Osgood senr of the town of Salisbury in the county of Essex, in his Majesty's Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, being weak of body, but through the goodnes of God of sound, & disposing memory & understanding, Do make this my last Will & testament, in manner & form following, First and principally I commend my soul to God who gave it, & my body to the dust from whence it was taken, decently to be buried, with christian Burial, at the discretion of my Executors herein after named, in hopes of a joyful Resurrection to life eternal at the last day, through the perfect merits of Christ my Redeemer. Nextly, as for my worldly goods & Estate, after payment of all my just debts & funcral expenses, I dispose of as followeth vizt. Imprimis--I give & bequeath unto my son William Osgood one hundred acres of my six score acre lot lying in the township of Salisbury above said at a place commonly called "Round Hill," as also my dwelling house & land adjoining, or homestead, & my tide meadow lot & my lot of salt meadow lying near a place commonly called Munday's Pond, as also a full & complete half of all my other meadows, except that which is in a place in Salisbury commonly called the "higly piglys," during the term of his natural life, & unto Abigail his now wife, if she survive him, during the time of her remaining his widow, & upon the expiration of the abovesaid terms, unto the sons of the said Wm Osgood my son in equal proportion, To have & to hold to themselves their heirs or assigns forever.Also I give unto my said son
William Osgood the one half of my grist mill with theprivileges thereunto belonging during the term of his natural life.Item--I give & bequeath unto my grandson John Osgood son of my said son William Osgood the one half of my said grist mill with the privileges thereunto belonging to be possest thereof at my decease, & the other half also at the decease of my said son William Osgood, his father. Always provided that the said John Osgood pay or cause to be paid & delivered in some good & merchantable pay, at price current & merchantable, the full sum of twenty shillings unto my granddaughter Elizabeth, now wife of John Flanders of Salisbury or unto her order in said town within one year next after my decease, which I give & bequeath to her as a Legacy.Item--I give & bequeath unto my grandson William Osgood son of my son John Osgood deceased, all that house & housing, and land adjoining of mine in Salisbury which his father did possess in his life time, always provided that he do leave and allow a convenient high way from the country road over the back river to the land of Thomas Currier for the use of said Currier, his heirs, & assigns forever, & also that he pay, or cause to be paid & delivered unto his sister Hannah Osgood or her order, within the town of Salisbury in some good & merchantable pay, at price current & merchantable, the full sum of four pounds within one year next after he does possess the abovesaid housing & land I have given to him. Also I give unto him the one full and complete half of my lot of meadow lying in the "cow common," so called in Salisbury.Item--I give & bequeath unto my grandson John Osgood son of my said son John Osgood deceased, twenty acres of upland lying in the upper end of my six score acre lot, called "Round Hill" lot, on the condition that he leave a convenient high way, next unto land of Ensign William Allen for the use of those, who shall hereafter possess that other part of said six score acre lot by lawful derived title from me, or my heirs, as also that he pay or cause to be paid & delivered unto his sister Hannah Osgood or her order within the town of Salisbury in some good & merchantable pay at price current & merchantable the full & just sum of four pounds within one year next after my decease, which together with the above mentioned four pounds to be paid by his brother William, I give unto her for a Legacy.Item. I give & bequeath unto grandson Thomas Quimby son of my daughter Elizabeth Quimby deceased (as a Legacy), forty shillings in good pay, to be disposed of for his use out of my part of the rent which shall be due to me from or out of the income of the fulling mill which Benjamin Eastman senr is about to build at the discretion of said Benj. Eastman.Item. I give & bequeath unto my daughter Joanna wife of Robert Jones of Amesbury the one half of my fresh meadow lying in Salisbury at a place commonly called "bugs-mow," as also a lot of upland which I had by execution upon judgment in Court obtained against widow Mary Challis administratrix to the Estate of her once husband Philip Watson Challis deceased, lying in Amesbury, at a place commonly called "Thorn Hill."Item. I give & bequeath unto my daughter Sarah, wife of John Colby of Amesbury all that my lot of upland lying in Amesbury at a place commonly called the "Birchen meadows."Item. I give & bequeath unto my daughter in law Abigail now wife of my son William Osgood all my household goods of what sort or kind soever they be.Item. All the rest of my lands, meadows goods & estate whatsoever, not herein before bequeathed, after my debts & funeral discharged as abovesaid I do give & bequeath unto my loving son-in-law Thomas Currier senr of Amesbury, whom I make & appoint sole executor of this my last Will & testament to take care that it be in all respects & particulars punctually observed and fulfilled. And hereby revoking all other Wills by me heretofore made I William Osgood senr do subscribe, seal & acknowledge the contents of this instrument to be my last Will & testament this 15th day of March in the twelvth year
of the reign of our sovereign Lord William the third, by the grace of God of England, Scotland &c., King, Anno Domini one thousand seven hundred.Signed & Published in the presence ofThomas Morrill | William W O Osgood [L. S.] Nathaniel Eastman | his mark & seal. Benjamin Eastman |Reference Number: 8564-SW
