Abraham Doud's Will 1718 to 1801

Reuben/ABRAHAM/ Abraham/Thomas/Henry Doude------- Abraham Doud was born April 25, 1718 and died October 28, 1801. He married Mary (Mercy) Bishop. The birth records for his children that we posted on the blog uses the name Mary. They raised their family in East Guilford, now Madison, Connecticut. Abraham and Mary had seven children together. Their oldest child was Reuben Doud; born in 1748 Reuben married Polly Griffin. Abraham’s children were Reuben, Anna, Ruth, Eber, Olive, Henry and Lemuel. Eber and Lemuel gave their lives in the Revolutionary War both dying in 1776. Abraham names his living children in his Will, Reuben and Henry and his married daughters Anna Bartlett, Ruth Dudley and Olive Wilcox. We have included his Will, which begins “In the Name and Fear of God Amen”. In the Will he writes a short passage concerning each of his children. The passages are introduced by the lines “And as such Temporal Estate as God hath been pleased to bless me with in this Life, I give Devise and Dispose as follows”. At the end of the second page you can see his signature. In the Will he writes “ I give and bequeath unto my Eldest son Reuben Doud his Heirs and assign forever all of the remainder of my land laying on the west side of the highway opposite my dwelling house which I have not heretofore given him by deed toward his portion”. Apparently Abraham had already deeded Reuben some of his property. To Henry he wills ”all my homestead land and buildings”. Henry lived out his days on the homestead which originally belonged to his grandfather also named Abraham. Reuben disposed of his holdings in Madison and moved his family to Cortland, New York around 1795. The probate package also includes a detailed page for each of Abraham’s children. We have included three pages, one each, for Reuben, Henry, and Anna.