The Possessions of Lt. John Ellis - 52 Ancestors #48

What did people own in the 17th century? I know from looking over inventories that possessions varied greatly from family to family, much like today.

Here is the inventory of one of my ancestors, Lt. John Ellis, my 9th great-grandfather. He lived in Sandwich, Massachusetts from the 1640s until his death. His inventory was presented to the court by his widow, Elizabeth (Freeman) Ellis on March 23, 1677. The fact that he was a soldier, the date of his death, and some other evidence led the authors of a 1965 article in the New England Historic Genealogical Register to hypothesize that he may have been a casualty of King Philip's War.

Clothing: £5
Furniture: £10 13s.
Household Items £6 23s. & Books 12s.
Powder, bullets, etc.:  £1 10s.
Livestock: £20 10s.
Corn & iron: 5 s.
Timber for a 30'X18' home: £3


I'm not sure what a cobber is or why it would be at Mr. Freeman's house.

Lt. John Ellis

Elizabeth Ellis

Elizabeth Briggs

Caleb Benson

Content Benson

Rachel Barrows

Asa Freeman Ellingwood

Nina K. Ellingwood

Annie F. Gibbs

F. Lyndell Cotton - my grandmother

For more information, see NEHGR volume 119.