You can really get a good deep look into an ancestor’s life by reading the inventory of his/her possessions when the estate was probated. EVERY single little thing was apparently listed…….. and it surely shows how very little they had by way of possessions. (Think how long YOUR list would be???) Below is the inventory of an ancestor of mine dated 1774:
- 3 beds and furniture
- 2 bedsteads
- 7 chairs
- 1 safe
- 1 chst
- 2 tables
- 1 gunn
- 1 saddle
- 1 horse
- 1 teakettle
- 1 set of tea ware
- 3 stone potts
- 4 iron potts
- 1 pr handirons
- 1 looking glass
- 1 brass kettle
- 13 casks
- 1 iron pot-rack
- 2 reap hooks
- 3 plow hoes
- 3 broad hoes
- 2 axes
- 1 hatchett
- 1 grubbing hoe
- 1 skillett
- 1 pr wedges
- 2 augors
- 2 chizzells
- 2 handsaws
- 1 hammer
- 1 tub
- 3 water vessels
- 1 jack plain
- 1 dish
- 2 basons
- 6 plates
- 1 earthen jar
- 2 earthen plates
- 6 spoons
- 1 trunk
- 1 spinning wheel
- 2 pr cards
- 1 pr tongs
- 1 frying pan
- 4 punch bowls
- 1 flax hackle
- 13 head of cattle
- 8 head of sheep
- 11 head of hogs
- 1 bee hive
- 1 Bible
- 1 Hymn Book
- 3 trays
What I found quite fascinating, as I typed this list, was the mixed-up nature of it….. outdoor tools mixed in with kitchen stuff. And he had a Bible! (Where else did the family obtain new-baby names?) Another bit of interesting trivia, as I understand, all this stuff did not automatically go to the wife…… My, my, my how times have changed for the better.