Today I’m going to tell you about a new record that I found on ancestry.com for my 2nd Great Grandfather, James O’Dea in Broome County, New York. Before I start, I have to tell you that I have searched for records about James O’Dea on numerous occasions over the years, and this is the first time that I have seen a record of his will. The will is in the collection titled: New York, U.S., Wills and Probate Records 1659-1999. This collection was last updated 8/23/2021.
I was quite surprised to see his name, so I searched that collection for other ancestors whom I know died in Broome County, NY during that time frame. I found no other probate records …. YET.
Here is the first page:
This is basically the cover page, there are two more pages on ancestry.com, but posting them would take too much space. So I will tell you that it is probated on 26 Oct 1891, and is signed with an X (his mark) meaning that he was probably illiterate.. The will was written and witnessed on 8 Sep 1891. Honora O’Dea (his wife) and William O’Dea (his son) are the executors.
Without going too crazy, he gives his farm in Sandford, along with two tracts of state land that he owns, to his two sons: William and James, his wife will be the general manager during her life with use of the land and house. His sons are to pay his daughter (their sister) Catherine $100.00 each over the next few years (I’m tguessing that this is buying her out ) she is married and living in Buffalo, NY. The other daughter, Mary (Sterling) and other two sons, Michael and Daniel are not mentioned in the will. All three are married with families, and living in Jersey City, NJ. I have no way of knowing for sure, but William and James stayed on the farm their whole lives, and Honora needed to be taken care of by her sons. So that makes sense. I still wonder why Michael, Daniel, and Mary were left out. Maybe it was a family decision that they talked over beforehand, I guess I’ll never know.
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