John married Sarah Hudson around 1699. We have seen sources that list her birth date as 27 March 1687 but that would place her at age 12 when she was married and about age 13 when she had her first child so we suspect that information.
From John's will we can verify the name of his wife and find six living children listed as well as a brother Samuel, a cousin William, and a grandchild. He was apparently taken ill in September 1738 as he wrote his will on September 11, 1738 around the age of 60. Although we document the location as Portsmouth, Rockingham, New Hampshire, United States, to help us find source information in that current location, we are reminded that the land belonged to the United Kingdom when John died as his will mentions that it was the twelfth year of his Majesty's Reign. John died October 3, 1738, and had his will proven on October 25, 1738.
CHILDREN
Paul Shackford (abt 1702-1786) - married Rebecca Hudson
John Shackford (abt 1708 - 1766) - married Catherine Dennett
Mary Shackford (about 1689 - ????) - married William Seaward
Deborah Shackford (about 1700 - ????) - married John Ayers, Issac Sumner, and Samuel Waterhouse, her daughter Mary Sumner is also mentioned in John's will
Mary Shackford - married William Seaward
Sarah Shackford - married John Flagg
Elizabeth Shackford - married Andrew Toome, he died before 1738
We found a document in FamilySearch's New Hampshire Probate records that let's us know that John's will was recorded in Book 11, page 291 and that the record is listed as number 965. However Book 11 is not available in the wonderful FamilySearch records so we are sharing a copy of the will which was transcribed in 1914 by Henry Harrison Metcalf and Otis Grant Hammond in the Probate Records of the Province of New Hampshire Vol. II 1718-1740 State Papers Series Vol 21.
JOHN SHACKFORD 1738 PORTSMOUTH
In the Name of God Amen I John Shuckford of Portsmouth in the Province of New Hampshire in New England Blockmaker being Sick
Item I Give & Bequeath to Sarah my Beloved Wife the Use & Improvement of my Dwelling house during her Widowhood only Excepting & Reserving that part thereof which I have herein hereafter Reserved to the Use of my Daughter Toome-I also Give to my Said wife the furniture or household Goods that is in my Dwelling house belonging to me & the Sum of twenty Nine pounds per Annum to be paid her Yearly during her widowhood by my two Sons Paul & John Shuckford Equally and this that I have herein Given to my Said wife I design Shall be in Lieu & full for her Dower & third of my Estate but if She will not Accept it as Such then She is not to have the Gifts & bequests herein Mentioned-or in Case She Marries Again
Item I Give & Devise unto my Son Paul Shuckford my Said Dwelling house & Land whereon it Stands & until it comes to that which was my Brother Saml Shuckfords & to that which I have Have Given my Son John by Deed my Said Son Paul not to have the use of the Said House until the Interest which I have herein Given to my wife Shall Cease & Determine I also Give & Devise to my Said Son Paul the northeast part of Side of the Lot of Land which I bought of Wm Keese that is to Say twenty foot fronting on the Street Running Down to the River & Carrying that Breadth fifty foot Back from the Said Street to have & to hold the Said house & Lands afores d to my Said Son Paul his heirs and assigns forever-
Item I Give and Devise unto my to Sons Paul & John Shuckford all my Other Lands & Real Estate whatsoever & whereoever the Same is and Shall be found to have & to hold the One Moiety thereof to Paul his heirs & assigns & the Other Moiety to John his heirs & assigns forever and all my Live Stock I Give to my two Said Sons Equalty Divided between them as aforesd & I Order my Said Sons to pay to their mother the sum of twenty Nine pounds Yearly during her Widowhood & to pay it Jointly Each the half Sum thereof Yearly-
Item I Give to my Son John all the Tools & Utensils of my Trade & the Stock of Wood & Other Materials for Carrying on my trade & all my Interest in the Negroes which I have in Common with my Said Son John & my Couzin Wm Shuckford I Give to my Son John to be at his Dispose-and I Give to my Son Paul a Debt of forty pounds which he Owes me by note of hand-
Item I Give and Devise to my Son in Law Wm Seward that Lot of Land where his house Stands & which I Bo't of the Said Wm Keese as aforesd (only Excepting that part thereof which I have herein before Given to my Son Paul) to have & to hold to the Said Wm Seward his heirs & assigns forever-
Item I Give to my four Daughters viz Mary Seward Deborah Sumners Sarah Flag & Elizabeth Toome the Sum of ten pounds Each to be paid Out of my Goods or Personal Estate after my Debts and funeral Charges are paid the Said ten pounds to be paid to Each of them in English Goods all the Remaining part of my Personal Estate my will is that it Shall be Divided Equally Among my Six Children beforenamed-
Item I Give to my Daughter Toome the Use of the Great Chamber in my Said Dwelling house for the term of Six years or So long as She Shall be a Widow (if that happens) not Exceeding Six years in Case of her Widowhood * if She Shall not be a Widow She is to have No Interest there- It is my Intent That She Shall not let this Priviledge to any person nor hav it unless for her Own Use-
Item I Give to my Granddaughter Mary Sumners the Sum of ten pounds to be Laid Out by my Execrs to purchase a piece of plate to be Given to her as a token of my Love and to Remember me by-
Finally I Constitute & Appoint my two Sons Paul & John Shuckford Joint Execrs of this my Last will & Testament hereby Revoking & Dissannulling all & Every Other Will & Testament by me in any Manner heretofore made - In Witness whereof I have hereunto Set my hand & Seal the Eleventh day of Septembr Anno Domini 128 and in the twelfth Year of his Majesty's Reign
Signed Sealed published & pro-
nounced by the Said John Shuck-
ford as his last will & Testament
In presence of his
John X Shuckford
mark
Wm Shackford
John Wentworth
Jno Sherburne
[Proved Oct. 25, 1738
[Probate records, vol. 14, p. 391]
To all People to whom these Presents Shall Come William Seward mariner & Mary His wife (formerly Mary Shackford) Andrew Toome Mariner & Elizabeth his wife (formerly Elizabeth Shackford) John Flagg mariner and sarah his wife (formerly Sarah Shackford) and Deborah Sumners Widow all of Portsmouth in the Province of New Hampshire Send Greeting
Whereas John Shuckford late of Portsmouth aforesaid Blockmaker Deceas'd father of the Said Mary Elizabeth Sarah and Deborah in and by His last Will & Testament duly proved Approved & allowed among other Gifts & Bequests gave and Bequeathed all the Remaining part of his Personal Estate (after paying and Discharging Sundry Gifts Legacies & Dispositions thereof particularly mentioned in the Said Will) to & Deborah which Clause in the Said Will making it Necessary for the ascertaining and Security of the Interest of the Said Daughters of the Testator in the Said Remaining part of the Said Personal Estate that an Inventory of the Personal Estate of the Said Testator Should be Exhibited into the Registry of the Court of Probate for Said Province-Now Know Ye that the Said Testator Should be Exhibited into the Registry of the Court of Probate for Said Province-Now Know ye that the said William Seward & Mary his Wife Andrew Toome & Elizabeth his wife John Flagg & Sarah his wife and Deborah Sumners as well for the trust faith and Confidence which they have in the Integrity & fidelity of their Said Brothers Exec rs as aforesaid for the faithfull Discharge of their Said office & trust as also for a valuable Consideration already Received of the Said Execrs by the said William Mary Andrew Elizabeth John Sarah and Deborah they the Said Parties last mentioned do by these Presents as far as in them lies Grant Consent & agree to and with the Said Execrs that they the said Execrs should be Exonerated Released Exempted & Discharged of & from the Burden Labour trouble & Duty of Exhibiting of any Such Inventory as aforesaid or any Inventory of the Estate of their Said Testator-In Witness whereof they the Said William Mary Andrew Elizabeth John Sarah & Deborah have hereunto Set their hands and Seals the twenty fifth day of November Anno Domini 1738 And in the Twelfth Year of His Majesty's Reigh-
Signed Sealed & Delivered In
presence of
Lazarus Shackford
Debrh newbould
susaner studley
Samuel huntris
Mark Haddon
William Seaward
her
Mary X Seaward
mark
her
Elizth X Toome
mark
John Flagg
Sarah Flagg
Deborah Sumner
Andr Toome]
Acknowledged May 1, 1739, and Aug. 29, 1739)
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Sources:
Brewster Charles W., Rambles about Portsmouth : first series : sketches of persons, localities, and incidents of two centuries : principally from tradition and unpublished documents 2nd ed, 2nd edition (Portsmouth. N. H.: L. W. Brewster, 1873), Page 159-161; digital images, HathiTrust (http://www.hathitrust.com : accessed 25 March 2014
Melville Rosemary, From Trickey to Thorpe: a History of the Trickey, Shackfords, Seawards, Callahans (about 1993), page 52; digital image, FamilySearch.org (http://familysearch.org : accessed 15 December 2014
Metcalf Henry Harrison and Otis Grant Hammond, Probate Records of the Province of New Hampshire Vol. II 1718-1740 State Papers Series Vol 21 (Bristol, New Hampshire: R. W. Musgrove, Printer, 1914), page 724; digital images, Hathi Trust (http://www.hathitrust.com : accessed 17 January 2014.
New Hampshire, New Hampshire, County Probate Records, 1660-1973, John Shackford; digital images, FamilySearch, http://www.familysearch.org (: accessed 30 March 2015); >Rockingham>Probate record index 1660-1894>Index 577 of 746
Tibbetts Charles, W. Editor, The New Hampshire Genealogical Record. Vol V. January 1908-October 1908: An Illustrated Quarterly Magazine Devoted to Genealogy, History and Biography (Dover, N. H.: Charles W. Tibbetts, 1908), page 101; digital images, Google Books (http://books.google.com : accessed 24 April 2014
"U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700," index, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 30 March 2015), John Shackford m Sarah Hudson
Copyright 2018 Joanne Shackford Parkes (sharing a link to this post is appreciated but please do not copy this material and paste it elsewhere)
Updated 1/2/2018 to correct year that John most likely fell ill from 1828 to 1838.