Person Page - 613

       Jabez/4w Brooks Jr. was born 13 May 1700 at Woburn, MA.¹ 29 Jan 1724/25, Jabez Brooks of Woburn, weaver, bought of Daniel Harris of Middletown, CT, for £100, 18 acres in South Farms, Middletown.² 28 Aug 1725, William Whitmore of Middletown sells to Jabez Brooks, of Hunting Hill, for £60, a 10-acre parcel within the township of Middletown on the west side of Connecticut River, south from the town plot at a place called Hunting Hill.³ 12/20 Dec 1733, Nathaniel Robberds of Middletown sells to Jabez Brooks, South Farms, for £24, 2 acres, 1 rod of land in Sd. Middletown in the South Farms … it being twelve rods wide easterly & westerly and thirty rods long northerly and southerly.⁴
     Jabez married (1), 4 Apr 1728 at Middletown, Ann Wickham, daughter of Thomas Wickham, with whom he had one son.⁵ She died at M. 23 Oct 1729.⁶ There he married (2), 13 Apr 1732, Abigail/5 Johnson, daughter of Daniel/4 Johnson and Abigail Leek, with whom he had 7 children.⁷
     "In April of 1735, he took the inventory of the estate of Nathaniel Rogers of Middletown; on September 13, 1742, that of the estate of John Rogers of Middletown; and in 1763 that of the estate of Edward Foster Jr. of Middletown. In the Grand Levy of 1770 he was taxed 76-19-10."⁸ 16 Nov 1736, Daniel Johnson Senior, of Middletown, for the consideration of the paternal love and affection which I have for my Daughter Abigail the wife of Jabez Brooks of the same Middletown, deeds her 3 acres and 52 rods of land on the west side of the Connecticut River in Middletown near the dwelling house of the said Jabez Brooks.⁹
     Abigail (Johnson) Brooks died at Middletown 31 Aug 1752.¹⁰ There Jabez married (3), 16 Feb 1758, Rebecca Eaton, widow of Nathaniel Goodwin, with whom he had no issue.¹¹ Named executor in the will of his brother Samuel/4w Brooks of Middletown, 8 Apr 1763.¹² 6 Jan 1783, Jabez Brooks personally appeared in probate court to refuse the trust reposed in him by his brother. The court appointed his son Capt. Jabez administrator in his stead.¹²
     His will, dated 11 Dec 1793, bequeaths to well beloved wife Rebecca the west end of my dwelling house, the equal half of my barn, the use and improvement of the homelot on which my house stands (eleven acres more or less), and one-third of the moveables during the term of her natural life. To sons Jabez, Daniel, Samuel and Timothy, one equal quarter part of my meadow in the Long Meadow, and one equal seventh part of the residue of the estate. Jabez Jr.'s inheritance excludes £100 old tenor given him already; to Timothy's is added the eastern half of my dwelling house forever. To his married daughters Abigal (wife of Amos) Barns and Ruhama (wife of Ebeneser) Bevins, one equal seventh part of all my estate, excepting the Meadows which I have given to my four sons, always accounting what I have already given her which may be seen in my books as part of her portion. To unmarried daughter Hepsibah, a one-seventh share, my loom with all the apparatus thereto belonging, and liberty to live with my wife in the west part of the house during my wife's lifetime. Son Jabez Brooks Jr., executor. Witnesses: Elihu Starr, Gideon Lucass [by mark], Elisabeth Goodwin [by mark].¹³
     Jabez Brooks died 19 Sep 1794 (g.s.) at age 94.¹⁴ Buried in the Old Farm Hill Cemetery, Middletown, with his first two wives.^15,14 Distributions of his estate recorded 27 Apr 1795 include Dan'l Brooks, one cow (valued at 60s), 1772; Sam'l Brooks, 120s and one steer (80s), 1772; Abigail, one heifer (60s) and Sund'ie [sundry] valued at £14-5; Ruhama, Sund'ie, advanced 104s; Jabez [Jr.], £28-9.¹⁶

       Hannah Cutter was born 14 Jun 1715 at West Cambridge, MA.² She married, as his 1st wife, by 1734, perhaps at West Cambridge, John/4w Brooks of Woburn, son of Jabez/3w Brooks and Hepsibah/3 Cutter.³ She died 14 Apr 1742, aged 26, at Woburn, where she is buried in the First Burying Ground.⁴
     "Nov. 19, 1776, a discharge from the heirs of Hannah Brooks names John Brooks, Jabez Brooks, Tilly Littlejohn, and Thomas Brooks."³