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Mercy's mark when she accepted the terms of Jonathan's will

Mercy grew up in Plymouth, Plymouth Colony, granddaughter of Mayflower passenger Richard Warren. Her father died when she was about 10. She likely met Jonathan Delano while he was still living in Duxbury next to Plymouth. The only record of their marriage is in Dartmouth, Plymouth Colony, where Jonathan had settled at an unknown date, but probably not long before the marriage. It can only be speculated why they didn't marry in Plymouth.
     Her husband gave her this in his will on 17 December 1720: "My best feather bed with all the furniture belonging to it and two cows. I also give unto her the easter most fire room of my dwelling house with half the chamber over it and half the lento and celer belonging to it during her widowhood. I also give unto her ten sheep." Essentially, this was the east half of the entire house, with access to a staircase in the middle. She wrote a letter to the probate court accepting this.2

"These may certify that I Mercy Delano widow and Relict of Jonathan Delano late of Dartmouth in the county of Bristol in New England deceased am satisfied with what my Husband has ordered for me by his last will and testament and shall accept thereof in leue of my right of thirds witness my hand this first day of March 1720/21"

     Wills in 17th and 18th century New England routinely outlined bequests to wives and it was up to the wives to challenge those wills or not if she thought she wasn't getting her rightful share, her "widow's thirds" of the estate. It's rare to find such challenges and this kind of formal acceptance in probate files of this period, and it isn't clear why she refers otherwise to her thirds unless she was given more than a third of the estate. The term "fire room" in this context means one of the first floor rooms with a fireplace. The use of the term "lento" (lean-to) shows that the Delano's house was in the "saltbox" style.

     Mercy died after 6 November 1727. On that day, her son Jabez of Dartmouth wrote to his brother Jonathan in Connecticut and gave news about the family. He says "Mother desiered me to acquaint you that she Greatly desires to se you, and so we doe all."1

Children of Mercy Warren and Jonathan Delano:1

daughter b. 25 November 1679, d. 28 November 1679
Jonathan, b. 30 January 1680/81
Jabez, b. 8 November 1682
Sarah, b. 9 January 1684/85, d. 27 February 1690
Mary, b. 27 October 1686
Nathan, b. 29 October 1688
Bethia, b. 29 November 1690, d. 19 July 1693
Susannah, b. 3 September 1693
son, b. 22 October 1694, d. same day
Nathaniel, b. 29 October 1695
Esther, b. 4 April 1698
Jethro, b. 31 January 1701/02
Thomas, b. 10 May 1704

vital records sources:

1. The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 7 (April 1853) (Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1853), 137.
2. Bristol Co., MA, probate file 8352.