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Benjamin's signature as guardian to John House in 1728

When his father's real estate was divided among his heirs on 1724, Benjamin was given "one half of that end" of the lot where his father lived "above ye road in...Scittuate;" one half of a lot of meadow land at Stony Brook; an eighth right in the Scituate commons that was his father's; a fifth right in the 59th lot of a cedar swamp and a fifth right in the Old Sawmill Pond.
     He bought two shares in the Old Sawmill Pond on 3 April 1719. 14:164 This was actually freshwater marsh. It was once one of several ponds along Third Herring Brook, which divided Scituate from Hanover when it split from Scituate in 1727. The pond apparently fell into disuse and allowed to turn to marsh.      Benjamin lived in the South Parish of Scituate until very late in life, when he moved to Hanover. He was in Scituate as late as 9 November 1732.1 28:75, 33:180 He kept his pew share in Scituate and had another in Hanover by the time he died, according to his estate inventory.
     Letters of Administration for Benjamin's estate were given to Samuel Clap, yoeman of Scituate, on 27 September 1743.
     Benjamin gave portions of his estate to his sons before he died, outlined in his inventory. After he died, three shares were made of his remaining real estate to his three daughters, Lydia, Sarah and Ruth on 24 September 1746.
To "Lydia House," eldest daughter: 11 1/2 acres, the easterly part of a lot at Church's Hill, Hanover; also 3 acres, 108 rods in Hanover adjacent to Bryant's and House's land near the Country Road; also 167 rods in Hanover adjacent to David House's land; also 1 acre, 100 rods of meadow in the Old Sawmill Pond; also 1 acre of land on the west side of the highway from Benjamin Curtis's to the Hanover meeting house; also 2 acres lying byj John Palmer's 10 acre lot in Hanover, judged to be a third part of her father's real estate.
     To "Ruth Curtis:" 10 1/2 acres of land at Church's Hill on the west side of the piece given to Lydia; also 6 acres of meadow at Stony Brook in Scituate; also 2 acres at Birch Island in the Old Sawmill Pond; also a 6 acre and 90 rod grant yet to be laid out in the last division of Scituate Commons, being a third of her father's real estate.
     To "Sarah Clap:" The remainder of the lot at Church's Hill west of Ruth's lot; also 1 shar of cedar dwamp in the Valley Sawmp; also t 1/4 acres of land near Green Rocks; also 2 1/2 acres of land adjacent toland that was Capt. Torrey's near David House's land; also a pew in the Southerly meeting house in Scituate, being a third part of her father's real estate.

Benjamin's estate inventory:

Imprimis his purse [cash] & apparell 9.17.7
Item his books 0.6.3
Item to the best bed and furniture 5.7.6
Item to another bed & furniture 5.2.6
Item to a razor & two small casks 0.3.3
Item to carpenters tools 2.6.6
Item tob a chest & a butter table 0.8.9
Item to chaires & joynt stool 0.6.0
Item to a chest of draws and a puter basen 0.16.9
Item to linen sheats & bolster case 1.6.0
Item to table linen 0.13.0
Item to a sute of curtains & valians [vallences] 1.0.0
Item to an anvil [beeg?] iron & a vise 0.15.0
Item to 2 acres & 80 rods of land lying adjoyning the land of Caleb Torrey near David Houses 3.15.0
Item to 167 rods of land joyning to sd Houses land 2.12.2
Item to three acres & 108 rods of land joyning to the land of sd. House & Briants land 8.5.4
Item to meadow land lying by Stoney Brooke in Scituate [Stony Brook, surely referring to salt meadow or marsh] 15.0.0
Item To one share of cedar swamp Lying in Scituate in the Valle Swamp [Valley Swamp, Norwell, formerly in Scituate just north of the Hanover border] 4.10.0
Item to two acres & one quarter of land lying near ye Green Rocks [probably "Green Rock" in History of Hanover, southeast of Rocky Swamp which is probably now Randall Swamp] 5.1.3
Item to one acre & 100 rods of meadow land lying in ye (afsd?) Sawmill Pond [probably what is now Old Pond Meadows on Third Herring Brook, formerly dammed for a mill] 2.8.9
Item to 2 acres & 14 rods of cedar swamp land in sd. pond 1.11.3
Item to another peice of cedar swamp in sd. pond being 136 rods 0.12.6
Item to 2 acres of land on Birch Island on sd. pond 2.10.0
Item to about 38 acres of land at & near a place called Churches Hill near Benja Curtis his house [Church Hill was a little northwest of the northwest corner of Union and Pine Streets, now mostly graded down for housing] 76
Item to one acre of land lying on ye West side of ye highway that goes from sd. Benja Curtis's to Hanover meeting house [Main St.] 0.10.0
Itm to about 2 acres of land lying by Jno Palmers ten acre lot in Hanover 0.10.0
Item To the Grants of six acres and ninety rods of land to be laid out in Scituate Commons 1.12.6
Item to about half a pew in Hanover meeting house and part of a stable near said house 3.15.0
Item to a pew in the Southerly meeting in Scituate and part of a stable near sd house 4.0.0
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161.12.10

Item to what the said deceasd advanc'd in his ife time to his son Benja. by deed of gift vizt 70 acres of land whereon he now dwells 148.15.0
Item to what said Benja. Curtis advanced in his life time to his son David by deed of gift vizt about 50 acres of land with the building standing upon it being his homestead and allso about eleven acres of meadow land in ye Old Sawmill Pond in Scituate 300.0.0
Item to what the sd deceas'd advanced in his life time to his son Ebenezer by deed of gift viz sixty acres of land whereon he now dwells 150.0.0

Caleb Torrey
Isaac Turner
John Ruggles

Sworn at court in Plymouth 10 October 1743

children of Benjamin Curtis and Mary Silvester: (baptized in the South Church of Scituate)

i. Mary, b. 22 August 1691 (Mary, Benjamin, Ebenezer and Lydia were bap. at the South Parish, Scituate, 1696, year only given since this was a summary made by a later minister to make up for a lack of previous records)
ii. Benjamin, b. 14 December 1692
iii. Ebenezer, b. 1 August 1694
iv. Lydia, b. 27 February 1695/96
v. Sarah, b. 20 December 1697 (bap. 1697)
vi. Ruth, b. 14 June 1700 (bap. 1700)
vii. Susannah, b. 23 March 1702 (bap. 1702)
viii. Deborah, bap. 16 July 1704 (town record says b. August 1704 - there is no reason given for the incomplete date, but the months may be confused between Deborah and William)
ix. William, bap. 12 August 1705 (town record says b. July 1706)
x. David, b. June 26 1708 (bap. 1 August 1708)
xi. Peleg, bap. 24 December 1710 (town record says b. September 1710)

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