vital records sources
go to Rebeckah Woodbery's page

1750



1765



1771



1774 will

Josiah had two distinctly different signatures, and I can't find an explanation for it. The first, shown above, is when he and his brother signed-off on their father's estate inventory in 1750. The next is as a guardian surety in 1765, then another surety in 1771 (he signed 3 such documents at the time, all the same way) and finally his will in 1774. This evidence precludes that Josiah, Jr., was involved, since the oldest and newest signatures, representing both styles, were definitely his, and a document wasn't legal if someone else signed for you in adulthood. Besides, as was customary to avoid confusion, his son Josiah added "Jr." to the one signature of his I've found (a deed in 1750, "Josiah Lovett, Jr.," if the transcription is correct - the Essex County deed recordings usually are). The signatures also show the fluidity of spelling at the time. For example, one brother writes "Loveitt," the other "Lovet." "Loveit" and "Loveitt" are likely phonetical (sounds like "love it") rather than suggestive of a change in pronunciation.

Given the above information about his signatures, he obviously didn't have a preference about how to spell his last name. There was no prevailing spelling when others referred to the "Lovett" family either, although "Loveitt" and "Lovett" were common in the early 18th century. I've chosen the generic "Lovett" for this reason.
     The Beverly town meeting minutes show Josiah serving in several town offices. He was a surveyor of highways in 1752 and a hogreave (who tended the pigs on common land) in 1764.1 I haven't pinpointed where Josiah lived in Beverly, but it was probably on land owned by his ancestors on Cabot Street south of the First Church. He bought the homestead of Samuel Lovett in 1729 and may have lived there.2 He's said to have given the land for the Abbott Street Cemetery, Beverly's first, which would fit well with his living where Samuel did.

Josiah's will:3

In the name of God amen, I, Josiah Lovitt of Beverly in the County of Essex and Province of the Massachusets Bay in New England, yoeman, being weak of body but of a sound and disposing memory and knowing that I was born to die, do make this my last will & testament.

Imprimis, I give my immortal spirit to God who gave it and my body I commit to the earth to be decently buried at the discresion of my executors hereafter named.

and as to my worldly estate which it hath pleasd God to endow me with I dispose of in manner and form as followeth

Item, I give unto Rebecca my well beloved wife the whole improvement of all my real estate and all my parsonal estate out of doors as live stock & husbandry, utencils of all sorts dureing the term that she shall remain my widow and no longer, and I allso give the sd Rebecca all my indoors parsonal estate as money or houshold goods of all sorts to be at her own disposal, and this I give her in lieu of her right of dower out of my estate.

Item, I give to my grandson Josiah Lovitt the son of my son Josiah Lovitt, decasd. six pounds, thirteen shillings & four pence lawfull money & to each of his brothers, to wit Jonathan and Samuel Lovitt, I give the sum of thirteen pounds, six shillings & eight pence lawfull money to be paid to each of them by my son John Lovitt, but if either of them should die before he come to ye age of twenty one years then his part to go to ye surviveing brothers equally & if twp of them should die before they come to that age then their shares herein given to go to the surviving brother

Item, I give to my grandson Josiah Taylor the son of my daughter Mary Taylor six pounds, thirteen shillings & four pence to be paid him by my two sons Joseph and John Lovitt equally between them when he shall arrive at the age of twenty one years if ever he shall arrive to that age

Item, I give to my sd daughter Mary Taylor the sum of thirteen pounds, six shillings & four pence to be paid her by my son John Lovitt

Item, I give to my daughter Rebecca Smith the sum of twenty pounds to be paid her by my sd son John Lovitt

Item, I give unto my daughter Mercy Conant the sum of twenty six pounds, thirteen shillings & four pence lawfull money to be paid by my sd son John Lovitt

Item, I give to my daughter Bethiah Woodbery the sum of twenty six pounds, thirteen shillings & four pence lawfull money to be paid by my sd son John Lovitt

Item, I give to my daughters Elizabeth Wallis and Deborah Herrick each of them the sum of twenty six pounds, thirteen shillings & four pence lawfull money to be paid by my sd son John Lovitt and each of the above legacies to these my daughters to be paid the one half in twelve months next after my sd wives deceas and ye other half within twelve months from ye first

Item, I give to my two granddaughters, to wit Lydia and Elizabeth Chapman the daughters of my daughter Joanna Chapman deceasd each of them the sum of six pounds, thirteen shillings & four pence to be paid by my sd son John Lovitt, and if either of them should die before she shall arrive to ye age of twenty one years then her legacy herein given shall go to her surviveing sister

Item, I give to my beloved son Joseph Loveit the sum of fifty three pounds, thirteen shillings and four pence to be paid him by my son John Lovitt and allso to sd Joseph I give that piece of woodland by Nehemiah Prestons containing about twelve acres more or less and allso the one half of all my woodland at Glossester for quantity and quallity

Item, I give to my beloved son John Lovitt my dwelling house and barn in sd Beverly and all the land adjoyning thereto which I call my homestead about ten acres more or less with all the other profits and priviledges belonging thereto, and allso to sd John I give my lott of land in sd Beverly called Hibbards Lott and allso that peice of land of mine called the outlet about three & 1/2 acres and allso the other half of my woodlott at sd Gloseester and allso one cow right in Snake Hill Pasture so called

Item, all my other real estate which I have not already disposed of in this will I give to my two aforsd sons Joseph and John Loveit to be equaly divided between them and allso all the live stock that shall remain at my sd wives deceas to be equally divided between them my afored sons & as for ye untencils and husbandry gear which shall remain at my sd wives decease I give to my son John

Item, what I have herein given to my sd sons and daughters, grandsons & grandaughters respectively I give them their heirs and assigns for ever

Lastly & finally I hereby constitute and appoint my two sons Joseph Lovitt and John Lovitt equal executors of this my last will & testament, but my son John Lovitt is to pay all my just debts & funeral charges

In witness where of I have here unto set my hand and seal this twenty eighth day of February AD 1774 & in ye fourteenth year of our reign

Signd, seald and declared by the sd Josiah Lovitt to be his last will & testament

[signature] Josiah Loveitt

In presence of

Josiah Batchelder
Samuel Dane
John Trow

children of Josiah Lovett and Rebeckah Woodbery:4

i. Josiah b. 18 October 1729
ii. Mary b. 2 August 1731
iii. Rebecca b. 26 September 1732
iv. Mercy b. 26 June 1735, d. (prob. August or September) 17365
v. Mercy b. 20 April 1737
vi. Joseph b. 24 April 1739
vii. Joanna b. 4 May 1741 (bap. 10 May 1741)
viii. John b. 1 July 1743, "Capt." (bap. 3 July 1743)
ix. Bethiah b. 21 July 1745 (bap. 28 July 1745)
x. Elizabeth b. 12 March "1747," bap. 13 March "1748" (1747/48 - Old Style/New Style date)
xi. Deborah bap. 27 May 1750 (not in birth records)

vital records sources: Josiah's birth, marriage and death dates come from the Beverly vital records: Vital Records of Beverly, Massachusetts to the Year 1849, vol. 1 (Topsfield:1906), 217; ibid, vol. 2 (Topsfield:1907), 200, 496 (his death record is taken from his gravestone, which says he was in his 70th year, meaning he was 69 and would turn 70 on his next birthday).


1. citation needed, taken from images of the original town records.
2. Essex Co., MA, deed 52:41.
3. Essex Co., MA, probate file #17144.
4. Vital Records of Beverly, Massachusetts to the Year 1849, vol. 1 (Topsfield:1906), Records of the First Church of Beverly, Massachusetts 1667-1772 (Salem:1905).
5. Col. Robert Hale's record of deaths, Essex Institute Historical Collections vol. 5 (Salem:1863), 18, "Josiah Lovett's child."