Wills are generally good things. Most of our ancestors did not leave wills and those that did, well, they can be hard to find, and hard to interpret.
In my ongoing research into the Clark family of Durham, I certainly have the will of Deliverance Hanson which named one of her brothers as Eli Clark. I began researching this Eli Clark. As it turns out his will is rather annoyingly, dare I say, maddeningly, hidden. Probate for New Hampshire up to 1771 is published and thereafter is done county by county. However, those estates probated in the year 1771 can be anywhere. Eli Clark (Jr. as it turns out) wrote a will and died between 11 November 1770 and 30 May 1771. He lived in Lee in Strafford County, but the will was probated in Rockingham County as all wills had been up to then. Only it is not part of the provincial probates that got published. So a Strafford County family winds up in Rockingham County records.
Next, Eli Clark, Jr., together with his brother Benjamin were meant to be the executors of their father Eli Clark Sr. Whether Sr. or Jr. dies first is a mystery. However, Benjamin Clark appears and is named executors to both estates and this notice is very important since it does say the wills (plural) of Eli Clark and Eli Clark, Jr. Digging through the paperwork, one finds the will of Eli Clark, Sr., which is never probated separately. His will is dated 17 March 1763. So both Eli Clark wills are under Eli Clark (Jr.) in a neighboring county.
To add to the annoyance, both men are great at naming all their daughters with their married names. Eli Sr. had Deliverance Burnham, Elizabeth Bickford, and Abigail Glines. I can only identify the last of these daughters. I can't find the others for love or money. I'm floored that no source on the descendants of Robert Burnham of Dover name Deliverance or her husband in such a way that I can identify them. Eli Jr. had a daughter Hannah Foye. I think I have her now.
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