date of Abraham’s birth given in the Beverly town-book(1) of that time,
as September 21st., 1701, and the date of his baptism is given in the Beverly
church records(8) as March 9th., 1706-7.
Of the other two who did not marry one was Thomas, the fifth(9)
child, and the other was Mary, the sixth(10) child and only daughter of Philip
and Martha. In the Beverly town-book above mentioned the birth of
Thomas is given as June 19th., 1707(11) and that of Mary as May 2, 1710(12).
In the Beverly church record above noted, the baptism of Thomas with
surname written L(ec)ody (as elsewhere stated) is recorded of date March
5th., 1709-10(13), and the baptism of Mary, with the surname written Lecody
is recorded of date August 10th., 1712(14).
Thomas lived but four years after his father’s death, as we know by the
date, 1747(15), at which his will was probated(16). By his will we know that
Thomas was unmarried, and that he made his brother Joseph sole heir and
administrator. That Thomas was a capable person may be judged by the
fact that Philip named him with Martha as administrator of his will. While
this choice of Thomas over the two older sons, John and Joseph, (Isaac had
died) was quite likely due to the fact that Thomas was still living in the
parental home, yet scarcely would this fact have decided his choice, had
Philip not had confidence in the ability of Thomas to perform such duty.
But though mentally equal to this responsibility Thomas seems to have
incurred a physical ailment which by the time of his father’s death, four
years after the will was written, led him to petition the court that he be
relieved from serving as administrator of his father’s will. This petition(17)
of the date January 31st., 1743, and thus within a few days of Philip’s death(18)
was, as elsewhere noted, signed also by Martha, and they together asked
that, the second son, Joseph, be appointed as administrator in their place
giving reason for this that they both suffered physical disability, one “by
reason of age and great infirmity, and the other of us disabled in the use
of his limbs”(19). That Thomas continued in ill health thereafter seems
evidenced by the fact that he lived but four years after the signing
of this petition, as we know by the date, September 5th., 1747, at which his
will(20) was probated. By his will his brother Joseph became heir of whatever
he possessed and is named administrator of his will. Judging by his
signature(21) it would seem that Thomas had had a fair education for his
time and circumstances. In the town-book of Hopkinton for that time is a
record that on July 1st., 1733, Thomas became a member(22) of the Hopkinton
church. At this time judging by the date of his birth, he was in his twenty-fifth
year.
Besides the two records above given concerning Mary, only daughter of
Philip and Martha, a record giving date(23) of her birth, and a record of her
baptism(23), there is only one more, that of her becoming a communicant
with the membership of the church at Hopkinton. This record(24) in the
Hopkinton town-book of that time is of date April 29th., 1732, at which
time, by the date of her birth, she was twenty-two years of age. By the fact
that Mary was not named in her father’s will it is reasonable to assume that
her death occurred before that of her father, and in fact before 1739, the
date her father’s will was written. On the light of this fact, and by the
date of her becoming a communicant of the Hopkinton church we know that
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