♀Rebecca (surname unknown)

Rebecca was the wife of Thomas Newell (died 1689), a settler of Farmington in the Connecticut Colony^W, and as his widow she administered both his estate and that of their son Joseph in 1689 and 1690. A granddaughter who had lived several years in her household was given a share of her husband’s estate before his children divided it. She was the eighth great-grandmother of Frederic Roger Curtis (1928–2007), through her daughter Rebecca Newell (born about 1643).

Widowhood

Thomas Newell of Farmington died “without any Will” in 1689. On 6 November 1689 the county court granted administration of his estate to his widow and their son Samuel, and the inventory, taken the next day by John Stanly and Samuel Cowles, came to £449 17s 6d. In the heirs’ agreement of 8 November 1689, the widow kept “the full dispose of her thirds of all the Moveable Estate for her maintenance”, and the widow and children agreed that a granddaughter, Rebeckah Woodford, who “hath lived several years with her gr. Father & Mother”, should have a share of the movable estate before any other division was made. She signed the agreement as Rebeckah Newell.

Her son Joseph made his will at Farmington on 2 November 1689 and left the rest of his estate to “my dear Mother (she discharging my Debts)”. He died before his inventory was taken on 14 November. The widow Newell appeared in December 1689 and swore to that inventory, and on 6 March 1689-90 the court granted administration of Joseph’s estate to “Widow Newell, his Mother, with the Will annexed.”

Family

Her maiden name is not settled: James Savage’s genealogical dictionary gives her as Rebecca Adgate and a 1909 family history of Maine as Rebecca Olmstead, and neither name has been found in a record. The probate record names eight children with their ages: John Newell 42, Thomas 39, Samuel 28, Rebeckah Woodford 46, Mary Bascom 44, Hester Stanly 37, Sarah Smith 34 and Hannah North 31. Their daughter Rebecca, through whom the line runs, married Joseph Woodford of Farmington.