Probates: Peter N. Ferris

Peter N. Ferris was a nearly exact contemporary of Abijah Merritt, born just four years later, who died two years earlier at the age of 56. And like Abijah Merritt, Peter Ferris died without a will, leaving his widow to deal with his estate. However, Peter Ferris's estate was an order of magnitude larger than that of Abijah Merritt, resulting in a much longer and more complicated process of sorting out debts, expenses, and property values.

The fact that he was a wealthier man than Abijah Merritt is reflected in Peter Ferris's gravestone, which is larger and more elaborate than Merritt's. It features an urn and willow motif, multiple different inscribed fonts, the deceased's name in a decorative cartouche, a plain rectangular border, and an epitaph inscribed painstakingly in tiny letters at the bottom of the stone. While not far from Abijah Merritt's stone, Peter Ferris's stone faces the opposite direction (to the east), reflecting a trend that was gaining traction in the mid-19th century: that is, the tendency to place gravestones facing frontally toward the entrance to the cemetery. The stone of Peter's wife Phebe also faces east, but many of the other Ferris stones face west.

Phebe's stone is somewhat unique in giving such prominence to her maiden name, Ward. Phebe's maiden name is also featured in references to her in her husband's probate records. I think it's fair to presume that Phebe Ward Ferris's natal identity was one that was very important to her, and which she may have consciously endeavored to preserve against the homogenizing force that typically obliterated a woman's ancestral name upon her marriage.

While Abijah Merritt's estate was administered by his son Caleb, Peter Ferris's estate was administered by his widow Phebe and John Curney. Upon Peter Ferris's death, they published a notice in the Peekskill Republican "for claimants to present their claims against [Peter Ferris's] estate," which appeared for six months. The claims of these creditors were then affixed to the estate inventory. Peter Ferris's estate was appraised and sold at public auction to pay his debts.

I find this aspect of the inventory somewhat difficult to understand, but as I have interpreted it, Peter Ferris's estate amounted to $6,193.15 in total, of which $3,469.05 was used to distribute to the various expenses. Phebe herself received a sum of $223.98 from the estate. From this she paid $181.98 to Joshua Putney for interest on his mortgage, $18.00 for a coffin for her husband, $22.00 for gravestones (plural - not sure if this means that Peter Ferris originally had a footstone, or whether Phebe may have purchased herself a gravestone at the same time), and $2.00 for digging the grave and setting the stone.

From this point on, the inventory is divided into several schedules.

Schedule A.
"Containing a list of the goods, chattels, & stock mentioned in the Inventory of the goods, chattels, and credits of Peter N. Ferris deceased, taken by the administratrix & administrator of the [estate] of the said Ferris deceased with the aid of Josiah Purdy and John Hallock sworn appraisers duly appointed for such purpose by the Surrogate of the County of Westchester, so far as the same could be ascertained, sold at public auction on the 31st day of October in the year 1845."

This schedule is four pages long and consists of a list of items (mostly agricultural implements and supplies and livestock) and the individuals to whom these items were sold, along with the prices. Just to give you a sense of the intricacy with which these records were made, here is my favorite section, featuring cows:



What must it have been like for Phebe Ward Ferris to see her husband's estate so meticulously and clinically deconstructed, appraised, and sold? I imagine that her life would have been completely upended - not only by the death of her husband, but by its fallout and consequences for the direction that the rest of her life would take.

Schedule B.
"Containing a true statement of the debts due the estate of Peter N. Ferris deceased mentioned in the Inventory made as stated in Schedule A which have been collected or otherwise adjusted to the credit of said estate with the interest collected or allowed on the same."

The total value of the debts collected was $4,567.82.

Schedule C.
"Containing a true statement of all moneys collected by me as due the estate of Peter N. Ferris deceased and of all moneys belonging to said estate that have come into my hands, not mentioned in Schedule B." Totaling $961.95.

Schedule D.
"Containing a true statement of the debts in the inventory of the estate of Peter N. Ferris deceased mentioned which have not been collected and which have not been collectable for the reasons herein after mentioned. Total balance due: $528.38

Schedule E.
"Containing a true statement of claims presented against the estate of said Peter N. Ferris and which have been paid or settled." Total: $2724.10

The following section of the probate record lists the "creditors and next of kin" to Peter N. Ferris to be apportioned part of his estate:

James D. Sherwood
Maria S. Sherwood
Joseph D. Ferris & Eliza his wife
Absalom N. Ferris
John H. Scott & Mary E. his wife
Silas C. Whitney & Sarah M. his wife

A little searching reveals that Sarah M. Whitney was born Sarah Matilda Ferris, the daughter of Peter N. and Phebe Ward Ferris, in 1825. Silas Constant Whitney was a farmer who lived in Yorktown; Sarah was the second of his three wives (at separate times, of course). The other next of kin are described in the section below:

"Whereas the said Peter N. Ferris died intestate, leaving him surviving his widow the said Phebe Ferris, and the following persons his only next of kin, viz.: Emily, a daughter of said deceased, the wife of George M. Sherwood; Jane, another daughter of said deceased, the wife of James D. Sherwood, who has since deceased leaving her surviving, her husband the said James D. Sherwood, and an infant daughter Maria S. Sherwood; Joseph D. Ferris, a son of said deceased; Sarah M. another daughter of said deceased & now the wife of Silas C. Whitney; Benjamin M. Ferris & Absalom N. Ferris, sons of the said deceased, and Mary E. another daughter of said deceased, and who is now the wife of John H. Scott; it is therefore further ordered and decreed that the said administrator and administratrix divide the remaining sum of $2339.38 into seven equal shares or portions of $334.19 each" to be divided among the aforesaid relations.

The Estate Inventory
Finally, the full inventory of Peter N. Ferris's estate is listed, along with the appraised value of each item.

• One brindle cow ($15)
• Three other cows each $15 ($45)
• One other cow ($16)
• Three other cows each $14 ($42)
• One other cow ($17)
• One dry cow ($8)
• One heifer ($7)
• One other heifer ($4)
• One pair of oxen ($75)
• One stack of hay ($16)
• One other stack of hay ($16)
• One other stack of hay ($20)
• One other stack of hay ($8)
• One other stack of hay ($16)
• Hay in the barn ($16)
• One horse (young horse) ($70)
• One old horse ($5)
• One ox cart ($30)
• Five forks ($1.50)
• One shovel ($1)
• Three rakes ($0.37)
• Eight planks ($1.50)
• One ox yoke ($1)
• One other ox yoke and [illegible] ($1.50)
• One lumber wagon ($40)
• One ox shed ($3)
• One grain cradle ($3)
• One corn sheller ($5)
• Sixty bushels of corn at fifty cents per bushel ($30)
• Seventeen barrels ($2.12)
• One lot of pine boards ($2.50)
• Two crobars at $1.50 each ($3)
• One lot of double harness ($4)
• One other set of double harness ($4)
• One set of single harness ($2)
• One buck saw ($0.75)
• One string of bells ($0.50)
• One iron wrench ($0.25)
• One drawing knife and pincers [?] ($0.75)
• One compass and square ($0.50)
• Two chisels ($0.50)
• Four augers ($1.50)
• One scythe and two sticks ($1.75)
• One half bushel measure and small measure ($0.75)
• Two potato hooks ($0.75)
• Two hoes ($0.75)
• One old saddle ($1.50)
• One whip ($0.25)
• One iron scoop ($1)
• One horse rake ($5)
• One grindstone ($5)
• One coopers [illegible] ($0.50)
• One hogshead and cider ($1)
• One hammer ($0.12)
• One shed ($3)
• Two ladders 50 cents each ($1)
• Two axes ($1)
• Three ox chains ($3)
• Three ploughs ($10)
• One stone boat ($1)
• One harrow ($1)
• Three cider barrels and cider ($1.50)
• Nineteen pigs $1.50 each ($28.50)
• One churning machine ($3)
• Five bushels of rye in granary ($3.12)
• One gun with accouterments ($8)

There was a separate list for "widow's right," that is, the items considered to be Phebe Ward Ferris's personal property.

• The family Bible, some school books
• One stove. One franklin
• The books, which are not in value $50
• Four sheep and three lambs - one red
• Cow - two swine - and the pork of the swine butchered for use of the family
• Wearing apparel
• Four beds, bedsteads, and bedding
• The usual cooking utensils
• The widow's clothes and the clothes of her family
• One table, six chairs
• Six knives and forks, six plates
• Six teacups and saucers
• One sugar dish, one milk pot
• One teapot and six spoons
• Two tables
• Eighteen plates
• Eighteen cups and saucers
• One sugar dish
• One teapot
• Fourteen chains
• One rocking chair
• Two looking glasses
• Carpets in use and necessary

Comparing Peter Ferris's inventory with Abijah Merritt's, it's clear to see that the former had a great deal more property, yet the rights of his widow were still restricted to personal possessions, tableware, furniture, and some livestock. Had either man thought to write a will, he could have allocated his widow a greater portion of his estate, or required that his children provide for their mother's care as a condition of their inheritance. When the two men died without a will, the law interceded to protect the widow's right to her own possessions. Yet these items seem somewhat meager in proportion to the entirety of the deceased's estate, and it is easy to imagine how the wives of men poorer than Abijah Merritt or Peter Ferris could have been devastated by their husbands' deaths. It's not surprising that many elderly widows sought refuge in the almshouse.

Phebe Ward Ferris outlived her husband by twelve years, dying on January 14, 1857. Her large marble headstone features a decorated "IN Memory of", the usual biographical details, and an epitaph reading:

Think not that they are blessed alone

Where days a peaceful tenor keep.

The God who loves our race has shown

A blessing for the eyes that weep.

Come Lord Jesus come quietly.

1. Peter N. Ferris (1789-1845) m. Phebe Ward (1791-1857)
1. Emily Ferris (1812-1878) m. George M. Sherwood (1812-1901)
2. Jane Ferris m. James D. Sherwood
1. Maria S. Sherwood
3. Joseph D. Ferris
4. Sarah Matilda Ferris (1825-) m. Silas Constant Whitney (1810-)
5. Benjamin M. Ferris
6. Absalom N. Ferris
7. Mary E. Ferris m. John H. Scott