Probates: Stephen Ferris

If there's one immediate conclusion I can draw from the estate inventory of Stephen Ferris, who died January 30, 1827, at the age of 55, it's that he and his family probably weren't consuming all of the hundreds of gallons of alcohol in various forms that was counted among his property at the time of his death. The quantities of beer, rum, brandy, wine, and gin that Stephen Ferris owned most definitely indicate an "intent to sell," to couch it in modern-day criminal justice terms. That is not to say that Ferris's was an illegal operation. Most likely, he was a merchant or tavern keeper as well as a farmer (he owned cows, chickens, scythes, and garden seed). His wife and daughters may have engaged in textile production and/or dressmaking (see the "wheels" a.k.a. spinning wheels and the large amount of textiles that they owned), or they might have sold textiles in their store (note there are no looms mentioned, suggesting that the weaving was done somewhere else).

What I find most interesting about Stephen Ferris's estate inventory is this section, enumerating the modest collection of items separated from the extensive list as "goods belonging to the widow for the support of their minor children."

Source

• One stove an operates (?) ($40)
• Three beds and bedding ($62.50)
• Six fancy chairs ($4)
• One table and one stand ($7)
• Six plates ($0.50)
• Six cups and saucers ($0.44)
• One Bible and Flynn (?) book, other books ($4)
• One large pot and one small pot ($1)
• Two iron kettles ($1.25)
• One large wheel and one small wheel ($5)
• One frying pan and one gridiron ($0.75)
• Two candlesticks [illegible] ($0.50)
• Six bowls, one tin work bowl ($0.88)
• Six knives & forks ($0.75)
• One oval dish & six tumblers ($0.62)
• One pair handirons ($2)
• One shovel and tongs ($1)
• One teakettle and two pails ($1)
• One teapot milk & sugar dish ($3.50)
• One red white face cow ($18)
• Pork and cask (?) ($8)
• Six tin pans ($1.52)
• One colander ($0.25)
• One coffee pot ($0.25)
• Two stone pots ($0.50)
• One bread tray and bowl ($0.37)
• One churn & pitcher ($1.25)
• One pair smoothing irons ($0.62)
• One washtub ($0.25)

How many "minor children" were these goods intended to support, and for how long? To answer that I need to go back to the beginning, when Stephen Ferris was born, around 1771 or 1772. I don't know anything about his parents, but I do know that he married Rachel Fish, who was born in 1774, most likely around the mid-1790s. Her gravestone is pictured above (Stephen is also buried in the cemetery, but the photo of his stone on FindAGrave isn't legible). Three of Stephen and Rachel's children are buried beside them in the cemetery: Cornelus (1800-1843), James (1803-1838), and Richard (1814-1841). Of these children, only Richard would have been a minor in 1827, but sources on Ancestry and FindAGrave (which I can't verify at the moment) indicate that they had two other children who would have been minors at that time.

Source

Here is the rest of the estate inventory (or rather, what I could read of it): 

• Old scythe ($0.12)
• One box and hazelnuts ($0.18)
• 25 lb feathers & [illegible] ($11.19)
• One pair sole leather ($0.75)
• Box and quills ($0.75)
• Lot of casks in storehouse ($1.38)
• One set axe [illegible] ($0.60)
• Lot of old irons ($1)
• Three baskets of onions ($0.50)
• Set of wooden measures ($1.50)
• Three augers ($0.50)
• One case of English powder ($6)
• One case of orange powder ($5)
• One sugar break ($0.12)
• Fine salt in cask ($1.75)
• One bottle and wedges ($0.50)
• One lot of whiffletrees ($0.50)
• 5 [illegible] forks ($1.50)
• Two scythe sheaths ($0.12)
• Six scythes ($4.50)
• Nine and a half dozen cups and bowls ($3.56)
• Four shovels and one spade ($2.50)
• Nine dozen blue teas (?) ($9)
• Thirteen muskrat skins ($2.84)
• Two barrels mackerel (?) ($8)
• One sack (?) of salt ($2.75)
• One barrel [illegible] wine ($30.81)
• Two and a half dozen plates at 4/ ($1.25)
• One half barrel [illegible] ($1.50)
• Two decanters ($0.50)
• Two and a half dozen small blue plates ($0.94)
• One barrel of flour ($6)
• One lot of wild game ($0.56)
• One barrel ground logwool (?) ($1.75)
• One barrel of flour ($1.12)
• One half dozen blue plates ($0.62)
• Nine blue plates ($0.62)
• Five oval dishes ($1.75)
• One lot small plates ($0.28)
• Three and a half dozen white plates ($1.75)
• Five white work brushes ($2.25)
• Three pair bellows ($0.25)
• Two clothes baskets ($0.25)
• Three dozen plates at 2/9 ($1.83)
• Thirteen milk plates at /6 ($0.81)
• Four milk plates ($0.50)
• Fourteen plow shares ($5.25)
• Five dozen bowls ($2.50)
• Seven gallons (?) salts and peppers ($0.88)
• Four chambers (?) at 1/9 ($0.88)
• Five glass jars ($1.25)
• One decanter ($0.25)
• Five teapots ($2.62)
• One tea set ($1.12)
• One ditching (?) shovel ($0.38)
• Six blue pitchers ($2.25)
• Three fancy pitchers ($0.65)
• One pepper mill ($0.38)
• Three hoes ($0.38)
• One gross [illegible] teas ($2)
• Nine black teapots at 10 ($0.94)
• One and a half dozen white bowls ($0.66)
• Eight fancy bowls ($0.50)
• Lot of tumblers ($1.75)
• 91 (?) baking dishes ($4.64)
• Ten lash strings ($0.62)
• Ten wash bowls and chambers ($0.88)
• Fifteen jugs ($2.19)
• Five pots ($0.78)
• One pair of chisels ($0.38)
• Eight pair women's shoes ($6)
• Five pair men's shoes ($6.88)
• Four pair children's shoes ($1)
• Two small shoes ($1)
• One iron pot ($0.75)
• One skillet ($0.15)
• Three sugar boxes ($0.44)
• One barrel of sand ($3.62)
• One [illegible] jug ($0.25)
• One box of corks ($0.25)
• One lot of glass ($0.88)
• One ladle ($0.09)
• Three iron squares ($0.75)
• One box of pipes ($0.18)
• Lot of wooden bowls ($2)
• 84 lb batting ($8.42)
• Five pair [illegible] shoes ($3.12)
• One dozen suspenders ($1.62)
• One half dozen suspenders ($1.75)
• Eight pair small forks (?) ($0.75)
• 33 lb cotton yarn ($8.25)
• 11 lb batting ($1.15)
• 5 lb candlewick (?) ($1.25)
• Five lumps of sugar ($6)
• One lot of garden seeds ($12.65)
• 5 lb wire ($0.94)
• Lot of tobacco ($3.09)
• Case of plug tobacco ($0.62)
• Two and a half boxes [illegible] ($7.50)
• Two trunks ($2.50)
• 40 lb ginger ($3.45)
• 150 lb white sugar ($17.25)
• 125 lb brown sugar ($11.25)
• One cheese [illegible] ($2.25)
• One steel trap ($0.38)
• One pair steelyards ($0.75)
• Twelve lb skin (?) tea ($6.72)
• 25 lb [illegible] ($22.25)
• 15 lb alspice ($3.60)
• 30 lb pepper ($5.40)
• 8 lb salt ($0.32)
• 18 lb [illegible] ($1.26)
• 6 lb Epson salts ($0.60)
• Case of ginger ($0.23)
• 17 lb salts [illegible] ($1.70)
• Barrel of butter ($2)
• Bag of coffee ($14)
• 28 lb crackers ($1.88)
• 12 lb [illegible] ($0.75)
• 19 lb starch ($1.08)
• 100 lb nails ($6)
• 30 lathe (?) nails ($6)
• 80 lb shingle nails ($5.60)
• Two horse [illegible] ($1)
• 70 lb [illegible] nails ($4.20)
• 14 sheets [illegible] ($0.88)
• Two whips ($0.50)
• 14 yards Lyon skin ($10.50)
• 7.75 yards [illegible] ($15.09)
• 32 ditto ($4)
• 18.75 ditto ($2.15)
• 135 ditto ($13.55)
• 50 ditto ($8.12)
• 17.75 yards ditto ($2.43)
• 45.75 ditto ($4.57)
• 24 [illegible] ($3.52)
• 28 [yards?] flannel ($5.25)
• Five pair of [illegible] ($1.75)
• 3.5 yards of cord ($1.09)
• 18.75 yards cord ($6.37)
• 15.75 drab cloth ($27.62)
• 5.25 white [illegible] ($3.28)
• 3.75 mixed cloth ($18.12)
• 3 yards of [illegible] cloth ($0.94)
• 14 yards blue cloth ($31.50)
• 12 yards blue cloth ($31.56)
• 7 1/4 yards blue cloth ($19.30)
• 10 yards Buckram ($1)
• 20.25 cloth ($30.38)
• [illegible] ($0.25)
• Five green veils (?) ($2.18)
• One [illegible] ($0.50)
• Two light silk [illegible] ($0.46)
• Two ditto ($0.62)
• 12 yards cashmere (?) ($10.50)
• 7.25 satinette ($3.62)
• 4.25 ditto ($2.12)
• 10.75 [yards?] blue cashmere ($16.12)
• 21.5 satinette ($12.53)
• 8 yards black (?) cloth ($5)
• 12 yards blue cloth ($4.50)
• 5.5 drab cloth ($4.12)
• 15.75 tartan plaid ($4.95)
• 39.5 teal (?) flannel ($4.94)
• 14.5 yards cotton [illegible] ($6.04)
• 47 yards green flannel ($11.75)
• Lot of cotton thread ($2.62)
• 86 yards gingham ($10.75)
• 98 ditto ($9.80)
• 14.5 yards stripe [illegible] ($2.32)
• 26.25 [illegible] ($6.57)
• 4.75 check ($0.59)
• 27.5 cotton stripe ($4.95)
• One buffalo skin ($5)
• 10.75 ted (?) flannel ($3.37)
• Remnant (?) of flannel ($0.12)
• 105 yards calico ($10.52)
• 39 wide ditto ($5.85)
• 56.25 yards ditto ($8.44)
• 92.25 yards ditto ($17.61)
• 38.5 yards ditto ($7.60)
• 23.75 yards ditto ($5.84)
• 49.5 yards ditto ($7.92)
• 72 India calico ($16.56)
• 10.25 spotted flannel ($3.84)
• 7.75 ticking ($1.94)
• 21.25 check ($4.68)
• 7 yards gingham ($1.05)
• 12.75 furniture [illegible] ($3.88)
• Six pair black hose ($2.62)
• Four pair white ditto ($2.50)
• Four black cotton ($1)
• Five white cotton ($1.72)
• 42 yards [illegible] ($6.48)
• Six bed quilts ($5.25)
• 35 children's [illegible] ($1.05)
• 14 cotton flags ($2.19)
• 16 cotton [illegible] ($2)
• 3 [illegible] ($0.28)
• 9 [illegible] ($1.80)
• 13 ditto [illegible] ($1.17)
• One large cotton shawl ($0.75)
• Two green silk shawls ($1)
• Two cotton [illegible] ($1)
• Nine silk [illegible] ($5.62)
• One ditto ($0.75)
• 4 bandanas (?) ($2)
• Three yards vesting (?) ($2.25)
• 4.5 vesting ($1.68)
• 2 vest portions ($1.25)
• 6.75 white muslin ($0.68)
• 15.5 ditto ($2.02)
• 43.75 ditto ($9.62)
• One [illegible] ($0.15)
• 25.5 black [illegible] ($4.83)
• 10.5 ditto ($1.89)
• 21.25 tabby velvet ($9.24)
• 18.75 black [illegible] ($5.52)
• 15.75 ditto ($1.97)
• 8.25 twilled ($2.31)
• 5.25 [illegible] ($1.15)
• 20.25 silk stripe ($10.12)
• 21.5 [illegible] ($4.33)
• 3.75 sateens ($1.88)
• 1.25 cotton stripe ($0.18)
• 15.5 green silk ($5.81)
• 5 [illegible] dresses ($6.25)
• 4.5 mill muslin ($1.72)
• 11 yards spider net (?) ($1.98)
• 5.75 [illegible] ($2.30)
• 8 yards ditto ($2.80)
• 7.25 ditto ($1.81)
• One wrapper ($0.12)
• Four shawls ($0.75)
• 4.75 spidernet ($0.59)
• Four [illegible] shawls ($1.50)
• 1.5 [illegible] ($0.75)
• 11.25 book muslin ($2.10)
• One wrapper ($0.12)
• Two cedar pails (?) ($0.88)
• Eighteen watch ribbons ($0.90)
• Four cloak clasps ($0.50)
• Eight watch seals ($0.50)
• Nine keys ($0.56)
• Three yards lace ($0.13)
• Four buck skin mitts ($1.25)
• Eight pair gloves ($3.50)
• Two pair ditto ($0.50)
• Three men's ditto ($0.69)
• Thirteen oz black sewing silk ($4.87)
• 12 oz assorted ditto ($3.75)
• One pair gloves ($0.12)
• Three oz. [illegible] ($1.50)
• Two [illegible] furniture binding ($0.50)
• One dozen tapes ($0.56)
• Lot of silk braid (?) ($0.62)
• One box hooks & eyes ($0.18)
• 32 pieces ribbon ($6)
• Three pieces ribbon ($2.50)
• Two flats (?) ($4.75)
• Two ditto ($2.25)
• One beer pump ($15)
• One stove and pipe ($15)
• Two lamps and [illegible] ($0.52)
• Two old candlesticks ($0.12)
• One [illegible] ($0.88)
• Two pair smoking irons ($0.88)
• Two tons of plaster ($10)
• Two old pails ($0.38)
• Three silver spoons ($2)
• Two [illegible] cows ($18)
• One yellow cow ($16)
• Two cows ($36)
• Cart shelvers (?) ($0.50)
• Two narrow axes ($0.75)
• Lot shoe thread ($0.75)
• 112 [illegible] flour ($2.25)
• Wearing apparel ($22.75)
• 33 fowls ($6.18)
• Four guinea fowls ($0.75)
• One turkey ($0.38)
• Two geese ($0.88)
• Five pair snuffers (?) ($2.19)
• Four pair siphons (?) ($0.75)
• Five pair ditto ($0.75)
• Ten pair [illegible] wine (?) ($0.31)
• Ten dozen buttons ($1.25)
• One lot buttons ($3.12)
• One half dozen Brazilian combs ($2.12)
• One ditto ($0.22)
• Lot of combs ($0.72)
• Two packs (?) of pins ($2.12)
• One lot ditto ($0.56)
• Eight wallets ($0.64)
• Lot of books ($1.56)
• Seven Japan (?) lamps ($0.88)
• Nine top (?) lamps ($0.56)
• 13 sparrowbills ($0.93)
• Nine paintbrushes ($0.94)
• Seven pair wool cards ($1.31)
• Ten combs ($0.42)
• Five [illegible] straps [illegible] ($0.62)
• Snuff boxes and combs ($0.44)
• Nine razors (?) ($2.25)
• 14 [illegible] knives ($1.31)
• Three ditto ($0.25)
• Six ditto ($0.62)
• Six ditto ($0.62)
• Seven ditto small ($0.37)
• 10 ditto ($0.83)
• Three ditto ($0.38)
• One hammer ($0.38)
• Five shoe tarps (?) ($0.62)
• Two knives ($0.75)
• One m [illegible] braids ($0.31)
• Pegging awls ($0.12)
• One basin (?) ($0.12)
• Combs and [illegible] ($0.18)
• Lot of mousetraps ($0.38)
• Lot of [illegible] beads ($0.38)
• Awl hafts ($0.70)
• One chisel ($0.25)
• Three pair hinges ($0.47)
• Four spike gimblets ($0.25)
• One pair pinchers ($0.25)
• Nine gross shoe tacks (?) ($1.62)
• Lot screws ($0.31)
• Two slates ($0.25)
• 22 lb chocolate ($3.52)
• One bunch shutting pins ($0.12)
• 36 [illegible] augers ($1.80)
• One pair brushes (?) ($0.19)
• Lot Jews harps ($2)
• [illegible] ($1.62)
• One box Spanish [illegible] ($3.50)
• One box shaving soap ($0.75)
• Lot of garden seed ($0.50)
• Two shoe hammers ($0.32)
• Two dozen shaving boxes ($0.75)
• Four bottles blacking (?) ($0.50)
• Five part ditto ($0.31)
• Eight [illegible] ($0.83)
• One bottle of lavender ($0.75)
• Bottle of [illegible] ($0.50)
• Jar of snuff ($0.75)
• Lot of dishes ($0.50)
• Jugs and pitchers ($0.62)
• [illegible] of coloring ($0.88)
• Lemon syrup (?) ($0.18)
• Lime squeezers ($0.18)
• Six flat files (?) ($1.50)
• Three spoons ($0.38)
• Eight pair nippers ($0.75)
• Three snuffer trays ($0.38)
• Four shoe knives ($0.33)
• Nine pair compasses (?) ($0.83)
• One dozen knives and forks ($1.62)
• One lot of gimblets ($1.50)
• Decanters and bottles ($1.25)
• 2.75 lb indigo and pot ($6.18)
• Pot of brownstone ($0.18)
• Tallow and barrel (?) ($2.25)
• Shot box ($2.50)
• Pewter measures ($1.31)
• Tin measures ($1)
• 16 gallons lamp oil ($11.52)
• Oil can ($4)
• Cask of [illegible] wine ($17)
• 16 gallons [illegible] wine ($16)
• 28 gallons cherry ($14)
• 16 gallons Holland gin ($13.60)
• 10 gallon kegs ($3.38)
• 30 gallons Jamaica rum ($22.50)
• 34 brandy ($29.75)
• 4 cherry ($2)
• One gallon cordial ($0.50)
• 2.5 currant wine ($1.25)
• 10 gallons corn brandy ($4.50)
• One barrel ($0.62)
• 35 gallons [illegible] ($24.06)
• 120 gallons [illegible] ($45.60)
• Gin and [illegible] ($1.12)
• Two pewter tea pots ($1.25)
• Scales and weights ($13.37
• Wine and cask ($1)
• Sixteen gallons rum (?) ($12)
• Beer barrel ($0.50)
• One half [illegible] tobacco ($1.38)
• One hogshead of sugar ($1.25)
• One barrel of cider ($1.50)
• One barrel of beer ($4)
• Tub and contents ($0.75)
• Three empty casks ($2)
• Lot tobacco ($1.12)
• Currant wine and cask ($7)
• Cherry and cask ($4)
• 74 gallons brandy ($33.75)
• 55 gallons molasses ($18.15)
• Old boxes tubs etc. ($0.50)
• Spade and shovel ($0.38)
• One pair shears ($0.12)
• Cash in silver ($95.63)
• Cash in cents ($2.33)
• Silver ($15.78)