Where There's a Will

Experienced genealogists will tell you that wills and probate records are a treasure trove of information about your ancestors.  They can confirm relationships, pinpoint residence, and give you some insights into the way they lived their lives.  Were they wealthy, or destitute?  Were they religious, or agnostic?  Were they farmers or merchants?

Sometimes, you can also find some gems that reveal family dynamics.  Did your ancestor favor one child over another?  Did they give someone a "slap in the face," with a token bequest of one dollar?  Or, did they disinherit someone completely?

Other wills create more follow-up questions.   An example is the will of my immigrant ancestor Robert Irving.

Robert was born about 1812 in the vicinity of Watermillock, in Cumbria, England.  He married 14 February 1835 in the port city of Lancaster to Miss Ann Airey, formerly of Clapham in West Yorkshire.  They quickly moved to the town of Preston, where there was an abundance of work due to its bustling cotton mills.

Robert was a skilled moulder, so his talents were always in demand.  But, the working conditions were oppressive, and laborers had no real political recourse, because they weren't property owners.  Disaffection boiled over by 1848, with the "Chartist Movement." No doubt, the Irvings were caught up in it.  And, when the movement failed, they decided to seek better opportunities in the United States.

The Irvings arrived in New York City aboard the ship West Point out of Liverpool on 22 September 1849.   They initially lived in Manhattan's busy 8th ward, near the Hudson River docks, where Robert's skills quickly helped them to rebuild their fortunes.  Soon, they were able to leave the overcrowded 8th Ward to settle across the river in Jersey City, New Jersey.

In Jersey City, Robert capitalized on his skills to establish his own plumbing business, which he passed on to his son and namesake.

Robert made his will 26 May 1886, and it was presented to probate officials just five days later.  So, he must have known his time was short when he wrote it.

The will not only confirmed the names of his surviving children, it specifies the exact plot he owned at "the Catholic cemetery on West Side Avenue in Jersey City."  This was the sort of information I expected to find in the document, and will help me pinpoint his final resting place during my next trip up to New Jersey.

It also contained an unexpected tidbit of new information.  Robert mentions that he owned a farm near Wheelertown in Herkimer County, New York.  It never would have occurred to me to do any genealogical sleuthing in that part of upstate New York . . . who knows what I may uncover there!

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