Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Settling an Estate

As I continue to peruse old newspapers, I have found that estate sales after the death of an ancestor can provide a huge amount of information about where and how they lived.  The sale of a house and land was often advertised in the newspapers, with a quite clear description of the estate being sold.  It would often also list the executors of the estate as well.

Advertised in the Ipswich Journal Saturday 6 March 1830 was the estate of William Boggis.  The sale included not only the house in which William himself lived, but also several other dwellings - with the current occupiers listed - and a small woodland.

Another article in 1842 described the two day sale of the estate of William Hart.  The first days sale included farm stock and equipment, while Day 2 featured household goods and furniture.  All are described in some detail and mention is made of catalogues of the sale being available.  I do find it quite disconcerting reading the advertisement for the sale of 'live and dead farming stock'.


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