Estate Inventory of Benjamin Warren, Sr.

Benjamin Warren Sr. was the son of Isaac Warren and the father of Benjamin Warren, Jr. and Dura Warren. Benjamin Warren Sr. was the paternal grandfather of Mabel Gertrude Warren, who became Mrs. Horace G. Adams, Sr.

These old estate inventories are very interesting and are an indicator of not only the wealth of the individual but also what kinds of business they were engaged in and how they made their livelihood.

From other materials I have read about Benjamin Warren, we know that he was involved in other businesses during his lifetime but if he still owned any interest in them, they are not listed in his estate inventory. We know that he owned at least two public inns and taverns in the Phoenixville community as well as mercantile businesses.

We know how much $1.00 in 1850 would be worth in 2015. If this estate were to be probated in 2015, it would have a value of nearly $1 million with inflation factored into the total.

We also know that some of these furniture items were inherited by his children, particularly Dura Warren, and were moved to Maple Hill, Kansas when the family left the East and moved to new stone homes west of Maple Hill. In the 1950s, William Warren and his sons Jack and Bill Warren, held an auction at their home when many of these antiques were sold. I have heard Jack and Bill Warren talk of the auction many times, but I have not been able to find a sale bill.

Inventory prepared by order of the Windham County Probate Court for Mrs. Elizabeth (Fisher) Warren, Widow and Executrix of the Benjamin Warren, Sr., Estate, Eastford, Windham County, Connecticut.

Submitted to the Court: December 30, 1851

Inventory of the Benjamin Warren Estate:

2 beaver hats $ 1.50
1 broadcloth coat 2.00
1 pair good pantaloons 5.00
1 pair thin pants .75
1 pair sackcloth pants 2.50
2 satin vests 4.00
2 old silk vests .75
1 good coat .50
1 Tweed coat 1.00
1 overcoat 2.00
12 cotton shirts 3.50
4 woolen shirts 2.00
1 pair woolen mittens .10
1 pair leather boots 3.50
84 volumes of books 10.50
5 volumes of books 1.00
6 wooden chairs 2.00
2 small rocking chairs .75
4 rocking chairs 1.25
19 wood seat chairs 3.50
1 large cherry dining table with two rounds 5.00
1 claw foot cherry table 1.50
1 three-footed cherry table .35
1 maple kitchen table .50
3 old tables .50
2 chests 1.25
1 cherry bureau 2.00
1 chest of drawers .50
1 side board 5.00
2 candle light stands 1.50
1 old-fashioned tall clock 5.00
1 wooden mantle clock 1.00
1 silver flatware hutch 3.00
1 looking glass fancy 1.50
3 looking glasses 1.25
1 woolen carpet $ 10.00
3 rag carpets 6.00
1 iron cook stove and equipment 11.00
1 stove 4.00
2 pair andirons .50
1 5 gallon iron kettle 1.00
1 plain kettle 1.00
1 large brass kettle 5.00
6 iron candle sticks .50
1 pair candle sticks .50
2 pair glass lamps .50
4 wooden pails .50
3 wooden tubs .50
4 cider barrels 1.00
4 flour barrels 1.50
2 barrels 1.00
2 cheese boxes .50
1 walnut secretary 5.00
15 tin pails 1.50
3 stone jars .75
1 stone butter churn .25
2 old andirons .50
4 stone jars .50
1 lot of sterling silver flatware 12.50
1 lot of old crockery .50
1 lot of tin utensils 1.75
8 table cloths 3.00
17 linen towels 1.50
2 pair linen sheets and pillow cases 2.00
21 pair cotton sheets and pillow cases 3.50
2 bedspreads 34.00
2 bedspreads 32.00
1 bedspread 11.00
1 bedspread 10.00
1 night stand and pitcher 1.25
2 quilts and 2 comforters 7.00
1 cotton bedspread 1.50
2 iron teakettles 2.00
1 brass teakettle 5.00
End of household contents

3 swarms of bees $ 10.00
2 milch cows 15.00
2 beef cattle 32.00
2 red cows 32.00
1 team oxen 37.00
2 sheep 9.00
1 spring calf 6.00
1 fine riding horse 75.00
1 good buggy horse 75.00
1 pair of draft horses 125.00
1 good buggy 75.00
1 spring wagon 10.00
1 sleigh 40.00
1 spring wagon 10.00
1 lot of hames, harness and bridles 15.00
5 pitch forks 1.50
3 rakes .50
3 scoops 1.00
3 ladders 2.00
2 iron hooks 2.00
3 hoes .50
3 mallets .50
1 lot of hammers 1.00
2 drawing knives .50
2 hatchets .50
2 harvest flails .50
1 good wooden grain cradle .35
1 lot of old scythes .75
1 lot of wood and metal shovels 3.00
1 lot of fire wood in wood shed 2.00
1 wood wheel barrow .50
1 corn sheller 3.00
10 bushels of shelled corn 6.50
16 bushels of buckwheat 5.00
5 bushels of oats 2.00
1 lot of baskets .50
1 lot of wooden measures .75
4000 wood shingles 8.00
3 plows 9.00
1 harrow 1.00
1 cultivator $ 3.00
3 ox yokes, staples and rings 2.00
1 lot of chains .50
1 lot of hay in barn 10.00
Total of barn and outbuilding contents
Grand Total of house and buildings $ 888.35

Inventor of Real Estate owned by Benjamin Warren at the time of his decease:

Dwelling house and 140 acres of land $ 2,500.00
Wood lot of 13 acres 208.00
20 acres of cedar stumps 60.00
31 acre broken crop field 310.00

An undivided one third interest in 60 acres
Of land including two cotton factories, 10
Dwelling houses and water privileges $22,000.00

An undivided one-third interest in the
Following machinery and equipment
In cotton factories:
45 looms $ 200.00
23 carding machines 105.00
3 needle weaving machines 296.00
13 spinning wheels 579.00
1 Water turbine 106.00
2 Jacquard looms 150.00
2 grinders for cotton processing 5.00
1 lot of tools 20.00
1 lot of blacksmithing tools 24.00
Total $1,542.00

An undivided one-third interest in factory
Stock and inventory including raw cotton,
Cotton batting, cotton roping on spools,
250 yards of cotton cloth, 2,949 yards of
Cotton cloth in baling room. $ 295.00

Money notes owed to Benjamin Warren Estate
Eastford Society $ 220.16
Clyde Snow $ 50.12
Mary Ormsbee (daughter) 38.30
Mary Ormsbee () 28.62
John B. Ormsbee (son-in-law) 22.82
George Martin 505.83
Dura Warren (son) 324.20
Dura Warren (son) 735.93
Edmund W. Warren (son) 44.05
Edmund W. Warren 40.45
Edmund W. Warren 91.78
Edmund W. Warren 113.87
Edmund W. Warren 140.96
Edmund W. Warren 120.82
Cornelia Deans 79.40
Cleveland and Hovey 25.39
Hovey and Burnham 51.85
John Trowbridge 7.71
George Whitaker 7.43
Total of Notes $3,054.64

I, the widow and executrix of the Estate of Benjamin Warren, Sr. do hereby swear that the totals and values above are correct and that the complete assets of the Estate of Benjamin Warren, Sr. are:

$ 31,177.99

Elizabeth Fisher Warren, Executrix

Judge John Adams, approved the exclusion of $6.60 in appraisal fees.

The will of Benjamin Warren was made and witnessed in 1846, four years prior to his death. It was very short. All of the estate assets were bequeathed to my beloved wife, Elizabeth Fisher Warren, with the provision that she care for the three youngest children until their majority. All property both real and personal and monetary assets were to be hers to do with as she saw fit.

I did some research to see what $1.00 in 1850 would be worth in 2015. The value of $1.00 adjusted for inflation is $30.30 in 2015. Therefore the value of Benjamin Warren, Sr.s estate in 2015 would be approximately $930,000.00.

Estate Inventory of Benjamin Warren, Sr.

Prepared for Elizabeth (Fisher) Warren, Executrix
Submitted to the Court: December 30, 1851

These old estate inventories are very interesting and are an indicator of not only the wealth of the individual but also what kinds of business they were engaged in and how they made their livelihood.

From other materials I have read about Benjamin Warren, we know that he was involved in other businesses during his lifetime but if he still owned any interest in them, they are not listed in his estate inventory. We know that he owned at least two public inns and taverns in the Phoenixville community as well as mercantile businesses.

We know how much $1.00 in 1850 would be worth in 2015. If this estate were to be probated in 2015, it would have a value of nearly $1 million with inflation factored into the total.

We also know that some of these furniture items were inherited by his children, particularly Dura Warren, and were moved to Maple Hill, Kansas when the family left the East and moved to new stone homes west of Maple Hill. In the 1950s, William Warren and his sons Jack and Bill Warren, held an auction at their home when many of these antiques were sold. I have heard Jack and Bill Warren talk of the auction many times, but I have not been able to find a sale bill.

Inventory of the Benjamin Warren Estate:

2 beaver hats $ 1.50
1 broadcloth coat 2.00
1 pair good pantaloons 5.00
1 pair thin pants .75
1 pair sackcloth pants 2.50
2 satin vests 4.00
2 old silk vests .75
1 good coat .50
1 Tweed coat 1.00
1 overcoat 2.00
12 cotton shirts 3.50
4 woolen shirts 2.00
1 pair woolen mittens .10
1 pair leather boots 3.50
84 volumes of books 10.50
5 volumes of books 1.00
6 wooden chairs 2.00
2 small rocking chairs .75
4 rocking chairs 1.25
19 wood seat chairs 3.50
1 large cherry dining table with two rounds 5.00
1 claw foot cherry table 1.50
1 three-footed cherry table .35
1 maple kitchen table .50
3 old tables .50
2 chests 1.25
1 cherry bureau 2.00
1 chest of drawers .50
1 side board 5.00
2 candle light stands 1.50
1 old-fashioned tall clock 5.00
1 wooden mantle clock 1.00
1 silver flatware hutch 3.00
1 looking glass fancy 1.50
3 looking glasses 1.25
1 woolen carpet $ 10.00
3 rag carpets 6.00
1 iron cook stove and equipment 11.00
1 stove 4.00
2 pair andirons .50
1 5 gallon iron kettle 1.00
1 plain kettle 1.00
1 large brass kettle 5.00
6 iron candle sticks .50
1 pair candle sticks .50
2 pair glass lamps .50
4 wooden pails .50
3 wooden tubs .50
4 cider barrels 1.00
4 flour barrels 1.50
2 barrels 1.00
2 cheese boxes .50
1 walnut secretary 5.00
15 tin pails 1.50
3 stone jars .75
1 stone butter churn .25
2 old andirons .50
4 stone jars .50
1 lot of sterling silver flatware 12.50
1 lot of old crockery .50
1 lot of tin utensils 1.75
8 table cloths 3.00
17 linen towels 1.50
2 pair linen sheets and pillow cases 2.00
21 pair cotton sheets and pillow cases 3.50
2 bedspreads 34.00
2 bedspreads 32.00
1 bedspread 11.00
1 bedspread 10.00
1 night stand and pitcher 1.25
2 quilts and 2 comforters 7.00
1 cotton bedspread 1.50
2 iron teakettles 2.00
1 brass teakettle 5.00
End of household contents
3 swarms of bees $ 10.00
2 milch cows 15.00
2 beef cattle 32.00
2 red cows 32.00
1 team oxen 37.00
2 sheep 9.00
1 spring calf 6.00
1 fine riding horse 75.00
1 good buggy horse 75.00
1 pair of draft horses 125.00
1 good buggy 75.00
1 spring wagon 10.00
1 sleigh 40.00
1 spring wagon 10.00
1 lot of hames, harness and bridles 15.00
5 pitch forks 1.50
3 rakes .50
3 scoops 1.00
3 ladders 2.00
2 iron hooks 2.00
3 hoes .50
3 mallets .50
1 lot of hammers 1.00
2 drawing knives .50
2 hatchets .50
2 harvest flails .50
1 good wooden grain cradle .35
1 lot of old scythes .75
1 lot of wood and metal shovels 3.00
1 lot of fire wood in wood shed 2.00
1 wood wheel barrow .50
1 corn sheller 3.00
10 bushels of shelled corn 6.50
16 bushels of buckwheat 5.00
5 bushels of oats 2.00
1 lot of baskets .50
1 lot of wooden measures .75
4000 wood shingles 8.00
3 plows 9.00
1 harrow 1.00
1 cultivator $ 3.00
3 ox yokes, staples and rings 2.00
1 lot of chains .50
1 lot of hay in barn 10.00
Total of barn and outbuilding contents
Grand Total of house and buildings $ 888.35

Inventor of Real Estate owned by Benjamin Warren at the time of his decease:

Dwelling house and 140 acres of land $ 2,500.00
Wood lot of 13 acres 208.00
20 acres of cedar stumps 60.00
31 acre broken crop field 310.00

An undivided one third interest in 60 acres
Of land including two cotton factories, 10
Dwelling houses and water privileges $22,000.00

An undivided one-third interest in the
Following machinery and equipment
In cotton factories:
45 looms $ 200.00
23 carding machines 105.00
3 needle weaving machines 296.00
13 spinning wheels 579.00
1 Water turbine 106.00
2 Jacquard looms 150.00
2 grinders for cotton processing 5.00
1 lot of tools 20.00
1 lot of blacksmithing tools 24.00
Total $1,542.00

An undivided one-third interest in factory
Stock and inventory including raw cotton,
Cotton batting, cotton roping on spools,
250 yards of cotton cloth, 2,949 yards of
Cotton cloth in baling room. $ 295.00

Money notes owed to Benjamin Warren Estate
(It was common for people of substance to make private loans to companies and individuals. These loans included an annual interest rate that could vary since there was no law regulated these private loans.

Eastford Society $ 220.16
Clyde Snow $ 50.12
Mary Ormsbee (daughter) 38.30
Mary Ormsbee () 28.62
John B. Ormsbee (son-in-law) 22.82
George Martin 505.83
Dura Warren (son) 324.20
Dura Warren (son) 735.93
Edmund W. Warren (son) 44.05
Edmund W. Warren 40.45
Edmund W. Warren 91.78
Edmund W. Warren 113.87
Edmund W. Warren 140.96
Edmund W. Warren 120.82
Cornelia Deans 79.40
Cleveland and Hovey 25.39
Hovey and Burnham 51.85
John Trowbridge 7.71
George Whitaker 7.43
Total of Notes $3,054.64

I, the widow and executrix of the Estate of Benjamin Warren, Sr. do hereby swear that the totals and values above are correct and that the complete assets of the Estate of Benjamin Warren, Sr. are:

$ 31,177.99

Elizabeth Fisher Warren, Executrix

Judge John Adams, approved the exclusion of $6.60 in appraisal fees.

Sorry—Facebook will not let me line these totals and keep them in a straight column.

The will of Benjamin Warren was made and witnessed in 1846, four years prior to his death. It was very short. All of the estate assets were bequeathed to my beloved wife, Elizabeth Fisher Warren, with the provision that she care for the three youngest children until their majority. All property both real and personal and monetary assets were to be hers to do with as she saw fit.

I did some research to see what $1.00 in 1850 would be worth in 2015. The value of $1.00 adjusted for inflation is $30.30 in 2015. Therefore the value of Benjamin Warren, Sr.s estate in 2015 would be approximately $930,000.00.

I have tried in every way I know, to find a photograph of the Benjamin Warren, Sr. home without success.