The following copy of the will for the Nicholas Cottrell that died in 1680/1681 is a copy that appears in History of the town of Stonington, county of New London, Connecticut By Richard Anson Wheeler, published in 1900.
Stonington, CT is just across the Rhode Island border to the west of Westerly, RI. Nicholas moved from Newport, RI to Westerly between 1639 and 1645 as the last record of him being in Newport is in 1639 and his son John was born in Westerly in 1645. As the book is a history of Stonington, CT it is possible that a child of Nicholas lived in Stonington as that is were the will was created.This is a copy of the will before it was dated and signed. It is stated in the will that Nicholas lived by Taunton River when the will was made in February 1680 so he probably lived near Taunton, MA. His wife Martha swore under oath on 1 July 1681 that the will was that of her husband Nicholas Cottrell. That was presumedly done not long after his death so he probably died about June 1681 and not 1680. Martha is shown as being 36 years old in 1681 which would would give her a birth date of 1684/1645. If that is correct then she was not have been the mother of Nicholas's children which were born between 1640 and 1656. Nicholas has been reported to have had a first wife with no children from that marriage. Maybe that first wife was the mother of his children and he remarried after after all the children had been born.
 |