His Estate Inventory Indicates He Is A Baptist

Estate inventories can tell researchers quite a bit about their families. Lists of your deceased ancestor's personal goods provide a glimpse into the mundane details of their lives, particularly during that era when every pot, pan, and book are inventoried. The genealogical clues usually concentrate on economic status and occupation.

Every once in a while something different will appear on a list of items, like this one from the estate of Samuel Sargent in Marlborough, Cheshire County, New Hampshire in 1819.

Samuel had one pew on the floor in the "Baptiste Meetinghouse," one pew in the gallery and half another pew on the floor. The values of the pews were also shown--the first pew shown here was value at $14.

Other papers in the file refer to Samuel as being of Dublin, New Hampshire. I'll have to do a little bit of work to determine which Baptist church this was, whether or not it is still in existence, and whether any records are extant.

Note: Samuel Sargent is my 5th great-grandfather.