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| Even though John Reed wrote a will in March 1733, the Plymouth County probate court later settled his estate as intestate—meaning the judge treated him as if no valid will was in force. In the 1740 probate paperwork, Judge John Cushing issued guardianships for John’s minor children and then ordered the distribution of his estate under intestacy rules rather than under the terms of the will. This doesn’t necessarily mean the will never existed; it may not have been presented to the court, it may have been considered invalid, or it may not have covered the property that ended up being distributed. |
John Reed is, without a doubt, the earliest ancestor I’ve ever written about. He was the father of Peter Reed, who is said to be the father of my fourth great-grandfather, Benjamin Reed. If that relationship holds, John becomes my sixth great-grandfather—exciting for me, because I’m seldom able to document a line this far back. And the best part? John wasn’t the beginning. The Reed line extends into earlier, identified generations, and ultimately reaches a Mayflower connection.
John was born on 10 July 1687 in Weymouth, Massachusetts, to William Reed and Esther Tompson (also seen as Thompson). Esther was a granddaughter of Francis Cooke, a Mayflower passenger. John is said to have moved to Abington, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, in 1708, and The Reed Genealogy: Descendants of William Reade of Weymouth, Massachusetts, From 1635 to 1902 places him “opposite the burying ground” in the south part of town. He married twice—first Sarah Hersey,* with whom he had a son, John, and then Mary Wheeler in 1715. John and Mary are credited with nine children: James, Joseph, Mary, Ezekiel, Peter (my direct line), Squire, Silence, Betty, and Samuel.
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| This marriage record shows that John Read of Abington married Mary Wheeler of Rehoboth in 1715, a timeframe that fits well with the birth years of their children. In The Reed Genealogy: Descendants of William Reade of Weymouth, Massachusetts, From 1635 to 1902 by John Ludovicus Reed, John’s second wife is identified as Mary Whitmarsh—but so far I have not found any record of a marriage to a Mary Whitmarsh, or to any Mary other than Mary Wheeler, during this period. |
John’s March 1733 will provides a rare and detailed look at his family and property. After debts were paid, he left his wife, Mary, all household and movable goods, and allowed her to use the homestead and a one-quarter share of a “Fourth Division” land right as long as she remained his widow. If she remarried, her rights were reduced: she would receive only one-third of the homestead’s income and would have no further right to the Fourth Division share. John intended his son James to become the principal heir of the homestead—receiving two-thirds immediately if Mary remarried and the remaining third at her death—while his other children, named in the will (John, Joseph, Ezekiel, Peter, Squire, Samuel, and Mary), were to share the remaining three-quarters of the Fourth Division right. Two children listed in the genealogy—Betty and Silence—are not mentioned in the will. Mary was also empowered to sell a small meadow lot if necessary to help pay debts.
It is still unclear exactly when John died, but the probate trail that follows his will helps narrow the timeframe. On 2 June 1740, guardians were appointed for his minor children, suggesting that John’s death likely occurred closer to that date than to the will he signed in 1733. One of the most revealing documents reproduced in The Reed Genealogy is the court order distributing John Reed’s estate, issued by Judge John Cushing and dated 12 July 1740 at the town of Scituate, which confirms that John was deceased by then and that his estate required formal division among his heirs.
*Note: So far, I have found no record—other than The Reed Genealogy—to document a first marriage for John Reed to Sarah Hersey. John’s younger brother, Jacob Reed, is also said to have first married a woman of the same name. Based on the dates involved, the most reasonable conclusion is that these were two different women named Sarah Hersey, rather than one Sarah who married both brothers.
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© 2026
Abington, Massachusetts, Town Records, 1747–1856, vol. 2: 144, “John Read of Abington and Mary Wheeler married 1 December 1715” (recorded in section “Marriages from Leicester and Rehoboth”); digital image, image 40 of 207, Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620–1988, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 January 2026); citing Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts, Massachusetts Vital and Town Records (Provo, Utah: Holbrook Research Institute [Jay and Delene Holbrook]).
Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Probate Court (Plymouth), Probate Files, nos. 16552–16632 (Reed, Betsey R.–Reed, Joseph), will of John Reed; digital image, image 1156 of 1409, “Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States records,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9RYS-4CR?view=explore : accessed 18 September 2024); citing Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, custodian; Image Group Number 005008236.
Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Probate Court (Plymouth), Probate Records, 1738–1742, vol. 8; digital image, image 119 of 288, “Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States records,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G97D-NKZ2?view=explore
: accessed 18 January 2026); citing Plymouth (Massachusetts) Town Clerk, custodian; Image Group Number 007050977.
Reed, John Ludovicus, The Reed Genealogy: Descendants of William Reade of Weymouth, Massachusetts, from 1635 to 1902. Baltimore, Maryland: n.p., 1902, pages 26-28.
