4.  Wills. 

We have perused so many interesting wills in the short time we have been here.  Of course my favorites are the ones that begin with..."In the name of God, Amen!"  It is also interesting to read phrases like "to my beloved wife" or my "loving mother" or my "only daughter."  I also enjoy their declaration of being "of sound mind" but recognizing the "frailty of life".  A funny one I read was a woman who stated that she didn't leave anything to her nieces or nephews because in the past when she gave them gifts they never even acknowledged them so she assumes that it wouldn't  be meaningful to give them something in her will.  The same woman said, "I leave nothing for my brother (apparently the father of the nieces and nephews) because I have given him money for years and never received anything in return--and in fact I had spent a summer close to where he lived and during that time he only came to see me once...to borrow $75.00...which I gave him."  Gratitude goes a long way in so many things.  

          5.  Change of Names. 

I love reading requests for names changes.  One of them was a request for a change of name because he had the same name as another man in town who did not have a good reputation and he was being confused with that person.  Another had asked to change his name to his guardians last name because he has been in their home since he was a young boy and has always gone by their family name.  Many women request to go back to their maiden name after being divorced from their spouse because of abuse, desertion, or infidelity.  

          6.  Adoption.  

Adoption files are sealed in the state of New Hampshire so to see one if you are searching for a record of your family will require a court order.  The stigma of having a child out of  wedlock would have been huge back then and seeing some of the words used to describe these beautiful babies have been painful to read.  

Now remember that I am not my son Bill, or my son-in-law Christian who are the attorneys of the family. And i am not always of a sounds mind, so nothing I am telling you is anything more than my impressions of a probate file. I hope you have enjoyed reading some of my thoughts and ideas.