Thomas Leggett

     Thomas was born on Wednesday, 30 January 1793 in New York. Thomas married Anna Farrington on 11 April 1816 in Town of Flushing, Queens County, Long Island, New York, at the Quaker Meeting House.¹ Thomas married 2nd Patience Haydock on 26 October 1836 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, at the Cherry Street Quaker Meeting House.² 29 July 1850, Thomas and his wife, Patience, were listed on the U.S. Federal Census in the Town of Flushing, Queens County, Long Island, New York. Enumerated in this household were Thomas Leggett [57 New York], his wife: Patience [41 New York], Catherine [28 New York], Mary [26 New York], Sarah [20 New York], Annie [13 New York], Caroline [17 New York], Susan [5 New York], Jane Kennedy [22 Ireland], Charity Townsend [36 New York], laborers: Adam Tredwell [22 New York], & John Wheeler [30 Ireland]. Thomas is a farmer with a realestate value of $80,000.³ Thomas made his will on 12 February 1858 at the Town of Flushing, Queens County, Long Island, New York.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN, I, Thomas Leggett, of the town of Flushing, County of Queens, and State of New York, being of sound and disposing mind, memory and understanding, do make, publish and declare this my last Will and Testament in manner and form following that is to say.
First: I give and bequeath unto my beloved wife Patience H. all my household furniture, silver plate, Horses carriages, harness and farming utensils.
Second: I give and bequeath unto my said wife the sum of Twenty-five hundred dollars (being the amount I received from her deceased father and his estate) together with interest on the said sum, from the first day of fifth month 1849.
Third: I give devise and bequeath unto my executors hereinafter named and unto the survivors and survivor of them all the rest, residue and remainder of my estate real and personal, in trust nevertheless to and for the uses and purposes following, that is to say: To apply the rents and profits of said Real estate and the interest or income of said personal Estate to the use of my said wife so long as she shall remain my widow. And upon the further trust upon the re-marriage or decease of my said wife, to sell and dispose of my said real estate at public or private sale in their discretion and to execute and deliver to the purchaser or purchasers thereof good and valid deed or deeds of conveyance therefor in fee and the proceeds arising therefrom together with the principal of my said personal estate to pay, distribute and divide as follows:
To each of the children of my son Walter F. the sum of Five hundred dollars.
To my daughter Catherine T. one equal sixth part of the residue thereof.
To my daughter Mary L. one other equal sixth part of the residue thereof.
To my daughter Sarah F. one other equal sixth part of the residue thereof.
To my daughter Anna F. one other equal sixth part of the residue thereof.
To my daughter Caroline H. one other equal sixth part of the residue thereof.
To my daughter Susan H. the remaining other equal sixth part of the residue thereof.
Fourth: I authorize and empower my said Executors in case they shall deem it advisable in the lifetime of my said wife to sell and dispose of my said real estate or any part thereof in manner above mentioned, and invest the proceeds of the sale thereof in the manner hereinafter provided: Said proceeds to stand as a substitute of said Real Estatet and to be subject to the same disposition in favor of my said wife children and grandchildren, as if such sale had not been made until after the re-marriage or decease of my said wife as hereinabove provided.
It is further my will and I authorize and empower my said executors at any time or times during the lifetime of my said wife, with her consent, to sell and dispose of my said real estate or any part thereof in manner above mentioned and pay and divide the proceeds thereof and my said personal estate equally to and among my said daughters and their issue.
Fifth: It is my will in case of the decease of any of my said daughters before the remarriage or decease of my said wife leaving issue surviving, the remarriage or decease of my said wife, that then the share of such daughter or daughters so dying be paid to her or their issue, and in case of the decease of any of my said daughters before the remarriage or decease of my said wife without leaving issue surviving the remarriage or decease of my said wife, then that the share of such daughter or daughters so dying be paid and divided among my surviving daughters and the issue of such of them as may have then died leaving issue, such issue to take the share their parent would have taken if living.
Sixth: The above provisions in favor of my said wife are intended to be and I hereby declare them to be in lieu and bar of her dower right in my Estate.
Seventh: I make no provision in this my will in favor of said son Walter by reason of his having already received from me the portion of his grandfather's estate left with me in trust for him and also much more than the portion of my Estate which will be received by my other children.
Inasmuch, however, as he has children, I have deemed it just and proper to make some provision for them and have accordingly given them the legacies above mentioned.
Eighth: Inasmuch as my daughters Catherine T., Mary L. and Sarah F. will receive a handsome competency from the Estate of their deceased maternal grandfather and have had a home with me until now, I deem it just and equitable to place my present wife and her three daughters on an equality with them, with this view I have hereinabove given my wife the amount and interest on the same which I received from her deceased Father and his Estate, which she will naturally give her own children thus placing my children on an equal footing as regards their grandfather's Estat on the mother's sides.
Ninth: I have hereinabove given my said wife the entire use of the residue of my estate in order if she prefers to do so, she can maintain respectably and comfortably a home for all my children, and in case she shall not elect to maintain and keep up such home, fro all, she may distribute such portion of the income thereof as she may be able to spare equally among all my daughters.
Tenth: I wish it to be distinctly known that my object in making such disposition of my Estate as I have hereinabove made, is to place my said wife in an independent position that she may continue the untrammeled head of my family in every sense.
Eleventh: It is my will that my Executors invest my personal estate and the proceeds of my real estate when sold in Bonds and Mortgages of real estate in the Cities of New York or Brooklyn during the continuation of the trust in relation to the same.
Lastly: I do nominate, constitute and appoint my said wife testamentary guardian of the persons of my children under lawful age during their respective minorities, and my brothers-in-law Robert Haydock and George G. Haydock and my friend Smith Lawrence in the City of New York, Executors of this my last Will and Testament and hereby revoking and annulling all other and former wills by me made, I declare this and this only to be my last Will and Testament.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 12th day of 2d month, in the year one thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
THOMAS LEGGETT (L. S.)
Signed, sealed, published and declared by the said Thomas Leggett the said testator as and for his last will and testament in the presence of us, who at his request and in his presence and in the presence of each other have hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses.
Smith Barker, New York City.
Van B. Hubbard, New York City.
William Barker, New York City.⁴

Thomas died on Tuesday, 8 August 1865 in East Hampton, Suffolk County, Long Island, New York, suddenly apoplrxy while bathing in the surf.⁵