Lt. Mordecai Ellis ²⁰⁷

  General Notes:

LT. MORDECAI2 ELLIS (Lt. John1), born in Sandwich 24 March 1650/1, died there intestate 5 Feb. 1709/10 (Sandwich V.R. in Mayflower Descendant, vol. 29, p. 22).

He married about 1679 SARAH -- - - who died his widow in Sandwich 25 Oct. 1716 (ibid., p. 23).

He was chosen surveyor of highways 7 June 1676 (Plym. Col. Recs., vol. 3, p. 196). He and his mother were appointed, 7 June 1677, co-administrators of the estate of (his brother ?) John Ellis, Jr. (ibid., vol. 5, p. 235). His name appears on a list of additional townsmen of Sandwich {Freeman, op. cit., vol. 2, p. 72). He served on the jury 6 March 1677/8 (Plym. Col. Recs., vol. 7, p. 205). He probably was given Sandwich land during his father's life time and no doubt received, as eldest son, a double portion of the distribution of his father's estate. Like his father he earned the military rant of lieutenant.

He and his wife Sarah were members of the Sandwich Church, where were baptized 30 May 1697 their children: "Mary, Mordecai, Rebecca, Elezer, William & Samuell Ellis."

He did not leave a will and we find that:

"Whereat Lft. Mordecai Ellis late of Sandwich … died intestate ... it is now ordered to settle and divide the Estate as followeth:" (after debts, funeral charges are paid) ... "£30. 5s. set out to Sarah Ellis his widow relict ... To John Ellis the eldest son ... the piece of land on which [he] now dwells, with the dwelling house thereon, also about five acres on the North side of the old field ... as well as one third part of the meddow called the Point ... reserving his Mother's Thirds therein during her naturall life ... To Josiah Ellis & Mordecai Ellis, the two next eldest sons, the remainder at the home lott and the remaining land belonging to ye sd deceased ... and now is sett out to Sarah Blackwell one of the daughters ... 25 pounds 15 shillings more than she hath already ... To Mary Clarke another of the daughters £25. 15s. more ... And there is also settled upon each of the other five children the sum of £31. 1s. apiece to be put out to them by Sarah Ellis theire mother the administratrix as they shall come of age to receive same or as the money shall be payed in by the sd Josiah Ellis and Mordecai Ellis as they are bound by bond to pay that which theire part of the land comes to over & above theire own portions. Only it is understood that ... John, Josiah & Mordecai Ellis are to pay out of the lands for the widdow's Thirds, reserved to her for her life, being the sum of £84, 9s. 1d. as may appear by bonds given to me. To the two first-mentioned daughters and to the last mentioned children, so that there is for Sarab Blackwell and Mary Clarke each of them £13. 13s. 9d. to reserve before the widdow's decease ... this 20 Feb. 1709/10" (Barnstable County Probate, vol. 3, p. 72-3).

Administration of his mother's estate was given "To John Ellis of Sandwich, yeoman" 8 April 1718 and she is described as "Sarah Ellis late of the Town of Sandwich, your mother, now deceased" (ibid., vol. 3, p. 465). Final settlement of the parents' estate took place two years later, and as we shall see the receipts furnish conclusive proof of the identities of the husbands of all three daughters:

"Sandwich 6 April 1720-We the subscribers, sons of Left. Mordecai Ellis sometime since of the Town of Sandwich, deceased, and some of us such as have married with the daughters of sd deceased have received of our brother John Ellis who is now administrator of sd Estate the remain-ing part in full of our several and respective parts and shares of the Estate of sd Deceased, besides what we have received of Sarah Ellis our Mother in her life time, we say received by us: Samuell Ellis, Thomas Clarke Junr., William Ellis, Benjamin Ellis, Joshuah Blackwell Junr., Samuell Tupper, Eleazer Ellis. Acknowledged at Sandwich 29 April 1720. Attest by Nathaniel Otis, Regr." (ibid,, vol. 4, p. 417).

Probably the son Josiah, who then was living, had already given a receipt for his portion, since he did not sign with the other heirs.

We can find no baptismal record for the first three children. The birth records of none of them have been preserved, but the order of birth of the next five was presumably as shown on the church baptismal record (given above). The youngest sibling certainly would seem to have been the son Benjamin, baptized 12 June 1700.
[Lt. John & Elizabeth (Freeman) Ellis of Sandwich, Mass by Lydia B. (Phinney) Brownson, of Duxbury, Mass & Maclean W. McLean, of Pittsburg, PA]

  Noted events in his life were:

• Alt. Death, 5 Feb 1708/09, Sandwich, Barnstable, MA. ^5,207

Mordecai married Sarah Bourne about 1679 in Sandwich, Barnstable, MA ^5,17,37,64.^,65 (Sarah Bourne was born on 17 Oct 1663 in Marshfield, Plymouth, MA ^17,66 and died on 25 Oct 1716 in Sandwich, Barnstable, MA ^{5,17,37,57,64,65}.)