I've been scanning old documents every free moment I've had for the past several days.  I'm nearly finished - probably only another three days, if I don't have too many interruptions.  I'm doing the too long documents from the Osgood Collection.  They are close to the present legal size document which measure 8.5" x 14" but some are less, some more.  My scanner bed is just a little too short to accommodate legal size documents, so each sheet requires two scans per side, then I piece the scans together using Publisher and save as a single jpg image.  The process is time consuming, but once they are scanned, I can store them in uniform size. I came across a couple today that were more like 18 inches long, bits of paper of varying sizes that I imagine old Thomas Osgood pieced together after either memory lapses or writing errors made the original paper useless so he resorted to "cut and paste."  Writing paper was precious in those days, both expensive and hard to come by, so it was never wasted.  I don't know what sort of pen old Thomas used - it could have been a quill, or perhaps he was fortunate enough to have a more modern nib pen.  Whatever pen he used, his writing is difficult to read (I'll never get used to those s's that look like f's and make me read like I have a lisp) and his spelling variations add to the confusion when trying to transcribe the documents.

Like any secretary will tell you, after a while you get used to the boss's scribblings and you even begin to think the way he does, and that's pretty much what's happened to me.  I don't read every single one of these documents - I'd never finish if I did that - but I have to read at least enough to know how to identify the scan and later be able to locate it.  I'm arranging them chronologically as a start, and then try to pick out whether it's a deed, will, agreement on building a still, a tax list or a mandate to the sheriff to round up a certain scoundrel whose neighbor says owes him money - quite often an amount less than ten dollars - and then include the names of the people involved.  The legal costs of issuing the warrant were sometimes more than the debt itself. I get the feeling issuing and executing warrants for court appearances was a great source of income for early town clerks and sheriffs; there were warrants over seemingly silly disputes that could have been settled over a mug of whiskey or cider.

I scanned the Last Will and Testament of Abraham Durgin today.  (Click on image below.)  It is dated Dec. 22, 1829.  Later I checked our cemetery records to find out when Abraham died, but there was no record.  The East Cabot Cemetery wasn't lotted until 1847, so Abraham was probably buried near his home in East Cabot.  

The will begins with, "In the name of God, Amen."  It then goes on to state his name and that he is "weak in body but of sound and perfect mind and memory," leaving his daughters, Axey and Charlott Durgin all the household furniture which had belonged to their mother, now deceased; also he gave them possession of one room in his dwelling house at "the southwest part in the house so long as they or either of them remain unmarried."  He then gave them "about six acres of land."  The name of the executor of his will is left blank, but perhaps I'll come across that later.  The document was signed by Durgin and witnessed by Thomas Osgood, Ruth Osgood and Almira Osgood.  I suspect Abraham may have had sons who probably on the deed of the remainder of his property and that's why they weren't mentioned in the will.  He was providing for his daughters until they were married.  It would be interesting to learn more about the family, but for now I need to concentrate on getting all the documents scanned and indexed.