Document A.77 · probate abstract · transcription: verbatim
NJ Archives Vol. XXXII, pp. 276–277 — the published abstracts of three Runyon wills of Piscataway: Peter (1755), his widow Providence (1759), and their son Joseph (1760).
- repository
- Published archival abstracts
- collection
- Documents Relating to the Colonial History of New Jersey, First Series, Vol. XXXII — Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Vol. III, 1751-1760.
- identifier
- Book pp. 276-277 (PDF pp. 275-276)
- date
- 1755-09-24
What is transcribed: The three Runyon abstracts on pp. 276-277, each with its inventory. These are Calendar abstracts; no manuscript has been ordered — Lib. F p. 288, Lib. G p. 264 and Lib. G p. 261 are all unpulled.
People named
| As written | Role | Identified as | What this document says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runyon, Peter, of Piscataway | testator | Peter Runyon 1680–1755 | residence: Piscataway, Middlesex Co., New Jersey death: between 24 Sep 1755 and 3 Nov 1755 |
| Runyon, Providence, widow of Peter | testator | Providence Blackford Runyon | death: between 18 Jan 1759 and 14 Jul 1760 |
| Grace Cooper | child | Grace (Runyon) Cooper 1707–1755 | |
| Daniel | grandchild | Daniel Cooper Jr 1729–1787 | |
| John | grandchild | John Cooper 1738–1778 | |
| Benjamin | grandchild | Benjamin Cooper 1741–1794 | |
| George | grandchild | George Cooper 1745–1801 | |
| Rosannah | grandchild | Rosanna (Cooper) Gaston 1743–1817 | |
| Providence | grandchild | ||
| Ann | grandchild | ||
| Joseph Runyon | child | ||
| Peter Runyon [the younger] | child | ||
| Richard Runyon | child | ||
| Benjamin Runyon | child | ||
| Ann Layton | child | ||
| Rosannah Davison | child | ||
| Providence | child | ||
| David Coriell | appraiser | ||
| David Fitzrandolph | appraiser | ||
| George Marlett | appraiser | ||
| Elijah Pound | appraiser | ||
| Reune Runyon | witness | ||
| Elias v. Court | witness | ||
| James Campbell | witness | ||
| Jeames Giles | witness | ||
| John Moore | witness | ||
| David Pound | witness |
What this document records
Why it was found
It was not the object of the search. The sweep was triggered by a line in [I.35] Bonham p. 583 saying David Coriell appraised "Peter Runyon's 1755 inventory" — a [pr.16] Coriell-proximity errand. The Runyon wills came up alongside it.
What the two wills do together
The pair brackets a death, and that is a fact about the documents, not an inference. Peter's will of 24 September 1755 names "Grace Cooper" among his living children; Providence's will of 18 January 1759 names seven grandchildren of her "dec'd. daughter, Grace Cooper." ⇒ the two abstracts place her death between those dates. What that means for Grace (Runyon) Cooper — and the conflict with her gravestone [G.27], which reads 8 Nov 1758 against the catalog's traditional 1755 — is argued there, not here. The bracket is consistent with either.
The seven grandchildren
Providence's 1759 will names them: Daniel, John, Benjamin, George, Rosannah, Providence and Ann. That the seven are Daniel Cooper Sr's children by Grace is the catalog's reading, recorded on Daniel Cooper Sr and on each of their files — the abstract says only "grandchildren of dec'd. daughter, Grace Cooper." George is the one this list earns its keep for — see George Cooper; and Catherine (b. 1728) and Agnes (b. 1732) are absent from it, which the abstract does not explain.
The coriell appraiser
"David Coriell" co-appraised Peter Runyon's 1755 inventory, with David Fitzrandolph — which is what the search was for, and confirms Bonham [I.35] at abstract tier. Whether this is the David Coriell of [A.73]'s 1777 will is an identity claim and is not made here; it belongs on David Coriell. Likewise "Elias v. Court", who witnessed Joseph Runyon's 1760 will, is recorded as written — the equation with Elias Van Court Sr lives on that person's file.
Runyon roster disagreements
The two wills disagree with Brode [I.130] and with each other on the Runyon children. Brode gives nine: John, Joseph, Peter, Richard, Benjamin, Grace, Rosannah, Providence, Sarah. Peter's will adds "Ann Layton", whom Brode does not have, and omits John and Sarah. The same Ann appears four years later in Providence's will as "Ann Begle" — a remarriage, or a transcription variant; neither is asserted. What the documents do settle is three daughters' married surnames: Ann (Layton, then Begle), Rosannah Davison, Providence Bowman.
A families key was removed
A families: [fam.15] key was removed 2026-09-01 — an entry may not carry a family attribution; see reference_entry_link_types, rejected kind 8.
Transcription and notes
Provenance, the OCR problem that forced an image read, what the two wills do together, the
Coriell appraiser, and the Runyon roster disagreements are all in the source: and coverage:
headers and are not repeated here. The conclusions this entry used to carry now live where
they belong — Grace's parentage and death bracket on [p.148], George's attestation on [p.80],
Peter's death on [p.272].
Data from the document
1. Will of Peter Runyon of Piscataway (made 24 Sept 1755; proved 3 Nov 1755) — Lib. F, p. 288 [verbatim]
1755, Sept. 24. Runyon, Peter, of Piscataway, Middlesex Co.; will of. Wife, Providence. Children—Joseph, Peter (both made Executors), Richard, Benjamin, Ann Layton, Grace Cooper, Rosannah Davison and Providence, (wife of John Bowman). Real and personal estate. Witnesses—James Campbell, Jeames Giles, Reune Runyon. Proved Nov. 3, 1755. Lib. F, p. 288.
1755, Nov. 17. Inventory, £1563.8.11, incl. bonds and cash, £1359.17.3; a Bible and other books, £1.5; made by David Fitzrandolph and David Coriell.
2. Will of Providence Runyon, widow of Peter, of Piscataway (made 18 Jan 1759; proved 14 July 1760) — Lib. G, p. 264 [verbatim]
1759, Jan. 18. Runyon, Providence, widow of Peter, of Piscataway, Middlesex Co.; will of. Children—Joseph, Peter, Richard, Benjamin, Ann Begle, Rosannah Davison, Providence Bowman. Grandchildren of dec'd. daughter, Grace Cooper, viz., Daniel, John, Benjamin, George, Rosannah, Providence and Ann. Personal estate. Executors—Joseph and Peter. Witnesses—John Moore, David Pound and Reune Runyon. Proved July 14, 1760. Lib. G, p. 264.
1760, July 4. Inventory, £362.9, incl. cash, £140.16; bonds, £204.4.6; taken by the Executor, Peter Runyon; appraised by George Marlett and Elijah Pound.
3. Will of Joseph Runyon of Piscataway, yeoman (made 16 May 1760; proved 14 July 1760) — Lib. G, p. 261 [verbatim] (= Grace's brother)
1760, May 16. Runyon, Joseph, of Piscataway, Middlesex Co.; yeoman; will of. Wife (not named, but otherwise known to be Elizabeth). Children—Peter, Joseph (oldest son), Philipp, and daughters, names not given, all under age except Joseph. Real and personal estate. Executors—the wife and brothers Peter and Benjamin Runyon. Witnesses—Elijah Pound, Jeames Gieles and Elias v. Court. Proved July 14, 1760. Lib. G, p. 261.
1760, July 2. Inventory, £883.17.4, incl. cash, £263.0.4; bonds and notes, £234; a Bible and other books, 20s.; a looking glass 12s.; 3 deerskins, £2.15; taken by the executors and appraised by George Marlett and Elijah Pound.