Ens. Gerard Spencer
Gerard Spencer was baptised at Stotfold, in Bedfordshire, on 25 April 1614, the youngest son of Gerard Spencer and Alice Whitbread. His own will spells his name Jarrad, and the records also write Gerrard and Jarred. He was a brother of William Spencer of Hartford.
He lived first at Cambridge, then called Newtown, and at Lynn, in Massachusetts. He and his wife Hannah were at Lynn when their daughter Hannah was born there about 1641. About 1663 or 1664 he moved to the Connecticut River and became one of the first settlers of Haddam. His daughter Hannah married Daniel Brainerd, another of the first settlers, at about the same time. Gerard was an ensign, the junior officer of the town's trainband, the militia company.
His son John died at Haddam on 3 August 1682, leaving five children between six and sixteen. John's will was nuncupative, spoken aloud before witnesses rather than written. He put his eldest son Jerrard and his eldest daughter Rebeckah "at the disposal of his Brother-in-law Daniel Braynard and his own sister Hannah the Wife of Daniel Braynard."
Gerard made his own will on 17 September 1683. He gave his son William the land bought of Steven Luxford's estate, "How I come by it the Court Record will show," and a third of 48 acres by "Welles his Brook." His son Nathaniel had "my now Dwelling house" with the lot that had been the houselot. His daughter Rebeckah had a houselot bought of Thomas Smith and another third by the brook. His son Thomas had forty acres on Matchamodus side, and his son Timothy the remainder of a lot of six score acres. Three granddaughters had forty acres each: Grace, daughter of his son John; Alice Brooks, daughter of his daughter Brooks; and Grace, daughter of his son Samuel.
He wanted his son John's children and the children of his son-in-law Daniel Cone to share equally with his other children. "My daughter Ruth Clarke's portion shall be £15, which was my Covenant with her father at her marriage." Joseph Clarke was to have forty acres at Matchemodus. He asked "the honoured Major John Talcott and Capt. John Allyn" to oversee the will. He made his son-in-law Daniel Brainerd, whom he called his son, and his own son William the administrators. John James and Joseph Arnot witnessed it.
He died at Haddam before 29 June 1685, when Joseph Arnot and Alexander Rollo took an inventory of £124 12s. of estate the will had not disposed of. On 3 September 1685 the court granted administration, with the will annexed, to Daniel Braynard and his son William.
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Cite: Heirology, "Ens. Gerard Spencer (b. 1614)", https://heirology.com/ancestors/ens-gerard-spencer-1614-197710.