RobinRedBreast, I need to investigate further, but I descend from Mil(l)sons of Killingholme; so far I`ve only worked back to 1776.
The will of Edward Mylson seems to be a long one, but it "is" very difficult to read.
Hello there,
Thank you. I viewed his will at Lincolnshire Archives about a year ago first of all. I couldn't read very much of it, only really the names in his will.
I have since looked at quite a few more wills, and had more practice.
I went to look at Edward Milson's will a few days ago. I was able to read it this time around. There were a few letters within words in the will which I wasn't first sure of. But I compared the shapes of those letters in the words with shapes of letters within other words that I could read. I was then able to decipher a lot more from his will because of this, and was able to read it.
It's amazing how if you stare at something like the words in these wills for long enough, you can become adjusted to the shapes of the letters and are able to "tune into it" for want of a better word, haha!
I must admit I do also find it quite fascinating reading these wills. It is really good for genealogy because you can confirm or deny relationships from information in them, which you may have originally just presumed. It is also good for if there is a gap of information in the parish registers: I was able to confirm from a will yesterday that John Noble of Barrow on Humber, who made his will in 1577, was the father of my 11x great grandad Phillip, who was baptized in 1574. The register of Barrow shows Phillip's baptism, but no father's name. John Noble named Phillip's two other siblings: Edward bap.1572, and Elizabeth bap.1576 as "children" in his will.
Wills can also give reference to probable in-laws:
John named Bennett Sergeant as one of the supervisors of his will alongside John Wilkin. He named his wife as Elizabeth, in his will specifically named "the mother of my children": John Noble married Elizabeth Sergeant in Barrow, on the 4th of February 1570.
Will Reference: "John Noble." LCC Wills, Barrow 1578, 109. Lincolnshire Archives.
I have also looked at wills where I have got the wrong person. But then I know I can cross that one off the list.
My apologies for waffling on here, haha! But I think you may get the picture.
Much obliged.
