Martha [surname unknown] Russell

Biography

Martha's life in Cambridge, Massachusetts, across the Charles River from Boston, extended through three marriages and more than thirty years after the death of her first husband, William Russell. When William died in 1662, she was charged with bringing up four young children. She arranged for her son John to manage her husbandry, with a share in Jackson's farm forming part of their agreement.

She later married Humphrey Bradshaw and then Thomas Hall. As Martha Hall, she transferred forty-four acres to John in 1687 and confirmed his interest in another parcel, while preserving access for herself. The reservation matters: the arrangement provided for her son without simply removing her from the property.

Martha made her will in October 1690. Its surviving abstract remembers William Russell, names children from that marriage, and includes provision for members of her daughters' families. Her estate was inventoried in September 1694, and the will was proved that October. Those records preserve her decisions about support, land, and inheritance across the later decades of her life.

The abstract of Martha’s agreement specifies half of Jackson’s farm for £10.