Martha was the widow of Nathaniel Ruggles, a storekeeper in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Ebenezer Wells (1723-1787) of Deerfield, Massachusetts, had run up a large debt with him or with his estate and was ordered to pay the sum or be sent to jail in Northampton or Springfield, and to stay there until he paid in full. As often happened in cases of this sort, the debtor could not produce the money so appropriate real estate was seized by the accuser. A certain tract of land with buildings in Greenfield, owned by Wells and lived on by his son, Reuben, consisting of 29 plus acres was valued at 142 pounds, 3 shillings, 1 pence, was seized to satisfy the debt.
Price, Ezekiel. Writ of Martha Ruggles against Ebenezer Wells. August 6, 1785. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l04-038/. Accessed on October 16, 2024.
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