Oliver Sacket

Oliver Sacket, son of Zebulon Sacket and Lucy Root, was born in Sheffield, Berkshire County, Massachusetts^G, on 12 December 1770.¹ He died aged 23 in the West Indies^G in 1794.
     Although Oliver had few possessions, literally just his clothes and $8 in cash, due process was followed in settling his affairs. His mother Lucy, now Lucy Mudge of Canaan, Columbia County, New York, by a letter of 2 June 1794, declined to act as administrator, proposing instead Solomon Mudge. Solomon, a merchant of New Haven, would have been her stepson by her second marriage. He died in New Haven on 30 June 1794. Administration of the estate was eventually completed by two other appointees more than a year later. The inventory, made in New Haven on 9 October 1795, listed Oliver's clothing, including a "coat with lappels" at 18 shillings, a pair of silk and cotton stockings 9s, a striped jacket nearly new 8s, and a pair of velvet breeches valued at 15 shillings. These quality items and his presence in the West Indies suggest that he may have been an officer on a ship.²