I have been trying to confirm the death date of Japhet Leeds, (b. 1683). I notice many trees have his death date as being 1748. But I think this may not be accurate, here's why:

In the NJ Calendar of Wills we find:

Page: 295
Name: Deborah Leeds
Date: 15 Dec 1748
Location: Great Eggharbour, Gloucester Co.
widow. Administration on estate granted to John Leeds and Japhet Leeds. Abild Leeds, yeoman, fellow bondsman. All of Great Eggharbour.
Lib. 6, p. 330; Lib. 7, p. 96.

Page: 295
Name: Japhet Leeds
Date: 05 Feb 1736
Location: Great Egg Harbor, Gloucester Co.
yeoman; will of. Wife, Deborah. Sons--Robert, land bought of Benjamin Jennings near a brook, formerly called Wigwam Creek, southeast to Holly Swamp brook; John, land, 200 acres, bought of his uncle Felix Leeds, by the south branch of Landing Creek; Japhet, the plantation I live on by the Bay northwest to Maple Swamp; Nehemiah, land adjoining Jeremiah Addams; James (youngest son), land bought of Benjamin Jennings, adjoining his brother Robert's; and Daniel, not 14. Daughters--Mary, eldest (alias Somers), Sarah, Deborah, Dorothy, Ann and Hannah. Cedar swamps on Bever Run and Proprietary Rights to the sons. Executors--sons John and Japhet. Witnesses--Jeremiah Adams, Abel Scull, Isaac Addams. Affirmed 15 Dec., 1748.
Lib. 6, p. 10.
1748, Nov. 4. Inventory, £213.17.3; made by Abel Scull, Joseph Johnson.


First I am not sure what the "Date" in the registry refers to - whether it was when the will was written or probated. I am wondering if it could be both. So the earlier date Feb. 5, 1736 is when the will was written and the later date Dec. 15, 1748 was the probate date. I think this is what the "affirmed" means in the second entry. I noticed that some use the 1736 date as the marriage date - but this cannot be accurate as all children of Japhet and Deborah (including the Jersey Devil ☺) were born before 1728.
Also, the Dec. 15, 1748 date cannot be the death date as you will note at the bottom of the second entry has Nov. 4, 1748 as being the inventory date - so the death must have been sometime before Nov. 1748.
But then as I was looking over the will registry I began to wonder whether these were for Japhet or Deborah. If you notice in the first it mentions that Deborah is a “widow” and the administration of the estate is granted to her children but not her. This also suggests that Japhet died before she did. In the second entry it says “will of. Wife, Deborah”. Now, is this the will of Japhet or the will of Japhet’s wife, Deborah? If it was Japhet’s will than we might expect that something would be left to the Deborah. But she is not listed as receiving anything. Since the children only are listed as receiving the land etc. my hunch is that this actually refers to Deborah’s will and not Japhet’s. So Deborah wrote her will in 1736 (2nd entry) and would have died sometime before Nov. 1748. Since she was already a widow – Japhet must have died before 1736!

And here is the kicker, so to speak – In Alfred Heston’s “South Jersey: a History 1664-1924” – published in 1924 (available via a search of ‘Japhet Leeds’ on Ancestry.com) I found this in vol. 1, p. 143:

“ Friends’ meetings were held in at least three places in old Egg Harbor (Atlantic County) as early as 1726: Japhet Leeds’, Peter White’s and John Scull’s. Japhet Leeds lived at Leeds’ Point and was the son of Daniel Leeds, publisher of Leeds’ almanac.
The records show that in 1728 a meeting was held at the house of Deborah Leeds, widow of Japhet, which was continued for many years.”

According to Heston – Japhet must have died between 1726 and 1728! I certainly would be interested in any thoughts or clues about this – especially if there are other records outside the Calendar of Wills that give a possible date for Japhet’s death (church or cemetery records e.g.).

Steve