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The Edgerton Database |
The Last Will and Testament of Joseph Edgerton
In the name of God Amen March ye 19th Anno Domini 1735
I Joseph Edgerton of Norwich in the County of New London and Colony of
Connecticut in New England Husbandman Being very sick and weak in body but of
perfect mind and memory thanks be given unto God: therefore calling unto
minde the mortality of my body and knowing that it is appointed for all men
once to die Do make and ordain this my Last will and Testament, that is to
say, Principally and first of all, I give and recommend my soul into ye hands
of God that gave it and my body I recommend unto the Earth to be buried in
decent Christian burial at the discretion of my executors; nothing doubting
but at ye general resurrection I shall receive the same again by the Mighty
Power of God and as touching such worldly estate wherewith it hath pleased
God to bless me in this life I give devise and dispose of ye same in ye
following manner and form. Imprimis. I give and
bequeath unto Experience my dearly beloved wife the use and improvements and
profits of the one third part of all my real estate during her natural life
and also one third part of all my personal estate to dispose of as she
pleases after my debts and funeral charges are paid. Item: I give and
bequeath unto my dutifull son Hezekiah, his heirs and assigns forever –
besides what he hath already received by a deed from me the same width of
land extended down to [---] Brook and likewise four rods wide on ye fourth
side of his said land from ye lane or highway from Norwich to Lebanon ye
whole length of my lot to said Brook abutting on his land before
mentioned. And likewise ye one halfe
of fifteen acres of land which I have mortgaged to the government for ye loan
of eighty pounds in money and ye other halfe of said land I give to my son
Joseph provided they two redeem ye [---] equally between them, but in case
that either of them shall neglect and refuse to redeem ye [---] at ye time of
redemption then he of them that will redeem it shall have the whole fifteen
acres. Item: I give and
bequeath to my sons Joseph, Elisha, and Jabez, their heirs and assigns
forever, all ye remaining part of my home stead or farm I now live upon equally
to be divided among them when my youngest son Jabez shall come to ye full age
of twenty one years in case he live so long and not before, otherwise when
Elisha shall come to said age of twenty one years in case Jabez die sooner. And my will is that my son Joseph shall and may enter and
improve his proportion of ye land with ye priviledges which I have given to
my last three sons till his youngest brother shall come of age, tho no
division be made till then and to Elisha when he shall come to ye age of one
and twenty years they not [---] on their mother’s thirds during her natural
life. Item: I give and
bequeath to my youngest daughter Temperance thirty pounds money to be raised
out of my moveable estate and also her bed and its furniture, to make her
equal with her other sisters. Item: I give and
bequeath to my daughters Mary, Experience, and Temperance aforementioned all
my personal or moveable estate not heretofore disposed of in this my Last
will, to be divided equally among them three. And I likewise constitute ordain and make Experience my said
wife and Hezekiah my son my sole executors of this my Last will and Testament
and I do hereby utterly disavow revoke and disannul all and every other
former Testaments, wills, Legacies and bequests and executors by me in any
ways before named, willed and bequeathed Ratifying and confirming this and no
other to be my Last will and Testament in witness whereof I have hereunto set
my hand and seal the day and year before written; Joseph Edgerton Signed, Sealed, Published,
Pronounced and Declared by ye said
Joseph Edgerton as his Last will
and Testament in the presence
of us the Subscribers. Christopher Huntington Jnr Benjamin Lothrop James Calkin Back to Joseph Edgerton page |