Last Will & Testament of Samuel Harvey
Contributed by Richard J
Harvey
In the name of God, Amen. I, Samuel Harvey, of Windham, County
of Greene and the State of New York yeoman being very sick and weak in body but
of a sound mind blessed be God, remembering the mortality of my body and
knowing that it is appointed unto all 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 unto the hand of Almighty God that gave it and my body
recommended to the earth to be buried in decent Christian burial at the
discretion of my executors nothing doubting but at the general resurrection I
shall receive the same again by the mighty power of God and as touching such
worldly estate where with it hath pleased God to bless me in this life I give,
decide and dispose of the same in the following manner and form –
1st
– I give and bequeath to my dearly beloved wife one third part of a lot of land I now own lying in the town of Windham
located by Elnathan Fitch containing eighty acres.
Said land is bounded on Capt Peter Van Biden land on
the north and east and on the Mr Daniel Huops on the
south to be divided according to the quantity and quality to be by her
improved, possessed and enjoyed during her natural life.
2nd
– I give and bequeath to my beloved loving children, Silas, Andrew, Huldah, Ira, Rebekah, Jeduthan, Manarva Mary, the other
part of said lot of land before mentioned not bequeathed to be so divided unto
them that the said Silas, Andrew, Ira, Jeduthan, Manarva shall have the value of twenty five dollars each
more of said land than Huldah and Rebekah.
Furthermore I give and bequeath to my loving daughters Huldah
& Rebekah all my household furniture together
with my two beds & bedding that belonged to their own Mamma, by them freely
to be possessed and enjoyed.
3rd
– I give and bequeath to my loving brother-in-law John Dibbell
a red heifer four years old next spring that I now own in compensation for the expense
he has held to in providing and taking care of my loving daughter Huldah to herein freely to be possessed and enjoyed.
4th
– I order that my possession whereon I now live be sold to the best _____tage, together with my personal property and moveables not before mentioned or disposed of (expecting
those things I received with or by Mary ___ now loving wife which to her belong
of right to discharge my debts of funeral charges and in case there should be
more money raised by the sale of the above mentioned property than to pay my
debts, I order that it be disposed of in manner & form as follows: 1st,
the one third part of said money I give to Mary my beloved wife and the other
two thirds remaining to my seven children to be equally divided between them
and to be by them peaceably enjoyed. – Furthermore I nominate my loving
brothers Obed Harvy and
John Dibbell both of Freehold, County & State
aforesaid, whom I constitute make & ordain the executors of this my last
will and testament and I do hereby utterly ____ and dis_____
all & every other former testaments, wills, legacies & executors by me
in any wise before named, willed of bequeathed notifying and confirming this
and no other to be my last will and testament – in witness whereof I have
hereunto set my hand and seal this twentieth day of February in the year of our
Lord one thousand eight hundred and four.
Samuel Harvey
Signed,
sealed & declared by the said Samuel Harvey as his last will and testament
in the presence of us who in his presence and in the presence of each other
have hereunto subscribed our names
Reuben
Smith
Benajah Preston
Ephraim Champeiliu
(?)
Greene
SS: On the twenty ninth day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and four – appeared before me Reuben Smith, Benajah
Preston and Ephraim Champeleiu witnesses to the
forgoing will who being duly re____ oath that they did see Samuel Harvey sign,
seal, publish & declare the forgoing will to be his last will and testament
and ____ that he was of sound mind & memory at the time of the execution
thereof.
John
Cuyler
Surrogate
of the