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In the name of God, Amen. The twenty ninth day of January in ye year of
our Lord 1738/9 John Carpenter of Goshan in ye County of Orange and
Province of New York House Carpenter, being very sick and weak in body
but of perfect mind and memory thanks be given unto God Therefore
Calling to Mind the Mortality of My Body and Knowing that itt is
appointed for all men to Die Doo make and ordain this My Last Will and
Testament that Is to say principally and first of all I Give and
Recomend My soul in to the hand of God that Gave itt And for My body I
Recomend itt to the Earth to be buried in a Christian Like and Decent
manner att ye Discretion - of My Excutors nothing doubting but att the
General Resarection 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 with in thy life I Give Devise and Dispose of ye same in
ye following Manner and form
Impremus; I Give And Bequeath unto [Elizabeth] My beloved Wife the one
third part of all My Movable Estate free and clear and also the use? of
my whole Estate after My Debts and funeral charges are paid untile such
time as My Youngest Child Comes of Age, or other Wife as long as she
Continues My Widow and no longer Which is to Enable her to bring up My
children - and also from such time as My youngest Child arrives to age
from thence to have ye use of the best room in my house With ye use of
ye third part of My improved lands dureing her Continuing My Widdow Item
I give to My three Children Which now are Namely John, Wait and Rebeckah
and also one in ye Womb not yett born all My fast Estate With ye
Remainder of My Movables to be Equally Divided amongst them When ye
youngest of them? comes of age and if so be that Any of them should die
before? them? that itt shall be devided amongst ye liveing of them and
further that if all four of my children should die before any of them
comes of age that then My Wife shall have the use of ye one half of My
Estate With My house During her Life and at her Death that
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That then itt be Divided Equally between my four brethion Joseph Samuel
Benjamin and Timothy or their heirs
I Likewise Constitute Make and ordain Joseph Carpenter Wait Smith Jun-
and Benjamin Carpenter to be My Whole and sole EaEs-? of this My Last
Will and Testament and I dooe hereby utterly Disalow Revoke and Disanul
all and Every other former testaments Wills Legacies and Executors by me
in any Ways before this time Named Willed and Bequeathed Rattifieing?
and Confirming this and no other to be My Last Will and Testament In
Witness Whereof I have hereunto Sett My hand and seal the Day and year
above Written
John Carpenter
Signed sealed Publshed and Pornounced and Declared by the said John
Carpenter as his Last Will and Testament in the presence of us the
subscribers viz #
William Smith
Solomon Smith
William /finn Jur- Decr. 1st 1740. I saw the other two sign The three
Eachof-? sworn
notes:
Transcribed by Dennis F. Carpenter, July 2009.
The name Elizabeth was inserted above "My beloved Wife". Question marks
follow words that were not clear. EaEs-?, may have been short hand for
Executors, Eachof-?, was written in a similar fashion.
Signiture of William Smith appears to be William Smithth with the last
"th" X'ed out.
Wording is very similar to the 1752 will of Samuel Carpenter of Goshen.