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Will of Samuel
Dennis (d 1720, Woodbridge, NJ)
by Clarence McDaniel Mar 7 1992
In the name of God, amen the
fourteenth day of March in the sixth year of the reign of our
sovereign lord George by ye grace of God of Great Brittain, vc?, King, anno
domo one thousand seven hundred and nineteen-twenty I
Samuel
Dennis of Woodbridge in ye county of Middlesex in ye province of New Jersey
yeoman being very sick and weak of body but of perfect mind and memory
thanks be given to God therefore and calling to mind ye mortallity 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 principally and first of all I give and
recommend my soul to God that gave it and my body to the earth to be
buried Christian like and decent manner at ye desretion of my executors
hereafter named. Nothing doubting but I shall
receive ye same again by ye
mighty power of God in a glorious resurrection
at ye last day and
as touching such worldly estate wherewith he hath blessed me with in this
world I give devise and dispose of the same again in manner and form following
- - -
imprimis I give and bequeath
unto my true and loving wife Mary Dennis after ye payment of all my just
debts and funeral charges the whole of all my movable estate excepting one
cow hereafter given to my daughter Sarah and also the use and
enjoyment of ye house and land I now live on it being three house lotts containing
about thirty acres more or less and the two acres of pasture land wch
joins to Timothy Bloomfields pasture and Moses Rolph medow and also the
issue and improvements of the one half part of ye eight eight (88) acres of
medow bought by my father of Mr Bullin it being that part of ye sd medow
hereafter given to my daughter Reliance Dennis wch (which) land I give her ye
use and improvements of during her natural life or widowhood and my movable
estate forever to her own dispose to enable her to bring up my children
Item I give and bequeath
unto my loving daughter Sarah Dennis
one of ye
house lotts I now live on it
being ye house lott that my father bought xxxx
Mr (Wm?) Bullin
the lot
with the understanding to remain to ye use of my wife as above said and also
ye second division lott in Woodbridge common laid out to my sd father
in his right of freehold containing twenty two acres and a half lying at a
place called and known by ye name of Woolfe Pitt place also the
twenty acres of land my sd father bought of sd Mr Bullin lying by ye road that
leads from Woodbridge to Amboy and all ye moiety or half part of
the Salt Marsh or medow joining to sd land and bought of ye sd Bullin to be
layed out to her at ye eastermost end of ye medow ye (quality?) as
well as ye (quanity?) to be considered for ye division and also ye half
acre of land at ye foot of Straw Berrie hill on wch stands ye old house I
formerly lived in all which tracts of land and medow I give to my daughter
Sarah Dennis and to her heirs and assigns forever and also one cow out
of my moveable estate.
Item I give and bequeath to
my loveing daughter Reliance Dennis the house lott on which my now
dwelling house standeth which lott was layed out for my father in his own right
and also ye other moiety or half part of the above mentioned piece of
medow and the lott and medow notwithstanding to remain to ye use of my wife
as above sd and also eight acres of land it being a fourth division
lott in Woodbridge common which I bought of Moses Rolph and also ye two
acres of pasture land wch joins to Timothe Bloomfields pasture &
Moses Rolphs medow all and every of ye sd piece of land and medow I give unto my
daughter Reliance Dennis and to her heirs and assigns forever.
Item I give and bequeath
to my loving daughter Elizabeth Dennis ye house lott or piece of land lying
at ye rear of ye two above mentioned house lotts commonly called my
co??es or upper pasture containing ten acres more or less yet so as to remain
for ye use and occupation of my wife as above sd and also ye moiety or half
part of sd piece of my medow that joins to ye sd house lotts of Samuel
Smith & Francis Walker (Walter?) to be layed out to lower most or
southmost cut of ye sd medow I give to my daughter Elizabeth Dennis
to her heirs
and assigns forever.
Item I give and bequeath
unto my loveing son Samuel Dennis two fir division lotts in Woodbridge
common one of which was layed out to my father in his right of freehold and
ye other I bought of Joseph Ayers and also ye other moiety or half part of
ye last mentioned piece of medow and last my right of freehold in ye
undivided land in Woodbridge and all other remainders and resevations of
my real estate whatsoever to be and to remain to my son his heirs and
assigns forever and I do desire and request my two loveing friends Edward
Freeman and Benjamine Bloomfield to take special care that no wast be made of
ye timber growing or standing on ye two above mentioned lots given to my sd
son and if any be to give notice to my executors who are hereby
impowered to (prosecute?) any person or persons or ye same as ye law
permits I do hereby make ordain constitute and appoint my true & loving
wife Mary Dennis and my loveing daughter Sarah Dennis ye whole and sole
executors of this my last will and testament hereby disannuling and making
void all other former wills by me in any will made and ratifying this and
no other to be my last will and testament in
witness whereto I have
hereto set my hand and seal ye day and year first
above written___
witnesses:
Yelverson
Crowell Samuell Dennes
Edward Crowell (all
signed)
Moses Rolph
Note: There are two
copies of this will extant of the time, neither of
which appear to be the
original. Both are quite faded. Copied as near to
original wording and
punctuation as possible by Clarence McDaniel on Mar 7,
1992.
Thanks to Clarence McDaniel for all his help sorting
out our Dennes/Dennis and Paschal family.
Margie
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