1718 Will - William Reeves
Introduction
Salem County, MassachusettsWill Book 12, p215
15 Jan 1718
Transcript
In the Name of God Amen I William Reeves of Salem In ye County Essex being sick & weak in Body but of sound & Disposing mind & memory Doe make this my Last will & Testament as followeth vizImpr my will be ye all my just debts & personall charges be payd & satisfyed by my executors hereafter named
Item My will is inasmuch as I intend to dispose of all my psonall estate for yse uses hereafter mentioned so yt? there will be nothing left to pay debts & dif? necessary charges of my funerall upon which consideration I doe hereby Give unto my exector hereafter named full power & lawfull authority to sell convey & Dispose of as much of ye upland in Southfent? belonging to me & now in my possession as will be necessary to raise ye money to pay ye debts & fund all charges as aforesaid and further I doe give them full power to make & execute sufficient Deeds to any person who shall purchase ye toune?.
Item I give & Bequeath to my loveing wife Elizabeth Reeves all my homestead consisting of a dwelling house & about eighty poles or rods of ground together with what upland ye lyes in ye south field & undisposed of by my executors for ye payment of my just debts & funerall charges as above sd and also all my household goods & moveables whatsoever all which lands & moveables I give to her my said wife during ye time of her widowhood ? which she continues my widow excepting above twenty four foot of ground lying & ajoynding on ye western part of my homestead on ye land my son Cockerill Reeves hath lately built a dwelling house.
Item I give & bequeath to my son Cockerill Reeves his heirs & assigns forever all my meadow & marsh now in my possession situate lying & being in a place called Sopilo? In Salem aforesaid my said son Cockerill Reeves paying unto my Daughter Eliza Reeves ye full sum of five pounds current money or province Bills of Credit within six months after my decease
Item I give & bequeath all my household goods & moveables w above after he Decease of my said wife or changes of her condition from being my widow unto my Daughter Elizabeth Reeves to be att her own disposal
Item I give & bequeath after ye death of my wife or her changing her condition as aforesaid all my reall estate whever? not before in this my will disposed of to my sone William Cockerhill & Grandson Ffreeborn Reeves & to ye heirs & assigns forever to be equally divided between them share & share alike my son Cockerhill to have his part layd out to him on ye western part of my now homestead on part of ye land he hath already build a dwelling house and ? my of my said sons should see cause to sell his or their parts of ye said lands my will is if ye other Brother or Brothers shall have ye refusall of it.
?dly I doe make my loveing wife Eliza Reeves & my son Cockerill Reeves to be executs to this my last Will & Testament hereby revoking & makeing void all former wills be mee heretofore makde att any time
In witness & for confirm mon? of all above written have hereunto set my hand & affixed my seal this fifteen day of January 1717
Wm (his x mark & seald) Reeves
Signed Seald publishd & Declared
by ye said Wm Reeves to be
? Will & Testament
in presence of uses
John Ropes Jur
Paul Lomgdon
Joseph Neale
Richard Newcombe
Essex Salem March 4 1717/8
Before ye Hon John Appleton Regr Judge of ye Wills in ye County aforesaid Pail Langdon & Joseph Neale prsonally appeared & made oath they were present saw William Reeves late of Salem Dec signe seale & hearn? publish & Declare ye above written instrument to be his Last Will & Testament & when he so did he was of good understanding & disposing mind & that they with John Ropes & Richd Newcomb sett to ye hands as wittnesses ?
Sworne attest Dan Rogers Regr
Upon which this Will is proved approved & allowed the executors ye in named Accd ? their ? & to exhibitt an inventory of said Estate att or before ye first of July next
Attest Dan Rogers Reg.