1779 Will - Thomas Reeves
Introduction
Gloucester County, New JerseyWill Records 1364H
Transcript
In the name of God Amen I Thomas Reeves of Debtford in the County of Gloucester in the Wester Division of New Jersey yeoman, Being but weak in Body, but of sound mind & memory, blessed be God for the same, I do this sixth Day of July Anno Domini one thousand seven hundred and seventy nine, make this my Last Will and Testament, Hoping through the merits of Death & Sufferings, of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to Receive Forgiveness of all my sins, and as touching my worldly estate, that God hath Bless me with in this life, I order them to be Desposed of as Follows vist.Item I order my Funeral charges & just debts to be fully paid and satisfied
Item I Give & Bequeath unto my Granson John Reeves the sum of Five shillings
Item I Give unto my son Biddle Reeves & to his heirs & assigns the plantation he now lives on in the township of Debtpford containing two hundred & forty four acres let the same be more or less as it is Already measured & laid of
Item I Give & Devise unto my son Arther Reeves & to his heirs &assigns all the remaining part of that tract of land not sold as joineth Biddles lands as above gave containing about two hundred acres twenty more or less in the township of Debtford aforesaid with all the appertenances thereunto belonging
Item I Give unto my son Joseph Reeves & to his heirs and assigns forever the House & part of the land & part of the meadow of Little Red Bank wich is after described & Bounded as follows Begining of a Gum tree for a corner from thence south thirty seven degrees west by a link of markt trees twenty four chains & forty links to a stake corner then a cross the land north forty one degrees west thirty five chains to the River & so up the same to Hopkins line and so along Hopkins line to a certain Ditch let? for a devision Between Joseph meadow & my son Thomas Reeves and so along by the said Ditch & from there to the Begining Gum Tree containing about one hundred & thirty five acres of land & meadow Ground more or less with all the buildings & improvements thereon
Item I Give & devise unto my son Thomas Reeves all the remainings part of land in the County of Gloucester except the ?swamp to his heirs & assigns forever it is my will & mind that if any dispute should arise in the titles of my lands or any part thereof of Red Bank that I have gave to my two sons Joseph & Thomas that they should bear an equal part of the expence of loss that might arise by reason of any dispute if any such should hapen to be
Item I Give unto my beloved wife a Room in Joseph Reeves House & if she don't choose to live there to have a room in Biddles House or if she don't choose to live there to have a room of the House of Monlees? Creek in the House as I Give to my son Thomas & where ever she chooses to live she is to have her firewood? but & heed it is to bo observd it is only to be during her natural life & in lue of her dower I order my four sons to pay her my said wife the sum of Ten pounds each yearly & every year but the one she lives with is to pay nothing providing she chooses to live with them if not to pay the said ten pounds each during her natural life
I Give & Bequeath unto my Beloved wife two Beds & Bedden one part of Draders a corner cubbert one tea kittle a half dozen of chairs one half of the Puter the team tackle & tea table & as much other household goods as will be valued of tem pounds.
Item I give unto my Daughter Ann Wood my ryding mare & as I order my negro woman to be sold by my executor And the money arising by the sale to be give to my soninlaw John Wood or the value of the same and I also Give to my Daughter Ann Wood the sum of three hundred pounds in silver & Gold at the R?
Item I Give devise all my cedarwamp in the county of Gloucester to my two sons Joseph Reeves & Thomas Reeves to be equally divided between then & to there heirs and assigns forever and all that cederswamp & upland in Burlington County containing about ninety acres more or less to be equally divided between them & to their heirs and assigns forever.
Item I Give to my Grandaughter Fifty pounds & all the household goods as I bought of her father Vendue
Item I give to my granson Peter Rambo the sum of fifty pounds
I give to my two sons Joseph Reeves & Thomas Reeves & to their heirs and assigns the free use of my fishing place together with the nets & boats
Item I Give to my son Thomas Reaves my Clock
It is my will and mind that the legacy I gave to my Daughter Ann who is the wife of John Wood, shall be paid by my son Biddle & my son Joseph and my son Thomas out of there lands equally wich is one hundred pounds each in silver & gold
Item I order my son Arther Reaves to pay out of his lands the fifty pounds I gave to my granddaughter as much to my Granson John Reeves as my Frd Thomas Clerk Esqr shall think proper & order him not to exceed fifty pounds in silver or gold
Item I Give all the remaining part of my estate to my son Thomas Reeves he paying all my just debts either Real or personal Together with my Funeral expenses & Peter Rambos legacy of fifty pounds
Lastly I nominate constitute and apoint my truely & well beloved sons Arther Reeves & Thomas Rees to be the executors to this my Last will and Testament
Thomas Reves (Seal)
Signed Sealed
Published and pronounced by
the said Thomas Reeves as his
Last Will & Testament in the presence of these witnesses
garret Groff
Peter Andrews
Amos Penquite
Thos Clark
Thomas Clark one of the Evidences to the within will being duly sworn on the Holy Evangelists of Almighty God doth depose & say that he saw Thomas Reeves the testator therein named sign & seal the same & heard him publish ? & declare the same to be his last will & testament & heard & that at the doing thereof the said testator was of sound & disposing mind & memory as far as this deponent knows & as he truly believes & that Garret Groff Peter Andrews & Amos Pinquite the other subscribing evidences were present at the same time & signed their names with the deponent in the presence of the said testator as witnesses the said will
Sworn June 1 1782Tho Clark
at Woodbury before
Arthur Reeves Thomas Reeves the executors in the within Testament named being duly sworn & affirmed according to law did severally declare & affirm that the within instrument is the Last Will & Testament of Thomas Reeves the testator therein named as far as they know & as they verily believe that they will well & truly perform the same by paying first the debts of the said deceased & then the lagacies said testament specified so far full as the goods chattles & credits of said decd can therein to extend that they will make exhibit unto the prerogative office of Burlington or elsewhere a true & perfect inventory of all & ? the goods chattles & credits of said decd that have or shall come to their knowledge possession or to any other person or persons for their use and that they will render a just & true account of their administration
Sworn at WoodburyArthur Reeves
Jany 1st 1782Thomas Reeves