1788 Will - Biddle Reves
Introduction
Gloucester County, New JerseyWill Records 1676H
10 Jun 1788
Transcript
In the Name of God Amen. I Biddle Reves of the Township of Deptford, County of Gloucester and State of New Jersey, being sick in Body, but of Sound & disposing mind and memory, do for the settling my worldly affairs, make, ordain, constitute and declare this my Last Will and Testament in manner and form following to wit. Imprimis, I direct my Body to be burried in a decent manner by my executors herein afternamed, according to their discretion having due respect to my circumstances and situation in life.Item. My will is that my funeral expences and all my just debts be fully paid by my said executors after my decease.
Item. I give and bequeath unto my wife Ann Reves the use & profits of my tavern & lott of land near Little Timbercreek Bridge where Josiah Hillman now lives and also of the house & Lott where Jane Cox now lives with their appurtenances for & during her natural life & the reversion of them & each of them I give and devise to my son Clement Reves his heirs & assigns for ever. And further my will is that my said wife Ann immediately after my Decease shall have one of my best cowes, two of my best beds, half a dozen chairs, a tea table, dining table, looking glass, a corner cupboard and all the tea ware & aquipage all which the said uses & profits with the several specific legacies aforesaid, I give to my said wife in lieu & satisfaction of Dower.
Item. I Give and devise unto my son Thomas Reves my upper lot of Swamp or meadow Ground laying on Rambo's Run to have and to hold the same to him his heirs & assigns likewise I give and bequeath to my said son Thomas the two smlal stills with their apparatus and three hundred pounds in gold or silver money current in New Jersey to be paid by Instalments to wit fifty pounds in one year after my Decease & from thence by yearly payments fifty pouds until the whole be discharged without interest 'til after the several payments become severally due.
Item. I give and Bequeath to my Daughters Mary Groft and Ann Moffit one hundred pounds gold or silver money aforesaid, each, to be paid by instalments as aforesaid & without interest as aforesaid and in such sums aforesaid.
Item. I Give and devise to my three younger Daughters Desire, Sarah and Elizabeth Reves the sum of Two hundred pounds of like money aforesaid each, to be paid to each of them by instalments, to wit fifty pounds to each when they severally arrive to the age of twenty one years or marriage whichever shall first happen & from thence fifty pounds each by yearly payments util the whole be discharged & without interest til after the several payments become severally due.
Item. In addition to what I gave Josiah Reves after marriage and in consideration and full satisfaction of all his services heretofore done for me I give and bequeath to him the sum of fifty pounds of like money aforesaid to be paid in one year after my Decease which sum of fifty pounds is given him in full of all his claims & expectations on & from me.
Item. All the remainder and residue of my estate real & personal wheresoever I give Bequeath and Devise to my son Biddle Reves (except what is herein afterdevised to my son Joseph Reves) to have and to hold the same to him his heirs and assigns forever subject never theless to the payment of the several legacies aforesaid in the manner and at the times aforesaid.
Item. I give devise & Bequeath to my said son Joseph Reves the lower part of my plantation where I now live Beginning at a pine marked for a corner & standing on the Salem Road, thence running to a white oak corner near the lower End of the new meadow, thence to a gum near the spring thence on the said course thirty five years to a stake for a corner thence to a hickory for a corner standing in the run-meadow field thence to a pine standing in David Chiws line marked in the said line & now to be a corner of Joseph Reves's land hereby divided which said tract of land now devised is bounded by lands of the said David Chew, Thomas Reves Senior & the Salem Road, likewise I give & bequeath & Devise to my said son Joseph the part of my meadow next the River on Rambo's Run, next the Grove and as far as the main ditch, being devided by that Ditch from the use of the meadow last aforesaid which is hereinbefore devised to my son Biddle & lies next to esquire Wilkins's line, to have and to hold the said lower part of my plantation above particularly described and the said part of my meadow last aforesaid next the grove & within the ditch aforesaid, to my said son Joseph his heirs and assigns forever but my will is that my son Biddle shall have the possession and profits of these lands herein devised until the last period herein before appointed for the payment of the several legacies aforesaid and further I give bequeath & Devise to my son Joseph the house and lot where Archibald FitzPatrick now lives, to have and to hold the same to him his heirs and assigns forever & lastly I give to my said son Joseph the largest of my stills with all the appurtenances thereto belonging & the use possession & profit of the house & lot last mentioned I give to my son Biddle until the period appointed for payment of legacies as aforesaid.
Item. If my son Clement should die before he arrives to the age of twenty one years, my will is that whatsoever estate right interest or benefit is herein before devised to him, shall be transfered conveyed & vested to & in all my daughters then living and the heirs and legal representatives of such of my daughters as may be then deceased to them their heirs & assigns share & share alike as tenants in common. Lastly I do hereby give & devise to my son Biddle Reves the piece & parcel of land on my siad Plantation whereon I now dwell now & long since inclosed and used for a Graveyard for our family, to Have and to hold the same to him, his heirs & assigns forever. In trust nevertheless and for the use of all the blood relations descended of my late Father Thomas Reves deceased & their heirs forever for the sole purpose of burying their dead.
And Lastly I do hereby nominate and apoint my wife Ann & my son Biddle Reves executors of this my Last Will and testament & I do hereby revoke and make void a will by me heretofore made dated teh fifth Day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty eight, witnessed by Thomas Reeves Rachel Brown & John Stevens & all other wills by me made at anytime whatsoever declaring this & only this to be my Last Will & Testament In testimony whereof I have to these presents set my hand & seal this Tenth day of June in the year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred eighty eighty ( the capital "C" in the word Chairs, the letter "e" in the word "arrive" & the two letters "dd" in the word Biddle being written on other letters, the word "&" being crouded in, the word "uper" dashed with a pen & the word "the" interlined & the letter Juri? on another letter before the execution thereof
Biddle Reves
Signed Sealed published and }
declared by the said Biddle Reves }
Senior as & for his Last Will & Testament }
in the presence of us & each of us the }
subscribers, who in his presence & the }
presence of each other, & at his request }
signed our names as witnesses hereto }
Mary Adams
Zedediah Line
Rd Howell
Richard Howell one of the witnesses to the within will being duly sworn on the holy Evangelist if Almighty God doth depose & say that he saw Biddle Reeves the testator therein named sign & seal the within Will & heard him publish pronounce & declare the same to be his last Will & Testament & that at the doing thereof the said testator was of sound & disposing mind & memory as far as the deponent knows & as he verily believes & that Mary Adams & Zedediah Line the other subscribing evidences where present at the said time & signed their names as witnesses to the said Will together with the deponent in the presence of the testator.
Sworn at Woodbury }R Howell
March 2 1789 before }
FADavenport Surr
Ann Reeves & Biddle Reeves the Exrs within named being of the people called Quakers & duly affirmed according to law do severally affirm & say that the within is the true Last Will and Testament of Biddle Reeves the testator therein named as far as they know & as they verily believe, that they will well & truly perform the same by paying the debts of the sd decd & then the legacies in the said Testament specified so far ? as the good chattles & credits of the said decd can thereunto lend that they will make & exhibit a true & perfect inventory of the goods chattles & credits of said decd & render a just & true account of their administration.
Affirmed at WoddburyAnn Reeves
March 2d 1789 beforeBiddle Reeves
FADavenport Surr