Back to Will Index
Back to the Washington County USGenWeb
Home Page
In the Name of God Amen this Sixth Day of January Anno Domini 1777 I Stephen Saunders of Westerly in the County of Kings County yeoman being much Indisposed in Body, but of perfect mind and Memory thanks be given to Almighty God for the same. But Calling to mind the Mortality of my Body and Knowing that it is appointed for Men Once to Die do Make and Ordain this my last Will and Testament that is to say principally and first of all I give and Recommend my Soul unto the Hand of Almighty God who gave it And my Body I Commit to the Earth to be Buried in a Christian descent Burial at the Descretion of my Executors hereafter Named Nothing Doubting but at the General Resurrection I shall receive the same again by the Mighty Power of God And as Touching such Worldly Estate whose with it hath pleased God to Bless me in this Life I Give Demise and Dispose of the same in the following Manner & form --------
Imprimis I Give Demise and bequeath to my beloved Son Stephen Saunders and to his Heirs & Assigns forever my Homestead Farm Containing One hundred and fifty Acres more or less Bounding Southerly on a Driftway Easterly & Northerly on the Highway till it comes till it comes to the Tum or Creek thence Running Westerly a Straight Line to a Whiteoak Tree being a Corner of my Land and a Corner of David Lewis’s Land Bounding Westerly on sd David Lewis’s Land to the first mentioned Bounds Together with all the Buildings there on Standing.
Item I Give Demise and bequeath to my beloved Son Charles Saunders and to his Heirs and assigns forever all the Land I purchased of Jonathan Jackways Together with part of the Land I purchased of Benjamin Wilbur and Robert Brand Begining at the Corner of the Aforesd Land I purchased of sd Jackways by Pawcatuck River then Down stream sd River till it comes due East of a Tall walnut Tree on the side of a Hill then West to sd Tree and from sd Walnut Tree a due West Line to the Highway and then Westerly and Southerly by sd Highway to the Land purchased of sd Jackways as aforesd
Item I Give Demise and bequeath to my beloved Son Augustus Saunders all my Land Lying on the Westerly side of the Aforesd Highway Together with my Sawmill to him his Heirs and Assigns forever Further my Will is that my sd Son Charles shall have the Privilege of Sawing in sd Sawmill stuff to Build him a House, Barn or Grist without paying for the Use of sd Mill
Item I Give Demise and bequeath to my beloved Son Peleg Saunders and to his Heirs & Assigns forever all my Land Lying on the East side of the Highway that I purchased of Stephen Stetson together with all my Land Lying to the North of the Land I have given to my sd Son Charles on the East side of the aforesd Highway.
Item I Give and bequeath to my aforesd Son Charles Saunders my wearing apparel forever
Item I Give and bequeath to my Dearly beloved Wife Lydia and to my Daughter Dinah Berry and to my Daughter Esther Coon all the Remainder of my personal Estate (excepting my Farming tools) to be equally Divided between them According to Quantity & Quality and to their Heirs forever -----------.
Item I give and bequeath to my Aforesd Son Augustus my Bigest Tools [?] H_[?]__ and my Large Shrub oak Breaking _[?]__ Plow to him forever
Item I Give and bequeath to my Aforesd Son Stephen my Cart & Wheels forever
Item I give and bequeath all the Remainder of my Farming Tools to my sd Sons Stephen Augustus & Peleg to be equally Divided between them
Item I give and bequeath to my sd Wife Lydia my Negro Boy Named Sampson During my sd Wife her Natural Life and if sd Sampson Shall Conduct himself well till my sd Wifes Death my Will is that the sd Sampson Shall have his freedom but if not he Shall be held as a Slave & be Under the Command of my sd Son Stephen or his Heirs During the Life of sd Sampson
Item my Will is that my sd Son Stephen (for the Use of the Land he Improves) Shall Not Exact any Interest on the Money I Owe him
Item my Will is that my four Sons Namely Stephen Charles Augustus & Peleg Shall pay all my just Debts in proportion to the Land or Real Estate I have given to each of them in this Will
Lastly I Constitute and appoint my Aforesd Wife Lydia and my Aforesd Son Stephen my Whole and sole Executrix and Executor jointly to this my last Will and Testament hereby Revoking and Disallowing all former Wills Legacies and bequests by me in any wise before Named Wills and bequeathed Ratifying and Confirming this and No Other to be my last Will & Testament In Witness whereof I have here unto set my Hand & Seal the Day and Year first before Written
Signed Sealed Published & Declared by the sd Stephen Saunders as his last Will & Testament In presence of us who in his presence and in the presence of each other has subscribed our Names as Witnesses
| James Saunders Silas Greenman Joseph Crandal |
Stephen Saunders (seal) |
James Saunders & Joseph Crandal two of the Witnesses to this Will Personally
Appeared before the Town Council of Westerly January the 27th 1777 and made
Oath that they Saw the Testator Stephen Saunders Esq Deceased Sign Seal Publish
and Declare this Instrument to be his last Will & Testament and that
at the Time of his Signing the same was in perfect mind & Memory and
that they Signed as Witnesses in the presence of the Testator with Silas
Greenman the other Witness Before William Pendleton President