Monday, August 22, 2016

Amanuensis Monday - Post 335: Will of Baltheser Pickel (1687-1765) of Hunterdon County, New Jersey

Genea-blogger John Newmark (who writes the excellent  TransylvanianDutch blog) started a Monday blog theme years ago called "Amanuensis Monday."  John offers this definition for "amanuensis:" 

"A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."

The subject today is the will of Baltheser Pickel (1687-1765) of New Germantown, Hunterdon County, New Jersey:




The transcription of this will is (transcribed line by line):

[page 1, image 484]

In the Name of God Amen

I Baltheser Pickel being Sick and weak in body, but of Sound mind, memory &
understanding, do make, publish & declare my last Will & Testament in manner
& form following to wit.

First of all, I commit the Keeping of my Soul to God as unto a Faithfull
Creator & my Body to the Earth until the glorious resurrection at the great
Day of the Lord.

Item I give & bequeath unto my Son Baltheser Pickel John Stein, Ruloph
Rulophs a Silver Plate & a Silver Cup in trust to be delivered by them to the Minister,
Church Wardens and Vestrymen of the German Protestant Lutheran Church
at New Germantown, in the County of Hunterdon, in the Western division of
the Province of New Jersey, and to be made use of at the holy Communion
of the Members of the Said Church.

Item I give and bequeath unto the s^d Baltheser Pickel John Stein Ruloph Ru-
lophs the further Sum of One Tousend Pounds of light Monney to be paid
to them, Six months after my decease, in manner & form following, that
is to say; I will that my Executors herein after named Shall well & Suffi-
ciently assign an transfer unto the said Baltheser Pickel John Stein Ruloph Ru-
lofs their Executors, Administrators & Assigns all the Bonds & obligations to me of Some of
the Members of the S^d Lutheran Congrega^tn in New German relating to the public affairs of the s^d
Congreg^tn for Securing to me the payment together with the Interest that shall then be due on the Same
& obligations (except the last obligration for the money I payd on the demand of Mr. Georg Remer & Jacob Dest, which I give
& bequeath to our Minister Paul Brygelius, & I will & direct that it be paid unto him one Month after my decease
and to the Sum total or amount of the Said Principal & Interest by the same Bonds due Shall
be added So much more in good & Substantial Bonds or Cash as will make up the afore-
said Sum or Legacy of Thousend Pounds. And I will & direct that the s^d Balthese Pickel John
Stein & Ruloph Rulophs, at the Time of receiving the aforesaid Legacy Shall execute in due
Form of the Law one Bond & obligation for the Sum of £2000 to be paid to my Said Exe-
cutors or Assigns with the Condition to be under written to wit

And I further will & direct that the S^d Baltheser Pickel John Stein Ruloph Eu-
lophs and the Survivors & Survivor of them Shall & will from time to time put out
the s^d Sum of £1000 at Interest with the Consent & approbation of the Mi-
nister, Church Wardens & vestrymen of the s^d Church for the time being or a Majo-
rity of them, on Such Security, as Shall be to the good liking of the S^d Minister,
Church Wardens & Vestrymen, or the Majority of them, to be minuted in the
Westry Book to be Kept for that purpose and from the same to be certified un-
der their Hands. And that all the Interest Money, which for the s^d Principal
Sum of one Tousend Pounds, or any part thereof shall come to their or
any of their Hands Shall be applied for the uses following to wit.

That yearly & every year forever Two Poor Children belonging to the

[page 2, image 485]

s^d Congregation Shall be named by the Minister, Church Wardens & Westrymen
for the time being, or by a Majority of them, to be taught Reading at the
German School of the S^d Congregation & the School Money for Such Two
poor Children Shall be punctualy paid to the German Lutheran School Master
of the Place afores^d out of the Interest Money afores^d.

And the rest or residue of the s^d Interest Money Shall yearly be paid unto the
Minister officiating at the afores^d Church, who now is as unto the Rev^d Mr.
Paul Brygelius, or hereafter Shall be regularly called & introduced in the s^d
Church by the Synode or Coetus of the United Lutheran Churches of this & the
Neighboring Provinces. Provided that as soon, as by some other Donations, or by
Subscriptions of the Church Members of New Germantown, to be added to the Legacy
hereby given, a Sufficient Salery an be raised for the s^d Minister & his Successors
he & they Shall on every Sonday (exept in case of Sickness or other unavoidable ac-
cidents) regularly officiate at the s^d Church Exept allso in case the Minister & the
Congregation of New Germantown Should agree to help Such of the Neighboring
Lutheran Congregations who are unable to support a Minister for themselves.

I further will & direct that the said Baltheser Pickel, John Stein, Ruloph Eulophs
and the Survivors & Survivor of them & the Executors of Such Survivor Shall & Will at
any time, when thereunto required by the Minister, Church Wardens & Vestrymen afores^d
or by a Majority of them pay, deliver up, assign & transfer all & every the Sum or Sums of
Money Principal & Interest, Bonds, Mortgages, Accounts, & other Securities in their or in any
of their Hands by means of the afores^d Legacy of £1000 or the increase thereof unto
Such Persons as the s^d Minister, Church Wardens & Vestrymen or a Majority of them under
their Hands & seals Shall mention & appoint, provided allways That the Persons
so to be nominated as afores^d Shall give Bonds to Three or more other Persons to be
allso at the time of the receiving Such payment & assignment named by the s^d Minister
Church Wardens & Westrymen in the Manner & form as is herein above directed and
So ??ties q??hes any Change of Trustees happen, the Trust created or intended to be cre-
ated by this my last Will & Testament Shall be preserved & continued for the use here-
by declared for ever, and be and for no other uses whatsoever. Provided that if at
any Time hereafter by any Law of this Province or by Charter of the Govoner for
the Time being, the Estate & Revenues of the said Church Should be Settled upon
& vested in the Minister Church Wardens & Vestrymen of the s^d Lutheran Church
for the time being & their Successors creating them a Body Politic & corporate
by the name aforesd or by any other Name whatsoever that shall be proper
& convenient, Then it is my Will & I do hereby direct & order that the s^d Balthser
Pickel John Stein Ruloph Rulophs or the Survivors or Survivor of them & all
other Person & Persons who by means of any Such Payment, delivery assign^t
or Transfer as afores^d Shall be in possession or Trust of all or any part of the
Money or Securities for Money belonging to the afores^d Legacy shall pay or
transfer the Same to the Said Corporation & their Successors for ever To & For
the uses in this my Last Will mentioned, & To & for no other uses, Intent &
purpose whatsoever.

[page 3, image 487]

And after Such Payment & assignment Shall be truly, fully & faith-
fully made to the s^d Congregation the Bonds of the Trustees who
shall have made the afores^d assignment Shall be discharged, canceled
or otherwise made void & of no Effect.

That this my last Will & Testament may truly & Faithfully & punc-
tually be executed I chuse & constitute my Executors to wit. The Rev^d
Mr. Paul Brygelius my two Sons Balteser & Hennery Pickel, Philip
Wise, John Mohlich, Jacob Klein & Valentin Reinhard & charge and
require of them to See the Same executed if any one of these six Men
Should recline die or remove The Minister & congregation must choose
another in his place.

Hereby I fully & absolutely revoking & disanulling all other Wills &
Testaments by me made in regard to my Legacy to the Two poor Children
& the Minister of New Germantown as afores^d & declaring this to be
my Last Will & Testament in Testimony whereof I have hereunto Set
my Hand & Seal this Second Day of November in the year of our Lord one
Thousand Seven hundred Sixty Five.
In the township of Reading
& County of Hunterdon
                                                              Baltheser Pickel
Witness
Ananias Randall
Weinland + van Devevter
Jacob Neff

The source citation for this will is:

New Jersey Surrogate's Court, Hunterdon County, Wills, Liber 13, pages 236-238, Baltheser Pickel will, 1765; in "New Jersey, Wills and Probate Records, 1656-1999," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 7 September 2015, images no longer available); citing original data from New Jersey County, District and Probate Courts.

This is a very different and unique will.  The testator leaves nothing to his children except the responsibility to ensure that his estate goes to the New Germantown Lutheran Church in Hunterdon County, New Jersey.  His two sons, Baltheser and Henry Pickel, are named as his executors in addition to four other men.  

He may have given or sold his extensive lands in Hunterdon County to his sons before he died.

Johann Balthasar Pickel (1687-1765) and his wife, Anna Gertrud "Charity" Reiterin (1684-1761) are my 7th great-grandparents.  They had four children.  I am descended from Henry Pickel (1729-1765) and his wife, Elizabeth though their daughter, Elizabeth Pickel (1764-1849).

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