Amanuensis Monday - 1752 Will of Ezekiel Worthen (1672-1755) of Chester, N.H.

This week's document for Amanuensis Monday is the 1752 will for Ezekiel Worthen (1672-1755) of Chester in Rockingham County, New Hampshire Province:

The transcription of the probate record is:

[page 378 (left-hand page of first image), bottom 80% of the page]

In the Name of God Amen. The 2^d Day of Septemb^r In the ^26th^ year

of his Majestys Reign A.D. 1752. I Ezekiel Worthen of Chester In the

Province of Hamp^e In New England Yeoman being of Perfect mind & Mem^y

thanks be to God for it Calling to mind the Mortality of my Body Knowing

it is appointed for all Men Once to Die Do make this my Last Will & Testam^t

Principally & first of all I Recommend my Soul Into the hands of Almighty

God that Gave it & my Body I Commit to the Earth to be Decently Buried

In Christian Like manner Nothing Doubting but I Shall Receive the Same

again by the mighty power of God at the Coming of our Lord & Saviour Jesus

Christ & as Touching the Worldly Estate Wherewith it hath Pleased God to Bless

me Withal In this present Life I Give Demise & Dispose In manner following.

Imprimus My Will that all my Just & Due Debts Which I Do Owe to any Person

or Persons Shall be Duly paid by my Exec^rs after Named In Due Time Out of

my Estate as aforesaid & my & my Wives funeral Charges.

Item I Give & Bequeath unto my Son Jacob Worthen all that my Lands Situate

In Salisbury In the County of Essex Which Was Conveyed to me by my hon^d

father John Carter Late of Salsbury aforesaid Deceased by Deed Bearing Date

March y^e 29^th 1726 To Say all Except four acres which my Said Son Jacob

have heretofore Purchased of me by Deed of Sale the Said Jacob Paying unto four

of my Daughters his Sisters Namely ^Mary^ Abigail Martha & Mehetabel forty five pounds

apeice to Each of them Equal to Bills of Credit of the old Tenor.

Item I Give & Bequeath unto my Son Thomas Worthen Ten Shill^s old Tenor the

Reason is I Give ^to^ Him No More is Because I have Otherway Given him

heretofore Considerable of my Estate.

Item I Give & Bequeath unto my Son Ezekiel Worthen Twenty pounds Equal to Bills Of

Credit of the old Tenor the Reason I Give him no more to my said Ezekiel is Because

I have Given him heretofore a Considerable part of my Estate With the Trade of a

Joiner.

Item I Give unto my son Ephraim Worthen my Best Suit of apparel from Top To Toe

the said Ephraim To Pay unto my Daughter Hannah his sister forty five Pounds

Equal to Bills of the old Tenor & unto my Son Ezekiel Worthen Twenty pounds

as Before mentioned Equal to Bills of Credit of the old Tenor to be paid by my said

Son Ephraim &c all the Before mentioned Bequests to be pay With In three Years

Next after my Decease In the aforesaid Bills or in Stock or Other Good pay at the

[page 379 (right-hand page of first image)]

Current price as it then Goes at.

Item I Give & Bequeath unto my Said Son Ephraim Worthen Whom I appoint

my Executor to this my Last Will & Testam^t all that my My homestead Living Whereon

I Now Dwell With all the appurtenances thereto Belonging & also the Remaining part of

my Whole Real Estate In What Place Whatsoever With the addition of all

my Implem^ts of husbandry & all Other out Doore Tools or Matters Whatsoever & also

that Bed Whereon the said Ephraim now Lodges With the furniture & also my

Stock of Creatures of all Sorts Reserving the Use & Benefit of the one half of the above

mentioned Premises for & to the Use of my Loving ^Wife^ Abigail During the Term of her

Natural Life to be Rendered to Her yearly by my Said Son Ephraim & I Do also

Give & Bequeath unto my Said Son Ephraim all Other my Whole Income Profits

of What Kind Name or Nature Soever as Bills Bonds Credits &c.

Saving all my Indoore Goods of all Sort I Give & Bequeath unto my forenamed

Daughters to be Equally Divided In Equal Proportion to & among them or their Sur-

vivors that is to say all that Remains after my Said Wives Decease Before Bequeathed

and I Do hereby Revoke & Disallow Any Other former Will by me heretofore made

Ratifying & Confirming this & no Other to be my Last Will & Testam^t the day & year

aforewritten.

Signed Sealed Published & Declared     }

by the said Ezekiel Worthen as his Last }

Will & Testam^t In the Presence of us   }                      Ezekiel Worthen [seal]

Orlando Bagley

Theo^s Foot

Thomas Bagley

Province of }    To all People To Whome these Presents Shall Come

New Hamp^r } Andrew Wiggins Esq^r Judge of the Probate of Wills &c for Said Prov^e

[seal]                 Sendeth Greeting

Know ye that on the 19^th Day of Octob^r 1755 The Instrum^t a Copy

of Which is hereby annexed Purporting the Last Will & Testam^t of Ezekiel

Worthen Late of Chester In Said Province Yeoman Deceased Was presented for

Probate by Ephraim Worthen Son of Said Deceased Sole Exec^r therein Named When ap-

peared Before me Theoph^s Foot & Thomas Bagley two of the Witnesses thereto Subscrib'd

Who made Oath that they saw the Said Testator Sign Seal & heard him Declare the s^d

Instrum^t to be his Last Will & Testam^t & that they with Orlando Bagley Subscribed their

Names Together as Witnesses to the Execution thereof In the Said Testators Presence & that he

Was then to their Best Judgment of Sound mind & Memory.

I Do therefore Prove approve & allow of the Said Instrum^t as the Last Will & Testam^t

of the Before Named Deceased & Do Commit the Adm^n thereof in all Matters the

Same Concerning & of his Estate Whereof he Died Seized & Possessed in Said Province

unto the Before Named Exec^r Well & faithfully to Execute the Said Will & to adm^r

[page 380 (left hand page of second image)]

The Estate of the Said Deceased Who has accepted Said Trust & So make a true

& Perfect Inve^y of all the Estate of the Said Deceased & to Exhibit the Same Into the

Registry of the Court of Probate for the Province aforesaid at Or Before the Last Wednes-

day of January Next & he Shall Render an Acco^t of his Proceedings upon When

thereunto Lawfully Required. In Testimony Whereof

I have hereunto Set my hand & Seal of Office the day & Year afors^d

W^m Parker Reg'r And^w Wiggin

The source citation for this probate record is:

"New Hampshire, Wills and Probate Records, 1643-1982," indexed database and digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 November 2016), All Counties > Vol. 18-19, 1750-1756, Volume 18, pages 378 to 380 (images 542-3 of 667), Ezekiel Worthen probate records, 1755.

Ezekiel Worthen, Yeoman of Chester, wrote his will on 2 September 1752 and it was proved on 19 October 1755. He mentions his wife, Abigail [Carter], who dies on 29 September 1752.  He bequeaths property to his sons Jacob, Thomas, Ezekiel and Ephraim, and directs his sons Jacob and Ephraim to give 45 pounds to daughters Mary, Abigail, Martha, Mehitabel and Hannah.  He named his son Ephraim Worthen to be his sole executor.

Ezekiel and Abigail (Carter) Worthen are my 7th great-grandparents through their daughter Abigail (1714-????) who married Joseph Colby (1707-1768) of Amesbury, Massachusetts.  

NOTE:  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."

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