"A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."
The subject today is the 1785 Will of John Underhill (1721-1793) of Chester, rockingham County, New Hampshire:
The transcription of the will document is:
[image 26 of 1041]
In the Name of God Amen ---
I John Underhill of Chester in the
County
of Rockingham & State of N
Hampshire Gent.
Being though not of sound Body yet of a
Sound dis-
posing mind & memory Thanks be
given to God
for the same; this fifteenth day of
Sept'r 1785
calling to mind the frailty &
mortality of my Body
and knowing that it is appointed for
all Men once
to die Do make this my last Will &
Testament.
And principly & first of all I
recommend my Soul
into the hands of God who gave it, and
my Body
to Earth to be decently buried at the
discretion of
my Executors hereafter named, and as to
that world-
ly Goods which God hath graciously
given me I
give, demise & bequeath in the
following manner ---
Imprimis – I give and bequeath to my
Daughter
Betty Buswell Six pounds lawful money
within
twelve months after my decease to be
paid by
my Executors hereafter named; and this
^with^ what
I have before given her I account a
Sufficient
portion out of my Estate –
Item – I give and bequeath to my
Daughter Molly
Pearce three pounds lawful money within
twelve
months after my decease to be paid by
Executors
hereafter named and this with what I
have before
given her I account Sufficient portion
out of
my Estate –
Item – I give & bequeath to my
Daughter Sarah Under-
hill Six pounds lawful money within
twelve
months after my Decease to be
also as much
houshold furniture as I have given to
her Sister
to be paid by Executors hereafter named
& this I
account a Sufficient portion out of my
Estate.
Item – I give & bequeath to my
Daughter Joanna Underhill
Presson Six pounds lawful money in
twelve months
after my decease to be paid my my
Executors
hereafter named and this with what I
have given
her I account a Sufficient portion of
my
Estate –
[image 27 of 1041, left hand page]
Item – I give & bequeath to my
Son Moses Underhill
of that Land that I & my Son Samuel
own together
adjoining David Richardson's Land; and
this with
what I have given him I account a
Sufficient
portion out of my Estate –
Item – I give and bequeath to my Sons
John Underhill
& Jeremiah Underhill all my wearing
Cloaths;
and this with what I have given them I
account a
Sufficient portion out of my Estate –
Item – I give to my Grandson Stephen
Underhill
one quarter part of a hundred Acre lot
known by
the Name of the Wells Lot which I &
my Son
John Underhill bought of Samuel Wells,
also
all the out Land that I shall die
possessed of
except what shall be herein disposed of
to him
his Heirs & Assigns and this I
account a Sufficient
portion out of my Estate –
Item – I give and bequeath to my Son
David Underhill
his Heirs and Assigns part of my
homestead lying
on the north side of the Concord road,
beginning at
the Southeasterly Corner near my
dwelling house
thence westerly on sd highway 36 Rods
to a Stake
& Stones thence northerly 180 Rods
to David rich-
ardson's Land to Candia Road twenty
five
Rods, thence on sd Road to the first
Bound including
what I have already given him a Deed
of; also all
the Land I own on the Southerly Side of
sd Concord
Road except what shall be herein
disposed of to my
Son Samuel Underhill together with the
Buildings
on the Same; he paying & performing
as I shall
herein order ---
Item – I give and bequeath to my Son
Samuel
Underhill his Heirs and Assigns part of
my
homestead lying in the Southerly Side
of concord
Road, beginning at the S.Westerly
Corner a Stake
& Stones thence northerly on the
widow Presson's
[image 27 of 1041, right hand page]
Lansd so called to sd Concord Road
thence easterly on sd
Road 70 ^Rods^ to a Stake & Stones,
thence Southerly to Land
of Isaac Blasdel about 160 Rods to a
Stake & Stones
thence by sd Blasdels Land 50 Rods to
the first Bound.
Also all the Land I own on the
northerly Side of
sd Concord Road which I have not herein
disposed of
to my Son David Underhill including
what I have
already given him a Deed of, with all
the Building
thereon, He paying and performing as I
shall
herein Order –
And I do appoint my two Sons /Viz/
David
Underhill & Samuel Underhill to be
my Executors
to this my last Will & Testament,
they to receive
and pay all just Debts due to &
from my Estate
& the Legacies which I have here
given & ordered to
be paid, with funeral Charges.
Renouncing all
other and former Wills Bequests &
Executors by
me named whatsoever. In Witness to all
above
written and herein contained I do
hereto Set my
hand and affix my Seal this 15th
day of Sept'r
1785 first above mentioned.
Signed Sealed published pronounced
& declared by the sd John Underhill
to be his last Will & Testament in
presence of us
Tho's Sargeant John Underhill
John Manning
Josiah Flagg Rockingham Ss Aug't 21'st 1793
This will was proved on Common
form by the oath of Tho's Sargent &
Josiah Flagg Esqr & Allowed by
Sam'l Tenney Ju. Prob.
The source citation for this document is:
"New Hampshire, County Probate Estate Files, 1769-1936," digital images, FamilySearch (https://FamilySearch.org : accessed 25 August 2015), Rockingham County > Case Files 5921-6015, 1793-1794 > Case File 5922, will of John Underhill of Chester, N.H., 1793 (images 26-27 of 1041); Original records in County courthouses, offices of register of probate, and historical societies, New Hampshire.
In this will, John Underhill does not name his spouse, Joanna (Healey) Underhill (1718-1809), but does name nine of his ten children and one grandchild. Five daughters are listed by name - Betty Buswell (who married Samuel Buswell in 1764), Molly Pearce (who married James Pierce in 1765), Sarah Underhill (who married Moses Greenough in 1789), and Joanna Presson (who married Moses Preston in 1784). He also named five sons - John, Moses, David, Samuel and Jeremiah Underhill.
I am descended from sixth great-grandparents John and Joanna (Healey) Underhill through their son John Underhill (1745-1816) and his wife, Hannah Colby.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2015/08/amanuensis-monday-283-1785-will-of-john.html
Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver
Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.
Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver
Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.
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