Amanuensis Monday - Post #286: 1684 Will of Thomas Bloomfield (1615-1686) of Woodbridge, N.J.

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 1684 will of Thomas Bloomfield (1615-1686) of Woodbridge, Middlesex County, New Jersey:

[image 156, starts on right-hand page]

[image 157, on right-hand page]

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

[image 156]

In the name of god Amen.

To all to theme this presents doth or May Concern Mr. Thomas

Blomfeild of Woodbridg in the County of midlesexe in the provinc

of East Jersey being in perfitt memory and being aged; and not know-

ing hoe soone the Lord may Cutt Shortt the thred of my Life; thought

it my Dewty to Setteth that Lettle Estate which god hath besst me

withall and Lent me in this world. And first I doe bequeth my Sooll

to god that gave it; and my body to the Earth from where it was

taken to be disposed of in beriall in such decent manner as to my

Executors hereafter named shall seme mete.

And for that Lettle which god hath besst me with I am willing it shall

be disposed of as is hereafter Expressed.

And first I doe give and bequeth unto my dere Wife Mary the one moiety or

half part of all my accomodations belonging to my Homested in Wood-

bridge wher now I live to witt the use and benifitt and rights of half

of all the housing and barns half of all and all manner of houshold Stuf

half the produce improvements and profits of all the fruit tres and

paster Lands, half the use profitt and benifitt of my home lott medow on

Papinck Cricke and the use benefitt and profits of all my plow or

Eusaball Land belonging the homested above said for her my Dere Wife

the hous hold po??? and mary the one moiety or half part of Each and

all the above named particulars togethe with the one half of all the

bedding pewter brass and all other things and utencils for hous keping

So long as she Shall Remain my widdow.

Secondly I give and bequeth unto my Sone Nathaniell Blomfild the other mo-

iety of all the particulars above named that is to say the use benefits

and profits of the halfe part or parts Joyntly With his mother

and my Wife Mary Blomfild, If Each and all the particular above na-

med while and so long as his mother Lives my Widdow Except they

agree to make addition, and if my wife Mary Blomfild shold either

mary againe or depart this life before my Sone Nathaniell then in

Either or both thos Caces, all that I have bequethed to my derest

Wife Mary Blomfild is to returne to my Sonne Nathaniell Blomfild

as his proper Estate bequethed to him by me in this my Will and I

doe move over give and bequeth unto my said sonne Nathaniell Blom-

fild thre Score akers of upland out of my farme att Longakers farme or

plaine; and fifteen akers of Marsh or medow ground att Raraton being one

Third of my Accomodation of medow there.

Thirdly: I doe give and bequeth unto my Eldest Sonne John Blomfild

thre Score akers of upland out of my farme or ???? Accomodation

at Longakers farme or plaine it being one third therof with on

Aker of my meadow at Raraton being fiftene akers.

Forthly: I doe by thes presents give unto my yongest Sonne Ezekiell

[image 157]

Blomfild the other third part of my farme at Longakers plaine and

the other third part of my meadow at Raraton.

And my Will as concerning thes two last bequethments that if these

Eldest Sones which they now have shold outlive their fathers then thos

grand Children to have the Land now bequethed to there fathers that

is to Say if my grand sone Thomas Blomfild shall out Live his

father John Blomfild that then my grandsonne Thomas Blomfild is

to have and ???? threscore akers of upland at Longskers farme or

plaine and fiften akers of medow at Raraton, [ …...... torn]

to his father and my sone John Blomfild.

In like manner if my grand Sone Timothy Blomfild shall out

live his father Exekiell Blomfield that then the threscore akers of

upland and the fiftene akers of meadow which I have bequethed to

his father and my sone Ezekiell Blomfild, Shall be passed and in-

joyed by my said gransone Timothy Blomfild as his proper Estate.

I doe also by thes presents give and bequeth to Each of my gran Child-

ren Thomas Blomfild and Timothy Blomfild, a breding mare apece

And I doe bequeth unto my dere wife Mary Blomfild and to my Son

Nathaniell Blomfild for their use and behoafe all the Rest of my hous

Stuff.

Fifth; and Lastly I doe Nominate and Appoint my derest wife Mary Blom-

fild and Sone Nathaniell Blomfild Blomfild to be my Executors to

se the Execution of this my Last will and testament and to live

together in pece and Love.

And this I declare and publish to be my Last Will and testament

herby revoking all or any former will or wills as witnes my hand

and seale this tenth day of June 1684.

Sealed Signed and published                         Thomas Blomfild

in the presenc of us

Saml Moore

The source citation of this document is:

New Jersey Surrogate's Court, All Counties, Wills Vol. 9-10 (images 156-157 of 472), Thomas Blomfield will, 1684; "New Jersey, Wills and Probate Records, 1656-1999," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 7 September 2015); citing original data from New Jersey County, District and Probate Courts.

Thomas and Mary (--?--) Bloomfield had nine children born between 1642 and 1664 in Newbury, Massachusetts, but this will mentions only the wife Mary and three sons, Nathaniel, John and Ezekiel.  It also mentions Thomas Bloomfield, son of son John, and Timothy Bloomfield, son of son Ezekiel.  I am descended through his son Ezekiel and Ezekiel's son Timothy.

These will papers were filed next to the 1702 will of Ezekiel Bloomfield for some reason.  It was not indexed as Thomas Bloomfield by Ancestry.com, so I found it just by good luck.

The URL for this post is:   http://www.geneamusings.com/2015/09/amanuensis-monday-post-286-1684-will-of.html

Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver

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