Monday, December 28, 2015

Amanuensis Monday - Post #300: 1750 Will of Samuel Fitz Randolph (1668-1754) 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 1750 will of Samuel Fitz Randolph (1668-1750), of Woodbridge, Middlesex County, New Jersey:


The will of Samuel Fitz Randolph is on the bottom page of the image above.  The transcription of this will is (transcribed line by line):

In the Name of god amen the twenty second day of may In the year of our Lord Christ
one thousand seven Hundred & fifty I Samuel fitz randolph Sener of woodbridg In the County
of middlesex and province of East Jersey Calling to mind the mortality of my Body and Knowing
that it is apointed for all men once to dye do make and ordain this my Last will & testament
In the following manner & form. Imprimis It is my will & I do order that al my Just Debts &
funeral Charges be fully paid & dischaged out of my moveable Esstate by my Executors so soon
as may be Conveniently done after my decease. Item I give and bequeath to my well beloved wife
mary such a part of my moveable Estate as Shall be Needfull as Necesary yo maintain & support
Her in a Comfortable way & Livelyhood So Long as She Lives. Item I give & bequeath yo my son Samuel
fitz randolph one pair of Iron dogs otherways Called Andirons to Him His Heirs & Assigns for ever. Item
I give & bequeath to my Daughter prudence smith the sum of forty pounds to be paid to Her out
of my moveable Estate to be & Remain to Her her Heirs & Assigns forever. Item I give & bequeth to
my son Jacob fitz randolph all that Clock with the appurtenances to the same belonging which is in my dweling
House to Him His Heirs & Assigns forever and it is my will & I do order that all that part of my moveable
Estate Shall be Left after paying my Just depts and the maintenance of my wife and Legecys as abovesaid
Shall be Equally Divided amongst & given as followeth that Is one fourth part to my Son Samuel & one fourth part to my Daughter prudence & one fourth part to my Son Jacob & one fourth part to my
grandaughter Susanah Copland to them & Each of them their Heirs & Assigns for Ever. Lastly I do Hereby
Nominate Constitute & apoint my son Jacob fitz randolph & my friend Richard Carmon to be my Executors
of this my Last Will & testament & I do Hereby utterly Disallow Revoke & Disanull all & every other
former wills testaments Legecies & Executors by me before this time Named willed & bequeathed Ratifiing &
Confirming this & no other to be my Last will & testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto Set my
Hand & Seal the day & year first above written.

Signed Sealed published pronounced & declared         }
by the said Samuell fitz randolph this to be his Last     }
Will & testament in the presents of us the Subscribers }               Samuel fitz randolph

Jeremiah fitzRandolph
Job Pack
John Coddington

The source citation for this record is:

New Jersey, Wills and Probate Records, 1656-1999, indexed database with digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com :, accessed 7 September 2015, no longer available), Middlesex County, page 2698 (stamped), image 385, Samuel Fitz Randolph will, 1750.

There are other papers in the probate records for Samuel Fitz Randolph, including letters testamentary, an inventory, and an account.

Samuel Fitz Randolph and Mary Jones (1672-1760) had nine children, but apparently only Samuel, Prudence and Jacob survived Samuel Fitz Randolph.  I don't know whose child that Susanah Copland is - perhaps she is a daughter of one of the deceased children on Samuel and Mary (Jones) Fitz Randolph, since she received an equal share to the three living children.  

Samuel and Mary (Jones) Fitz Randolph are my seventh great-grandparents.  I am descended from Jacob Fitz Randolph (1706-1779) and his first wife, --?-- --?--  (about 1710 - about 1764), through their son Samuel Fitz Randolph (1730-????) and Martha Gach (1730-????).  

The URL for this post is:   http://www.geneamusings.com/2015/12/amanuensis-monday-post-300-1750-will-of.html


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