Monday, January 4, 2016

Amanuensis Monday - Post #301: 1707 Will of Samuel Hale (1639-1709) 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 1707 will of Samuel Hale (1639-1709), of Woodbridge, Middlesex County, New Jersey:


The transcription of the will of Samuel Hale is (line by line):

[page 262 (penned), near bottom of left-hand page]

                In the name of God Amen the twenty third day
of May in the year of our Lord 1707. I Samuell Hale of Wood-
bridge in the County of Middlesex and province of East New Jersey
being very aged but of perfect mind and memory thanks be given
to God therefore Calling to mind the Mortality of My body and know-
ing that It is appointed for all Men once to die doe make and
ordain this my Last will and testament that is to say principally
and first of all I give and Recomend my Soule into the hands

[page 263, top of the right-hand page]

of God that gave it and for my body I Recomend it to the earth to be buried
in Christian like and decent Manner at the discretion of my Executors nothing
doubting but at the General Resururrection I shall Receive the same again
by the mighty power of God. Aas touching Such Worldly estate wherewith it
hath pelased God to bless me in this life I Give devise and dispose of
same in the following Manner and forme. Imprimis I give to Well beloved
son in Law Moses Rolph whome I likewise Constitute make and ordain
my onely and sole Executor of this my last Will and Testament all
and Singular my house Lands Messuages Tenements with My freehold
and Right of Commonage and all Manner of rights Titles profits
privilidges whatsoever belonging to Me within the towne of Wood-
bridge to him the said Moses Rolph his heirs and Assigns forever
by him ??ooly and fully he be possessed and enjoyed in witness where-
of I have hereunto Sett my hand and Seale the day and Yeare
abovewritten in the Sixth Year of the Reigne of our Sovereign Lady Anne.
                                                                     Samuell Hale {seal}
Signed Sealed published and declared by the Said Samuell Hale as his Last Will
and Testament in the presence of the subscribers Geo Ewbank Thos
Bloomfield Dan'l Poppin
                                                                By the Honorable Richard Ingoldsby
Lieutenant Governor & Comand'r in Cheif of the province of New Jersey &c
This will was proved & aproved & th? Probos? Seale the 4th day of
Aprill 1710.                                                            ? Boss.

The source citation for this document 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, pages 262-3 (penned), image 158, Samuel Hale will, 1707.

Note:  Unfortunately, I did not note the volume of the Middlesex County wills with this page, and now the pre-1804 wills are no longer in the Ancestry.com database.  I cannot find a reference to the will of Samuel Hale in the New Jersey Abstracts of Wills for the years  1670-1730.

Samuel Hale (1639-1709) was married twice; his second wife was Sarah Ilsley (1655-1681), and he had two children by her, Sarah and Mary.  Mary Hale (1678-????), married Moses Rolph (1681-1746) in 1702 in Woodbridge, New Jersey, and had 11 children between 1703 and 1723, all in Woodbridge.

Samuel Hale wrote his will on 23 May 1707, and died on 5 November 1709 in Woodbridge.  The will was proved and recorded 4 April 1710.  Samuel Hale names his son-in-law Moses Rolph as his sole heir and executor in his will, but doesn't name either of his daughters.  This probably indicates that Mary (Hale) Rolph and her children are his only heirs.

Samuel Hale (1639-1707) is my 9th great-grandfather, and Moses and Mary (Hale) Rolph are my 8th great-grandparents.

The URL for this post is:   http://www.geneamusings.com/2016/01/amanuensis-monday-post-301-1707-will-of.html

Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver

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