Amanuensis Monday -- 1683 Will of Nicholas Bonham (1631-1684) of Piscataway, New Jersey

 This week's document for transcription is the 1683 will of Nicholas Bonham (1631-1684) of Piscataway, New Jersey in the Middlesex County, New Jersey probate records.

*  Middlesex County, New Jersey Probate Records, page 262 (stamped), image 155:

*  Middlesex County, New Jersey Probate Records, page 262 (stamped), image 155

The transcription of this document is:

"In y'e name of God, Amen. The sixt day of February in ye year One
thousand six hundred eighty-three, I, Nicholas Bonham of y'e Towne of Piscataway
in y'e County of Middelsex in East New Jersey being feeble in body but of good
and perfect memory thankes be to y'e almighty God and calling to remembrance
the uncertaine estate of this transatory life & t't all flesh must yield unto Death
when it shall please God to call, do make, constitute, ordain and declare this my
last Will & Testament in manner and forme followinge, revokinge and
annullinge by these present all and every Testament and Testaments, Will and
Wills heretofore by me made and declared either by word or Writings and
this is to be taken only for my last Will and Testament & none other...

And First beinge penitant and sory from y'e bottom of my heart for my Sins 

past most humbly desiringe forgiveness for y'e same I give and commit my 

Soule unto almighty God my Saviour and Redeemer in whome & by y'e Mercies 

of Jesus Christ I trust and belive assuredly to be saved & so have full remissions 

and forgiveness of all my Sins & y't my soule with my body at y'e generall day 

of Resurrection shall rise againe with joy and through y'e merits of Christs 

death and passion passes & inherit y'e Kingdom of Heaven prepared for his Elect

 and Chosen and my body to be buried in such a place where it shall please 

my executor hereafter named to appoint. And now for y'e things of my tem-

porall estate & such goods, chatels & debts as it hath pleased God far above 

my deserts to bestow upon me I do order give and dispose y'e same in manner 

and form followinge that is to say...

Ffirst I will y't all those debts & duties as I owe in right or conscience to any 

maner of person or persons whatsoever shall be well and truley contented and 

paid, or ordained to be paid within convenient time after my decease by my 

executors hereafter named...

Item, I give & bequeath unto my dearly beloved Wife Hanah Bonham 

the house and lot y't I now live on & y'e bed y't we now lye on duringe 

her natural life & after her decease loving son Hezekiah Bonham...

Then, I give unto my said son, Hezekiah Bonham all y'e rest of my Lands 

lying within y'e Townshipe of Piscataway or else where to him his 

heirs and assigns forever...

Item, I will order and appoint y't all my Cattell with my household goods 

shall remaine in hands of my executors hereafter named for y'e supporte

 of my Famely and y'e bringinge up of my Children and as any of them 

Marries such parts of y'e Cattel and goods to be given them as my 

Executors shall think meet with & by y'e advise & consent of my Overseers 

hereafter named...

Item, I will and bequeath unto my Grand Children now liveinge or 

shall be borne within a year after y'e date hereof, one Bible to 

each of them to be bought & paid for out of my estate by my ex-

ecutors hereafter named...

Item, after y'e decease of my said Wife what Chattels, goods or lands 

that is then undisposed of I do will & bequeath unto my son Hezekiah 

Bonham he beinge my sole Heire, exceptinge y'e legacies before men-

tioned and y'e other disposures in y'e articles above mentioned...

Item, I do will, constitute & appointe my wife Hanah Bonham & my Son 

Hezekiah Bonham to be my whole & sole Executors to dispose of my estate 

above mentioned accordingly as is above ordered and appointed with and by the 

advise and Consent of my overseers here after mentioned...

Item, I do request & desire my friends Isaake Smally and Edward Slater 

to be my overseers to assist & advise my said executors about y'e disposeinge of 

my estate and affairs as above said...

Given under my hand and seal this ^ day and year above Written. Sixth Day of February One thousand six hundred eighty three.

                                                                 Nich's. Bonham (Seal)

Signed & sealed in the
presence of
Edward Slater
Isaac Smalley.

Isacke Smally & Edward Slater came before us Samuel

Dennis John Bishop & James Giles Justices of y'e Peace in

the County of Middelsex and acknowledged the above written

will and tooke their corporall oath of the same that the above

written will was the will of the above mentioned Nicolas Bonham

and sealed and signed in the presence of y'e said Isacke Smally

and Edward Slater in Witness hereof have ho????

set there hands this eighteenth day of December 1684.

                                                                    Sam'l Dennis
                                                                    James Giles
                                                                    John Bishop

The source citation for this deed is:

New Jersey Surrogate's Court, will of Nicholas Bonham, dated 6 February 1683, proved 18 December 1684; imaged, "New Jersey, Wills and Probate Records, 1656-1999," Ancestry.com   (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 7 September 2015, no longer available), Middlesex County, "Wills, Vol. 9-10," pages 177-178 (stamped), images 111-112 of 472; original rccords in Middlesex County, New Jersey court records, microfilmed by FamilySearch, and indexed by Ancestry.com before being withdrawn in September 2015.

This will is an Original Source with Primary Information and Direct Evidence of the disposal of the real and personal property of Nicholas Bonham to his widow and his children. 

Nicholas Bonham (1631-1684) was born about 1631 in Essex, England, the likely son of George and Mary (Bishop) Bonham.  Nicholas died 20 July 1684 in Piscataway, Middlesex County, East New Jersey Colony. He married Hannah Fuller (1636-1686), on 1 January 1658/9 in Barnstable, Plymouth Colony.  She was the daughter of Samuel and Jane (Lothrop) Fuller.  They had at least eight children:

*  Hannah Bonham (1659-1689), married 1677 Daniel Lippington (1659-1694).

*  Mary Bonham (1661-1742), married 1681 Edmund Dunham (1661-1734).

*  Sarah Bonham (1665-1738), married 1681 John Fitz Randolph (1653-1727).

*  Elizabeth Bonham (1666-1704), married 1685 Edward Slater (1644-1702).

*  Hezekiah Bonham (1667-1733), married 1691 Mary Dunn (1672-1699).

*  Samuel Bonham (1672-1682).

*  Jane Bonham (1675-1675).

*  Priscilla Bonham (1677-????), married 1694 John Longstaff (1664-1745.

Nicholas and Hannah (Fuller) Bonham are my 10th great-grandparents through their daughter Mary Bonham (1661-1742) who married Edmund Dunham (1661-1734) in 1681.

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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."

Read other transcriptions of records of my ancestors at Amanuensis Monday Posts.

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