Amanuensis Monday -- 1759 Will of John Hill (1707-1759) of Fairfield, Connecticut

 This week's document for transcription is the 1759 Will of John Hill (1707-1759) in the Fairfield County, Connecticut probate records.

*  Fairfield County, Connecticut Probate Records, Case 2909, image 1098 of 1428:

*  Fairfield County, Connecticut Probate Records, Case 2909, image 1099 of 1428:

The transcription of this document is:

In the Name of God Amen this 7'th Day of Decem'r 1759

I John Hill of Fairfield beng weak in body but of Sound

Mind & Memory: Do make & Ordain this my Last Will &

Testament.  first I Recommend my Soul to God who gave

it & my body I Commit to y'e Dust to be Decently buryed at the

Discretion of my Executor hereafter Named: not Doubting of its

Resurrection at y'e Last Day.  And as to what worldly Estate

it hath pleased god to bless me with in this Life I Give & Dispose

of y'e Same in Manner following Viz.

Imp'rs  I Order & Will that all my Just Debts & funerall Charges Shall

be Justly & truly paid & for theat purpose I Give & Will my

Division of Land in Hills Long Lot next above y'e Second Cross

Highway from y'e front of y'e Long Lott to be Sold and do hereby

authorize & Impower my Exec'r to make sale thereof for payment

of my Debts & In Case said Land shall not be Sufficient

to pay all my Just Debts then I Order y'e Residue to be answered

Out of my personall Estate.

Item.  I Give & Bequeath to my beloved Wife Esther for her Dower

y'e One Third of my personall Estate as her own & y'e use and

Improvement of One third part of my Reall state during

her Naturall Life.

Item.  All y'e Rest & Residue of my Estate both reall & personal I

Give Devise & Bequeath unto my five Children Nathan Isaac

Joseph Esther & Sarah & to their Heirs to be devided between

them in Such proportion that Each of my s'd Sons Shall have

Double to each of my said Daughters & y't Each of my s'd Daughters

shall have half so much as Each of my said Sons.

And it is my Will that my said Son Nathan shall take his part

in the House & Land at y'e Round Hill so far as they will goe

at y'e apprizement.  And that my said Son Isaac Shall

take his part in y'e Land wthin y'e field Gate below y'e Road

that Leads to Penfield Mill so far as they shall goe.

And that my said Son Joseph Shall take his part in my

House & Homestead where I now dwell as far as that Shall

goe all at y'e apprizement.

Finally I do hereby Constitute & Ordain my friend Nathan

Bulkly of s'd Fairfield to be Executor of this my Last Will

& Testament hereby revoking all other Wills Declaring

this & No Other to be my Last Will & Testament.  In Witness

Whereof I have hereunto Set my hand & Seal the Day &

Date first before Written.

Signed Sealed announced & Declre         John Hill

by John Hill y'e Testator to be his

Last Will & Testament

In presence of

Daniel Jennings  Juner

Peter Hendrick

David Burr Jun'r

At a Court of probate held in Fairfield Jan'ry 15'th 1760:

Persnoally appeared Mess'rs David Burr Jun'r Dan'll

Jennings Ju'r and Peter Hendrick Witness to the

foregoing Will and upon Oath Declared that they saw

the above named Testator sign & Seal & heard him

declare the same to be his Last Will & Testament

& at the same Time Judged him to  be of sound Mind &

Memory and y't they all signed as Witnesses in Presence

of the Testator and of each other.

                                            Sworn Before the Court

                                             Test.

At s'd Court also personally appeared Nathan Bulkley named

Exec'r to s'd Will accepted y'e Trust committed to him, and

at y'e same time exhibited s'd Will to s'd Court, which

being proved is by s'd Court approved and ordered

to be Recorded.                       Test

The source citation for this deed is:

Fairfield County, Connecticut Probate Court, John Hill will, written 7 December 1759, proved 15 January 1760; imaged, "Connecticut, U.S., Wills and Probates, 1609-1999," Ancestry.com   (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1941102:9049) : accessed 30 June 2024), Fairfield District  > Probate Packets Hendrick, J. - Hill, 1648-1880, Case 2909 (images 1087 to 1100); original records deposited in Connecticut State Library, microfilmed and digitized by FamilySearch, and indexed by Ancestry.com.

This will is an Original Source (microfilmed and digitized by FamilySearch), Primary Information and Direct Evidence of the will of John Hill of Fairfield in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

John Hill was born 29 June 1707 in Fairfield, Connecticut Colony, the son of John and Jane (--?--) Hill.  He died 17 December 1759 in Fairfield, Connecticut Colony.  John married Esther Bulkley (1713-1770) on 17 January 1729 in Fairfield, Connecticut Colony.  She was the daughter of Joseph and Esther (Bulkley) Bulkley.  John and Esther (Bulkley) Hill had at least 9 children:

*  Nathan Hill (1731-1794), married 1765 Martha Wakeman (1736-1766).

*  John Hill (1734-1749).

*  Esther Hill (1738-1772), married 1761 Daniel Wakeman (1732-????).

*  Joseph Hill (1739-1752).

*  Rachel Hill (1740-1746).

*  Sarah Hill (1742-1832), married 1762 George Wakeman (1732-1814).

*  Isaac Hill (1745-????), married Elizabeth Lawrence (1758-1810).

*  Joseph Hill (1752-????), married about 1773 --?-- --?-- (1754-????)

*  John Hill (1755-1759).

A daughter, Rachel Hill (1746-1784), who married Amos Ranney (1744-1820) is listed in some family trees, but is not mentioned in the will of John Hill.  

In his will, John Hill bequeathed one third of his personal property and the use and improvement of one-third of the real property to his wife, Esther. He gave equal shares of his real property to sons Nathan, Isaac and Joseph, and equal shares to his daughters Esther and Sarah but they were to be one half the value of the shares to each son.  

The probate packet also includes a list of debts paid (about £300), a long inventory of the personal property (about £208, including £80 for negro men named Dick and Toby) and real property (total of about £1000), and a distribution of the real estate to the five children mentioned in the will.  There is no probate record for Esther (Bulkley) Hill in the Connecticut Wills and Probates collection on Ancestry.

John and Esther (Bulkley) Hill are my 7th great-grandparents, through their daughter Sarah Hill (1742-1832) who married George Wakeman (1740-1814) in 1762.

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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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