Genea-blogger John Newmark (who writes the excellent TransylvanianDutch blog) started his own Monday blog theme many months ago called Amanuensis Monday. What does "amanuensis" mean? John offers this definition:
"A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."
The subject today is the will of Philip Jacob King (1738-1792) of Manchester township, York County, Pennsylvania. It was written 9 November 1791 and registered in the Probate Court on 25 February 1792. It starts on the right-hand page on the first image below, and includes all of the second image (look at this beautiful handwriting!):
A transcription of the will of Philip Jacob King is (this is a probate court clerk transcription, and the original is in York County, Pennsylvania Probate Court Records, Volume H, pages 289-291):
1 In the Name of God Amen
2 I, Philip Jacob King of Manchester
Township in the County of York and
3 State of Pennsylvania, being sick
and weak of body but of a sound
4 and disposing mind, Memory and
Understanding Blessed be God for his
5 Mercies, Do make, publish and
Declare this my Last Will and Testament.
6 First I Recommend my Immortal
Spirit into the hands of Almighty
7 God who gave it me, and my Body to
the Dust from whence it is ta-
8 ken, and I order my Ececutors
herein after named, to have the same
9 buried in a Christian like and
decent manner. Second I order and
10 allow my Just Debts to be paid out
of my Estate as soon as may be
11 after my Decease. Item I give and
Bequeath the sum of Fifty
12 Pounds to and for the use of the
German Reformed Church in the Borough
13 of York, to be paid into the hands
of the Elders for the use of said Congre-
14 gation, as soon as may be after my
Decease. Item I Give and Be-
15 queath to my beloved Wife Catharine
the Yearly Interest of Six Hun-
16 dred Pounds to be paid to her Yearly
and every Year during her Widow-
17 hood and no longer which sum of Six
Hundred Pounds. I order my
18 Executors from time to time to put
to Interest for the purpose aforesaid
19 and after my Wife's decease or
Widowhood, I give and Bequeath the said
20 Principal Sum to my Children
hereafter named or their Heirs to be
21 devided among them share and share
alike. Item, I also order
22 and direct my Executors hereafter
named to purchase for the use of
23 my Wife, a House & Lot of ground
in the Borough of York, the price
24 whereof is not to Exceed the sum of
One Hundred Pounds, to be by her
25 used occupied and possessed during
the Term of her Widowhood and no
26 longer, after which time, I give and
Bequeath the said House and Lot
27 of ground to my Children hereafter
named, and their Heirs and Assigns.
28 Item I Give and Bequeath unto my
said beloved Wife Two Beds
29 Bedsteads and Bedding, One Cow, six
Pewter plates Two pewter Platters
30 Two large pewter Basons, six pewter
Spoons, a Copper Kettle or an Iron
31 Pot and a Teas Kettle, all of which
she shall have her choice, the Clothes
32 press and as much of the Linnen as
she shall choose and have need for
33 herself and small Children. Item I
Give and Bequeath unto my
[page 290]
34 Oldest Son Philip Jacob the Sum of
One Hundred and Twenty
35 Pounds Lawful money, Over and above
his Equal share, part whereof
36 he has already received. Item, I
Give, devise and Bequeath to my
37 Son Henry and to his Heirs and
Assigns, my Grist Mill and Saw
38 Mill with about Fifty Acres of Land
whereon the said Mills are
39 Erected, Contained in the following
lines and Boundaries, Beginning
40 at two Perches (up Codorus Creek)
above the head of the Mill Race, run-
41 ning thence along said race, two
perches distant from the same (inclu-
42 ding said race on the Land hereby
devised to said Henry) to the East,
43 End of the Garden on the same, then
along the said Garden fence South-
44 ward to the South End thereof, then
Northwesterly along said Garden fence
45 & Herbach's Land, then adjoining
said Yost Herbach's Land and Lands
46 of Simon Coppenheffer, Casper Knab
and said Codorus Creek to the
47 place of Beginning. To Hold the
above described Tract of Land
48 within the bounds aforesaid, with
the appurtenances unto the said
49 Henry King his Heirs and Assigns
forever, he or they paying therefore
50 and thereout unto the Hands of my
Executors for the use of my Estate therefore
51 Sum of Fifteen Hundred Pounds Lawful
Gold or silver money in
52 manner following to wit: the sum of
four Hundred Pounds in one year
53 after my decease, and from thence
Yearly the sum of One Hundred
54 Pounds, till the whole of said sum
is paid. Item, I give and devise
55 unto my three Sons, Peter George and
Adam my moiety of three
56 Tracts of Land, which I purchased of
Samuel Johnston Esq^r Situate on
57 Crooked Creek in Westmoreland County
in the State aforesaid. To hold
58 the same to them the said Peter,
George and Adam King & their Heirs
59 and Assigns forever as Tenants in
Common. Item All the rest residue
60 and remainder of my Estate whether
real or personal, I order, direct, au-
61 thorise and Impower my Executors
hereafter named or the Survivor of
62 them, to sell the same at Public or
Private Sale as to them shall seem
63 meet and to the best advantage, and
to Convey assure and Confirm my
64 Real estate to the purchaser or
purchasers thereof, as fully and
65 amply, as I at this present time
could do, and the money arising there-
66 from and the aforesaid Sum Payable
by my Son Henry and of all
67 my other Estate (not before
Bequeathed) I Give and Bequeath and
68 Order the same to be Equally Devided
among my Children hereafter
69 named share and share alike Viz. My
said Son Philip Jacob, Henry
70 Elizabeth, Peter, Barbara, George,
Adam, Catharine and Anna Maria
71 and I order and direct that my
Executors or the Survivor of them pay
72 the Respective Shares of my
aforenamed Children in the following
73 manner Viz. My Eldest Son to Receive
his Full Share before any of therefore
74 Rest of my Children Receives any
part of his or her share, and desire
75 my said Executors or the survivor of
them, to observe the same Rule
76 with the Rest of my Children
agreeable to their age and succession.
77 And in Case any of my aforenamed
Children should die underage
78 unmarried and without Issue then I
give and Bequeath therefore
[page 291]
79 Share of him her or them so dying to
the Survivor or Survivors of
80 them Share & share alike.
Lastly, I Do hereby Nominate Constitute
81 and Appoint my said son Philip Jacob
King and trusty and
82 beloved Friend Peter Diehl (the
Elder) Executors of this my Last Will
83 and Testament Revoking all former
Wills and Testaments by me
84 heretofore made. In Witness whereof
I the said Philip Jacob King
85 (the Testator) have hereunto set my
hand and affixed my Seal therefore
86 twenty ninth Day of November A.D.
One thousand Seven Hundred & Ninety One.
87 Signed Sealed Published Pronounced
}
88 and Declared by the said Philip
Jacob King } Philip J. King {seal}
89 as and for his Last Wll &
Testament in the presence of us, the words “the
90 Sum of fifty Pounds” and “for
the use” and the word “by” were interlined before
91 Signing. Bott Svind Konig. John
Doll Jr.
92 York County SS. Before me Jacob
Barnitz Esq^r Register for therefore
93 Probate of Wills and Granting
Letters of Administration in and for the County
94 of York in the State of Pennsylvania
personally came Godfrey King and
95 John Doll Jr. the Two Subscribing
witnesses to the foregoing Instrument
96 of writing and on their Solemn Oath
Do severally say that they were
97 personally present and saw and heard
the above named Philip Jacob
98 King Sign his name unto and Seal and
Publish the foregoing Instru-
99 ment of Writing as and for his Last
Will and Testament and that at
100 the time of the doing thereof he
the said Philip Jacob King was of a
101 Sound and disposing mind memory and
understanding to the best
102 of their Knowledge and belief and
that they Subscribed their names thereto
103 as Witnesses in the Presence of the
said Testator, and at his Request
104 and in the presence of each other
at the same time.
105 Sworn & Subscribed before me at
York the 25th } Bott Svind Konig
106 Day of February A.D. 1792 Jo.
Barnitz Reg^r } John Doll Jr.
107 A true Copy Compared with the
Original. J. Barnitz Regr.
108 Memorandum That Letters
Testamentary
109 in Common form were granted unto
Philip Jacob King and Peter
110 Diehl (the Elder) of the Estate of
Philip Jacob King (the elder) late of
111 Manchester County Deceased,
Inventory to be Exhibited into the Registers
112 Office at York in two Months. And
an Account of Reckoning in one
113 Year or when thereunto legally
Required. Given under my Hand
114 and Seal of Office of York this
25th day of February A.D. 1792.
115
J. Barnitz Regr
The source citation for this will, entered into the Probate Court clerk record book and accessed on FamilySearch.org, is:
"Pennsylvania, Probate Records, 1683-1994," digital images, FamilySearch
(http://familysearch.org), Philip Jacob King will, written 9 November 1791,
registered 25 February 1792; accessed in York County, “Wills, 1789-1803, Vol.
H-K,” Book H, pages 289-291, images 164 and 165 of 779.
The will names his wife Catharine (maiden name was Maria Catharina Ziegler) and nine children. Philip Jacob Jr., Elisabeth, George, Peter, John and Barbara were the children of Philip Jacob Sr. and his first wife, Anna Barbara Wilhelm (1740-1779). Adam, Catherine and Anna Maria were his children by his second wife, Maria Catharina Ziegler (1749-1826).
Note that the second wife, Catharine, lived on for 34 more years before dying in 1826. Presumably, she received the interest from the 600 pounds set aside for her support over that time period.
My ancestry is through the oldest son, Philip Jacob King (the younger) (1764-1829) and his daughter Elizabeth King (1796-1863) who married Daniel Spangler.
Copyright (c) 2013, Randall J. Seaver
