Will of Richard SOMERS Sr. (1752), Atlantic/Gloucester County, MD Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Ray Steelman http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm *********************************************************************** " WILL OF RICHARD SOMERS ( SENIOR ) " In the name of God. Amen, the eighth day of the second Month in the year of our Lord 1752 I RICHARD SOMERS of Great Eggharbour in the County of Gloucester in the Province of New Jersey, being in health of body and of perfect mind and memory, thanks be to god for it and calling to mind the mortality of my body and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to died Do make and ordain this my last will and Testament, that is to say First of all I reccomend my soul to god that gave it and for my body I commit to the earth to be buried in a Christian like and desent manner at the discretien of my Executers; And touching such worldly estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me with in this life I give demise and dispose of the Same after my Just Debts are paid in the following manner: Imp s: I give to my well beloved wife JUDITH SOMERS after my decease the sum of two hundred pounds to be raised out of my personal estate together with two beds and bedding and furniture at her own choice and my desk and the biggest kettle and a Iron Pott at her own choice and her riding mair and Saddle all to be at her own dispoal, I also allow her the use of the one half of my plantation I live, that is to say the half of the thousand acres which my father left me as long as she remains a widow which land is the north east side together with my dwelling house and barn and half the Orchard and the use of the out Meadow for getting of Hay for what Stock she keeps on the place. Item: I give and bequeath to my son JOHN SOMERS the one half of the plantation whereon I live with half the home Orchard which is South west side of plantation with the Islands and Platts and waters laid out adjoining to the same which appears to be by Drafts and Surveys to be about one hundred and twenty acres or more, and half the right that is in the Islands below the house between that and the east end of the Beach which right appears to be by Drafts and survey to be about two hundred and more acres and a right to seventy acres of Marsh in my right at Tuckahow Marsh, all the above lands and Marsh herein mentioned to JOHN SOMERS I gave to him and his heirs forever. Item: I give to my beloved RICHARD SOMERS all the land and Marsh that lies adjoining to JAMES STEELMAN land bounded as follows: Beginning near the mouth of a Throfare called Loesey Harbour so as to bring a small ditch to bear in a cove formerly called Giffords pond, about North sixty 2 Degrees west and from thence to an oak tree marked with six notches a little above the ditch in the field and from thence near North Sixty Degr s west along the ridge on the north side at Newfield to the north corner of the field and thence Strait Course to the uppermost fork of a Creek called Mill Creek and thence along the same by the several courses to the mouth, then up the several courses of Patconk Creek to JAMES STEELMANs land and along by the said Steelmans land to the sound and then along the same to the place of Beginning, and all the right that I took up below it which three Surveys on the North East side of the Channel of Great Egg Harbour inlet, containing about four hundred and twenty six acres and half my rights on Pecks beach and one hundred and fifty acres of Marsh in my rite at Tuckahow meadows and I order him, the said RICHARD SOMERS to pay his youngest brother EDMUND SOMERS the sum of thirty four pounds of Currant lawful money of the Province to be paid to the said EDMUND SOMERS at his coming to the age of twenty one years, and then all the above mentioned lands and Marshes, I the said RICHARD SOMERS do give to him and his heirs forever. Item: to my beloved son JAMES SOMERS all the land which I have lies joyning to a place called Gregories Neck which was taken up at five surveys, with thirteen acres of Marsh at the Cedar Hammock which the Draft will plainly make appear to be twelve hundred acres of land with two hundred of Marsh at or in my right in Tuckahow Meadows also another tract of Marsh and Plat land and waters lying on South side of Great Eggharbour Bay called Garrets Island Containing one hundred and thirty eight acres and I order him the said JAMES SOMERS to pay the sum of thirty four pounds of Current lawful money of this Province to his brother EDMUND SOMERS at his coming to the age of twenty one years. Then I the said RICHARD SOMERS do give all the above mentioned land and Marsh to the said JAMES SOMERS to him and his heirs forever. Item: I give to my beloved son JOSEPH SOMERS all the lands which purchased of JOHN PRICE which appears by virtue of a deed bearing date the twenty first of December one thousand and seven hundred and forty nine Situate on South River in two Surveys and one on Miery rum with my old Cedar Swamp and the sixty seven Acres of other land and two hundred acres of Marsh in my right at Middle River and seventy two acres on the Northermostof Garrets Island And I order the said JOSEPH SOMERS to pay his brother EDMUND SOMERS the sum of thirty pounds and then I the said RICHARD SOMERS Do give unto the said JOSEPH SOMERS, all the above mentioned lands and Marsh to him and his heirs forever. Item: I give all the restof my movable Estate to my four daughters SARAH and JUDITH and ELIZABETH and HANNAH equally to be divided between them considering that JUDITH has had before to make that equal it wanting. And I order that if any of my sons should Die before they receive to the age of twenty one years that his lands shall fall to EDMUND SOMERS their younger Brother if living and the monies above ordered to be paid to him shall cease to be paid and if any other of them dye before they come to the age to posses their lands, the said lands shall be equally divided amongst the remaing Brothers and likewise the moveable Estate shall be equally divided amongst the daughters that are living to the age of twenty one. I do hereby make and ordain my beloved wife JUDITH SOMERS and my beloved son JOHN SOMERS to be my Executors of this my last will and Testament and utterly disallowing all other fomer Wills and Testaments by me in any wise willed and bequethed Ratifying and conforming this and other to be my last will and testament. In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day and year above written, Signed Sealed published and declared by the said RICHARD SOMERS as his last will and Testament, in the presence of us. ISAIAH SCULL FREDERICK STEELMAN RECOMPENCE SCULL DAVID CONOVER Signed RICHARD SOMERS. FREDERICK STEELMAN one of the Witnesses to the with in Will being of the people called Quakers being duly affirmed according to law Did declare and affirm that he was present and saw RICHARD SOMERS the Testator within named sign and Seal the same and heard him publish pronounce and declare the within Instrument to be his last will and Testament and that at the doing thereof the said Testaor was of Sound and disposing mind, memory and understanding as far as he knows and he verily believes and that DAVID CONOVER, ISIAH SCULL and RECOMPENCE SCULL the other subscribing evidences were present at the same time and signed their names as witnesses together with this affirmant in the presence of the said Testator and in the presence of each other , FREDERICK STEELMAN, Affirmed 15th of April before, Chas Read...Surrogate. 1761 Be it Remebered that the last Will and Testament of RICHARD SOMERS, late of Great Eggharbour deceased being duly proved as above said Probate and Letters Testamentary were granted by his Excellency, Thomas Boone Esquire Cap t General and Governor in Chief of the Colony of New Jersey and unto JOHN SOMERS Executer in the said Testament named, he being duly Sworn, well and truly to perform the said Will to Exhibit a true and perfect Inventory and render a Just and true Account when thereunto lawfully required Given under the Prerogative Seal at Burlington, the day and year above said. Cha.Read...Reg r I Certify the foregoing to be a true transcript of the Testament and last will of RICHARD SOMERS late of the County of Gloucester, deceased, taken from the Record in liber No 10 of Wills Folio 379 and Remaing in the office of the Register of the Prerogative Court of the State of New Jersey at Trenton. Given under my hand and the Seal of the Prerogative Court of the State of New Jersey at Trenton, Aforesaid The eighteenth day of August in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and nine. James Finn.....Register.