WILL & INVENTORY, HUGH MARTIN, HUNTERDON COUNTY, NJ - 1761 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/nj/njfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Francie Lane PROBATED: MAY 23, 1766 In the name of God, Amen. March the Fifth, One Thousand Seven Hundred Sixty One, I, Hugh Martin, in Lebanon, in the County of Hunterdon, in West New Jersey, Esquire, being very sick and weak in body, but of perfect mind and memory, thanks to God for it, but calling to mind my mortality, do make and ordain this my last will and testament; ie., first I give and recommend my soul to the hands of god who gave it, and my body to be decently buried at the discretion of my Executors nothing doubling, but at the general remuneration. I shall receive the same again by the mighty favor of God, and as regards my worldly estate where it hath pleased God to bless me in this life, I give and dispose of in the following manner and form: First, I order all my lawful debts and burying charges to be paid. Item: I order an inventory to be taken of my estate - real and personal. Item: I order, give and bequeath my whole personal estate to my beloved wife and two daughters, Martha and Jane, to be equally divided among them, and to wit my children have their victuals, clothes, lodging and schooling free until the age of seventeen, and if any of my children die before they come of age, or marry, their part falls into the real estate. Item: I order my two sons to wit are at college, to be brought through, out of the real estate, and after they are cleared at college, I order each of my sons, Alexander, James and Thomas to receive twenty pounds to be paid out of the real estate by the Executors. But if my son, James, choose rather to come home and work the farm, then I order my real estate to be equally divided among my three sons, James, Samuel and Robert. And if any of these, my sons James, Samuel or Robert, die before they come of age, or marry, their part must fall to the survivors. As it has been mentioned, it wit, if any of those to whom the personal estate was left, should die, the part of the deceased shall fall to the survivors, to wit the personal estate was left to and not to fall into the real estate. Item: I order my sons, James and Samuel, Executors of this my last will and testament, and Brother, Robert Martin, Trustee, and I do hereby utterly disallow and disannul all former wills, legacies and Executors by me before named, ratifying this and no 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 and pronounced and witnessed in the presence of the subscribers to be my last will and testament in witness of subscribers. /s/ H. Martin {Seal} John Hanna James Martin, Jr. Martha Martin March the 6th, 1761 -- My will is that my Negro man, Jack, shall belong to the private Estates and the horses, and that my dearly beloved wife, Jean Martin, shall have my Negro wench, called Cate, and a horse and saddle and her maintenance during her widowhood. Item: That my well beloved daughter, Martha Martin, shall have the little Negro wench, called Bett. Item: That my dear son, Alexander Martin, shall have the young Negro boy, called Bram, and my dear son, James, to have the other boy, called Prince. Item: And that my son, Alexander, shall be one of my Executors. ("crossed out" of my son Samuel, who is not of age); with my son James and Samuel, and Item that my daughter Martha shall have sixty pounds paid from the Real Estate and that my daughter, Jean, shall have sixty pounds and the bed and horse and saddle from the real estate. This is my last codicil -- /s/ H. Martin {Seal} Signed, Sealed and Delivered in the presence of us: /s/ James Martin, Jr. /s/ Samuel Rogers /s/ Martha Martin James Martin, Jr. and Samuel Rogers, two of the witnesses to the within will and codicil, being sworn on the Holy Evangelists of Almighty God, did severally depose that they saw Hugh Martin, the Testator within named, sign and seal the same and heard him publish, pronounce and declare the within will and codicil to be his last will and testament and that at the doing thereof, the said Testator was of sound and disposing mind and memory, as far as these Deposers know, and as they verily believe, and that John Hanna and Martha Martin signed their names as witnesses to the said will and codicil in the presence of the said Testator, and in the presence of each other. /s/ James Martin, Jr. /s/ Samuel Rogers Sworn the 12th day of May, 1761, before me. /s/ Theo. Severns, Justice Alexander, James and Samuel Martin, Executors named in the within will and codicil, being sworn on the Holy Evangelists of Almighty God, did severally depose that the within instruments contains the true last will and testament of Hugh Martin, the Testator within named, so far as they know and as they verily believe, and that they will well and truly perform the same by paying first the debts of the said deceased and then the legacies in the said testament specified, and so far as the goods, chattels and credits of the said deceased can thereunto extend and that they will make a true and perfect inventory of the said goods, chattels and credits and exhibit the same into the Prerogative office at Burlington, and all and singular the said goods, chattels and credits will have or shall hereafter come to their knowledge or possession, or to the possession of any other person or persons for their use and render a just and true audit when lawfully required. /s/ James Martin Sworn the 12th day of May, 1761, before me. /s/ Theo. Severns, Justice The Inventory of the moveable Estate of Hugh Martin, of Lebanon, in the County of Hunterdon and Province of New Jersey, deceased, taken and appraised to the best of our knowledge and judgment, the sixth day of May, Anno Domini, 1761. Pounds Shillings Pence For 8 cows @ 3 pounds each 24 0 0 11 ewes & 22 lambs at 6 ea 6 12 0 16 old sheep at 10 ea 8 0 0 8 heifers at 1-10 ea 12 0 0 3 yearling kine 3 0 0 4 calves at 10 ea 2 0 0 16 hogs at 10 ea 7 10 0 A black racing horse 10 0 0 A gray trotting horse 45 0 0 An old black horse 2 0 0 An old brown mare 2 0 0 An old brown mare with a star on her forehead 6 0 0 A 3 year old mare 5 0 0 A bald horse with a wall eye 4 0 0 A brown horse 4 0 0 A yearling foal 5 0 0 A Negro fellow Jack 40 0 0 A Negro wench called Rach 10 0 0 A Negro wench called Kit 45 0 0 A Negro boy called Bram 15 0 0 A Negro boy called Prince 10 0 0 A Negro child called Bett 5 0 0 A Waggon and gear & tacklin 8 0 0 2 Plows and 2 horse tacklin 8 0 0 A windmill & ____ 2 0 0 A parcel of wheat suposed to be 40 acres 25 0 0 2 Scythes 0 7 6 A bed & bedding & furniture 10 0 0 2 beds ____ 15 0 0 2 tables ____ 1 0 0 A glass & warming pan 1 0 0 A pair of hand irons, shovel & tongs 1 5 0 20 bushels of wheat 4 10 0 313 4 6 Cash in hand at Hugh Martin's 40 0 0 Cash received for wheat 18 0 0 A chest 1 0 0 362 4 6 Appraiser of the within Inventory being sworn on the Holy Evangelists of Almighty God did depose that the goods, chattel and credits in this Inventory set down and specified were by him appraised according to their just and true respective rates and values after the best of his judgment and understanding and that consented in all things in the doing thereof and that they appraised all things that were brought to their view for appraisal. Sworn the 12th day of May, 1761, before me. /s/ Theo. Severns, Justice Alexander, James and Samuel Martin, Executors of this last will and testament of Hugh Martin, did being sworn on the Holy Evangelists of Almighty God, did depose that the within writing contains a true and perfect Inventory of all and singular the goods, chattel and credit of the said deceased which hath come to their knowledge, possession or to the possession of any other person or persons for their use. Sworn the 12th day of May, 1761, before me. /s/ Theo. Severns, Justice /s/ James Martin This file is located at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nj/hunterdon/wills/willhun2.txt