Will of Stoffel Dircksen Langestraet, Monmouth Co, NJ, 1739 ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: John Longstreet john@longstreet.net ==================================================================== Stoffel Dircksen Langestraet (aka Theophilus) ------------------------------------------------------------------ IN THE NAME OF GOD AMEN. I Theophilus Longstreet of the town of Shrewsbury in the county of Monmouth and eastern division of the Province of New Jersey, yeoman, being in good health of body and of sound and disposing mind and memory, thanks be given to almighty God for that and all other manifold mercies to me, do in this my time of health, make, ordain and constitute this, my last will and testament, in the manner following, that is to say: First and principally, I give and recommend my soul into the hands of God that gave it and my body to the earth, to be decently buried at the discretion of my executors, nothing doubting but at the general resurrection to receive the same again by the mighty power of God; And as touching my temporal estate, wherewith it shall please God to bless me with at the time of my decease, I give, devise and bequeath the same after the following manner and form: I give unto my beloved wife Mercy, the use of any fire room of my house which she shall choose, two featherbeds and furniture and as many household goods as will be sufficient for her to keep house with all during all the time she remains my widow and during the said time I order my sons to find her sufficient firewood cut and carted to her door and a milch cow winter and summer and if she sees cause to keep one of the young negro wenches my will is that she may have which she pleases of them during my said wife's life with this proviso, that said negro wench at her decease, shall be reckoned and esteemed as part of my personal estate. What I have herein given to my wife is given to her instead of her thirds or dower. I give, devise and bequeath to my eldest son, Richard Longstreet, the plantation whereon he now lives and has in possession on the north side of Manasquan River to him, his heirs and assigns forever my old gun and the sum of fifty pounds out of my personal estate. I give, devise and bequeath to my second son, Gilbert Longstreet, the plantation whereon he now lives and has possession of on the north side of said Manasquan River to him, the said Gilbert, his heirs and assigns forever. My will is, and I hereby give, devise and bequeath all my tract of land on the north side and all land and meadow on the south side of said river equally to be divided between my said sons, Richard and Gilbert, to them, their heirs and assigns forever. I give, devise and bequeath to my third son, Aury Longstreet, all that tract of land and meadow at Raritom whereon he now lives and has in possession to him the said Aury his heirs and assigns forever. I give, devise and bequeath to my fourth son, Theophilus Longstreet, all my land and meadow in said town on Long Branch and Raccoon Island being in my possession, to him, the said Theophilus, his heirs and assigns forever and my best horse, he having his choice. All the rest of my lands and meadow, wheresoever situate, I give, devise and bequeath to my said four sons to be equally divided in four parts to them, their heirs and assigns forever. And I hereby order my said four sons to pay unto their mother during her widowhood the sum of ten pounds yearly, that is, fifty shillings a year apiece. All the residue of my persoanal estate not herein before bequeathed, I give to my said four sons equally between them, share and share alike. My will is that my said four sons shall equally among them pay unto my six daughters, namely, Yonica, Catharine, Mary, Sarah, Moica and Anne, the sum of six hundred pounds, that is, one hundred pounds apiece to each of my said daughters, and that will be one hundred and fifty pounds for each of said sons to pay to their said sisters. And that my said sons pay unto them the sum of fifty pounds apiece within a year after my decease and so on in that proportion yearly till their one hundred and fifty pounds is paid and that they pay their eldest sister first. Lastly I constitute and make my said four sons executors of this my last will and testament, to see the same performed and I do hereby disanul and make void all former will or wills by me made. IN WITNESS whereof; I, the said Theophilus Longstreet, to this my last will and testament contained in one sheet of paper have set my hand and seal this first day of December in the year of our Lord One Thousand Seven hundred and thirty-nine and in the thirteenth year of His Majesty King George the Second's reign, etc., 1739. Memento I give to my eldest daughter, Yonica, my old loom, this being done before signing, sealing and publishing. STOFFEL LANGSTRAAT (L.S.) Signed, sealed, published and declared by the said Testator to be his last will and testament in presence of us, John Little, Thomas Wainwright, Jo Seares, Jacob Dennis. Note there are no razures nor interlineations in the original nor record aforegoing. BE IT REMEMBERED that on the first day of March in the year of Our Lord One thousand Seven hundred and forty-one John Little and Thomas Wainwright, two of the within witnesses, personally came before me, Thomas Bartow, duly authorized to prove wills, qualify exec'rs, etc., in the Eastern Division of New Jersey, and they being duly sworn on the holy Evangelists, did depose that they were present and saw Stoffel Longstreet, the Testator within named, sign and seal the within written Instrument and heard him publish pronounce and declare the same to be his last Will and Testament and that at the doing thereof the said Testator was of sound mind and memory to the best of their knowledge and understanding and that at the same time John Sears and Jacob Dennis, the other subscribed witnesses, were present and that each signed his name as a witness in the Testator's presence. THOS. BARTOW BE IT ALSO REMEMBERED that at the same time Richard Longstreet, Gilbert Longstreet, Aury Longstreet and Theophilus Longstreet, the Executors within named, personally came before me and were sworn to the due execution and performance of the within Will and Testament according to law. THOS BARTOW. LEWIS MORRIS, Esqre., Captain General and Governor in Chief in and over His Majesty's Province of New Jersey and Territories thereon depending in America, and Vice Admiral in the same, etc., To all to whom these Presents shall come, Greeting. Know ye that at Perth Amboy on the first day of March in the Year of Our Lord One thousand Seven Hundred and forty-one, the last Will and Testament of Theophilus Longstreet of the town of Shrewsbury, etc., yeoman, deceased, was proved before Thomas Bartow, who was thereunto duly authorized and appointed for that purpose and is now approved and allowed of by me, he the said deceased, having while he lived and at the time of his death, goods, rights and credits in divers places within this Province by means whereof the full disposition of all and singular the goods, rights and credits of the said deceased and the granting administration of them, also the hearing of amount calculation or reckoning and the final discharge and dismission from the same unto me solely and not unto any other inferior Judge are manifestly know to belong and the administration of all and singular the goods, rights and credits of the said deceased and his last Will and Testament in any manner of way concerning was granted unto Richard Longstreet, Gilbert Longstreet, Aury Longstreet and Theophilus Longstreet, the Executors in the said Testament named Chief of well and truly performing the said Will and of making a true and perfect inventory of all and singular the goods, rights and credits of the said deceased and exhibiting the same into the Registry of the prerogative Court in the Secretary's office at Peth Amboy and of rendering a just and true acount when thereunto lawfully required, being duly sworn on the Holy Evangelists. In testimony whereof I have caused the Prerogative Seal of the said Province to be affixed at Perth Amboy in the year of Our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and forty-one. THOS. BARTOW, Reg'r. NEW JERSEY PREROGATIVE COURT I, HENRY C. KELSEY, Register of the Prerogative Court of the State of New Jersey, do hereby certify, that the foregoing is a true copy of last Will and Testament of Theophilus Longstreet, late of the County of Monmouth, deceased, as the same is taken from and compared with the original record, recorded in Liber C of Wills, pages 491, etc., and now remaining on file in my office. Witness my hand and the Seal of the Prerogative Court, this twenty-sixth day of April A.D. 1893. HENRY C. KELSEY, Register.