WILL: Nathaniel Norton; Brookhaven, Suffolk co., NY surname: Norton submitted by Peg McLaughlin (mwshngtn930 at aol.com) ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.org/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.org/ny/nyfiles.htm Submitted Date: January 18, 2005 This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/nyfiles/ File size: 6.1 Kb ************************************************ Source: Early Long Island Wills, "suffolk County, 1691-1703" Written: December 22 1684 Recorded: November 7 1685 Will of Nathaniel Norton In the name of God Amen. I, Nathaniel Norton, being unsound in body but of good & perfect memory, thanks be to Almighty God, & calling to remembrance the uncertain state of this transitory life, do make, constitute, ordain & declare this my last Will and testament, in manner & form following, revoking & annulling by these presents all & every testament & will heretofore by me declared either by word or writing, & this is only to be taken for my last will & testament & none other-- Imprimis, Being penitent for all my sins past, most humbly desiring forgiveness for the same by the mediation of Jesus Christ, my Redeemer, I give & commit my soul unto Almighty God, my Creator, Redeemer & Preserver, in whom by the merits of Jesus Christ I trust & believe assuredly that I shall be saved, have full & free remission of all my sins & be raised up to life & immortality at the date of the general resurrection, & my body I submit to be buried in such place & decent manner as it shall please my Executors hereafter named to appoint. And now for the settling of my temporal estate & such goods, chattels & debts as it hath pleased God in mercy to bestow upon me, I do give and bestow in manner following, willing & ordering that all those debts & duties which I owe to any person or persons whatsoever, in right or conscience, shall be well & truly paid & contented or ordained to be paid in convenient time after my decease by my Executors hereafter named: Item -- to Isaac and Nathaniel, my eldest sons, I give my home lot to be divided as followeth: to my son Isaac, the house garden & orchard, with what buildings shall be raised thereon, & all the land from the East side of the orchard unto the highway westward over against Abram Dayton's house; & the remainder of the lot eastward of the said orchard I give to my son Nathaniel; & the swamp or meadow joining to the Creek within fence, I order & dispose it to be equally divided between my said sons Isaac and Nathaniel; & also all my land, either in the old field or little neck, to be equally parted between them, & likewise my four shares of meadow at the oldmans, Provided that if either of them shall die before marriage the survivor shall have all; Item -- to George & Jonathan, my younger sons, I give all my land & meadow at Mount Mercy & at the south side, to be equally divided & shared between them, Provided that if either of them should decease before marriage the survivor of these two sons shall enjoy all his brothers part as is before Expressed; Item -- to my three daughters, Mary, Sarah & Hannah, I give to each of them at the day of marriage twenty-five pounds, which is to be paid as followeth: Isaac, my eldest son, shall pay or cause to be paid the sum of twenty-five pounds to Mary, my eldest daughter, in good current, passable pay at the day of her marriage; & likewise my son Nathaniel to Sarah, my daughter, shall pay ye sum of twenty-five pounds at the day of her marriage; & Hannah's portion of twenty-five pounds shall be in like manner paid at the day of her marriage by my wife, provided that if either Isaac, Nathaniel or my wife shall not be capable of the payment of the said portion at the day of their marriage abovesaid, then they shall have time to pay five pounds per annum; Item -- to my beloved wife, Mary, I give & dispose all my other moveable estate, as household goods, utensils, horses of any kind, cattle, sheep, swine, &c. with the furniture & guears belonging to them with the full & free use of the house such land as she shall have occasion for; Moreover, I constitute, order & appoint my said wife to be my lawful & sole Executrix of this, my last will & testament, to receive & pay all my just debts to see to & take care that the above legacies be fulfilled & to perform all such things pertaining to the office of an Executrix -- I do request & desire that my wife shall take the advice of my friends Richard Woodhull Junior & Timothy Brewster whom I nominate to be trustees to be helpful to my Executrix upon all occasions to the confirmation of the premises I do hereunto set my hand & seal this twenty-second day of Dec. 1684. his Nathaniel O. Norton [Seal] mark In presence of Thomas Helme John Wade These are to testify that the sum of twenty-five pounds, the portions of my several daughters, is altered & ordered to be but twenty & that this proviso of the payment of their portions at the day of their marriage or at four several payments that is five pounds at the day of marriage & so five pounds per annum for the three next years is consented to & agreed on by me Nathaniel Norton, witnessed by us John Combes [&] Thomas Helme -- Thomas Helme, according to the order of Court, sworn before me Richard Woodhull Nov. the 7th, 1685 -- John Combes, sworn in Court to the truth of this will, the other by order of Court to be sworn before Justice Woodhull & returned to the Clerk. Entered Apr. the 25th, 1733. [commas added throughout] P. Wm. Smith, Clk. Additional Comments: Nathaniel, the third child of George Norton and Mary Machias, was born in Salem (Essex County), Massachusetts on Mar. 19, 1639 and died in Brookhaven (Suffolk County), New York at age 46.