WILL: William Nicoll;  Islip, Suffolk co., NY 
surname: Nicoll, Watts, Dwight, 

submitted by Leigh Jones (leighj @ mail.ptd.net) 
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Submitted Date: June 14, 2004
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Source: Copy From Sampubco
New York co NY WillBook Vol 9 page 565
Written: March 17 1718
Recorded: June 13 1724

Last Will and Testament of William Nicoll

In the name of God  I William Nicoll of Islip in the County of Suffolk in the 
County of Suffolk[ written twice] in the Colony of New York in America being
in unreasonable health of Body and having my usuall discerning & understanding
(God be praised) do make & ordain this my Last Will & Testament in manner &
fform following  First I do give bequeath & devise to my Son Benjamin Nicoll
all my Lands Tenements and hereditaments at Islip & on Shelter Island Except
such as I shall herein and hereby otherwise devise and Dispose of in the same
County of Suffolk  To have and To hold to him & the heirs of his Body (heirs
Males I mean;) lawfully begotten [inserted: "or to be begotten"] and for want
of Such to my Son William Nicoll and the heirs male of his body lawfully
begotten or to be begotten and for want of such to my Son Rensselaer Nicoll &
the heirs Male of his body begotten or to be begotten and for want of such to
the right heirs of me the said William Nicoll the Testator forever   I do give
an Bequeath & devise to my son William Nicoll all that one full Quarter part
of Shelter Island Contained in & adjoining to Sacheuis Neck with its
hereditaments & appurtenances   To have and hold to him & the heirs Males of
his body lawfully begotten or to be begotten and for want of such to my Son
Benjamin and his heirs Males of his body begotten or to be begotten and for
want of such to my son Rensselaer Nicoll & his heirs Males of his body
begotten or to be begotten and for want of such to the right heirs of 
me said William Nicoll the Testator forever  I do give bequeath & devise to my 
son Rensselaer Nicoll all those lands & farms on Shelter Island with their 
hereditaments and appurtenances Now in Tenour [Tenure]  & occupation of John
Shaw To have and To hold to him & the heirs Males of his body begotten or to
be begotten and for want of such to my son Benjamin and the heirs Male of his
body begotten or to be begotten and for want of such to my son William and the
heirs Male of his body begotten or to be begotten and for want of such to the
right heirs of my the Testator forever  provided always on the condition & it
is my true Intent & manning that if and soon as my Son Benjamin Shall Settle
convey & assure to his brother Rensselaer & the heirs Males of his body
begotten or to be begotten all those Lands with their hereditaments &
appurtenances in the County of Albany which were his Mother's and I now
possess in her right  then the Devise to my Son Rensselaer to cease Determine
& be void & the same Lands & Farms on Shelter Island to Devolve & Accrue to my
Son Benjamin & his heirs Males in manner before Exprest [Expressed]  I Will &
Bequeath to my daughter Mary Watts the Sum of Three hundred & Fifty pounds
money of New York at the rate that money now usually possess at the time of
Mr. MaKing   this Will [?] I Will & bequeath to my daughter Catherine Nicoll
the sum of Seven Hundred & Fifty pounds of such Money   I Will & Bequeath to
my daughter Frances Nicoll the Sum of Seven Hundred & Fifty pounds of such
money  I Will Devise order & Direct that all my Lands & hereditaments in low
neck Excepting half an acre of land there with the burial place with free
passage egress & Regress in & to the same & from it with all other my lands in
the Colony of New York & New Jersey be sold for the payment of debits &
Legacies by me owing and hereby given Health &  Opportunity to dispose & 
Sell some or all of those Lands in my life Time if it pleases God that it 
happen   otherwise my will order & desire is that my Executors for the time
being hereafter appointed do make Sale of the same & give Assurances  &
Conveyances for the same or any part thereof which I Will order & determine to
be as Valued as if made by my self    I give & bequeath to my  Son William all
my stock of horses Neat Cattle Sheep & Swine on Shelter Island   I give &
bequeath to my son Rensselaer all my Stock of horses Neat Cattle & whatever
moveable of mine are on or belong to the ffarm or ffarms in the Mannor of
Rensselaerwick in the County of Albany   I give & Bequeath to my daughter
Charity Nicoll Twenty pounds to buy her Mourning & a ring   I give & bequeath
to my son Edward Nicoll the sum of Two hundred pound to be paid him when he
comes of age & I order that he remain with his Mother till he arrives to the
age of Ten years & that she paid Ten pounds  per annum while he stays with her
& that afterward my Executors for the time being do take care for his
maintenance Support & Education till he comes of age Fitting & Suitable for a
Son of Mine  I also give devise & bequeath to my Son Edward Nicoll when he
attains to the age of one & Twenty years all that Farm on Shelter Island late
in the possession of Edward Downing Deceased & now or late in the possession
of Mr. William Richardson with the land & appurtenances thereunto belonging
and as they do or have possest [possessed ?] the same   To have and to 
hold to him and the heirs males of his body forever   I do give Devise &
Bequeath the same Farm on Shelter Island on Manner aforesaid unto Mrs. Ruth
Dwight untill our said son Edward Nicoll shall attain to the of one & Twenty
years & if he dye before (which God prevent) then untill he should have come
to that age & that without Impeachment for wast[e]   I do also devise order &
direct that she have & Enjoy the house I now live in with the use of the
Servants & Stock & the Lands used with the same for the Term & Space of one
whole year next after my death  And I do further give & Bequeath unto her the
Sum of Two hundred pounds such money as before mentioned what tho it be but a
small Reward for her affection care Diligent & faithfull service yet I pray
her to Accept the same & I desire & order it to be paid as soon a[s]
Conveniently can be out of my personal Estate or my Lands to be sold  I do
Will devise order & Direct that  in case my personal Estate & Lands I have
herein before devised to be sold for the payment of my debits & of the
Legacy's hereby Bequeathed shall not amount a Sum Sufficient to pay & Satisfye
the same then I do by this my Last Will & Testament Impower direct & authorize
my Executors for the time being to sell & Dispose of so much of my other Real
Estate as Will pay Discharge & satisfye the same My Land at Islip only 
Excepted all which I am Desirous if God so please may Continue & remain in my 
Family & Name  I desire to be buried & Interred as privately with as Little 
Expense & charge as possible maybe & without any vain unnecessary Solemity  I
do make Institute & Appoint my Son Benjamin Executor of this my Last Will & 
Testament  In case of his Renunciation or death I do Make Substitute & appoint
my Son William my Executor & in case of his Renunciation or Death I Substitute
make and appoint my son Rensselaer my Exactor of this my Last Will desiring
the same may Effectually be performed according to the true Intent & meaning
thereof  I do give & bequeath to my son John Nicoll the sum of Two Hundred
pounds to be paid him when he comes of age with the same support & direction
for his education as I have given & allowed to his brother Edward  And in
regard  I have otherwise Disposed of the Lands & Estate on Shelter Island in
possession of Capt John Shaw Hereinbefore devised to my son Rensselaer  I do
hereby order direct will & devise that the Lands & Estate on Shelter Island in
the possession of Jonathon Hudson shall & remain to my said son Rensselaer
Nicoll in such manner and under such condition as the lands & Estate in
possession of John Shaw are herein before Willed & Devised  In Testimony
whereof to this my Will writ on a sheet of paper most with my own hand  I have
put my hand & seal this seventeenth Day of March 1718  In the presence of the
witnesses whose names are underwritten  W Nicoll (LS)
John Moubray 1718/9 James Morris  Charles White  William Gibb

______________

William Burnet Esq'r Captain General and Governour in Chief of the provinces
of New York New Jersey & Territories thereon Depending in America & Vice
Admiral of the same & To all To Whom these presents May come or may concern  
Greeting Know Yee that  on the Twenty Seventh Day of Aug One Thousand Seven
Hundred and Twenty three before Selah Strong Esq being by me thereunto
authorized & appointed the Last Will and Testament of William Nicoll Esq late
of Islip in the County of Suffolk was proved & Now approved & allowed of by me
Having While he lived and at the time of his death Goods Chattells and Credits
in diverse places within this province by means whereof the full Disposition
of all & Singular the Goods Chattells & Credits of the said deceased and the
granting Administration of them also the hearing of the account Calculation or
Reckoning & the final Discharge & Dimission from the same unto me soly & not
unto any other Inferiour Judge are Manifestly known to belong and the
administration of all & singular the Goods Chattells & Credits of the said
Deceased and his last Will & Testament any manner of ways concerning was
granted unto Benjamin Nicoll who being since deceased the executor ship
According to Said Testators Will devolves to William Nicoll the other Executor
on the Last Will and Testament named  Chiefly of Well & Truly Administering
the same & making a true & perfect Inventory of all & Singular the Goods
Chattells & Credits of the said deceased & Exhibiting the same into the 
Registry of the prerogative Court in the Secretary's Office of the said
province of New York at or before the Thirteenth Day of December next Ensuring 
and rendering a Just & True Account when thereunto Required  In Testimony
whereof I have Caused the Prerogative Seal of the said province of New York to
be hereunto affixed at New York the Thirteenth Day of June Anno Domini 1724 J
S Bobin D Secr'y


Additional Comments:
Son Rensselaer Nicoll was named in the Will of his maternal Uncle, Killian Van 
Rensselaer. Will made June 11, 1718; proved May 10, 1720.

"I leave to Rensselaer Nicoll, the youngest son of my sister Anne Nicoll, all 
that farm at Bethlehem now in possession of William Van Allen, with the island 
called Nieffes Island, beginning at the south side of Bethlehem Creek and 
extending to the bounds of Barent Peterse Coeymans, and backwards into the
woods from Hudsons River, one English mile, And the farm on the north side of
Bethlehem Creek, 10 or 12 acres, as in fence, where the house and barn of
Coysome lately stood, with the right of keeping a saw-mill on the south side
of the creek, where a saw-mill now stands, with privilege of bringing to the
said mill 300 logs yearly. And he and his heirs are to have no further claim
as heirs of my sister Anne."

Additonal Comments:
William Nicoll received a large land grant in Islip, New York, in 1684.  In
1695, Giles Sylvester sold one quarter of Shelter Island, at Sachem's Neck
(Mashomack preserve) to William Nicoll, of Islip.  William married Ann Van
Rensselaer, widow of Killian Van Rensselaer, on July 05, 1688 in the Albany
Reformed Dutch Church, Albany, NY.  William and Ann baptized four children in
the New Amsterdam Reformed Dutch Church. William Nicoll's will, shows the
names of six additional children which can be assumed to be by Ann.   Killian
Van Rensselaer, in his will made in 1718, names,  "Rensselaer Nicoll, the
youngest son of my sister Anne Nicoll..."