Will of John Kissinger, 1805: Adams County Copyright © 1997 by Jerry Thayer. This copy contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives. HJThayer@aol.com USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be freely 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 other presentation without the consent of Jerry Thayer or his legal representative. Will of John Kissinger, 1805 The will of John Kissinger is recorded in the will book of wills before 1864, Adams Co. PA, page 250, #235. It reads: "In the name of God amen, I John Kissinger of Cumberland Township in the county of Adams State of Pennsylvania being weak in body, but of sound mind, memory & understanding (blessed be to God for the same) Do make & publish this my last will & testament in manner following. Viz. Principally & first of all, I commend my immortal soul into the hands of God who gave it, & my body to the earth, to be buried in a decent & Christian like manner at the discretion of my Executor hereinafter named; & as to such worldly Estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this life, I give and dispose of the same in the following manner, Viz. I give & bequeath to my son John Kissinger the sum of five shillings, with which what he has already received, I allow to be his share in full out of my Estate. Item. I give & bequeath to my daughter Mary, intermarried with John Smith, the sum of five shillings, whi ch with what she has already received, I allow to be her share in full out of my Estate. Item. I give & bequeath to my daughter Christiana, intermarried with Doctor John Dady, the sum of five shillings, which with what she has already received, I allow to be her share in full out of my Estate. Item. I give & bequeath to my son David Kissinger two horse creatures, his choice, over and above his share of my Estate hereinafter bequeathed to him. Also I give & bequeath unto my daughter Susannah the bed, bedstead & bedclothes usually called hers & her chest & to my daughter Louisa (widow), late intermarried with Price Williams deceased, the bed, bedstead & bedding usually called hers & her chest, the said bed & chest to each of them respectively over and above their shares of my Estate hereinafter bequeathed to them. And as touching all the rest, residue & remainder of my Estate Real & Personal, of whatsoever kind & nature, the same may be in the county of Adams or elsewhere, I give, devise & bequeath the same to my dear & well beloved wife (in trust) for the maintenance, clothing & comfortable living of her my said wife (& my son Abraham) for & during her natural life & from & immediately after her decease, It is my will & I order & direct that the whole property, both Real and Personal, shall then be sold by my Executor hereinafter named, for the highest & best price they can get, who are also hereby empowered, or the survivor of them, to make, execute & deliver a good and sufficient conveyance or conveyances of the Real Estate to the purchaser or purchasers thereof; & the monies arising from the whole Estate, both Real & Personal as aforesaid, I give & bequeath the same to my son David herein before mentioned, to my son Abraham, to my daughter Susannah herein before mentioned, to my daughter Catherine intermarried with John Shitz, to my son Jacob, to my daughter Sophia, intermarried with Joseph Thompson, to my daughter Elizabeth, intermarried with John Black, & to my daughter Louisa herein before mentioned, to be equally divided between them, share & share alike. It is also my will & I hereby order & direct that the share of my Estate bequeathed to my son Abraham, as above, shall be & remain in the hands of my Executor hereinafter named, for his use, to be by them applied for his clothing & maintenance as he may stand in need, & the surplus thereof (if any) at his decease, to be equally divided between my two sons David & Jacob or their heirs. And lastly I nominate, constitute & appoint my well beloved son David Kissinger & my son in law John Black to be the Executors of this my Will, hereby revoking all other Wills, legacies & bequests by me heretofore made & declaring this & no other to be my last Will & Testament. In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal the first day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred & five. his Witness: Peter Wickert John ) Kissinger SEAL Christian Routzong mark Alexander Russell The will was proven 21 Jun 1805 by Alexander Russell Esq. & Christian Routzong. An Inventory was filed 18 Apr 1808 and accounts were settled 2 Jun 1812. Apparently the widow Susan died in late 1811 since the land was sold in Jan 1812 and the Centinal of Adams Co. PA had the following notice in its 16 Oct 1811 issue: David Kissinger, Executor, offers at Public Sale on the Premises October 30, Plantation of John Kissinger, Deceased, in Cumberland Township, "on the road leading from Gettysbury to Emmitsburg, nearly central between the two" ... 136 acres Patented Land, about twenty acres cleared, rest good timber land, two dwelling houses, spring house, with a "never failing spring", large barn, two apple orchards, on the banks of Marsh Creek. From maps in the Manor of Maske book, the property is located astride present business route 15 at the community of Greenmount on the NE bank of Marsh Creek stretching to meet bypass 15.