Wills: John Nicholas Bacher, 1784: Albany Twp, Berks Co

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Will of John Nicholas Bacher

In the Name of the Holy Trinity, of God the Father, the Son and the Holy
Ghost Amen, I John Nicholas Bacher in Albany Township Berks County and
State of Pennsylvania, Am weak and Sick of Body, but of Sound mind and
memory, thanks be given to God, who put me in remembrance of the
Mortality of my Body, and knowing that it is ordained for all Man once
to die, do make this my last Will and Testament, that is to Say,
Principally and for the very first I give and recommend my Soul into the
Hands of Almighty God who gave it, and my Body I recommend to be Buried
into the Earth in a Proper and Christian like Burial, at the discretion
of my Executors, not doubting but in the General Resurrection, I shall
again receive the same through the Mighty Power of God, and touching
such of my Worldly Estate, wherewith God hath been pleased to Possess me
with in this life, I give and bequeath of the Same in manner and form
following

Firstly I give and bequeath unto my Son John Bacher his Heirs and
Assigns, forever all my Plantation and Piece of Land which adjoineth to
Land that belongeth to Nicholas Lampert, Henry Zimmerman, Philip Gluck,
Frederick Herbster, Franes Frey and Moses Frey, and containing One
hundred and sixty Acres of Land, be the same more or Less, on this
Condition, that he so soon, as he shall take the said Plantation into
his Possession, so shall he pay yearly Fifteen Pounds, good and lawful
Money of Pennsylvania to my five Daughters or their Heirs in manner and
form following, namely the first year to my second Daughter (because the
first Christina hath already received Twenty Pounds of me) Margaret
Fifteen Pounds, the Second Year to my third Daughter Clara Fifteen
Pounds, the third year to my fourth Daughter Susanna Fifteen Pounds, the
fourth year to my Daughter Elisabeth Fifteen Pounds, the fifth year to
my aforesaid first Daughter Christina Fifteen Pounds, and so again on
yearly, until he shall have paid two hundred and thirty Pounds to the
Same, so that each shall have received fifty Pounds, but before my said
Son takes possession of the aforesaid Plantation, so shall my beloved
Wife Christina, carry on the Farming and Housekeeping with my Single
children, who are to be faithful and Obedient to her, or may rent the
same when and how she Pleaseth, the Household Furniture, Cattles and
Farming Utensils, shall remain in her Hands, as long as she shall carry
on the Farming and Housekeeping, but in case she shall rent the
Plantation away, then she shall have first and foremost for herself Her
Cloaths, Bed and Bed Cloaths, the Chest with the Linnen, Two Cows and
Two Calves, and all the residue of my Estate shall then be sold at
Public Vandue, whereof my beloved Wife shall have the one third for own
use, the other two thirds, shall be divided into equal shares to and
amongst all my Children, so that my Single Daughters Margaret, Susanna,
and Elisabeth, each receive her Bed, One Cow, one Heiffer, and so much
Household Furniture as my Daughter Clara, and what my Daughter Christina
has less, than my said Daughter Clara she shall also yet have, in order
that each of my said five Daughters, one shall receive as much as the
other, and my said Son John shall also have his share thereof, but in
Stead of one Cow, one Heiffer and Household Furniture, he shall have a
good Bed the Wagon the lock Chain and the Saddle, and the Wind Mill, But
whatever Profits my said Wife with my Children shall make on the
aforesaid Plantation, and the Rents she shall receive therefor,
therewith she may do as she shall think proper. And as soon as my said
Son John or his Heirs, shall have taken the said Plantation into
Possession, then shall he or they, to my said Wife Christina, during the
whole time of her natural life, yearly do and give, viz her free Widow
residence in my dwelling House, in the Room, Chamber, Kitchen, by the
Fire, Stove, and on the Garret, and in the Spring House she shall have
the liberty to keep therein what she Pleaseth and yearly four Bushels of
Wheat eleven Bushels of Rye, two Bushels of Buckwheat, each sort good
and clean and the same to be carried to Mill and back again to her
dwelling, one sound fat Hog together with the fat and not less than of
One hundred weight and with the Pluck Gut fat and Guts of the same,
twenty Pounds of Beef one hundred good Hen Eggs, and so to give them as
she shall want the same, and she shall have the priveledge to keep a
Hog, one half of the Kitchen Garden she shall have for her use, and
there must be as much Dung hawled into the same as she will have and
when she shall require the same, in the Orchard she shall fetch free and
uninterupted, as many Apples for eating dryed apples or for keeping,
when and where she pleaseth, she shall have yearly one Hogshead of good
Cyder, if it gives apples, two gallons of Brandy, two Gallons of
Lindseed Oyl, one Bushel of Salt, half a Pound of Pepper, and as much
Pimento, a quarter of a pound of Ginger, four bushels of Pottatoes, Six
yards of Flaxen and one yard of Tow Linnen, four yards of Blue and White
Striped Lincey Woolsy, one pound of Spun and Washed Wooll, and he shall
hawl Firewood to her dwelling, and cut the same small as much as she
shall want two Silver dollars, one pair of good new Shoes, and have the
same one soled, and she shall have every Spring the choise, of my said
Sons Cows, to take one with the Calf for her own Use, which she will,
the Cow shall go uninterupted with his other Cattle in the Pasture, and
he shall feed said Cow like his others, but the same shall always be his
own, and in case she shall be unlucky with the same, she shall have a
Right to chuse another, But with the Calves she may do what she
pleaseth, and the little Meadow Swamp behind the Barn, she shall have
for Grazing for her Cow, which he shall keep for her under Good Fence.

And if she shall get Sick and Bedridden, so must he or his Nurse and
tend her right and properly, and when she dies he shall her Buried in a
Christian like manner on his own Cost.Ý But should she again Intermarry,
she then shall have neither Seat nor reservation on said Plantation.

But as long as lives as a Widow, my said Son shall have no Right either
to Mortgage or to Sell the said Plantation, without her consent, and if
she cannot live in Peace with him, then he must Hawl her aforementioned
reservation, so as she shall be in need thereof, to, where she shall
move to, and instead of the Cow he shall give her yearly four Dollars as
long as she shall live, and after her death my aforementioned Daughters
shall divide their mothers Bed and Cloaths in equal Shares amongst them,
but all other her Estate she shall leave behind shall be shared in equal
shares amongst my aforementioned Six Children, but in case one of my
said mentioned Children should die under age and without Heirs, then
shall the others have its share one like the other, lastly I make an
ordain my aforementioned Wife Christina Executrix and my worthy Friend
Georg Kunckel Executor of this my last Will and Testament, and I Rattify
this and no other to be my last Will and Testament. 

In Witness I have set my Hand and Seal hereto the Tenth June in the year of our 
Lord 1784.

Sealed and Signed in Our Presence
Christian Braucher
France Frey
John Nicholas Bacher

His mark

A true Translation from the German Original