Henry’s Will
In the Name of God Amen. I, Henry Rautenbush of Barwick Township in the
County of York in Pennsylvania. Farmer being weak in Body do of sound
and Disposing Mind Memory and Understanding and considering the many
accidents and causelties that attend and will at length and this Mortal
life do make and declare this my last Will and Testament first and
Principally Recommending my Immortal Spirit into the hands of my great
Creator trusting threw the Merits of my Blessed Savior for Pardon and
Remission of all by Sins and happy admission into the Region of Bless and
Immortality and as to such worldly estate wherewith it hath pleased God to
Bless me I give and dispose of the same in manner following. Imprimis I
Will order and direct that all my Just debts and funeral expenses be paid
as soon as convenient may be after my decease by my Executors herein after
named Item I give and devise to my loving Wife Anna Mary the sum of Twenty
Pounds my Bed and Bedstead and what is thereto belonging and also the Bed
and Bedstead which she brought to me and her Chest and Spining wheel two
washing tubs a buckit and bread tray a brass kittle two Iron pots a frying
pan and skillit one pewter bason one earthen ditto six pewter plates and
twelve spoons one Iron ladle & skamer of coffee can and tea cups two
chairs a blble and two hime books a watering pot and all the Flax and Toe
yarn and all the flax and toe not spun and two good bags and five yards of
hemp linen ten bushels of wheat and five bushels of rice and all the bacon
I have and my bees one peck of salt two cows which she shall chuse three
sheep and two hogs. further I Will and reserve a yearly reservation for my
wife during as long as she is my widow to live along with my Son Michael
on the Plantation in Peace but if in case they should not agree to live
together that then my son Michael shall bould and erect a good warm
dwelling house sufficient for my wife to live in and give to her yearly
thirty bushels of good clean wheat fifteen bushels of good clean rice five
bushels of Indian corn and five bushels of buckwheat and Soe an half an
acre of good ground with flaxseed and the half of the Pardades and cabage
patch kept in good repair and made ready for planting and the half of the
garden well dunged and firewood cut and hauld ready to the door sufficient
for her use and all the apples of the little orchard before the house and
also part of the pears while they last and stableing for her cows and
sheep sufficient in winter and the fourth part of all the hay which shall
grow on the Meadows hauld and put on her stable in drye and straw for her
use and her cows and sheep to run along with his in Pasture in Sumer all
the said yearly reservation to stand as long as she remains my widow but
is she shall marry again then she shall move off and be satisfied with the
above device it is my will that the rest of my Estate shall be divided
amongst my children as follows, I give and devise to my first born son Jon
one shilling sterling for his portion because he always was a disobedient
child and hurt me greatly and I also give and devise to my sone Solomon
one shilling sterling for the like cause and I also give and devise to my
son Daniel on shilling sterling for the like cause I also give and
gequesth unto my son Michael and his assigns all my Platation with a wagon
and windmill a house clock and kitchen cobard for which my said son shall
pay six hundred pounds lawfull money as follows Two years after my decease
he shall pay to my son Henry fifty pounds and one year after to my son
Jacob fifty pounds and one year after to the six children of my son John
Born by Molly Keller in equal share the sum of Fifty pounds to diveded
amongst them and one year after to my Daughter Elizbeth the sum of fifty
pounds and one year after to my daughter Caty the wife of Christain Grove
Fifty pounds and one year after to my daughter Ester Fifty pounds and one
year after Caty the wife of Christain Grove Fifty pounds and the year
after to my son Henry Fifty pounds and the yea. after to my Son Jacob
Fifty pounds and the year after to my daughter Ester fifty pounds, further
is my will that all the rest of my personal estate shall be qually divided
amongst my three sons Henry Michael and Jacob and my three daughters Caty,
Elizabeth and Easter and also one share to euqally divided to the
aforesaid six children of my son John and lastly I nominate and appoint my
trusty friends Samuel Arnol and Peter Deardorf whle and sole Executors of
this my last Will and Testament hereby revokin and making null and void to
all other will or wills by me heretofore made declaring this and no
other to be my last Will and Testament. His
Signed Sealed Published Pronounced and Henry X Rautenbush(SEal)
Declared by the said Testator as and for Mark
his last Will and Testament in the presents of
us who have subscribed our names as witnesses
thereto in the presence and request of said testator on the fifth day of
February in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty
Jonas Wolfe
Henry Deafdorf
His
John George X Ocks
MARK