Richard Cutter, (c. 1620 - 1693)

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WILL OF RICHARD CUTTER

APRIL 19, 1693

In the name of God, Amen.

I Richard Cutter of Cambridge in the Massachusetts colony of New England, being at present weake and sick in body but of sound and perfect mind and memory, and waiting for my great and last change, do ordain and make this my last will and testament in manner and form following(viz.)

I doe first and principally commend my soule into the hands of Almighty God, hoping through the merritts death and passion of of my savior Jesus Christ, to have full and free pardon of all my sins and to inherit eternal life; and my body I commit to the earth to be decently buried at the discretion of my executors hereafter named. And as touching my temporal estate as it hath pleased Almighty God to bestow upon me, I give and dispose as followeth;

I will, after my just debts and funeral charges be paid and discharged,I will and appoint that my loveing wife shall have the whole of my estate, that is to say the yearly rent or income thereof for her maintenance during her natural life, or so long as she shall remaine my widdow.

Item, I will and bequeath unto my daughter, Mary (now) Sanger eight pounds to be payd in good pay.

Item, I will and bequeath unto my daughters Hepzibah, Ruhamah, and Sarah, each of them ten pounds apiece to be payed by my executors hereafter named or the survivors of them at the death of my wife or on the marriage of said three daughters Hepzibah, Ruhamah, and Sarah. If it happen that any of said three daughters aforenamed shall decease before marriage or before the time of payment (which happens on death of my wife) that in such case it is my will that the survivor of them shall have the deceased's share devided between them. Item, I give to my two daughters Rebeckah (now) Ffillebrown and Elizabeth (now) Hall to each of them five pounds apiece on the decease of my wife.

Item, I will unto my five sons Samuel, William, Ephraim, Gershom, and Nathaniell all my lands and meadows within the limits of Charletowne to be equally devided amongst them. And it is my mind and will that my son Nathaniel shall have his share (if he desires it) where he now dwelleth. Also it is my mind and will that if at any time any of my sones shall hereafter se cause to sell theire devision or share in the lands to them willed, such son shall make the profer thereof first to his bretheren who shall have the refuse of buying the same. And if any of my aforesaid sones shall neglect to make such offer to his bretheren upon sale of theire devision and except they refuse to buy, such son shall forfeit his land or the value of it.

Also it is my mind and will that after my wives decease my house and homestall with swamp on the Notomie Brook and woodlotts on the Rocks that one of my sones will take the same and the valew thereof as it shall then be prized I doe order shall be devided to all my children that shall then be surviving, only my executors hereafter named shall, at the decease of my wife, out of the valew of said house and homestall first satisfy all debts that shall happen for my wife's maintainance that shall happen necessary , her funerall expenses and all charges of probate and registering.

Also I do advise, and as a father charge my children to take care of theire mother. I councell my son Samuel to dwell with his brother William Cutter while he remains unmarried. I do nominate and ordain my sons William, Gershom, and Nathaniell Cutter sole executors of this my last will and testament, that my body may be buried at Cambridge burying place near my first wifes grave. I do hereby disanull and revoak and make void all former wills and testaments by me made heretofore. I witness hereof I the aforesaid Richard Cutter to this my last will and testament contained in one half sheet of large paper have set to my hand and seal. I declare it is my mind and will that my son William Cutter shall if he desires have his share of lands in Charlestowne Bounds next his own meadow.

SIGNATURE AND SEAL OF RICHARD CUTTER

In presence of us:

James Hubbert

John Pratt

John Jackson

Charlestowne. by ye Honourable James Russell, Esc.^[1]

INVENTORY

An Inventory of the estate of Richard Cutter late of Cambridge deceased,

wearing Apparall

Beds and beding

tabell cloaths napkins & other linin

Puter and Brase

Arms and Amunition

Cubbard tabels chests bedsteds and other wodin ware

Books

earthen ware shepswooll yerne & other small things

Cart whels ploughs chains hows axes & other vtencils

neat Cattell & Shape

horses and swine

twenty-nine Acres of upland in Charlstowne bovnds

five Acres & halfe of bastard medow lying in charlstowne bounds

the corne upon the ground

house & Barne & home stall with its Rights & priuiledges & a quarter of an Acre at the end of the home lott leading to Charlstowne Road

sixtene Acres of wood-land and thre Acres of Swomp

Attests, Jams Hubert,

Stephen Willis,

John Whitmore.^[2]

CONFESSION

Richard Cutter was a member of Cambridge church in full communion, and the following relation of his religious experience is found in Mr. Shepard's manuscript volume:

"The Lord was pleased for to give my parents hearts to bring me up in the fear of the Lord, though I had much opposition of heart against my parents, and those that were over me. And so I came to this place, and coming by sea and having a hard voyage, still my heart was dead and fearless and I found my heart as stubborn as before. And though I had some affection, yet held nothing by me. Hearing one sin continued in with obstinacy and hardness will separate forever from Christ, I considered, if one would,

what would many? Which affected me much at the time. And hearing the way to subdue a rebellious heart was to bring it to a straight; and John xiii. 8, 'Thou shall never wash my feet,' and 'If

I wash thee not.' — But nothing struck until the speaker came to the 3Oth verse of the same chapter, where those that were ready went immediate communion of it. — And at the naming of the doctrine I

thought I was not ready for Christ ; and one reason because all were naturally unready, but in use of terror. — Then they that art not prepared shall not enjoy him ; and very sad it was, for my heart did slight it.

But if I be separate from Christ, 'tis for that cause which maketh angels stand amazed at it. Following Judas' example, I went immediately out [John xiii. 30;] and I stood behind the meeting-house;

and, acknowledging that one sin whereby some men present their petitions was opposing his members, by this sin many other sins were brought to my mind — I could not speak to any one, and could apply

nothing but what was against the evil. Yet supported by some scripture — one from Jer. iii. 4, 'Will he retain his anger forever?' — I saw I had done as much evil as I could. — And Jer. viii. 4, ' Shall they fall

and not arise? the Lord turn away and not return?' — And another was Hosea vi. I, 2 — I considered the Lord had wounded me, and ' we shall know [his mercy] if we go on.' And so I was encouraged.

Hearing in Matt. xxv. of many differences one was to live to God ; I thought it would be the greatest mercy if ever the Lord would help me ' to live to God.' I knew not which way to go — and I thought I did sin in eating — and I considered I had sins enough — and hence needed not neglect my body — and hence on lecture day a friend coming to ask how it was with me, he said, ' Take heed you do not keep the Devil's counsel ! ' — and next day he came again and spake to me — and hence I considered of the bitterness of sin ; and in private I began to consider the same. Hearing out of Mark xiv. ' Christ was sorrowful to the death ;' and there were four causes: ist, Christ saw all the sins of the world. 2d, He saw the wrath due to them, ßd,

Felt the intolerable weight of wrath. 4th, He had felt the presence of the Father. — And by thinking thus sin became bitter unto me. " And thus after consideration of my condition, I complained I was ignorant of his people's ways. And hearing Mr. Phillips, 'About calling,' &c. &c. — And from Mr. Wells, saw how ' sin of nature ' did reign. And thus going on, in xxv. Matt, n, 12, observed it a sad misery not to be known of Christ — And saw evil of this, and not to have one thought, word, shed blood, to do for him, nor to accept any thing from him. Nor to accept anything, this was very sad for to me, and Joel i. 8 ; Lam. i. 16, both set on my heart; and I considered the bitterness of being parted from Christ, and being so forever. — Or if one did not mean acceptance of Christ. — And Mr. Mather, 'I account all things loss.' And so I had stirring up of desire after Christ, and I was counselled to believe, but I could not believe in Christ. And hearing in Matt. xxv. ' To labor to accept of it when offered ,' showed the offer was universal ; hence personal. 2d, Real. 3d, Vehement. — And Rev. iii. ultimo, ' I counsel thee to believe ; be at peace.' — And if the Lord counsel them that felt not, much more a soul that mourns after the Lord Jesus. — And Rev. xxii. ult., ' Freely take it.' — And the Lord thus clearing the offer, he would have me recieve it only on condition I was humble ; if so much humble as to come to Christ. * * *

And when I was come home I considered what shall I do ; but then objected ; but may'st presume. And looking on 2 Cor. xix. ' If I took Christ,' &c., after this the Lord cleared up Christ more fully. ^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ Cutter, Benjamin & Cutter, William Richard. A History of the Cutter Family of New England. Boston: Printed by D. Clapp & son, 1875. Archive.org, p. 11-12.
2. ↑ Cutter, Benjamin & Cutter, William Richard. A History of the Cutter Family of New England. Boston: Printed by D. Clapp & son, 1875. Archive.org, p. 13.
3. ↑ "Thomas Shepard’s Confessions" in Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, Volume 58, George Selement & Bruce C. Woolley, eds. (Boston 1981). ColonialSociety.org, p. 178-179.