Will of Nathaniel Putnam died 1700

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]
Surname/tag: Putnam

WILL OF NATHANIEL PUTNAM^[1][2] (Paragraphing used to facilitate ease of reading.)

In the Name of God Amen, I Nathaniel Putnam of Salem, in ye County of Essex in ye province of ye Massachusets Bay in New England being in perfect health & strength & sound in mind & Memory, yet Concidering that old age is come upon me & ye vncertainty of my life doe make This my last Will & Testament hereby revoaking all former & other wills by me heretofore at any time made.

Imprs I resigne my soule to God whoe Gave it & my body to decent burial hoping for a gloriours resurrecon in & through ye merits of my blessed Redeemer Jesus Christ to whome bee Glory foreuer.

And For my Outward Estate which God hath bestowed on me I Giue bequeath & bestow ye same as hereafter in this my will is expressed.

Itm. I Giue vnto my daughter Mary Tuft ye wife of John Tuft one hundred and Twenty pounds in money to be paid by my Executor hereafter named within three yeares after my decease to which with ye fifty pounds which I formerly gave her is in full & ouer & aboue what I promised her on marriage.

It. I Giue vnto my said Daughter Mary ye one half of my household goods that were in ye house when my wife Deceased in ye quality & condition that ye said goods shall be at my departure.

Itm. I Giue vnto my Grandchildren ye sons & daughters of my daughter Elizabeth Flint Deceased, viz: to Mary who hath a lame hand twenty poundes in money & to ye others Eight Ten pounds a peice if they shall ariue at Age, viz: ye sons at Twenty one yeares & ye Daughters at Eighteen yeares or marriage to be paid by my Sonn John Putnam to each of my said Nine grand children as come to age as aforesaid.

Itm. I Giue vnto my Sonne John Putnam besides about an hundred acres of vpland & about sixteen acres of meadow which I haue already Giuen him by deed of Gift: viz: I giue & bequeath vnto him all my land & meadow which I haue lying on ye Northwesterly side of ye Riuer Caled Ipswich Riuer scituate in Salem bounds in seueral peices containing in ye whole about Seuenty acres be ye same more of less.

Itm. I Giue vnto my said Sonne John Putnam about one hundred & sixty acres of land adjoyning to ye hundred acres of land which I formerly gaue him by deed of Gift being his homestead he paying to my sd nine grand children ye legacies hereby giuen them.

Itm. I Giue to my Said Sonne John all ye remainder of that land (Besides what I haue sold) That I formerly purchased of William Joggog: all to be to him & his heirs foreuer.

Itm. I Giue to my said sonne twenty pounds in money to be paid him by my Executor in three years after my decease.

Itm. I Giue to my said Sonne halfe my wearing apparell.

Itm. I Giue to my sd son John Thirty pounds to be paid by my Executor within one yeare after my decease in graine & cattle at money price: which legacies with ye hundred pound I gaue him formerly for land sold which I had of Wm. Jeggly is in full of his portion.

Itm. I Giue vnto my sonne Benjamin Putnam my homestead that is my farme that I now dwell on as alsoe all my other lands & meadows whether in possession or reuersion wheresoeuer scituate lying & being which are not perticularly in this will otherwise disposed off. to be to him & his hiers Foreuer.

Itm. I Giue to my Sonne Benjamin all my personall Estate whether money Cattle corne Debts or other estate what ever.

Itm. I make & constitute my said sonn Benjamin Putnam to be ye sole Executor of this my last will & Testament.

Lastly. I Desire & apoint my Good friend Capt. Samuel Gardner & Sargt John Leach to be ouerseers of this my will.

Itm. My Will further is that neither of my two sonns shall sell any of ye lands hereby Giuen them nor any wayes dispose od ye same vntill ye Seuerall legacies & payments in this my will Giuen & apointed be respectively paid and fulfilled or Security Giuen for payment of ye same: & ye lands respectiuely to stand bound for fullfilling of ye same.

It. my will is that in Case either of my sonns should neglect & refuse to pay what I haue ordered them to pay or any differences arise either betwixt my two sonns or betwixt either of them & ye Legatees. Then & in such case my will & desire is that my said ouerseers heare & determine ye same & that Euery one acquiesce in what they shall doe.

In Testimoney that this is my last Will & Testament I haue herevnto set my hand & seale this 21 Day of February 1698-9, & in ye Eleuenth yeare of ye Reigne of William ye 3d of England &c. King defenr of ye faith.

Signed Sealed published Nathaniel Putnam [seal.]

& declared in psence of vs

Henry West

Henry West Juner Essex ss. Before ye Honble

Stephen Sewall Jonatha Corwin Esq. Judge of

Margaret Sewall Probate of Wills &c. August

12th 1700 Majr Stephen Sewall, Henry West Senr & Henry West Junr all pesonally Appeared and made Oath they were prsent and did see Natha Putnam Signe Seal & heard him publish and Declare this instrument to be his last Will and Testament and that he was then of A Disposing mind to there best undestanding & that they then subscribed as Wittnesses in his psence.

Sworn Attest John Higginson Regr.

Vpon wch this Will is proued Approued and allowed being pEsented by ye Executor therein named. Viz: BenjaPutnam.

Attest John Higginson Regr.

Essex ss. Probate Office.

Salem, Dec. 28, 1889.

A true copy of original will and probate on file in the office.

Attest, Ezra D. Hines, Asst. Register.^[1][2]