Will of John Norman, Marblehead, Essex County, MA, 25 Feb 1708/9

WILL OF JOHN NORMAN

In the Name of God, Amen. The twentie fifth day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred & eight/nine [25 Feb 1708/9]. I, John Norman of Marblehead in the County of Essex in New England carpenter & joyner, being very sick & weak in body, but of perfect mind & memory, thanks be given unto God. Therefor calling to mind the mortality of my body & knowing that it is appointed for men to dye, Do make & ordain this my last will & testament that is to say: principally & first of all, I give & recommend my soul unto the hands of God that give it, hoping through the merits of Death & passion of my Saviour Jesus Christ, to have full & free pardon & forgiveness of all my sins, & to inherit everlasting life. And my body I commit to the earth, to be decently buried at the discretion of my executrix hereafter to be named & nothing doubting but at the General Resurrection I shal receive the same again by the might power of God.

And as touching such worldly estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this life. I give, devise & dispose of the same in the following manner & form: that is to say, first I will that all those debts & duties, as I do owe in right or considered to any manner of persons whatsoever, shall be well & truly consented & paid, or ordained to be paid in convenient time after my decease by my executrix hereafter named out of my personal estate & household goods. I [unreadable] & bequeath to Sarah my dearly beloved wife, whom I [unreadable] constitute, make & ordain my only & sole executrix of [unreadable] will and testament all & singular my estate, both real [unreadable] whether of my own in possession or by inheritance, or any [unreadable] way to me [unreadable] in Lands, messuages & tenements, by her freely [unreadable] & possessed & enjoyed the full time and term, till her youngest child come to the age of eighteen years.

Item. I will that when my youngest child shall come to the age of eighteen years that then all my estate that remains shall be divided amongst my children or them that legally represent them equally, only my wife for thirds of real to be enjoyed by her during her life, and also my oldest son a double portion.

Item. I appoint & ordain Mr. Richard Grover & Mr. Eleazer Ingalls overseers of this my last will & testament and that my executrix is to consult & advise with them, & not to sell or alienate any of my said estate without their consent & approbation. And I do hereby utterly disallow, revoke & disannul all & every other former testaments, wills & legacies, bequests & executors by me in any wayes before this time named, willed & bequeathed. Ratifying & Confirming this [unreadable] to be my last will & testament In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand & soul the day & year above written.

John Norman

Know all men by these presents that I the above named John Norman do hereby establish the above to be my last will & testament and do add with my wife my executrix my son Moses Norman to be joint executor to her, and that they have power in themselfs to sell & alienate & dispose of that piece of land that lying in Salem which I [unreadable] of Joseph Neal (late of Salem) to pay my funeral charges & what they see fit. As witness my hand & seal the twentie fifth day of February 1708/09 [25 Feb 1708/9].

John Norman

Signed, sealed, published, pronounced & declared by the said John Norman as his last will and testament in presence of us the subscribers. Viz as also the Appendix or revis… was signed, sealed, published & declared to be the sd. John Norman his will & testament. Archd Ferguson, Robert Saskey[?], William Brown.

• Randy Seaver, Genea-Musings blog, https://www.geneamusings.com/2010/01/amanuensis-monday-will-of-john-norman.html, accessed 21 May 2023.