Will of Daniel Meader [0010]

In the Name of God Amen I Daniel Meader of Durham in the Province of New Hampshire in New England, Wheelwright; being sick: and weak in body…

Item I give to my beloved wife Elisabeth Meader the free full and sole use and improvement of the one third part of my real estate during the term of her natural life; and the one third part of my moveable estate I give to my said wife to her own disposal, and also all my household goods, except such a part of them as I have in this present will given to my daughter Abigail. And my will is that my sons Joseph and Lemuel Meader shall procure and provide firewood sufficient to support one comfortable fire, for the use of my said wife at her door yearly and every year during the term of her continuing my widow. I also give to my said wife to her own disposal the residue of my moveable estate, if any shall remain after my said debts and funeral charges shall be paid, and the legacy I have herein given to my said daughter Abigail, except one yoke of oxen which I have herein given to my son Lemuel Meader.

Item I give to my sons Joseph and Lemuel Meader and to their heirs and assigns forever, all my homestead land, orchards and buildings standing or being upon said land, and all my land at Little River, so called, and all my right title and interest in and unto the common or undivided lands in Durham aforesaid, and all my lands elsewhere that shall properly appertain unto me the testator: the said premises to be equally divided between them, my sons Joseph and Lemuel. And my will is that my said son Joseph shall take possession of his moiety or half part of the premises immediately after my decease, and that my said son Lemuel shall take possession of his moiety or half part of the said premises when and so soon as he shall arrive at the age of twenty-one years. Any my will further is that my said son Lemuel shall live with my said wife, and labor upon said land, until he shall arrive at the aforesaid age of twenty-one years; and that my said wife shall have the produce of the land I have given my said son Lemuel until the expiration of the aforesaid term, and that she my said wife together with my son Joseph shall take care of and provide for my other children all things necessary and convenient for their comfortable subsistence, until my said son Lemuel shall arrive at the said age of twenty- one years. Any my will further is that my said son Lemuel shall take possession of his moiety or half part of the said premises when and so soon as he shall arrive at the aforesaid age of twenty-one years, and that from that time my said sons Joseph and Lemuel shall take care of and provide for the comfortable subsistence of my other children until they shall arrive at the age of fourteen years, and that they also learn all my other sons, or cause them to be learned to read English, to write a legible hand, and to cipher. And my will further is that when and so soon as my sons Benjamin, Nathanael, Elijah, Jonathan and Jedediah shall arrive at the age of fourteen years my executor and executrix herein mentioned shall put them and every one of them apprentices to learn some proper trade, art or mystery, as they my said executor and executrix shall think proper, I also give to my son Lemuel one yoke of oxen, to be improved by him for the use and benefit of my said wife until he shall arrive at the age of twenty-one years, and after that time to be improved for his own benefit and advantage, I also give unto my said sons Joseph and Lemue Meader all my farming tackling and utensils, and all my carpenter's tools, to be equally divided between them.

Item. I give unto my said sons Benjamin, Nathanael, Elijah, Jonathan, and Jedediah Meader, two hundred pounds, old tenor, apiece, or two hundred pounds, old tenor, to each of them, that is to say, two hundred pounds at the rate of proportion of fifty shillings old tenor to one ounce of coined silver troy weight sterling alloy; to be paid to my said sons Benjamin, Nathanael, Elijah, Jonathan and Jedediah, by my said sons Joseph and Lemuel, in equal parts, the one half or one hundred pounds in good province bills of credit or in silver money, at the aforesaid rate, when and so soon as they shall respectively arrive at the age of twenty-one years; and the other half, or hundred pounds, either in said province bills of credit or in said silver money at the aforesaid rate, or in the produce of their land, at the market price when said legacy or hundred pounds shall become due to each of them, which I will to be paid each of them within the term of five years after they shall arrive at the age of twenty- one years respectively, by my said sons Joseph and Lemuel, either in said bills of credit, silver, or the produce of said land, which said Joseph and Lemuel shall choose

Item. I give to my daughter Abigail Meader one hundred pounds, old tenor, or to the value of one hundred pounds, old tenor, in my household goods, to be delivered to her my said daughter by my said executor and executrix when she shall arrive at the age of eighteen years or at her marriage, which shall happen first. I also give my said daughter two cows, to be delivered her by my said executor and executrix , the one of said cows immediately after my decease, if required, and the other of said cows when she shall arrive at the years of eighteen.

And I do hereby constitute, make and ordain my said wife executrix, and Timothy Robinson of Dover in the province aforesaid executor to this my last will and testament.

And I do also hereby utterly revoke and disannul all former wills and testaments by me in any wise made, ratifying this and no other to be my last will and testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this third day of August, Anno Domini one thousand seven hundred and fifty-one, and in the twelfth year of his majesty's reign

[Proved September 25, 1751]