In the Name of God Amen, I Leonard Edris of Tulpenhocken Township in the County of Berks and State of Pennsylvania, farmer, being sick and weak in body but of sound mind, memory and understanding, thanks be unto Almighty God for the same and knowing that it is appointed for all men onced to die and not the time there of, therefore I do hereby make and ordain this to be my last Will and Testament in the following manner to wit:
First I recommend my soul into the hands of Almighty God who gave it in hopes of a joyful resurrection, and my body to the earth, to be buried in a Christian and decent like manner according to the rights of the Germand Reformed Church, and as touching and concerning my worldly estate wherewith it has pleased God to bless me in this life, I give and dispose of the same in the manner following to wit. It is my Will and I do hereby order and direct that all my just debts and funeral expenses shall be fully paid and satisfied as soon as conveniently can be after my decease by my hereinafter named Executors.
Item it is my will and I do order and direct that my wife Magdalena and my children what are under the age of twenty-one years, shall keep all my stock and personal property and farm and keep house together on my plantation the same as if I would be alive, untill my son William arrives to the age of twenty-one years, and my wife Magdalena shall have a right in dealing with my personal property the same as I did in my life time untill my said son William arives the age of twenty one years and as soon as my;son Willam arives to the age of twenty-one years, then my herein after named Executor shall take and inventory of my personal property and convert the same into money upon Public Vendue;, exccept what I shall hereinafter bequeath unto my wife Magdalena , and if it should happen that my wife Magdalena should die before my said son William whould arive to the age of twenty-one year then and in such case my surviving Executors shall imediately after her death take and inventory of my persoanl property and convert the same into money upon Public Vendue and rent my plantation away untill my said son William arives to the age of twenty-one years
Item I give and advise unto my beloved wife Magdalena during her life, when she quits housekeeping, the upper p0art of the spring house on my plantation , as .also an equal right with my son William below in the springhouse, the garden at the springhouse which my said son William must keep in good order with dung, also the bake oven as her house which my son William must keep in repair, an equal right to the well, also of all kinds of fruit as much as she wants if there is any on my plantation, cider as much as she shall want if there is apples on my plantation, which my son William shall make and deliver unto her, free agress and regress on my plantation. I also further give unto her my said wife Magdalena, two cows to take her choicethree beds and bedsteads my clock and case her chest one stove with pipe, all my linnen and woollen cloth my kitchen dresser and as much and such of my household and kitchen furniture articles and things as she shall and the interest arising and acruing from and on the sum of three hundred pounds yearly during her life.
Item I give and devise unto my said son William Edris and to his heirs and assigns, as soon as he arives to the age of twenty-one years, part of all that my plantation tract or piece of land, situate in Tulpenhocken township in the county of Berks aforesaid, bounded by lands of the heirs of Jacob Conrad deceases the heirs of Jacob Brown deceased and others, containing one hundred and seventy-five acres and allowance be the same more or lesswith the appurtenances. To have and to hold unto him my said son William Edris his heirs and assigns forever, but for which my said son William Edris shall be charged the sum of two thousand pounds to pay as follows to wit, five hundred pounds part thereof he shall keep in advance on his share, twelve hundred pounds he shall pay the sum of one hundred pounds yearly unto my hereinafter named Executors or to the survivor of them to commence one year after he arives to the age of twenty-one and the remaining three hundred pounds he shall pay the yearly interest acruing therefrom unto my wife Magdalena during her life and the principal sum after her death unto the survivor of my executors but if it should happen that my wife Magdalena should die before the aforesaid gales of one hundred pounds each, would be due and payable then and in such case he shall not pay the aforesaid three hundred pounds untill one year after the last gale is due, and shall not be charged any more interest thereon and the land shall be bound for the same.
Item It is futher my Will that my said son William shall give and deliver unto lmy said wife Magdalena yearly and every year during her life as a further compensation for that part of my said plantation that is to say ten bushels good merchantable wheat, ten bushels good clean rye, ten bushels good indian corn, as much potatoes as she mauy want, one good fat hog of at least two hundred pounds, fifty pounds good fat beef, twelve pounds good hackled flan, seven pounds good tow, twelve pounds good clean wool, plenty of good feed and stabling for her two cows the year round, as much good firewood as she may want to be cut small and delivered at her house door, a tame horse for to ride whenever she shall want one, and she shall have a right to keep fowls on the premises as much as she wants.
Item I give and devise unto my son Elias Edris and to his heirs and assigns as soon as he arives to the age of twenty-one years, all that part of my plantation and tract of land of which I have herein before devised unto my son William, that is to say it shall be surveyed off my plantation as before at the lower corner of my said plantation between forty-five and fifty acres with the appurtenances beginning at the corner of the heirs of Jacob Conrad deceased, at John Alberts land thence along the line of said Conrads land up to the middle of the length of the line of my plantation thence a four square piece or tract which is to have and to hold unto my said son Elias Edris and to his heirs and assigns forever, which shall be his share in full out of my whole estate, but whenever my son Elias wants to build on said tract of land, my son William shall be bound to do all the hawlings without any compensation for the materials of all the building whatsoever.
Item It is my Will and I do order and direct that my plantation and tract of land which I have purchased of Benjamin Lesh, situated in Bethel Township in the county of Berks aforesaid, bounded by lands of Nicklas Deck, John Lesh and others, containing one hundred and thirteen acres be the same more or less, with the appurtenances. My son Leonard Edris shall take possession thereof on the first day of April next after the date hereof,and shall be chared the sum of three thousand six hundred and sixteen dollars, of which one thousand three hundred and thirty three dollars and thirty three cents, equal to five hundred pounds part threof my said son Leonard Edris shall keep on account as his share, five hundred dollars part thereof my son Leonard Edris shall pay unto my executors or to the survivor of them as soon as he receives the same of his father-in-law or at least within three years from the time he takes possession of the said plantation, the sum of three hundred and sixty-six dollars and sixty-seven cents part thereof my said son Leonard Edris shall pay unto my executors or to the survivor of them with four per cent interest from the time he shall take possession of the said plantation and within ten years from the time he takes possession of the plantation and the remainder the sum of one thousand four hundred and sixteen dollars my said son Leonard Edris shall pay in the yearly gales as the become due and payable unto Benjamin Lesh from time to time, and if my said son Leonard Edris shall pay and satisfy the aforesaid gales from time to time as the become due unto Bejamin Lesh and also pays the money charged unto him as aforesaid as it becomes due unto my executors or the survivors of them, and secures the remainder which shall not be due at five years from the time he takes possession of said plantation, then and in such case it is my will and I do hereby authorize and empower my executors or the survivor of them, to grant and execute a deed of the aforesaid plantation of one hundred and thirteen acres be the same more or less with the appurtenances unto my said son Leonard Edris and to his heirs and assigns, to have and to hold the same unto my said son Leonard Edris his heirs and assigns forever, but if my said son Leonard Edris should fail to comply as aforesaid , then and in such case after the expiration of five years from the time my said son Leonard Edris shall take possession of the aforesaid plantation it is my will that the aforesaid plantation of one hundred and thirteen acres be the same more or less with the appurtenances, shall be sold upon public vendue by my executors or the survivor of themand thereout and threfrom shall be paid first the sum of five hundred pounds, and all the money what my said son Leonard Edris should have paid in if any which shall be paid unto my said son Leonard Edris in advance after deducting threfrom interest on the money which he neglected to pay as before directed from the time it was due andpayable on account of him having possession and the benefit of said plantation.
Item It is my will and I do order and direct that my executors or the survivor of them, shall take my cash in the house and money outstanding if any imediately or as soon as all just debts and funeral expences are fully paid and pay unto each of my seven daughters namely Anna Maria the wife of Conrad Daub, Catharine the wife of Peter Meyer, Magdalena the wife of George Webbert, Christina the wife of John Spitlers, Elisabeth, Barbara and Litia, the sum of three hundred pounds but those that have advanced in my life timethat sum and above have to stay back and shall not receive any more untill the rest are equal to them or any of them, but my executors shall commence paying unto the eldest that have not in full received her three hundred Pounds in my life time and make her share full with her advancement and then to the next to that the same on to The youngest untill each of my seven daughters haveonced received three hundred pounds, and if the aforesaid money should not amount to that amount then they shall take of the first money the receive in their hands and make each of my daughters their three hundred pounds full and threafter they shall pay the sum of two hundred pounds more unto each of my daughters that is to say to commence on the eldest and pay her the amount to what I have advanced unto her in my lifetime which would then with the advancement amount to five hundred pounds and so on to the youngest until each of my seven daughters have received her five hundred pounds including their advancements and are equal to what I have allowed unto my sons what I have allowed unto each of them in their respective hands, and if thereafter my executors other survivors of them shall have or receive any money in their hands yet it shall be equally divided amongst all my children, except y son Elias which has his full share in his land but always their advancement if any charged in my book shall be first deducted from such child\rquote s share and those of my children that are under the age of twenty-one years if any such child\rquote s share or shares my executors or the survivor shall put upon interest and pay it over unto them with interest as they become upon the age of twenty-one years, and in case any of my said children should die without leaving lawful issue then such child\rquote s share shall fall back again and shall b equally divided amongst my children or their representatives. It is my will and I do order and direct that my son William shall have all the benefit and income of the tract of land which I have devised unto my son Elias until my said son Elias arrives to the age of twenty-one years, but my said son William shall keep it in good repair and farming like manners, to say from the time my said son William takes possession of my plantation, he shall receive the benefit and income therefrom, further I give and devise unto my wife Magdalena all my hackled flan and my Dearborn wagon and it is my will that my son William shall give her a tame horse to hitch in the Dearborn wagon whenever she shall require one, and after the death of my wife Magdalena, the survivor of my executors shall convert her personal property into money and the money arising therefrom they shall also divide amongst my children share and share alike, except my said son Elias which has his full share in his hand, And I do hereby authorize and empower my son Peter Edris and George Webbert two of my executors to make and execute good deeds unto my said sons William Edris and Elias Edris in fee simple for the several tracts of land which I devised unto them unto my son William as soon as he has fully paid off and unto my son Elias as soon as he arrives to the age of twenty-one years.
And what I have herein before given and devised unto my wife Magdalena, and what I have allowed unto my son Peter in his land and unto each of my said children shall be their share in full out of my estate,
And lastly I do hereby nominate and appoint my wife Magdalena, and my son Peter Edris and my son-in-law George Webbert sole executors of this my last will and testament and I do hereby revoke and annul all former and other wills and testaments by me heretofore made and ratify and allow this and no other to be my last will and testament.In witness whereof I Leonard Edris the testator have to this my will written on two sheets of paper set my hand and seal this twentieth day of January in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty-five.
Signed sealed published
Pronounced and declared
By the above Testator
Leonard Edris
As and for his last Will
And Testament in the Presence of us.Berks County on the 27th day of April, l835. Then appears John Seltzer and Samuel Goshert, and being duly sworn according to law did depose and say that they were present and saw and heard the testator sign seal publish pronounce and declare this instrument of writing as and for his last Will and Testament and that at the time of the doing thereof he was of sound mind memory and understanding to the best of their knowledge, observation and belief.
Contributed by Sandy.
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