Last Will and Testament of John Nicholas Bacher

1784: Albany Township, Berks County, PA

In the Name of the Holy Trinity, of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost Amen, I John Nicholas Bacher in Albany Township Berks County and State of Pennsylvania, Am weak and Sick of Body, but of Sound mind and memory, thanks be given to God, who put me in remembrance of the Mortality of my Body, and knowing that it is ordained for all Man once to die, do make this my last Will and Testament, that is to Say, Principally and for the very first I give and recommend my Soul into the Hands of Almighty God who gave it, and my Body I recommend to be Buried into the Earth in a Proper and Christian like Burial, at the discretion of my Executors, not doubting but in the General Resurrection, I shall again receive the same through the Mighty Power of God, and touching such of my Worldly Estate, wherewith God hath been pleased to Possess me with in this life, I give and bequeath of the Same in manner and form following

Firstly I give and bequeath unto my Son John Bacher his Heirs and Assigns, forever all my Plantation and Piece of Land which adjoineth to Land that belongeth to Nicholas Lampert, Henry Zimmerman, Philip Gluck, Frederick Herbster, Franes Frey and Moses Frey, and containing One hundred and sixty Acres of Land, be the same more or Less, on this Condition, that he so soon, as he shall take the said Plantation into his Possession, so shall he pay yearly Fifteen Pounds, good and lawful Money of Pennsylvania to my five Daughters or their Heirs in manner and form following, namely the first year to my second Daughter (because the first Christina hath already received Twenty Pounds of me) Margaret Fifteen Pounds, the Second Year to my third Daughter Clara Fifteen Pounds, the third year to my fourth Daughter Susanna Fifteen Pounds, the fourth year to my Daughter Elisabeth Fifteen Pounds, the fifth year to my aforesaid first Daughter Christina Fifteen Pounds, and so again on yearly, until he shall have paid two hundred and thirty Pounds to the Same, so that each shall have received fifty Pounds, but before my said Son takes possession of the aforesaid Plantation, so shall my beloved Wife Christina, carry on the Farming and Housekeeping with my Single children, who are to be faithful and Obedient to her, or may rent the same when and how she Pleaseth, the Household Furniture, Cattles and Farming Utensils, shall remain in her Hands, as long as she shall carry on the Farming and Housekeeping, but in case she shall rent the Plantation away, then she shall have first and foremost for herself Her Cloaths, Bed and Bed Cloaths, the Chest with the Linnen, Two Cows and Two Calves, and all the residue of my Estate shall then be sold at Public Vandue, whereof my beloved Wife shall have the one third for own use, the other two thirds, shall be divided into equal shares to and amongst all my Children, so that my Single Daughters Margaret, Susanna, and Elisabeth, each receive her Bed, One Cow, one Heiffer, and so much Household Furniture as my Daughter Clara, and what my Daughter Christina has less, than my said Daughter Clara she shall also yet have, in order that each of my said five Daughters, one shall receive as much as the other, and my said Son John shall also have his share thereof, but in Stead of one Cow, one Heiffer and Household Furniture, he shall have a good Bed the Wagon the lock Chain and the Saddle, and the Wind Mill, But whatever Profits my said Wife with my Children shall make on the aforesaid Plantation, and the Rents she shall receive therefor, therewith she may do as she shall think proper. And as soon as my said Son John or his Heirs, shall have taken the said Plantation into Possession, then shall he or they, to my said Wife Christina, during the whole time of her natural life, yearly do and give, viz her free Widow residence in my dwelling House, in the Room, Chamber, Kitchen, by the Fire, Stove, and on the Garret, and in the Spring House she shall have the liberty to keep therein what she Pleaseth and yearly four Bushels of Wheat eleven Bushels of Rye, two Bushels of Buckwheat, each sort good and clean and the same to be carried to Mill and back again to her dwelling, one sound fat Hog together with the fat and not less than of One hundred weight and with the Pluck Gut fat and Guts of the same, twenty Pounds of Beef one hundred good Hen Eggs, and so to give them as she shall want the same, and she shall have the priveledge to keep a Hog, one half of the Kitchen Garden she shall have for her use, and there must be as much Dung hawled into the same as she will have and when she shall require the same, in the Orchard she shall fetch free and uninterupted, as many Apples for eating dryed apples or for keeping, when and where she pleaseth, she shall have yearly one Hogshead of good Cyder, if it gives apples, two gallons of Brandy, two Gallons of Lindseed Oyl, one Bushel of Salt, half a Pound of Pepper, and as much Pimento, a quarter of a pound of Ginger, four bushels of Pottatoes, Six yards of Flaxen and one yard of Tow Linnen, four yards of Blue and White Striped Lincey Woolsy, one pound of Spun and Washed Wooll, and he shall hawl Firewood to her dwelling, and cut the same small as much as she shall want two Silver dollars, one pair of good new Shoes, and have the same one soled, and she shall have every Spring the choise, of my said Sons Cows, to take one with the Calf for her own Use, which she will, the Cow shall go uninterupted with his other Cattle in the Pasture, and he shall feed said Cow like his others, but the same shall always be his own, and in case she shall be unlucky with the same, she shall have a Right to chuse another, But with the Calves she may do what she pleaseth, and the little Meadow Swamp behind the Barn, she shall have for Grazing for her Cow, which he shall keep for her under Good Fence.

And if she shall get Sick and Bedridden, so must he or his Nurse and tend her right and properly, and when she dies he shall her Buried in a Christian like manner on his own Cost. But should she again Intermarry, she then shall have neither Seat nor reservation on said Plantation.

But as long as lives as a Widow, my said Son shall have no Right either to Mortgage or to Sell the said Plantation, without her consent, and if she cannot live in Peace with him, then he must Hawl her aforementioned reservation, so as she shall be in need thereof, to, where she shall move to, and instead of the Cow he shall give her yearly four Dollars as long as she shall live, and after her death my aforementioned Daughters shall divide their mothers Bed and Cloaths in equal Shares amongst them, but all other her Estate she shall leave behind shall be shared in equal shares amongst my aforementioned Six Children, but in case one of my said mentioned Children should die under age and without Heirs, then shall the others have its share one like the other, lastly I make an ordain my aforementioned Wife Christina Executrix and my worthy Friend Georg Kunckel Executor of this my last Will and Testament, and I Rattify this and no other to be my last Will and Testament.

In Witness I have set my Hand and Seal hereto the Tenth June in the year of our Lord 1784.

A true Translation from the German Original.

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Barbara W. Mihalcik.

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