In the name of God Amen, this first Day of June In the Year of our Lord one thousand Seven Hundred & Eighty Six I Henry EBEY of Lebanon Township Dauphin County & State of Pennsylvania, yeoman, being at present sick and weak in Body & knowing that it is appointed for all men once to Die nevertheless of Sound & disposing mind, memory and understanding thanks be to God calling unto mind the Mortality of my Body & Knowing that it is appointed for all men once for to die do make & ordain this my Last Will & Testament that is to Say principally & first of all, I recommend my Soul into the Hand of God who gave it & my Body I recommend to the Earth to be Buried in a Christian Like & decent manner & as touching Such worldly estate & wherwith it hath pleased God to bless me in this Life, I give devise & dispose of the Same in the following manner & form.
IMPRIMIS. It is my Will & I do hereby Order in the first place that all my Just Debts & funeral Expences be paid off & Satisfied as Soon as Conveniently may be After my Decease.
ITEM. It is my Will & I do hereby Order that my Dearly Beloved wife Mary shall have all my personal Estate in her Hands to make use of & the Rents & profits of all my plantation and tract of Land untill my Son Henry shall attain the age of Twenty one years provided She Remains my Widow to pay off my debts & to raise up my children & send them to School & provided my wife should Remain my Widow, then it is my Will That my Wife Shall take so much of the money that she makes out of my Lands untill my son Henry attains his Age & Build her ? a House to live in on any part of my Land where she thinks proper & also to build a Barn on the part of the Land where I now live near my House for my son Henry as my wife shall Judge or think proper.
ITEM. It is my will that as soon as my son Jacob attains the Age of twenty one years then I do give & Bequeath unto my son Jacob Ebey his heirs & assigns the one half of my plantation & Tract of Land Situate in Lebanon Township Dauphin County adjoining George Glapbrenner?, Conrad Oldwein & the Division line is to begin at the lane the other Side of the Meadow & from thence along the Ridge aside of the Meadow Till Oldwein's Line & thence to begin at the lane & a Strait? along the lane to the Woods & from thence to Glapbrunner's? line Containing one Hundred & eighteen Acres & allowance to be holden by him my son Jacob Ebey his heirs & Assigns forever & after my son Jacob attains the age of twenty one years, then my said wife Mary shall only have the Right & priviledge to live & make use of my other part of my Lands whereon my house & Buildings is thereon until my son Henry shall attain the age of twenty one years. Then I do hereby give Devise & Bequeath unto my son Henry Ebey his heirs & Assigns the other half of my Lands adjoining to Lands of Martin Light, Jacob Six, William Iwing/Juing? & George Glapbrunner? & Conrad Oldwein & my said Son Jacob part Containing one Hundred & eighteen Acres & allowance To be holden by him my said Son Henry his heirs & assigns forever. It is my further will that after my son Jacob attains his age then I do hereby Impower my Executors or the Survivor of them to chuse four good Honest Men & the said four men together with the said Executors hereafter named shall value & appraise the aforesaid tract of land which I have given unto my said son Jacob for a Reasonable price & to Regulate the payments as She shall think proper. It is my further will that after my son Henry attains his Lawfull age then I do hereby Impower my Executors hereafter Named to chuse four good Honest men which said four men Together with my Executors hereafter named Shall value & appraise the aforesaid tract or piece of land which I have given unto my son Henry for a Reasonable price and to regulate the payments as they shall think proper which valuation & appraisment I do hereby order that my two Sons Jacob & Henry shall pay for my said Lands.
ITEM. It is my further will that provided either of my two sons Jacob or Henry shall happen for to Die Before they become to the age of Twenty one years unmarried & without Issue that the part or share of the Said Land of the one so dying I do hereby give, devise & bequeath unto my son John Ebey his heirs & assigns forever he paying for the same After & in the Same Manner that either of my sons so dying should pay.
ITEM. It is my will & I do hereby order that my two sons Jacob & Henry shall deliver unto my said wife Yearly & every year as long as She remains my Widow, Twelve Bushels of wheate, five Bushels of Rey, three Bushels Indian Corn, two Bushels of Buck wheate, three Bushels of Oats, One Hundred pounds of HoggMeat, fifty pounds of Beef, Twelve pounds of Hatcheled flax or Hemp, two pounds of Tow?, Six pounds of Wool & keep a Cow for her Sufficient for her summers & Winters, one half an Acre of Ground and the one third part of the Gardin the Priviledge to the Water & Bake Oven & deliver to her firewood & cut the Same for her when She Demands, five Apple Trees the Choice in the Orchard & deliver the Grain to the Mill & the meal & bran to her again & to give her a Horse to Ride when She thinks proper & it is my further Will that my Sons that is to say Jacob & Henry shall pay unto my Said Wife yearly & every year provided She Remains my Widow the Sum of three pounds Gold or Silver each thirty Shillings.
ITEM. I give & Bequeath unto my said Wife Mary my Bed & Bedstead Chest Spinning Wheel, my Bull Cow, Dreaser, the one Third part of all my Kitchen furniture a large -?- Testament & a Song Book, my Iron Stove, Table, Side Sadle.
ITEM. It is my will & I do hereby order that provided my wife Should happen to marry & not Remain my widow then I do hereby give, devise and bequeath unto my said Wife Mary the sum of Seventy pounds Lawfull money of Pennsylvania which said Seventy pounds shall be paid unto my said Wife one year after my son Henry attains his age or one year after such Marriage & my Said Wife after Such marriage shall immediately quit my plantation & tract of Land & premises & shall be debarred of any further right Dower or third to all my estate real or personal & also of the above Articles yearly.
ITEM. I give & bequeath unto all my children all the money arising out of all my Lands & plantation & personal estate to be equally divided between them Share & Share alike.
ITEM. I give & bequeath unto my eldest son Jacob the Sum of five pounds over & above his equal Share with one of the rest of my children for his first Birth right. It is further my will that the yearly payments arising out of my Lands Shall be paid unto three of the eldest of my children first & then the three youngest & so on yearly.
ITEM. I do hereby Impower my Executors or the Survivor of them to Sign Seal and execute good & sufficient Deeds for my sons Jacob & Henry and to their Heirs & assigns forever for their Lands as I have heretofore given unto them. After the said Land being Divided agreeable to the true Intent & Meaning of this my Last will & Testament. And Lastly I do hereby nominate, constitute & appoint my brother George Ebey & my brother-in-law George Strome Executors of this my last Will & Testament hereby Revoking, Disannulling & making Void all former & other Will & Wills & execution by me heretofore made ratifying & confirming this & no other to be my last will & Testament. In Witness whereof I the said Henry Ebey have hereunto Set my Hand & Seal the Day & year first above written.
Heinrich Eb˙ (LS)
Signed, Sealed, published. pronounced & Declared by the above named Henry Ebey the
Testator for his last Will & Testament In the presence of us Heinrich Kuhble, Peter (X) (his
mark) Glapbrunner? Proved 29 September 1791
In Vol. B, pg. 53, of Orphans Court Records, Dauphin County, dated 13 March 1797, the distribution of Henry Eby's estate lists the following children and their spouses in the order below:
Jacob Eby - eldest son
Henry
John
Barbara, wife of John FENTZLER (Fernsler)
Anna, wife of Philip BACKER
Maria
Fronica