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| In the Name of God Amen this Twenty ninth Day of October the Thirteenth
year of his Majesties Reign George the Third King of Great Britain Anno Domini
1772 I Edward Bliven of Westerly in the County of Kings County in the Colony
of Rhode Island in New England Yeoman an [sic] being in Health of Body and
of Perfect mind and Memory Thanks be given to Almighty God for the Same But
calling to mind the Mortality of my Body and knowing that it is appointed
for Men Once to Die do make and Ordain this my last Will & Testament,
that is to say principally and first of all I give and Recommend my Soul
into the Hands of Almighty God who gave it and my Body I Commit to the Earth
to be Buried in a Christian Decent Burial at the Discretion of my Executor
hereafter Named Nothing doubting but at the General Resurrection I Shall
receive the same again by the Mighty power of God. And as Touching
such Worldly Estate wherewith it hath Pleased God to Bless me in this Life
I give Demise and dispose of the same in the following Manner & form
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Imprimus My Will is and Thereby Order my Executor to pay all my just Debts & funeral Charges out of my Estate in some convenient Time after my Decease Item My Will is and I do hereby Reserve one Quarter of an Acre of my Land for a Burying Place where my Burying Place Now is for all my Family and my Childrens Families to Bury their Dead forever hereafter Item I Give and bequeath to my beloved Daughter Freelove Saunders One Spanish Milled Dollar to be paid to her by my Executor within One Year after my Decease in addition to what I have already given her Item I give and bequeath unto my beloved Daughter Isabel Ross (Wife to Isaac Ross) my best Bed and Furniture thereunto Belonging to be Delivered unto her by my Executor for her use forever Item I give and Bequeath to my Beloved Daughter Patience Bennet (Wife of Job Bennet of Newport) One Spanish Milled Dollar to be paid to her by my Executor within One year after my Decease in addition to what I have already given her Item I give and bequeath to my beloved Daughter Mary Lewis (Wife of Joseph Lewis) one Spanish Milled Dollar to be paid to her by my Executor within one year after my Decease Also I give and bequeath to my Aforesd Daughter Mary four of my Setting Chairs to be Delivered to her by my Executor for her use forever Item I Give and bequeath to my beloved Daughter Sarah Lewis (Wife of Wait Lewis) One Spanish Milled Dollar to be paid unto her by my Executor within One Year after my Decease in addition to what I have already given her Item I give and bequeath to my Beloved Son Edward Bliven my Cane to his own Disposal forever Item I give and bequeath to my beloved Son John Bliven One Spanish Milled Dollar to be paid to him by my Executor within One Year after my Decease in addition to what I have already given him Item I give and bequeath to my Beloved Son Nathan Bliven Fifteen (?) Spanish Milled Dollars or the Value thereof to be paid to him by my Executor within One Year after my Decease also I give and bequeath to my aforesd Son Nathan Bliven all my wearing apparel Clothes to be Delivered to him by my Executor for his use forever Item I give Demise and bequeath to my Grandson Edward Bliven (Son of my Aforesd Son Edward) all my Land Together with all my Buildings to him his heirs & Assigns forever Item I give and bequeath to my Grandson Arnold Lewis (Son of Wait Lewis) upon Condition he lives and remains with me or my Executor untill [sic] he is Twenty one years old Ten Spanish Milled Dollars to be paid to him by my Executor within one year after my Decease And Furthermore it is my Will and I hereby Order my Executor succeding me to Allow the Aforesd Arnold Lewis Common Learning as Reading Writing & Arithmetic sufficient to do Common Business And also that he be put (?) to a Cordwainer and be properly applyed [sic] and Imployed [sic] in that Business to Learn the Trade And in Consideration of his Living & Remaining as Aforesd I give him a suit of Wearing Apparel Compleat [sic] of his common wearing apparel to be paid by my Executor within One Year After he is arrived to Twenty one years of age Item I give and bequeath to my Aforesd Grandson Edward Bliven all the Remainder of my personally [sic] Estate of which Kind or Nature Soever to his Disposal forever
Lastly I make and Order my Aforesd Grandson Edward Bliven
my whole and sole Executor of this my Last Will and Testament hereby Revoking
and disallowing all former Wills Legacies and bequeaths by me in anywise
(?) before Named __lled & bequeaths Ratifying &
Confirming this & No other to being last Will and Testament In
Witness whereof I have hereunto Set my Hand &
seal the Day and year first before Written
The above subscriber Isaac Ross Bliven Personally appeared before the
Town Council of Westerly April the 24th AD 1775 and made Solemn Oath that
he saw the Testator Edward Bliven Deceased Sign Seal Publish & Declare
this Instrument to be his last Will & Testament and that the Testator
at the Time of Signing the form was in Perfect Mind and Memory and that he
Signed the same as a Witness with Oliver Crary Esq & James Palmer
the two other Witnesses in the presence of the Testator Before William
Pendleton President. |
Edward Bliven