Peter Baker’s Will
In
the Name of God my Creator by whose Favour I am now
of sound & Perfect mind & Memory blessed be the Lord for the same &
for Enabling me Whilst I am amongst my Friends & Brethren to make this my
Last Will & Testament, Wherein I do Declare how my Estate shall be Disposed
of after my Decease; Imprimis And first of all I
recommend my Soul unto God my Creator & to my Saviour
Jesus Christ, And my Body to the Earth of which it is taken. Secondly I order that my Executors
hereinafter appointed & named for the Benefit & in behalf of my Dear
beloved Wife Dorothy shall Execute & fullfill the
Contents of this my Last Will & Testament as followeth. Thirdly my Executors shall sell all such of
my Household Goods which my s’d Wife doth not necessarily [???] the
Monies thereby arising they shall [???] remaining of my Estate afs’d will be an addition, my s’d
Wife Dorothy shall be Considered & by my Executors be taken care off &
Supplied out of the same with what my s’d Dear Wife
may then necessarily want. Fourthly As
touching my House & three acres of Land Which I bought for Seventy Pounds
Pennsylvania Currency of my son in Law Rudolph Harley & whereon I now
Dwell, It is my Will That my s’d Wife Dorothy shall
have the use thereof & to Live therein during her Life. Butt from & after her Decease, the same
House & Land shall Indisputably & free of & from all Claims of any
person whatsoever be & remain as it formerly his’n. And I give the same unto my s’d son in Law Rudolph Harley his Heirs & Assigns forever. Yet so that my s’d
son in Law Rudolph Harley shall pay the one third part of the afores’d Seventy Pounds unto the three Surviving Children
of my Deceased daughter Elizabeth Namely Catharine Stump, Peter Stump &
Mary Bechtelsheimer each to receive his Equal share
of my Executors as they in Course survive to their full age. Fifthly as to what Estate my s’d Dear Wife Dorothy shall leave at her Decease the same
shall be in Like Manner Divided, So that my Daughter, Mary shall have her Third
of all such Estate. And the three
Surviving & above named Children of my s’d
Deceased Daughter Elizabeth the remaining one third part thereof among them as afs’d. Butt if my s’d Daughter Mary shall Chuse to
keep some of my Household Goods, It is my Will that she shall have them at the
Value of the Appraisement thereof made by the appraisers of my Estate Paying
only one Third part thereof as afs’d, All which I
hope will be peaceably done and that each Child may receive his share in Manner
aboves’d as they arrive at their full age; And all
the foregoing I Do hereby declare to be my Last Will & Unalterable Will
& Testament, trusting that my s’d Dear Wife
Dorothy & the s’d Rudolph Harley Whom I Do hereby
nominate to be my Executors, will Execute the same Faithfully. And I having now [???]
& finished all the above which I [???] therefore, of sound mind &
Memory I have for a [???]
Hand &
Seal hereto In the presence of the [???]
Comm? Wm Plumstead Reg Gen’ll
Be
it remembered that on the 15 day of May 1758 the last will & Testament of
Peter Baker dec’d in due form of law was proved &
probate & Letters Testamentary were granted to Dorothy Baker & Rudolph
Harley Executors in the said Will named being solemnly affirmed will & Truly
to administer the decd’ts Estate & bring all inventory
thereof into the Register Gen’l’s office at Philada at or before the 15 day of June next and render a
true account where required. Given under the seal of the said Office.
Wm Plumstead
Reg Gen’l