WILL OF NATHAN3 TERRILL (JOHN2, ROGER1) OF NORTH STRATFORD, CT
WRITTEN 14 MAY 1746, PROBATED 6 AUGUST 1754
Transcription by Nancy Tyrrel Theodore, 10 April 2012
In the Name of God Amen I Nathan Terril of North Stratford in ye County of Fairfield being Weakly of body but of Sound mind & memory thanks be to god therefor Calling to minde ye mortality of my body and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die do make and ordain this my Last Will and testament that is to say Principally and first of all I Give and Recommend my Soul into the hands of god that gave it and my body I Recommend to a Decent Burial nothing Doubting but at ye General Resurrection I shall Resume the same again by ye mighty power of God and as touching my ^worldly Estate I give Devise and Dispose of the Same in the following manner and form:
Imprimis I give and bequeath to Ruth my beloved Wife that my Just Debts and Funeral Charges are paid all my household goods and other moveable Estate to be her own forever further I give to my said Wife one third part of my Dwelling house and one third part of all my Land and one third part of my Grist mill & one third part of my Sawmill to be for her use During her Natural Life.
Item I Give to my Eldest Son David Terril three acres of Land Lying at the Southerly End of the Land I Purchased of Theophilus Nickols Esq.
Item I give to my Daughter Ruth Sherman five Shillings which together with what She hath had already is the whole of her Portion.
Item. I give to my Daughter Abigail Terril five shillings, further my Will is that the Remainder of my Estate Shall be divided [to and among] my Children Hereafter Named and in ye following manner viz: David Terril Jonathan Terril Nathan Terril Asel Terril & Hezekiah Terril Comfort Eunice and Lowis [Lois] Terril my Said Sons to Divide Equally in said Remainder of my Estate and my Said Daughters Comfort Eunice and Lowis to divide equal in ye Same my Said Daughters Comfort Eunice and Lowis each of these to have two thirds similarly as each of my Sons before Named yet further my Will is that if my Estate shall amount so that my Daughters Comfort Eunice and Lowis shall have more then fifty one pounds each then that my Daughter Abigail Terril shall have an Equal Share with them In short if above fifty one pounds above said.
Furthermore I do hereby Constitute make and ordain my beloved Wife Ruth and my Son David Terril to be my Executors sd of this my Last Will and Testament and I do hereby uterly revoke all other Wills or testaments by me made Ratifying and Confirming this and no other to be my Last Will and testament in Witness Whereof I have hereunto Set my hand and Seal this Fourteenth Day of May Anno Domini 1746.
Signed Sealed and Declared
By the Said Nathan Terril
As his Last Will and testament
In presence of us who Signed as
Witnesses in presence of ye testator
and one another
Hez Odell
Ephraim Burton
Aazariah Odell
Att a Court of Probate held in Fairfield August 6th Day 1754 then Personally appeared Hezk Odell & Araziah Odell two of the witnesses to ye foregoing Will and made Oath that they Saw Nathan Turrel Signer & Sealer to ye foregoing will Sign and Seal ye Same & heard him declare To me to be his Last will & testament & and that they Judge him to be of sound Mind & Memory & that they Signed and Witnessed in ye presence of ye Testator and saw ye Other Witness sign ye same. Att Said Court personally appeared Ruth and David Turrell Named Execrs to sd Will & accepted ye trust Committed to them by ye Testator & they then Exhibited sd will in order for Probation & ye same being proved is by sd Court approved & Ordered to be recorded.
[There is an inventory for Nathan3's estate (Original document, PDF, 1.8 MB Fairfield Probate Court, LDS #4275, Vol. 11), completed 9 August 1754 by Isaac Bennitt and Solomon Burton in the amount of £2815, a sizeable estate for the times. To be transcribed at a later date.]
Att A Court of Probate held in Fairfield August 12th AD: 1754 Whereas an Inventory of ye Estate of David Nathan Turrell Late of Stratford Decd hath been Exhibited ye Reall part whereof is £2815: which said Court orders shall be Divided to & among ye Widow and Children of Said Decd according to ye Last Will & Testament of said Decd. And said Court doth hereby appoint & Impower Messrs Theophilus Nichols Esqr Isaac Bennit & Solomon Burton all of said Stratford ^Except sd Bennit who is of Fairfield freeholders to Make Distribution & Division of Said Estate according to said Last Will & Testament: only allowing & Discounting to Comfort one of ye Daughters of sd Decd ye Sum of One hundred & fifteen pounds ^which she hath recd as per Rect Shewn to said Court dated August 8th 1754.
Make return hereof.
[Distribution of Nathan's estate was completed 3 September 1754. (Original document, PDF, 1.6 MB, Fairfield Probate Court, LDS #4275, Vol. 11.) To be transcribed at a later date.]