Jonathan Fuller of Newton, Province of Massachusetts Bay, New England
Last Will written, 7 December 1720
Middlesex County Probate Court
Reference: Case Number 8755 (Vol 6, p 428)
Probate, 7 September, 1722, Cambridge, Middlesex,
Province of Massachusetts Bay, New England
(Born 1648 – Died 12 Aug., 1722)
(Jonathan2, John1 of Newton)
Transcribed November, 2015, by
Diana Spelman, Norwich, Norfolk, UK
In The name of god Amen I: Jonathan Fuller of Newton in the County of Midell[se]x within his Maj[es]t[ie]s Provinc of the Massachusets bay in New:England; yeoman: being but weakly in body but of Perfect mind and Memory thankes be given to god therefore Caling to mind the Mortalitey of my body and Knowing th[a]t it is appointed for man onst to dye Do make and ordahn this my Last will & Testament;
that is to Say princaplye and first of all I give & Recomend my Soul into the hand of god th[a]t gave it; and my body I Recomend to the Earth to be buried in decent Christian buriall att the discresion of my Executors, nothing doubting but att the Generall Resurection I Shall Recive the Same agine by the Mighty power of god; And as Touching Such worldly Estate as it hath pleased god to bless me with in this Life; I Do give, demise & dispose of the Same in the following forme & manner
Imprimis – my will is th[a]t all my Depts and Funerall Chargies Shall be payed out of my Movabell Estate by my Executors
Item – I Do give and bequeath to Mindwell my Dearly beloved wife all my Movabell Estate both within dores and without in what so Ever to be att her disposall; after my depts & funerall Chargies are defrayed & discharged
Item – I Do give and bequeath unto my Loving Kinsman Jonathan Fuller sone of my Brother Joseph Fuller and to his heirs and assignes for Ever; on Consideration th[a]t he hath undertaken to Mannig my place for me Now I am not able to Mannig it my Selfe, all and Singluer my Housing & Lands Situat Liyng & being in Newton; obliging him & his heirs to pay Annualy the Sume of twelve poundes in money to Mindwell my Dearly beloved wife dewering her Naturall Life; and to have the End of the house we Now dwell in, and Such Roome in the Celler as Shee Shall Stand in Need of, and So much wood to burne Reddy Cutt and Carted home as She Shall Stand in Need of; and to provide her a horse to Ride on to Meeting or whear & when Shee Shall have ocasion to Ride; as also th[a]t She Shall have the Liberty of gathering apples in the orchard for her owne Eating as allso to have Liberty of Egrece & Regrece to & about the house and well & for all her Necssary ocasions all which is to be done for her by my Said Kinsman Jonathan Fuller his heirs or assignes from time to time & att all times dwering her Naturall Life
Item – I do give & bequeath to my Kinsman Jonathan Fuller Sone of my Brother John Fuller the Sume of Twenty poundes in or as money to be payed him out of my housing & Lands by the affores[ai]d Jonathan Fuller within three years next after the decices of my Loving wife
Item – I do give and bequeath to Jonath Hides sone of my Sister Elizabeth the wife of Jobe Hides Late of Newton dec[ea]s[e]d the Sume of ten poundes in or as money to be paid him out of my housing & Lands by my Kinsman s[ai]d Jonathan Fuller to whome I have bequeathed by housing & Lands
Item – I do give and bequeath to Hannah Hides & mindwell Hides & Eliezer Hides the Children of Hannah Hides the Late wife of Eliezer Hides the Sume of two poundes & ten Shillings to be paid them in or as money by my Said Kinsman Jonathan Fuller out of my housing & Lands with in three years next after the decic[e]s of my Loving wife.
Item – I do give and bequeath to Bethiah the wife of Nathaniell Oliver the Sume of two poundes & ten Shillinges in or as money to be paid her out of my housing & Landes by my Kinsman Jonathan Fuller to whom I have bequeathed my housing & Landes within three yeares next after the decec of my Loving wife
Item – I do give and bequeath to Each and Every one of my first Cussins in blood Relation whose names are not heartofore Named in this my will the Sume of ten Shillings in or as Money to be paid to them out of my housing and Landes by my Said Kinsman Jonathan Fuller to whome I have bequeathed my housing & lands with in three yeare next after the dec[ea]s of my Loving wife
Item – I do give and bequeath to Mr John Cotton oure Reverand Pastor the Sume of five poundes in Money to be paid to him out of my housing & Landes by my Said Kinsman Jonathan Fuller to whome I have bequeathed my housing & Landes within one yeare next after the dec[ea]s of my said Loving wife
And – I do Constitute, mak and ordain Mindwell Fuller my dearly belov-ed wife; and my Kinsman the Said Jonathan Fuller to whome I have be queathed my Housing & Lands to be my Sole Executor & Executorix to this my Last will & Testament: And I do hearby disalowe Revoke and make voide all former and other wills and bequests by me willed & bequested Ratefing & Confirming this and none other to be my Last will & Testament
In Witnes wheare of I have heareunto Sett my hand and Seale the Seventh day of december Anno Domini one thousand Seven hundred & twenty in the Seventh yeare of the Reigne of oure Sov[ereign] Lord Geoarge of Great Brittan King &c
Signed, sealed; published and pronounced to be the Last will & Testament of Jonathan Fuller in presenc of
John Staples
Moses Craft
Hannah Clark [signed] Jonathan Fuller
Probate: Midd[lesex] County Cambridge 7th Sept 1722
Mem[oran]dum This will of Jonathan Fuller late of Newton afores[ai]d dec[ease]d was p[re]sented for probate this day by his widow Mindfull & Jonathan Fuller the Execut[o]rs therein named & the three Witnesses thereto subscribed were p[re]sent & upon their Solemn Oath Testify th[a]t they saw the s[ai]d Testator Sign Seal & deliver this instum[en]t
& heard him declare the same to be his last Will & Testament & th[a]t he was then of Sound mind & understanding, & th[a]t they Set thereto their names as Witnesses in the s[ai]d Testat[o]rs presence & at Same time the s[ai]d widow declared herself Content with her Legacies, She together with the s[ai]d Jonathan Accepted
their s[ai]d Trust & gave bond in 200£ to pay the s[ai]d Testators debts & Legacies & p[er]form the s[ai]d Will &c And the same is proved & approved & the adm[inistratio]n of the s[aid] dec[ess]eds Estate & of his s[aid] last Will in any maner concerning is Com[m]itted to the s[ai]d two fore-named Executors faithfully to p[er]form the s[ai]d Will &c & bond is taken as afores[ai]d. Done die supra [on the given date above]
Att[estum] F Foxcroft quid p..
P[re]sent Capt[ai]n Jos Fuller Newton, John Staples who also writt this will saye the Testator made a former Will ab[ou]t five yeares agoe of the same import saveing the addition of som Legacys, in this will
FF
Bond:
Sep[tembe]r 7, 1722 200£
Know all men by these p[re]sents th[a]t We Mindwell Fuller Widdow & Jonathan Fuller & Joseph Fuller husband-men all of Newton in the county of Middlesex in the Province of the Massachusets Bay in New England stand firmly bound & Obliged unto Francis Foxcroft Esq[ui]re Judge of the Probate of Wills &c for the s[ai]d County of Middlesex in the sume of two hundred pounds in current Money of s[ai]d Province To be paid to the said Judge, his success[o]rs in the s[ai]d Office, to his or their Ass-ignes, To which payment We bind ourselves & each of us, our & each of our heires Executors & Administrat[o]rs Jointly & severally for the whol p[ar]tes the whol firmly by these p[re]sents Sealed w[i]th our Seals Dated the Seventh day of September 1722, & of K George 9o
The Condition of the above written Obligation is such That Whereas the above bounden Mindwell Fullar, and Jonathan Fullar Have this day taken upon them the Executorship of the last will & Testament of the late Jonathan Fullar of Newton in the county aboves[ai]d dec[eas]ed (by this day) proving the same Now If they the s[ai]d Mindwell & Jona[than] Fullar (who are Exec[uto]rs in s[ai]d Will, named) shall well and truly pay the s[ai]d Testat[o]rs Debts & Legacies & in all things fully discharge their office in any manner respecting s[ai]d Will, I say them or either of them then or either of their heires Executors Adm[inistrato]rs &c Then this Abovewritten Obligaco[n] Shall be Void, else not.
Sign[e]d seal[e]d & Deliver[e]d [signed] Mindwel Fuller widow
In presence of us [signed] Jonathan Fuller
John Staples [signed] Joseph Fuller
Fra[ncis] Foxcroft Jun[io]r
Source:
Middlesex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1648-1871. New England Historic Genealogical Society, online database, 2014. From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives, Boston, MA, USA.