In the Name of God Amen
I Joseph Dow of Hampton, in ye Province of New Hampshire in New England haveing through Gods goodness, still my understanding & Memory, in some good measure, * * *
2ly: I give unto Mary my Beloved Wife, my best Bed with all things therunto belonging my best Iron Pot, Iron Kettle, tramell, Bible, warming Pan thre Cyder Barrels and such other of my Household goods as she shall have occation of for hir own use (not heerafter otherwayes Disposed of) for Ever.
Also, I give unto my wife so long as shee shall Remain a Widdo, yearly and Every year hir liveing in the House yt I now live in, withe so much Cham’ber Room, & Cellar Room as shee shall have occation of for hir own use, and also yearly, & Ever year so long as shee Remain a widdo ten bushels of Indian Corn, one bushel of Wheat, one bushel of Rye, two bushels of Malt, one hundred & twenty pound of Pork neat weight Eighty pound of Beef, thirty pound of Mutton, (all good & marchantable) also the milk of two Cows, three Barrels of Cyder, twelve Bushels of Apples for Winter, and what Apples shee shall have occation for in the sum’er, ten load of wood Cut fit for the fire, also ten pound of Cotten Wool & flax, twelve pound of sheeps wool, all to be payd Annually (so long as my wife Remain a widdo) by my son Josiah.
3ly: I give to my beloved son Joseph, beside what I have already given him, Emediately after my Deceass, my part of a Lott of Land neer grape Hill (so Called) layd out to the name of Cobham, my Com’onage in Salisbury, and after my wives Deceas, or marriage one half of my peece of marsh bought of Richard Hubbard, yt is one half of that which layeth to the westward of the Iland of upland Joyning to his own Marsh, to him his heirs & Assignes for Ever.
4ly: I give to my beloved son John beside what he hath alredy had, Emediately after my Deceas, my Lot of Land in the North Division (so Called) being in Hampton, and a Quarter of my share of Cow Com’on in Hampton.
5ly: I give to my beloved Son Henery Emediately after my Deceas; My House, & Barn & orchard at Salisbury, & about Eleven Acres of Land as it is alredy bounded and in his possesion. And after my Wifes Deceas, or Marriage my peece of marsh Laying neer the westerly End of the Cross Beach so Called. to him his heirs & Assignes for Ever he paying such Legecyes as Heerafter mentioned, to be payd by him.
6ly: I give to my beloved Son Jeremiah, Emediately after my Deceas, about thirteen Acres of Land at Salisbury, as it is alredy bounded on which his House, & Barn standeth, & is alredy in his Possession; and my Cross Cutt Saw. And after my wifes Deceas, or Marriage, my Peece of marsh on the southerly side of the Cross Beach Joyning in part to his own marsh to him his heirs and Assignes for Ever.
7ly: I give to my beloved Son Josiah, Emediately after my Deceas my House & Land I now live upon, Barn, orchard, out houses being in Hampton, Cellars Cyder mill, press, Also my six Acres of marsh bought of Thomas Philbrick, one half of my part of flats at the Beach that is undivided, four Acres of my Lott in Halls farm at the End of my Lott next to Thomas Crams, a small peece of marsh in that Lott I bought of Richard Hubbard, between the Iland and the River, also my Lott of Land in the west Division, my peece of Land bought of Wymond Bradbury, one Quarter of my share of Cow Com’on in Hampton. also all my stock of Cattle, sheep, & swine, all my Implements of Husbandry, & Hat Boate. Also my Broadest Loom, with one half of all the tackleing belong to weaveing, my Books, and Box of wrightings my Chest Dated . . . with what is in it, my biggest Iron Pott, tow Comb, Beding and Bed Cloathes not otherwayes disposed of in this my will, Cyder Cask and such other things belonging to the House as my wife hath not occation of for hir own use all abovesd to him, his heirs, & Assignes for Ever, always Reserving House Room & Cellar Room for my wife as aforesd.
Also I give unto him all Debts Due unto me of one sort or other.
Also, I give unto my son Josiah, the use & Improvement of all my other marsh, & mowing ground, flatts, and the Rest of my Lott in Halls ffarm within fence, so long as my wife shall Remain a Widdo. Always provided, that he doth perform what I have ordered him to do.
8ly I give unto my beloved Son Thomas, Emediately after my Deceas, about thirteen Acres of Land in Salisbury as it is alredy bounded Joyning to the Land given to my son Jeremiah, also my Peece of Land in the great Plain (so Called) if I have not occation to sell that peece in my Life time. also I give unto him one Quarter of my share of Cow Com’on in Hampton. Also I give unto him after my Wifes Deceas, or Marriage my Ditch medow so Called, to him his heirs, & Assignes for Ever.
9ly I give to my beloved son Samuel, at the age of twenty one years about fower acres of Land at the south End of my Lott in Halls farme which is not fenced, my grant of Land at the New Plantation, and one Quarter of my share of Cow Com’on in Hampton, also my Narrowest Loom, & one half of my tackling belonging to weaveing. And after my Wifes Deceas, or marriage, I give unto him the Rest of my Lott in Halls farm (Excepting fower Acres given to Josiah.) and also my Peece of mowing ground on the North side of the Cross Beach which is already Divided to Me, to him, his heirs & Assignes for Ever.
Item, I give to my beloved Daughter Mary, the Bed shee useth to lay upon with all things therunto belonging; also ten pounds in marchantable Pay at mony price, to be payd as followeth: forty shillings in the month of October that shall happen to be six compleat Kallender months after my Deceas: and so Annually in October forty shillings a year untill the ten pounds be payd. this to be payd by my son Josiah.
Itt: I give to my Beloved Daughter Han’ah ffowler, twelve pounds in marchantable pay at mony price, to be payd as followeth: fower pounds in the month of October, that shall happen to be six Compleat Kallender months after my Deceas, and so fower pounds in the month october yearly untill the twelve pounds be payd. this twelve pounds to be payd by Son Henery.
Item, I give to my Beloved Daughter Charity, twelve Pounds in Marchantable pay at mony price, to be payd as followeth: forty Shillings in the month october, that shall happen to be six Kallender months after my Deceas, and so forty shillings every year in the month october untill the twelve pounds to be payd. this twelve pounds to be payd by my Son Josiah. Also it is to be understood that if it be no six Kallander months from the time of my Deceas, to the next following october, then the first payment to Every one of my Daughters is to be the next october following. and no horse Kind to be payd to any of my Daughters without their Consent.
Itt: After my wifes Deceas or marriage, I give unto my sons, Henery, Jeremiah, Thomas, & Samuel the other half of my part of the flats at the Beach that is not yet Divided, (between my sons Joseph & John and myself.) to them their heirs & Assignes for Ever.
It: My Will and Desire is, that my son Samuel should Live with my son Josiah, untill such time as he is twenty one years of Age, my son Josiah finding him Convenient Meat, Drink, Cloathes, washing & Lodging, and Teaching him the trade of Weaveing to the utmost of his Abillity, Also to be helpfull to him in his Wrighting & Arithmatick. And for my grandchild Philip that now liveth with me I leave to his ffather, & my son Josiah to agree Concerning him.
Lastly I Do Constitute, & Appoint my son Josiah, my sole Executor to this my will, & Testament, written with my own hand. And for the further Confirmation therof I have hereunto sett my hand, & Seal, this twenty & ninth day of the first month in the year of our Lord, one Thousand seven hundred & three
Joseph Dow [seal]
Signed, & Sealed in the
presence of us as Witnesses
Jonathan Philbrick
John ffrench
william Brown
Joseph mecres
[Proved April 19, 1703.]
[Inventory of the estate of Joseph Dow, who died April 4, 1703; amount, £369.12.0; signed by Benjamin Brown and Moses Swett.]