In the name of God Amen I Christian Stauffer of Colebrookdale township in the county of Berks and state of Pennsylvania yeoman, being sick of body, but of sound and dispensing mind memory and understanding praised be the Lord for the same, to hereby make my last will and testament, in the manner following that is to say
First I will that all my just debts and funeral expenses shall be duly paid and satisfied.
Item - I give unto my beloved wife Sussannah all my real and personal estate whatsoever-to hold 100 pounds thereof to her, her heirs and assigns for ever and the residence to hold during her natural life only-and I will and declare that what I have herein given to my said wife is and shall be in liew and full satisfaction of her dower octhirds [?] in all my estate real and personal and not otherwise.
And whereas in and by a certain Articles of Agreement made between myself of the one part, and my son John Stauffer of the other part, I have agreed to convey on to him the plantation he now dwells on, situated in Colebrookdale Township, Berks County aforesaid, containing about 100 acres, be the same more or less, out of which he is to pay yet the sum of 150 pounds/ after deducting what I allowed him toward his legacy as agreed on-but as no actual conveyance is executed for the aforesaid plantation on to my son the said John Stauffer - it is my will and do direct, authorize and empower by executors hereinafter named or the survivors of them, to make, execute and acknowledge all and every such further act or acts, deed or deeds, devise or devices in the law whatsoever for assuring and confirming of the same onto my said son John Stauffer, his heirs and assigns forever. As by him or them or by his or their counsel deemed in the State[?] shall be reasonably devised, advised, or required. He the said John Stauffer or his heirs, paying the 150 pounds aforesaid onto my esstate, for the use of my said wife aforesaid - I likewise will and do direct, authorize, and empower my executors or the survivors of them to make execute and acknowledge all and every such reasonable act or acts, deed or deeds, device or devices in the law whatsoever for the conveying and asswing[?] of a certain lot of ground containing about two and one quarter acres, as agreed on, onto Peter Mudhard, his heirs and assigns forever as by him or them or by his or their counsel learned in the law shall be reasonably devised, advised, or required-
Item I give devise / from and immediately after the decease of my said wife/onto my grandson grandson John Yerger / only son of my late daughter Anna deceased all of my plantation, consisting of three tracts -/ being the whole of my real estate, will'd to my said wife during her natural life, with the appintenanies [?] , to hold to him and his heirs and assigns forever, upon this condition, then he shale [sic] ["sush" appears to be crossed out] pay or cause to be paid for the same onto my estate such a reasonable sum as may be adjudged by impartial men -which appointment shall be made in the following manner, to suit my executors or the survivors of them, shall appoint one man, my said grandson shall appoint another, and if these two men disagree they shall themselves appoint a third man, and whatever they or any two of them agree to shall be the sum he is to pay - which sum, together with the principal estate, which may be left after the decease of my said wife (exclusive of the said 100 pounds will'd to her absolutely) shall be disposed of as follows - to wit - I give the sum of 50 pounds thereof onto my son- in- law John Landes [sic] for the assistance he gave me in hawling[?] logs[?] while I was building - the sum of twenty seven pounds and six shillings thereof onto my grand children born of the body of my daughter Esther, which together with what I have already given onto my said daughter Esther, will make an equal share of what I have given my children already - and the residue thereof I give on to my grand children, that is to say, one full equal forth part thereof onto the children born of the body of my said daughter Esther - One full equal forth part thereof onto the children of my said son John - One full equal forth part thereof onto the said John Yerger the only son of my late daughter Anna, and one full equal forth part thereof onto the children born of my daughter Mary - to hold the same to them, their heirs and assigns separately forever-
Item it is my will and do hereby order, that if it should so happen that said son [sic] John Yerger should die in his minority, unmarried and without leaving issue in such case, all and whatever I will'd unto him, shall fall onto my other grand children, and be divided amongst agreeable to the mode above prescribed.
And lastly I command and appoint my said wife Sussannah to be executrix, and my said son in law John Landes to be executor of this my last will and testament, utterly disallowing revoking, and disanulling all and every other former testaments, wills, legicies and laecutors [?] - by me in any way before this time named will'd and bequeathed ratifying and confirming this and no other to be my last will and testament. In witness whereof I have hereonto set my hand and seal the eighth day of April in the year of all our Lord One thousand seven hundred and ninety seven-
Signed sealed published pronounced
and declared by the said Christian ~….............. Christian Stauffer
Stauffer as his last will and testament
in the presence of us the subscribers viz
………. his
Abraham x Meyer
………. mark
Peter Richards
Go to Lane Maxwell’s Home Page for links to his other projects such as: his ’57 TBird kit car, his genealogy research, his solar heating projects, his wacky inventions, his scrap lumber garage, and perhaps more.