In the name of God Amen
The fifth day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred fifty four I Isaac Dye of the County of Middlesex and Province New Jersey, yeoman, being in a low state of health and weak in body but in perfect mind and memory thanks be given unto God therefore calling to mind the mortatility of my body and knowing that it is appointed for all men 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 hand of God that gave it and for my body I recommend to the Earth to be buried in a Christian Like manner at the discretion of my "executors". Nothing doubting but at the general resurrection I shall receive the same again by the mighty power of God and as leaving such wordly estate where with it hath pleased God to bless me with in this life I give bequeath and dispose of the same in the following manner and form.
First. It is my will that my just debts and funeral charges be first of all paid and satisfied.
Item. It is my will and I do here by order that after my death when my executors think proper that all money due to me be collected and that they make sale of a wood lot belonging to me lying in Somerset County upon and near xxxxx the first mountain containing forty eight acres more or less and likewise one hundred acres of the south side of my plantation to be sold to be surveyed off as follows. Beginning at the south east corner of my plantation and turning as the line runs till it comes to Rariton River and from thence xxxx the said river until it comes to the first gulley and binding on the same till it comes on the east side of the swamp and from thence a course till it comes to the outside line of the aforesaid plantation. Turning such a course from xxxxx as will exactly make xxx the compliment of the aforesaid 100 acres which said xxx certain lots as parcels of xxx to be sold by my executors in the best manner as they shall think proper and I do hereby enable them to make and execute a regular and sufficient title for the same to stand in full force forever and likewise to make sale of such moveables as they shall think my widow can reasonably and the money arising out of all those sales after my just debts is fully paid and allowing my widdow as much of the money as they shall see necessary for her present occupation then the remaindor of the money to be put out on interest and my widdow to be intitled the yearly interest thereof. Together with the sale of the remainder part of my plantation for her life and maintenance therefore of bringing up support and schooling of my children during her widdowhood further it is my will that my executors bind out my son Isaac to some trade which the boy and executors shall best think proper to foresaid boy to be bound out till he arive to the age of twenty one years this servitude begin at any time at the discretion of my executors...........
Item
Whereas it appears that my wife is now pregnant and if she brings forth a daughter then after the death or marriange of my wife I do thereby ordor that my house and remaindor part of my lands be sold by my executor at public issue and that my son Isaac shall have for his portion 400 pounds money for his portion and the remaindor of all my estate which will then be left be equally divided among my daughters namely Catherine, Hannah, Sarah, Usallar, the other daughter which is suppos'd my foresaid wife may bring forth but if any of my daughters should die before they or any of them inherts their portions then the share of the deceased shall be equally divided the rest of my daughters so living. But if my wife brings forth a son he shall be entitled to be supported in proportion with the rest of my children and to be bound out to a trade after the same manner as is prescribed toward my son Isaac and then I give my son Isaac 5 shillings for his birthright and orders that of remainder and out of my plantation and equally divided amongst my aforesaid two sons in equal proporitons which division shall not be made till after the marriage or death of my said wife and then division may be made provided my son Isaac shall be of the are 21 and then my executor is hereby enabled to divide aforesaid xxxxx and give my said son Isaac his part in possession to him, his heirs, his assigns for ever and to my preserve my said youngest sons part till he arrives to the same age and then to deliver him possession of his part of aforesaid land which I given to him his heirs and assigns for ever then my daughters to have only an equal share of the remaindor part of my movable estate but to demonstrate my will further if in case aforesaid wife brings forth a son as hath before been mentions and if either of either of my aforesaid sons should die before division is made of their portions as hath been mentioned then he that remains alive shall only be entitle to have 400 pounds for his portion out of the sale of the foresaid land and the daughters to have an equal share of the overflush and lastly I constitute make and ordain my true and trusted friend William Williamson and Jeremiah Field of foresaid Middlesex County and Province and Peter Williamson of Somerset County to be my executors of this my last will and testament and to their survivors full power to act and do as herein directed and I do hereby uterly disalow revoke and disanull all and every other former testaments wills legacies bequests executed by me in any way before this time named willed and bequeathed, ratifying and confirming this and no other, to be my last will and testament in witness thereof I have here unto set my hand and seal the day and year above written
sign'd seal'd publish'd pronounc'd and declared by the said
Isaac Dye as his last will and testament in that preference
as the subscribers viz .... the words (for his portion) in the 38 line of the first item..
signed by
Proved 24 Aug. 1754
Recorded in book F of
Wills, page 200
Be it remembered that on the 24th day of august one thousand seven hundred fifty four before me Thomas Barton duly authorized personally came William Wortman and Elias Van Court two of the wittnesses to the within will and they being duly sworn on the Holy Evangilist do dipose that they were present and saw Isaac Dye the testator within named sign and seal the within written will and heard him publish promise and declare the same to be his last will and testament and that at the doing thereof he was of sound mind and memory to the best of their knowledge and as they verily believed at this same time William Olden was present as a witness as did they who signed as witnesses in the testators witness. Thomas Barrow.
Be it also remembered at the same time William Williamson, Jeremiah Field and Peter Williamson the executors within named came before me and were sworn to the due execution of this within will seconding to them xxxxxxxx
Thomas Barton
An Inventory of the Movable Estate of Isaac Dye
In money in the house 52.3.5
sundry wearing apparial 8.0.0
a xxxx 0.3.0
a gun and amunition 0.14.0
sundry books 2.10.0
2 beds, bedsteds, rugs, blankets and all the furniture 9.0.0
a cupboard 2.6.0
2 tables 0.16.0
2 chests and a trunk 0.16.0
8 chairs 0.11.0
a tea kittle teapot and its furniture 0.14.0
a looking glass 0.2.6
an old warming pan 0.2.0
a large iron kittle and pots 2.0.0
a xxx hand xxxx 0.12.0
a shovel and tongs 0.5.0
a xxxx iron 0.1.6
a frying pan 0.3.6.
5 pewter xxxx 0.12.0
5 pewter platters 0.6.0
a pewter quart and tankard 0.7.0
a cradel old case of bottles 0.6.0.
9 pewter xxxx 0.9.0
14 pewter spoons 0.2.6.
3 bottles 0.3.0
4 pails 0.1.0
1 churn 0.8.0
2 trays 0.1.0
4 hogshead 0.8.0
3 barrels 0.9.0
a soap tub or lye cask 0.7.0
an old saddle 0.5.0
a xxxx saddle 1.0.0
a bridle 0.2.0
sundry carpenter tools and saws 0.17.0
4 old baskets 0.1.0
an old side of xxxx 0.1.0
an earthen pot 0.1.0
2 tin cups 0.1.0
an old gray horse 0.11.0
a sorrel mare and colt 10.0.0
a black mare 1.15.0
a chestnut sorrel mare 5.0.0
a bay mare 5.0.0
black stalyon 7.0.0
a sorrle mare and colt 1.10.0
a black colt 2.0.0
a white face cow 2.10.0
a pide cow 2.10.0.
a black pide cow 2.15.0
a dark brown cow 2.10.0
a white pide cow 2.15.0
17 sheep 2.0.0
3 caqlfs 1.10.0
a young bull 1.5.0
a young heiffer 1.5.0
a young steer 1.5.0
a large swine 1.0.0
6 small swine 3.3.0
8 geese 0.8.0
a xxxx of fowls 0.2.6
a waggon and tacking 4.10.0
old plough 1.10.0
old wedges 0.2.6
2 axes 0.6.0
4 hoes 0.9.0
a spade 0.1.2
3 sythes 0.1.2
a stack of oats 2.0.0
a barrrack of wheat and some rye 12.0.0
some flax 1.15.0
all the hay 1.5.0
an old dye pot 0.2.6
2 small wheels 0.14.0
a large wheel 0.6.0
an old taar pot 0.0.9
Total (?) 189.15.10
Signed
William Williamson
Peter Williamson
Jeremiah Field