Will
of Michael Koppenhefer Senior deceased
Endered
in Will Book
D.
page 319
In
the name of God Amen I Michael Koppenhefer Senior of Upper Paxton Township in
the County of Dauphin and State of Pennsylvania, Farmer being at present in a
healthy state of body and of sound mind and memory, /thanks be to God/, but
considering my advance age and mortality, I ordain and Constitute this my last
Will and Testament in manner following that is to say, I recommend my soul in
the hands of Almighty God and my body to the earth, to be buried in decent
Christian Burial according to the direction of my Executors, and as touching
such worldly Estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bleƒs
me in this life. I give and dispose of the same in the following manner and
form, that is to say…
I give and bequeath after my Death to Eve my beloved Wife,
that she shall have for her Maintenances out of my landed estate wherein I now
as yet dwell, the Articles and Conveniences more particularly described and
mentioned in a certain bond of performance Signed and Sealed by my Son Michael.
said Bond having even date? herewith that is to say, She shall have the use and
poƒseƒsion
of my house wherein I now live to her Commodity, and also the privilege of the
Barn Stable and the other buildings for her use, as she may have need for.
Of the Winter grain, she shall have the one halfe part of the third part
which will be raised on my plantation. Also the one halfe of the third part of
the Buchla? wheat, six bushels of good shell'd Indian corn, said grain shall be
delivered unto her by my Son Michael in the Bushel in good Order and in proper
season, and he shall take her grain to the Mill and bring it ground unto her
where she may __?___.
He my son Michael shall also give her seven bushels of
potatoe he shall also give her the one
halfe of the third part of the fruit on the fruit trees, he shall sow for her
use a quarter acre of flax with flax seed in such land as may be fit,
therefore she shall have the privilege of the part of the garden which I
now occupy, which shall be kept in a proper State of Manure? by my Son Michael,
he shall supply her with good firewood, which shall be cut and splitted and put
up where it may be easy to apply for making fires. He shall also keep one cow,
which shall by him sufficiently fed and pastured in such order as she may think
conveniently.
He shall also allow my said Wife a Horse Creature? when and
as often need shall require. he shall also feed two sheep for her use, which
said cow and sheep I do hereby give her out of my stock I have or shall have at
the time of my decease. It is to be well understood, that she my said Wife shall
receive the above articles/except the cow and sheep which I hereby give her/duly
and Annually without any diminution during her life time.
In case my Son Michael should build a new Dwelling house on
these premiƒses,
then and in such Case I Order and direct that he shall give her a Convenient
Room with privilege in the Kitchen and Cellar as she may have need for her use.
I also give and bequeath to my said Wife after my decease her Bed Bedstead and
bed cloths thereto belonging and also she shall select for her Use such Articles
out of the household and Kitchen furniture as she may think proper and be
thereof poƒseƒsed
during life.
She shall have the ten plate stove which I have now and be
poƒseƒsed thereof
during her natural life.
And whereas I have different Obligations in hand yet of
George Michael Groff(Groh or Groft) of certain monies due to me each containing
the sum of thirty pounds. My Will and direction is that my Wife shall Receive
the amount of the first of said bonds, which shall become due after my decease
for her own use and she may have the same to deal therewith at her discretion,
also the first payment which my son Michael shall have to pay out of the land
which I give him Containing twenty pounds, which said sum I give her my said
Wife also at her discretion to deal therewith as she may think proper.
She shall have my chest and her spinning wheel, and be poƒseƒsed
thereof during life, and in Case my
said Wife should become troublesome by reason of Sickneƒs or Impotency or otherwise, and as I wish to have them of my
Children in some measure Recompensed, who shall or may have the trouble with her
in her Sickneƒs
and Decease, I therefore give her hereby full power and Authority to make any of
them such reasonable satisfaction for their trouble as she may think proper out
of the goods aƒsigned
to her.
I give and leave my Plantation and Tract of Land whereon I
as yet dwell, unto my Son Michael
Koppenhefer and to his heirs and aƒsigns forever-he paying thereout? and thereupon? to his
Brothers and Sisters /and to my wife aforesaid/the just and full sum of Three
hundred and fifty pounds lawful money of Pennsylvania;
in such payments and at such times as shall hereafter be more fully set
forth and directed/that is to say/One Year after the date of my decease, he
shall pay unto my Wife twenty pounds lawful money of this State. Two Years after
my decease he shall pay unto my Son Martinus
the sum of twenty pounds. Three Years after my decease he shall pay unto my
Daughter Elizabeth Wife of William
Bordner the sum of twenty pounds. Four Years after my decease he shall pay unto
my Son John the sum of twenty pounds.
Five Years after my decease he shall pay unto Catharine
Wife of George Bonawitz the sum of twenty pounds. Six Years after my decease he
shall pay unto Frederick my Son the
sum of twenty pounds. Seven Years after my decease he shall pay unto my Daughter
Eve Wife of Jacob Myer the sum of
twenty pounds. In the eighth Year after my decease he shall pay the sum of
twenty pounds unto my said Wife and so forth he shall pay unto his Brothers and
Sisters Yearly and every Year the sum of twenty pounds in such Manner according
their Ages in such turns as above directed.
And when he has pay'd as above mentioned he shall have paid the sum of
two hundred and eighty pounds, there
will be a balance of seventy pounds unpaid, therefore it is my Will that the sum
be paid by my Son Michael as aforesaid in payments of ten pounds to my Wife and
Children in such Yearly payments as above mentioned. It is to be well understood that by these last mentioned
payments, my wife will be entitled
to receive the sum of thirty more than I at first bequeathed to her, but my Will
is that she shall have it also in addition to the first mentioned sum in such
manner as I have directed. I will have it to be well understood, that my son
Michael shall not inherit any share of the foregoing payments, as I have given
him his part or share in the Land or premiƒses which I gave him, so as he has not leƒs
of patrimony than any of his Brothers or Sisters.
I also give him the old waggon which I now have on the
premiƒses and
whereas my said Son Michael has to give shares out of the grain in which is to
be raised on the premiƒses.
I therefore order and direct that the grain in the field in the _?___shall be poƒseƒsed
and enjoyed by my son Michael and also the hay and other feed on the premiƒses without paying therefor to his
Brothers and Sisters.
I ordain that all my personal estate,
/except the Articles aƒsigned
for my Wife and Son Michael/ shall be sold at publick vendue, and after Debts be
discharged /if any there be/ and the produce thereof shall be equally divided
among my Six Children, /my Son Michael excepted, who shall have no share
therein/ also of the Cash which I shall have at the time of my decease/
excepting the third part thereof which I aƒsign
also to my wife/Also of Bonds, Notes
and Book debts I ordain the produce thereof to be divided among my said Six
Children as aforesaid, Excepting the Bond aƒsigned to my Wife as aforesaid.
And now having endeavored to be plain and explicit in all
the devises, I hope and trust,
that no disputes will arise concerning the same,
but if Contrary to Expectation the Case should be otherwise from the want
of legal expreƒsion
or the use of technical terms or because too much or too little has been said on
any of the devises to be Consonant with Law.
My Will and Direction expreƒsly is, that all disputes/if unhappily any
should arise/ shall be decided by three Impartial and intelligent Men,
Inhabitants of this vicinity, known for their probity and good understanding,
two to be chosen by the inhabitants, each having the choice of one, and the
third by those two, which these Men thus Chosen shall unfettered by law or legal
constructions; declare the sense of the testators intentions, and such decision
is, to all intents and purposes, to be as binding on the parties as if it had
been given in any of the Courts of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
And lastly I constitute and ordain, my son Michael
Koppenhefer, and my son-in-law, William Bordner, to be the Executors of this my
last Will and Testament revoking all others,
declaring this and no other to be my last Will and Testament.
In witneƒs where of I the said Michael Koppenhefer have to those present
set my hand and Seal, this fifteenth day of May in the Year of our Lord One
Thousand eight hundred and five.
Signed, Sealed, Published
And declared by the said
Testator, as his last Will
And Testament, in the presence (signature of Michael
Koppenhefer)
Of us, who in his presence
And at his request, have
Subscribed as Witnesses
John Hoffman (signature)
Michl Enterline (signature)
sworn November 5th AD 1823
Dauphin County
This 5th day of November AD 1823 Before
Me, Christian Seiler, Register for the probate of wills and
Granting letters of administration and for said County per-
sonally appoint Michael Enterline one of the subscribed wit-
nesses to the foregoing will and being duly sworn and to law
did depose and say that he was personally present and saw and
heard the testator Michael Coppenheffer sign, seal, publish, pro-
nounce and declare the foregoing instrument of writing as and for
his last will and testament and that at the time of signing he
was of sound mind, memory and understanding to the best of
his knowledge and observation & belief. And further says that the name John
Hoffman signed to the foregoing will is the proper hand writing of the said John
Hoffman and that he signed his name there as a witness in the presence of
testator and ______and that the said John Hoffman ____ and further _________.
Christian Seiler Rgr (signature)
Michael Koppenhefer
The Executors Sworn November, 5th
William Bordner
1823
Before me
(signature) Christ Seiler
Rgr (signature)
