In the name of God. Know all men by these preents that on this 26th day of March one thousand seven hundred and sixty-three, I, Pieter van Woort¹ of the manor of Rensselaerswyck, in the county of Albany, in the province of New York, being sick in body but having my senses, memory and understanding perfect, considering the shortness and frailty of human life, the certainty of death and the uncertain hour and time thereof, and being desirous to put my affairs in good order, make this my last will and testament, hereby annulling, canceling and revoking all such will, testament or testaments as have heretofore been made or declared by me, whether orally or in writing, and [holding] this present instrument to be my ast will and testament and none other.

Imprimis. I commend my soul to God my Creator and Savior and my body to the earth whence it came, to be buried in a proper and Christian manner. And as regards such temporal property as houses, grounds, lands, money and goods, being my whole estate, real and personal, nothing excepted, which the Lord far above my deserts has been pleased to grant me, I provide and dispose thereof in manner following:

Item. I give and bequeath to my wife Ariantie my whole estate, movable and immovable, that is, real and personal, wherever or whatever it may be, for the use and possession of my aforesaid wife during her widowhood.

Item. I give and devise to my nephew Jacob van Woort, son of my brother Jacob van Woort (after the death or remarriage of my aforesaid wife) my house and lot where I now dwell, lying in the manor of Rensselaerswyck, to the west of the path that goes to the patroon's or manor house, as the same now lies in its fence, together with my land on the east side of the aforedaid path that goes to the patroon's as the same was devised to me by will of my father and mother, deceased; furthermore, I devise to my aforesaid nephew my part of a parcel of land held in company with my brother Jacob van Woort, known by the name of the Kloof², lying to the west of the aforesaid path that goes to the patroon's, to him, my aforesaid nephew Jacob van Woort, his heirs and assigns forever, excepting herefrom what I have devised to my nephew Lewis van Woort.

Item. I devise to my nephew Lewis van Woort, son of my brother Jacob van Woort, a piece of ground lying in the Kloof, where Ryckert van Vranke has had a tannery, fifty feet square, Rhineland measure, with a path leading thereto, to him, my aforesaid nephew Lewis van Woort, his heirs and assigns, forever.

Item. It is my will and desire that my nephew Jacob van Woort shall always keep the burial plot for a burying place for the family, that it shall never be sold or alienated and that he shall also leave a path there to reach it; the said burial plot must be sixty feet long and thirty feet wide, Rhineland measure; furthermore he must maintain a fence around it so as to keep cattle out.

Item. I bequeath to my aforesaid nephew Jacob van Woort all my personal estate (after the death or remarriage of my said wife), of whatever nature it may be, to him, the said nephew Jacob van Woort, his heirs and assigns, forever, except the linen and woolen goods and household furniture of whatever description it may be, which I bequeath to my beloved wife Arriantie, to dispose thereof as she may see fit.

Lastly, I nominate as executors of this my last will and testament my friend Casparus Pruyn and Cornelis C. van den Bergh, son of my brother-in-law Claas van den Bergh.

In witness of the truth hereof I have signed, sealed and declared this to be my last will and testament, the day and year above written.

Pieter van Woort (L.S.)

Signed, sealed and declared by the testator Pieter van Woort to be his last will and testament, in presence of us,

Ryckert van Vranken
Theunis van Woort
Jno. De Peyster

Albany County

Be it Remembered that on the 17 day of November one thousand seven Hundred and sixty six Personally Came and appeared before me John DePeyster Surrogate for the said County Richerd Van Franke & Thunis Van Woert Both of the manner of Renselaer In said County Yeoman and being duly sworn on their Oaths declared that they and each of them did see Peter van Woort sign & seal the within written Instrument proporting to be [the] will of the said Peter Van Woert bearing the date the 26 day of march 1763 and hear him Publish & declare the same to be his last will and Testament That at the time thereof he the said Peter Van Woort was of sound disposing mind and memory to the best of their Knowledge & Belief and that their names subscribed to the said will are of their Respective proper handwriting which they subscribed as witnesses to the said will In the Testators Presence and that they also saw the other witness sign his name as Witness to the said will In the testators presence.

Jno. De Peyster Surrogate

I do hereby Certify that the aforegoing will is a true Copy of the Originall Examined and Compared this 8th September 1767.

P. me Stepn. De Lancey Clerk

1 One of the sons of Jacob Teunissen van Woert and a grandson of Teunis Jacobsen van Woert, or van Schoonderwoert.
2 The same as the socal term "Clove," meaning a cleft, or ravine.

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