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Will of Arent Vedder

In the name of God, Amen. I, Arent Vedder, now of the village of Schoneetendy in the county of Albany, husbandman, having at this time my senses, knowledge, memory and understanding perfect, thanks be to God for the same, but considering my highly advanced age, the mortality of the body, the certainty of death and the uncertain time and hour thereof, do therefore this tenth day of August in the twentieth year of the reign of our King George the second and in the year of ourLord one thousant seven hundred and forty-six make, ordain and publish this my last will and testament, to wit, of all my immovable and movable worly estate wherewith the Lord has been pleased to bless me in this life, after my lawful debts and burial expenses are paid or satisfied, I give, bequeath and dispose of in the following manner and form:

First. I give to my eldest son Harmen Vedder, his executors, or administrators, the sum of three pounds current money of this province to be paid to him out of my estate for his right of primogeniture, wherewith he must be content and make no further claim to my movable or immovable estate as heir at law.

Second. I give to my wife Sarah all my movable and immovable estate during her widowhood, or so long as she lives and remains my widow, she not to incumber or alienate the same, but only to have, receive and take the rents, income and profits thereof during the time above mentioned for her sustenance and maintenance and immediately after my wife's death, she being my widow, or immediately after her remarriage, whichever occurs first, I give, bequeath and dispose of my movable and immovable estate as follows, to wit: To my son Seymon Vedder and to his heirs and assigns forever I give and bequeath the easterly part of my land lying and being on the south side of the Maakwasse river,1 in the Woestyne, 2 where I now live, with the house, barn and homestead, beginning at the division between me and Jan Wemp and running up the river to the Kromme kill, 3between the ditch and the river, and thence with a straight line where the uppermost or most westerly line of that morgen of land comes over the Kromme ill from the river to the king's highway, with the woodland that lies toward my house from the aforesaid Kromme kill, between the hill and the lowland, to be held by him, the aforesaid Seymon Vedder, his heirs and assigns, forever.

To my son Harmen Vedder, or to is heirs or assigns I give and beqeath the westerly portion of my arable land, lying and being on the south side of the Maakwasse river in the Woestyne in the county of Albany, whereon he has now built, with his house and barn thereon standing; beginning on the west side of the Kromme kill where my son Seymon's [land] ends and running up the river so far as my right exends along said river, with all the woodland tht lies between the lowland and up the hill to the south of the land that I now hereby give to him, to be held by him, the aforesaid Harmen Vedder, his heirs and assigns forever; and it is my express will, order and desire that my son Harmen Vedder therefor shall pay yearly and every year forever the quantity of four and a half skipples of wheat to the trustees of the village of Schnectendy, or to their order:

To my youngest son Albert Vedder, junr., I give and bequeath to him, his heirs and assigns, my house and lot lying in the village of Schonectendy wherein he now dwells, with all tht hereto belongs, bounded southerly by the lot of Myndert Veeder, northerly by the house and lot of Hendrick Brouwer, and easterly by the [Washington] Street and westerly by my son Harmen Vedder, also my two morgens, more or less, of lowland lying on the arable land in the village of Schonectendy, as I now have it in possession, bounded northerly by the king's highway, easterly by the land of Harmanus Vedder, southerly by land of Corset Vedder and westerly by land of Abraham Maby; also my little hay meadow, being about a fourth part of a morgen, lying in the low ground on the south side of the village of Schonectendy, bounded woutherly, westerly and northerly by meadow of the heirs of Lawr. van der Volgen and easterly by the road, to hold for him the aforesaid Albert Vedder, junr., his heirs and assigns forever.

To my seven daughters, to wit, Antje, Rebecca, Angenietje, Maria, Susanna, Sarah and Elizabeth, or to their executors and assigns, I give and bequeath the sum of one hundred and five pounds current money of this province, that is to say, to each one of my above-named daughters or to their heirs the sum of fifteen pounds current money as above said and it is my express will, order and desire that my three above-named sons, Harmen, Seymon and Albert Vedder, junr., or their heirs, the above-named sum pay equally to my above-named daughters, or to their heirs, seven years after my and my wife's death, that is, each of my above-named three sons the sum of thirty-five pounds current money as aforesaid; furthermore, it is my will and desire that my three above-named sons, to wit, Harmen, Seymon and Albert Vedder, junr., together pay my and my wife's burial expenses, the one no more than the other, but each the full lawful third part thereof.

To my son Seymon Vedder or to his heirs I give and bequeath my negro Thom; to my sons Harmon Vedder and Seymon Vedder and to their heirs and assigns I give and bequeath all my woodland or wood ground that lies to the south of my son Harmen Vedder's land which I hereinbefore have bequeathed to him, that is, from where my son Harmen Vedder's land ends up on the hill to the southerly end of my right of my woodland, to hold for them, my aforesaid sons Harmen Vedder and Seymon Vedder, their heirs and assigns forever: it is my express will and desire and I bind my three sons Harmen, Seymon and Albert Vedder, junr., hereby that if one or two of my aforesaid sons may hereafter be put to any expense in relation to any portion of the land hereby to them bequeathed, my three aforesaid sons shall together bear the expense among them, the one no more than the other, and if any one of them by some trouble comes to lose any part of his land here above to him bequeathed or given, the other two of my sons shoever they may be, shall pay a full third part of the value of the land so lost on appraisal by three honest persons, to him who loses it, without any sort of trouble or opposition; and if it happen that my daughter remain unmarried during her life and she be unable to support herself, then she shall choose with which of my sons she wants to dwell and my three sons, to wit, Harmen, Seymon and Albert Vedder, junr. shall together maintain her so long as she lives, one contributing no more or less than the others. It is further my express wish and desire that when the survivor of me and my wife shall come to die, my son Seymon Vedder shall freely and peaceably mow the crop or grain that shall have been sowed upon any part of my land by him without any trouble or hinderance from my two other sons above mentioned, and draw the same away and dispose thereof for his own use.

To my son Seymon Vedder and to his heirs I give alll my farming tools, sleighs, carts, plow, harrow with all their belongings, axes, adzes, forks, etc., nothing excepted.

To all my children, sons and daughters, to wit, Harmen, Seymon, Albert Vedder, junr. and my daughters hereinbefore names, to wit, Antje, Rebecca, Angenietje, Maria, Susanna, Sarah and Elizabeth, I give and bequeath all the residue and remainder of my movable estate of whatever nature it may be, hereinbefore not disposed of, such as my furniture or household goods, linen and woolen, my horses and cows, oxen, calves, foals, mares, sheep, lambs, hogs, pigs, hens, etc., of whatsoever nature they may be, to be divided among all my children of their heirs, as well sons and daughters, no one to have anything more or better than another.

Lastly, I make and appoint my son-in-law William Brower and Major Jacob Glen executors or trustees of this my last will and testament tohave the same carried out according to my true intent and meaning and I revoke and annul all other testaments heretofore made by me, so that this, and no other heretofore made by me, I declare to be my last will and testament. In witness of the truth of which I, Arent Vedder, have hereunto set my hand and seal, the day and year first above written.

Arent Vedder (L.S.)

Signed, sealed and published by the said Arent Vedder as and for his last will and testament in the presence of us,

Albert Vedder
Vredrhek van Petten
John Sanders

City & County of Albany

Be it Remembered that on the 1st Day of March 1755 personally Appeared before my Myndert Schuyler Surrogate of the said County frederick van petten & John Sanders two of the Subscribing witnesses to the within written will of Arent Vedder and being Duely Sworn on their oaths Declare that they and Each of themDid See the said Arent Vedder Sign and Seal publish and Declare the same to be his Last will and that at the Time thereof he was of sound Disposing mind & memory and further Declared that they Saw the other witness Albert Vedder Sign as witness thereunto in the presence of the Testator.

Myndert Schuyler

Redorded and Examined The 1st Day of February 1764

Pr. Ha: Gansevoort Clerk


1 Mohawk river.
2 Literally: "the desert," opposite Hoffman's ferry. See History of the Schenectady Patent, p. 201, where part of this will is quoted.
3 Literally: "Crooked creek," or "Winding creek."



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