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Will of Francis Hall - 1689

Hall, Francis, Stratford. Will dated 6 May, 1686: I ffrancis Hall of stratford, in ye Colloney of Conecticott, being yet of sound Mind & not knowing ye day of my death, being aged and crazie, make this my last Will in maner & form following revoking & making voyd all former will by mee made & I ........... & appoynt this my last will and testament principally I commend my soule to almighty God in the merits of Jesus Christ 

Item I give unto my loving wife all that was left her by her last husband John Blakeman of Stratford, deceassed except what is disposed off already, which was not done without her consent, shee is to possess all lands and houseing during her natural life & then to be to the heires of the forementioned John Blakeman it being agreeing to the conditions shee made with mee at marriage her other goods shee may dispose of as shee please to which of that goods that is ....
I give unto her one spackled rugg and one cowberd & the half of the .... and two kenes her sons having their pertions payd them if they or any of the remaine in my debs that dept I give likewise to my wife

Item concerning my son Izhak I give to him & his wif and all my Grandchildren one shilling apeice & have & shall hereafter leave further order about Izhak

Item Also I doe by this my present & last will and testament bequeath give and devise unto my son Samuell Hall and to his heirs & assignes forever all that part of my farme lands & tenements
whatsoever sittuate in the township of fayrfield for which I have already given him a deed of gift to which lands and tenements I doe make and constitute my sayd son Samuell sole and only heir
Also I make him my sayd son Samuell Hall sole and only heir and inheritor of all other my lands which by my will are not given in p'ticular from him that soe he may according to my confidence in him perform this my last will in paying my depts and funerall expences and what legassies I shall bequeath in this my will only that land which was Izhaks and given to mee by judgment of Court my will is that if my son Samuell Hall can have comfortable assurances to sattisfaction from his brother Izhak Hall that he will for the future live in peace and renounce all causes of after contention from themselves and their heires forever then that my son Samuell make over to him and his heires forever so much of the sayd land as the sayd Samuell see cause or .......... exepting the .... Izhak shall have no more to doe with that 

Item concerning my three daughters viz. Mary, Elizabeth & Rebeckah, I have already ingaged my son Samuell when I made him a decd of guift of that part of my farm he is in possession of, to give unto my daughter Mary 40 shillings by the year during her naturall life and to the other two sisters ten pounds a peice to be payd unto them as they have occateone for it to which I add to my daughter Mary I give two kows her rugg bed and beding great bottl & iron pot on coubord a warming pan and that my son Samuell take speciall care of her and to the forty shillings............................
my will is that he pay her forty pounds more as shee needeth it out of what .................. shillings or otherwise agree with her

Item concerning my daughter Elizabeth my will is that shee shall have her rugg and beding and two kowes or kowkine & that my son Samuell shall add to her ten pounds to make it thirty pounds to pay her as she shall occation of it

Item concerning my daughter Rebecca my will is that shee shall have all things as her sister Elizabeth hath, and every of ye three sisters shall have a horse or a mare if I have soe many in the woods

Item I give to my daughter Hannah a hors or mare & a heifer or steer

Item besides what is abovesaid, I give to my loving wife a warming pan, and my written books that are legable, all that are written in Carracters; shee may dispose as shee please, as for all my other books my will is that my wife my son Samuell and my daughter Mary shall divide & distribut them, to themselves and to my other daughters as themselves soe cause all of them benefit by looking unto Jesus which is the title of on of my books, a looking unto Jesus by Mr Fear? ..... also conserning any other of my houshold goods distinct from what was my wives in her widowhood, my will is that all of them that are not before mentioned in this my will shall be distributed by the same persons and by the same order as my books 

Since I began this my Will I did agree with my sonn Izhak as is exprest in my day booke, page 152; will more fully appear that he should possess two years gratise without paying for that time but his patience not holding out soe long, he begane againe to be troublesom & brake the peace giving som bad and threatening words very uncomfortable to me though I used the best words I could to him for peace my life time but it's from thee good pleasure of him who doth all things well and unto his hands I leave him

Item my will is that for whatever my sonn Izhak make appeare to be legally due dept from me he shall of that land that was his have apprized so much as will pay him, I expect by his own threats that hw wilbe troublesome if god doe not restraine him; he told mee to my face, that if I were dead my familie should certainely come to ruin I told him with many other words god had power over all our harts therfor beleived otherwise, I leave these dieing words upon record for his humiliation if god will give him repentance; if he doe not repent & that it be to the satisfaction of my overseers he shall have no more but his dept payd of that land and meadfow next his house I desire Mr. Chancey, Mr. Pitman, Mr Sherman Junr. Josiah Niccols to be my overseers to advise my son Samuell who is my heir & executor to order my estate according to my will, if my estate be shortened by any meanes they together shall consider what and where to abate and present it to the Court as for the interlining in .6 or 7. places it is don with my own hand by which I witness this present writing my last will and doe subscribe my name legable & in carracters this May 6 1686
Francis Hall (plus set of characters as his mark) 

Witnesses John Blake man, Thomas Broodget. 

Stratford, 9th July, 1689: Francis Hall presented this as his Last Will & acknowledged it to be his deliberate & free act before me Joseph Hawley, Commis'r.

John Blackman & Thomas Brodgate appeared before ye court and owned there hands as witneseses to this will being ye will of Francis Hall of Stratford deceased and upon thier oathes do aform that s'd Francis Hall owned this writing to be his and to there best apprehentions s'd Hall was in his perfect mind & memory this 14 March 1690
Nathan Gale Clark

2 page Inventory follows 


[Fairfield Probate District - Town of Stratford - 1689 - No.2638 - Connecticut State Library]

Note - The above will is more complete than the transcription which appeared in the publication -
'Early Connecticut Probate Records' - Vol.1 [Vol. IV, P. C, No. 117. Pg. 457]



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