Gerritje Van Benschouten, widow of Johannis Van Voorhees, Junior, married Lewis Dubois; thereupon letters of administration, with the will annexed, were granted to Teunis Van Benschouten and Gerrit Dubois. Estate of JOHANNIS VAN Letters of Administration, with the will annexed. Dated Feb. 1, 1756. Recorded in the Surrogate's Office of the City and County of New York; in Liber 18 of Wills, p. 370. FIFTH GENERATION-(CONTINUED) Of the Line of Descent of William Roe Van Voorhis. D. 4. ZACHARIAS Van VoorhEES, son of Johannes Coerte Van Voorhees and Barbara Van Dyck, b. Dec. 10, 1710; d. Jan. 20, 1784; unmarried. His will is recorded in the Surrogate's Office of New York City. ZACHARIAS VAN VOORIIIS, of Rombout Precinct, Duchess County, N. Y. Will dated Jan. 27, 1783. In the name of God, Amen! I, Zacharias Van Voorhis, of Rombout Precinct, in Duchess County in the State of New York, Yeoman, in health and of sound memory— blessed be God therefor-do this twenty-seventh day of January, in the year of our Lord Christ, One thousand seven hundred and eighty-three, make and publish this my last Will and Testament, in manner following, that is to say, Imprimis: I commend my soul into the hands of Almighty God, and my body to the earth from whence it came, in hopes of a joyful resurrection at the last day; and as for that worldly estate wherewith it has pleased God to bless me, after payment of 'my just debts and funeral expenses by my Executors hereinafter named, I give, devise, and dispose thereof as followeth. Item: I give, devise, and bequeath unto my well beloved nephew, Henry Van Voorhis, son of my brother, Coart Van Voorhis, one-half of my farm whereon Abraham Van Voorhis now lives, to him and his heirs and assigns forever; also my gun and one of my best horses. Item: I give, devise, and bequeath unto my well beloved nephew, John Van Voorhis, son of my brother John Van Voorhis, deceased, the other half part of my said farm whereon said Abraham Van Voorhis now lives, to him and his heirs and assigns forever; but it is my will, order, and desire that when my farm as aforesaid is divided between my said nephews, Henry and John Van Voorhis, the strictest justice is to be done to each of them. Item: I give and bequeath unto my well beloved nephew, Jacob Van Voorhis, son of my brother Jacob Van Voorhis, deceased, my farm whereon I now live, supposed to contain four hundred acres, together with my dwelling house and outbuildings thereon, to him and his assigns forever, as also all my personal estate, save only one of my best horses and gun to Henry Van Voorhis, son of Coart Van Voorhis. As such of my negroes as are hereafter named, who are immediately after my decease to be made free; and moreover it is hereby perfectly to be understood that for and in consideration of my giving, devising, and bequeathing unto my said nephew, Jacob Van Voorhis as aforesaid, all my farm whereon I now live, with my personal estate, subject to the above exceptions, my order, will, and desire is that my said nephew, Jacob Van Voorhis, pays or causes to be paid the following sums of money, in Gold and Silver, to the persons hereafter named. Item: I give and bequeath unto my well beloved nieces, Katherine and Jane Van Voorhis, daughters of my brother Jacob Van Voorhis, deceased, six hundred pounds in gold and silver, to be raised and levied out of the farm whereon I now live and my personal estate, and to be paid unto the said Katherine and Jane Van Voorhis in twelve months after my decease, which sum of money as aforesaid is to be equally divided between them, their heirs and assigns forever. Item: I give and bequeath unto my well beloved nephew, John Van Voorhis, son of my brother Jacob Van Voorhis, deceased, the sum of three hundred pounds, to be paid to him, the said John Van Voorhis, in twelve months after my decease, which sum of money is to be raised and levied out of the farm whereon I live and out of the personal estate, and to be paid to him, the said John Van Voorhis, his heirs and assigns forever. Item: I give and bequeath unto my loving sister, Garachey Brinkerhoff, the sum of three hundred pounds, to be paid to the said Garachey Brinkerhoff in two years after my decease, out of the farm whereon I now live and out of my personal estate. Item: I give and bequeath unto my well beloved nephew Zacharia Van Voorhis, son of my brother Coart, and my godson, the sum of one hundred pounds, to be paid unto him, the said Zacharia Van Voorhis, in three years after my decease, out of the farm whereon I now live and my personal estate, to him, his heirs and assigns forever. Item: I give and bequeath unto my brother's and sister's children not heretofore mentioned the sum of two hundred and forty pounds, which sum of money is to be paid them out of my farm whereon I now live and my personal estate, in four years after my decease, which sum of money, as aforesaid, is to be divided equally between them, their heirs and assigns forever. Item: I give unto my negro men, Mink, Henry, and Sam, and my negro wench Massey, their full and entire freedom, to come and go, act and do whatever is lawful for the support or maintenance of themselves; moreover, my will, order, and desire is that when my negroes as aforesaid have their liberty, it is 8 not my intention to throw them adrift, whereby I am now instigated, but that I may commemorate their faithful services to my own person and interest, my Executors are to oversee them for good and to help them in case any person or persons should aim to cheat or defraud them of their earnings. It is also my particular desire that, as soon as my body is decently interred, that my said executors will please to order my said negroes into that appartment in my house where I died, and there in the most solomn manner proclaim to them their freedom and my desire that they will strive to live soberly and righteously and godly; with respect to my negro children, namely, Charles, Nick, Tom, Abe, and Peg, it is my will, order and desire that my said Executors put them out to such of my relatives as in the opinion of said Executors will use them well and will engage to teach or cause them to be taught to read the Scriptures, until such time as they arrive of lawful age, when my said negro children as aforesaid are to have their freedom. With regard to my other negroes, to wit, Peter, Tone, and Mary, I give and bequeath them to my affectionate and loving nephew Jacob Van Voorhis, son of my brother Jacob Van Voorhis, deceased, to him and his heirs and assigns forever. Lastly, I do by these presents nominate, constitute and appoint my said nephews Henry Van Voorhis, son of Coart Van Voorhis, Jacob Van Voorhis, son of Jacob Van Voorhis, deceased, and John Van Voorhis, son of John Van Voorhis, deceased, Executors of this my last Will and Testament, hereby revoking all former and other Wills and Testaments heretofore by me made, ratifying and confirming this and no other to be my last Will and Testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day and year first above written. ZACRIAS VAN VOORHIS. |