I was once more disappointed to find that Henry Herrick's Probate File didn't contain a
copy of his will. I was able, however,l to find a transcription of it in Volume 2 of
The Probate Records of Essex County, Massachusetts: 1665-1674:
"I Henry Herick of the Towne of Beverly in the county of Essex in New England being in a decaying estate of body but in pfect mynd and me[m]orye, through the Lords mercy do heerby make my last will and testament, wherby I commiting my body to the earth, and my soule to the mercy of god in christ Jesus, I dispose of my estate in order following. Impr I give vnto my deare & loveing wife Edith the westwardmost halfe of my now dwelling house, that is the lower roome and leantoo behind it, together with free egress and regress in and out of it, and also the vse of the cellar, well, yard, out houseing & garden, these to haue & inioy dureing her naturall life, further I giue to my sd wife foure of my best milch cowes & 4 sheepe which shee shall choose and all my household stufe, these to be at her absolute free dispose, also I giue vnto my sd wife, the sixt part of the fruits that shall be raysed from the come lands, & orchard wch I leave with my executor Henry and in the possession of my sonn John Also I give vnto my sonn Thomas all my weareing apparell exsept my best great coate and that 20 Acres of land where his house standeth ||with ten pounds to be paid 1| by my son John wn my executor seeth need to supplye his wants, And if in case he live and dye a single pson, the lands shall remaine to my sonns Ephraim & Joseph, equally devided & the ten pounds to my sonn Beniamin, if not made vse of to supply him, Also I give my sonn Zackery one hundred Acres of land lyeing in Birch plaine wch I bought of ffrancis & Henry Skerry of Salem with 5 acres of meadow lyeing in wenham meadow belonging to it, and 16 acres of land more or lesse wheron his house standeth & fenced in by him, Also I give my sonns Ephraim, Joseph, and John, that farme I bought of mr Allford the 20 acres giuen to Thomas being first measured out to him, the rest to be equally devided betweene them three, yet soe that Ephraim & Joseph may inioy what they have impued, and fenct, and John what is impued by Henry, soe as to pay the sixt part of the pduce to my wife before exprest. Also I giue to my sonn John the two lotts I bought of Henry Rennolds of Salem & Richard Kemball of wenham, also my sonn John is to have two acres of meadow in Bounkards meadow, also the bedding he lyeth vpon and my cart and plow with the chaine therof Also I give Ephraim moreover one milch cow & my best great coate and vnto Joseph I giue moreover two ewe sheepe & my timbar chaine, I give vnto my sonn Beniamyn all that pasture land, called my english pasture, w°h joyneth on the east syde to Andrew Eliott, lyeing betweene the countrye high way & the mill River, I say all that land lyeing on the southeast 6yde of the sd country high way, the wch pasture land | |with the apptenances] | my will is shall remaine in the hands of my sonn Henry to improve vntill Beniamyn be 21 years of age and in case he dye before he be 21 years of age I giue the sayd land to my sonn Henry, he paying vnto my children Zachry Ephraim Joseph & Elizabeth foure pounds a peece Also I giue vnto my daughter Elizabeth forty pounds viz. 14u to be payd by my sonn Henry -within three months after the confirmation of my will and the rest to be made vp in 3 cowes & moveables allredy in her possesion, And to John the youngest yoake of stears, and whatsoever I giue to any of my children heerin mentioned by this my will, I giue to them, there heires executors administrators & assignes for ever And for the rest of my estate, not aboue mentioned I give it all to my sonn Henry, he payeing vnto his mother the sixt part of the increase of the corne land & orchard dureing her life, and pviding for her the wintering of foure milch cows 4 sheepe & her firewood redy cut for fire at the dore, for all the yeare long and liberty to keepe 3 swine at the dore, and (I giue my sonn Ephraim one acre of meadow in buncars Joseph 3 acres of meadow in buncars) And to have the pper vse of the parlour & leaneto behind it with free egresse & regresse to houseing yards for her, necessary occasions as is expresed dureing her life I say these things premised I giue my sonn Henry my dwelling house out houseing orchard tillage land meadows pasture & woodland with my stock & whatever elce within dores & without, not above excepted makeing this my sayd sonn Henry my sole executor of this my last will In wittnes whereof I have set my hand this 24 of november 1670."
Henry Herick.
Witness: Robt. Morgan, Nehemiah Grover: Proved in Salem court Mar. 28, 1671 by the witnesses. Copy, Ipswich Quarterly Court Records, vol. 5, page 136.
The Probate Records of Essex County, Massachusetts: 1665-1674 (Google eBook) VOL II Essex Institute, Salem Ma., 1917
To be continued...
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