Hurley's World

In the name of God amen. The thirteenth day of September one thousand eight hundred and three, I, Aaron Foster, of Ipswich in the county of Essex and commonwealth of Massachusetts, yeoman, of sound mind and memory, do make this my last will and testament, as follows: First, I give and commend my soul into the hand of God, who gave it, and my body I commit to the earth, to be buried, in hope of a joyful resurrection thereof at the last day. And, touching such worldly estate, as God has blessed me with in this life, I give and dispose of in the following manner. 1st I give to my beloved wife, Ruth Foster, the improvement of all the house, which I now live in, so long as she shall remain my widow, one quarter part of the produce of all my lands and the quick stock, which I leave or shall hereafter be kept on my estate, to be yielded and delivered to her, as the same shall rise yearly, without any expense for her for labor or taxes. And I hereby enjoin it to my son Zebulon Foster to carry on my estate for her, rendering to her one quarter part of the produce thereof yearly, as it shall rise, free from all expense and charges as aforesaid. And I do further enjoin on my son Zebulon to cut and hale from my woodland wood for her, and to cut it up at the door, sufficient to maintain one good fire; one half of said wood to be cut on the wood land, which I shall give to my son Moses Foster, and the other half on the wood land, which I shall give to my son Zebulon, to be and continue to her, so long as she shall remain my widow.-- I also give her one quarter part of all the provisions, which I shall leave in the house at my discease. I further give her the improvement on one seat in my pew in the meeting house, so long as she shall remain my widow.-- And it is my will, that my sons Moses and Zebulon should, after her death, give her decent buriel, in case she dies my widow. 2nd I give and bequeath to my son Moses Foster, and to his heirs and assigns, all that part of my estate, both of land and buildings, which is standing and laying to the west and northwest of the road leading from Chebacco to Hamilton, it being the buildings and homestead, which my father gave me in his last will; excepting so much of it, as I shall give to my son Thomas Foster. I give and bequeath to my said son, Moses, and his heirs and assigns, one piece of woodland part of which is lying in Ipswich, and the other part in Manchester, it being two thirds of an old lot number four hundred and thirty nine, and called the parsonage lot. I give him also one piece of marsh, lying near Dean's island, so called and one thatch lot on the great bank. But my son Moses is not to come into possession and improvement of the same, until after my wife's decease. My son Zebulon is to cut one half of the wood for one fire for himself, and one half of the wood for my wife's fire, as before mentioned; also one half of so much as shall be necessary for repairing or making fences and buildings from off the wood land I have given my son Moses, so long as my wife shall remain my widow and no longer.