Individual Details

Will

In the name of God, Amen. I, Walter Woodward, of Scituate, in the jurisdiction of New Plymouth in New England, in America, being weak in body, but of sound mind and perfect memory, praise to Almighty God for the same, do make this my last will and Testament in manner as followeth:
First, and most principally, I commend my soul into the hands of Almighty God, my creator, in and through Jesus Christ, my only Saviour and Redeemer, and my body unto decent and ... burial at the discretion of my executors with the advice of the rest of my sons hereafter named.
And my temporal estate I dispose of as hereafter followeth:
Imprimis. I give and bequeath unto Thomas Woodward, my eldest son, a parcel of upland containing five acres, lying in Scituate aforesaid, bounded by the lands of Henry Ewell on the south and the Common on the north, to be enjoyned to him and his heirs forever.
Item: I give unto my two sons, Thomas and Joseph, ten acres of Marsh land, to be equally divided between them, which lyeth by Suzons - bounded by the Marsh of Anthony Collimer on the east, by the Marsh of Thomas Clap, deceased, on the north, in Scituate aforesaid to be enjoyned to them and their heirs forever.
Item: I give to Thomas Woodward, my son, one-third part of all my land at Seconet which I purchased. The other two-thirds I give unto my two sons, Benjamin and Isaac Woodward, to be equally divided between them, to be enjoyned to them and their heirs forever, excepting twenty-five acres, of which I do give unto my son Joseph, to be enjoyned to him and his heirs forever. Ten acres of which I do give unto my daughter, Martha, to her, her heirs forever, of which two quantities of land is to be deducted out of the two-thirds of myland lying at Seconet given to my two sons, Benjamin and Isaac aforesaid. All the rest of my land at Seconet, which is yet to be purchased, I give unto my two sons, Thomas and Joseph Woodward, to be divided equally between them, to be enjoyned to them and their heirs forever.
Item: I give to Benjamin, my son aforesaid, my dwelling-house with my barns and other outhousing, with all my land, both upland and marshland thereunto belonging, that is to say, twenty acres of upland, be it more or less bounded by land of John Turner to the west and by land of Joseph Otis to the east and six acres of marshland more or less bounded by the land of Joseph Otis to the north east, and by the first herring brook towards the south -- all of which said housings and land with all the appurtenances thereof, the commons and privileges thereunto belonging I give to the said Benjamin, my son, his heirs forever, always provided upon condition that my son,Benjamin, aforesaid, do pay and allow the sum of seventy pounds unto my son, Joseph, and my six daughters, Sarah, Elizabeth, Mary, Martha, Mehitabel and Abigail, ten pounds apiece, to be paid to them at three payments, viz, one-third part of the said seventy pounds to be paid to my said children within three years after my decease and the other two-thirds to be paid in the two following years, that is to say -- in each year a third of the said sum of seventy pounds, and each payment to be paid, the one-half in silver and the other half to be paid in corn and cattell. Further, my will is that my son Benjamin, aforesaid, do allow my two daughters, Mehitabel and Abigail, the lower room or parlor at the northeasterly end of my dwelling house aforesaid, for their use during the time they do live unmarried.
Item: I give and bequeath unto my said two daughters, Mehitabel and Abigail, my feather bed with the furniture thereunto belonging and all the rest of my houshold goods I give unto my six daughters, Sarah, Elizabeth, Mary, Martha, Mehitabel and Abigail, to be divided equally among them. The rest of my estate undisposed of by this my last will and testament, I give and bequeath to all my children, all my debts, funeral expenses being first paid, to be equally divided amongst them ,
Item: I do constitute and appoint my son, Benjamin, aforesaid, the sole executor of this my last will and testament, whom I do appoint my two sons, Thomas and Joseph Woodard, overseers of this my last will and testament.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal the twenty six day of November, 1685.
The Mark of WALTER WOODWARD X 
Signed, sealed and acknowledged in presence of: 
THEO. KING, Senior, 
THOMAS PALMER, 
CHARLES STOCKBRIDGE