In the name of the Holy Trinity Amen
I Hermonous Sassamanhausen of Colebrookdale Township in Berks County am in such circumstances that I considered my mortality and find myself in duty bound to give divisions to my family concerning some articles to avoid contradictions and I commend my body and soul wife and children to Almighty God of heaven and Earth to his gracious will and mercy. Amen.
[Firstly?] I desire my wife and children to commit my body to the earth. And that all my debts and funeral charges be well and truly paid.
2nd My will is that my widow Mary Magdalena shall for the time of eight years have the sole management in the house and to keep house with my son John as if I was alive with the help of the other children such of them as stand in need of their [portion?] nothing shall be sold or divided among my children but what she thinks proper. Except such as I shall have after bequest to my son and this shall directly after my death be given to him for his own and after the expiration of the eight years or sooner if it should be [bothersome?] to her or be [ ? ] by [ ? ] Then she may limit the two youngest to tracts such as will [ ? ] and they have inclinations to. She may take beforehand her bed, bedsteads, chests, saddle and bridal linen kitchen furniture and what she may have necessary and need full to keep house as a widow, one cow and two sheep.
3rd I bequeath to my son John beforehand one young black mare and a new saddle and bridal two sheep and a cow. And if he is obedient to his mother and assists her in the management of house keeping so that she may not be obliged to employ [ ? ] in working the place. Then shall he have my present dwelling place (when the sixty acres are cut off which I will give to the stone house near the road) for his own forever, but if he should die before the expired limit time when the mother is to give up house keeping, without issue, then the next brother which shall be judged by lot shall have the place, with conditions as to him it shall be assigned, - but if he leaves issue then he shall have such share that was allotted to him that should have no land, and he who should have no land shall have the sixty acres, and he who should have the first plantation which was allotted to him.
And shall pay sum of money to such son to whom no land was allotted at the following time namely one hundred pounds in hand money when he hath arrived to the age of twenty one years and the next two years following fifty pounds a year of the same value, further he shall give and deliver the mother yearly at her dwelling where it will be allotted to her fifteen bushels of grain half rye and half wheat make it to meal and bring it to her - fire wood he shall cut on his place and bring it to her so much as she may have occasion for and what fruit yields null to give her two barrels of cider and deliver it to her cellar yearly and she may take of every sort of fruit sufficient to eat for her own person, he must keep her cows in pasture with his own cows as long as she lives and deliver sufficient fodder for her cow and keep two sheep so that she may only come and shear them and take the wool and he must help such said brother where the mother dwells by to make a kitchen garden as large as she may think proper for her and keep it yearly in good order so after as it may be necessary.
4th I bequeath to one of the two youngest sons to him as it will fall by lot either Henry or Andrew they may leave it to two men of their own election and they may assign it to either of them. The stone house together with sixty acres of land near the road for his own and forever the land shall be cut from the large place in the following manner namely the corner on the road shall be made above where the swamp begins and shall extend northward and then turn again and to take about three acres of upland along the side of the meadow by the division of the further or the northern.
And then at the outside of the meadow along the hill until it contains the number of acres in the courses by John Guilden - and the mother shall have the open part of the stone house in the said land for her dwelling as a widow during her life time and fodder and stabling for her cow.
5th The third son who gets no house by lot nor either of the two tracts of land it be either Henry or Andrew he shall have instead of some two hundred pounds in hand money of the same son which gets the largest piece or tract of land at the same time as before mentioned.
6th I give and bequeath to my daughter Elisabeth one sixth part of my personal estate after all charges are first paid for her own as a childs share and after her death to her children.
7th I bequeath to my daughter Mary one sixth part of my personal estate besides her household furniture by advancement as a childs share.
8th I bequeath to my daughter Magdalena one sixth part of my personal estate besides such household furniture which [she] ought to have had.
9th I bequeath to my daughter Magdalena one sixth part of my personal estate besides such household furniture which she ought to have had. [This appears to be a repeat of Item 8. There is information that there were two daughters named Magdalena, one with the first wife and born of the second wife, but the first one is accounted for below. Actually there was supposed to be two daughters from the first wife.]
10th I bequeath to my daughter Magdalena, eldest daughter by my first wife three pounds in hard money or the value thereof for her share in full and if she is not satisfied she is to have only one English shilling according to law and no more.
11th It is my will whence[?] we live in such a time of uncertainty not knowing the issue of this now I have resolved that if it should happen that my personal estate should be lost or [ ? ] by reason of this way whereby my wife and daughter and the son who gets no land for his share and who should have also one sixth part of my personal estate besides that sum of money before mentioned I say if it should so happen then will the foregoing bequests shall be null and void and my land shall be appraised to the two sons and the eldest John shall have the place which was allotted to him and monitor[?] the mother and my sake two houses and pay the rest a proportional share according to Justice and expectation [?]. The other son who is to have the sixty acres must share with his brother so as they can agree.
12th When the mother quits house keeping she shall take two horses and two cows from the stock and give it to the eldest son whom shall keep them for the life of the two youngest sons until they obtain the age of twenty one years and then deliver them as and for their own.
13th All the legacies herein contained shall begin after the time when the mother gives up house keeping and then shall all be appraised and sold by the executors herein named.
14th I appoint my wife Magdalena, my son John and my son-in-law Jacob Keely executors and give them and convey on them full powers in my name to give an lawful deeds for my land the personal estate to sell at public venue at such time as aforesaid and to do all things as I would do if I was alive. And John shall give to the mother one hundred pounds of pork and eighty pounds of beef in proper seasons.
Signed Hermanous Sassamanhausen.
I do ratify this to be my last will and testament signed with my hand July 10, 1780.
Colebrookdale Township in presence of witnesses
Bernhart Gilbert, John Guilden, Stephen Krumrein
Submitted by Dave.
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