Will of David Esselstyn

(written 15 Jan 1748)

Transcribed by Susan Mulvey  

Webpage by Cliff Lamere    Feb 2002

Every person named in this Columbia Co., NY will is indexed, including witnesses and officials.  

Women are often listed in wills only with their married names.  Whenever the maiden names are obvious, the women are also indexed under the maiden name.  When a married woman's maiden name is unknown, [--] will follow her married name.  This is an attempt to distinguish for you whether a woman's name in the index is her married or maiden name.  If a woman is listed as "Smith, Joan [Martin]", her maiden name was Martin.

The will maker's name has been capitalized.  It was not that way in the original will. 

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INDEX OF PEOPLE IN WILL

Cammell, Barent B.
de Lamattre, Christina/Cathalina
de Lamattre, Gloude
Esselstyn, Batha
Esselstyn/Esselsteen, David  *
Esselstyn, Isaac
Esselstyn, Jacob
Esselstyn, Johannes
Esselstyn, Marytie  [  ]
Esselstyn, William
Renslar, John, Patroon
Stevensen, Cornelis
Van Duese, Batha  [Esselstyn]
Van Nes, Willem

Last Will and Testament of DAVID ESSELSTYN. 1747/8  

In the name of God Amen, the fifteenth January in the year one thousand seven hundred & forty seven/eight In the County of Albany, David Esselstyn being very sick but in Perfect memory & understanding, God be Praised, considering the frailty of human life, knowing it appointed All Men once to Die. So I make therefore known my Last Will & Desire, that is to say, Principally & first, I give or recommend [sic] my Soul in the hands of God that gave it; and for my body to be buried in a Decent & Christian Life Manner. At the deferetion [sic] of my Heirs & Executors, doubting not but in the general Resurection [sic] I shall recover the same again by the Mighty hand of God. And to mention of my temporal Estate where with it hath pleased God to bless me during this life, I dispose thereof as followith First I order & desire that all my honest debts shall be paid Secondly I order & desire that my brother Johannes Esselstyn with his wife Marytie shall come and live in the southern most end & in the room where father & mother have resided, for a help & assistance to my mother during his life, I say during my mothers life yet shall my sister Batha Van Duese remain in possession of the northern end, and remain in possession of the house during the war. She shall also have one half of the land to her use a [sic] behoof & shall dispose of its income during the war. Thirdly it is my desire that my brother William Esselstyn shall have the Bible, to dispose there of at his pleasure Fourthly, Is my desire that the estate Scituate [sic] lying & being at Claverack in the County of Albany on Cornelese Kill, to the northward of Cornelis Stevensen Wolf Plain, the same I order & give to my brother William Esselstyn, and my brother Jacob Esselstyn, and my brother Johannes Esselstyn, and my sister Batha Van Duese, as also the heirs of my late brother Isaac Esselstyn; I say the estate above mentioned so as I have inherrited [sic] from my Father, I say the whole estate so as it is made me by my fathers Will, give I to the here above named sister & brothers, and brothers children for them their heirs executors administrators or assignes [sic], to dispose there of at their pleasure. Fifthly a peace of land to ye eastward of the said Kill which I had from the Patroon John Renslar I order & give to the same heirs, and on the same footing, as above to sister & brothers or brothers children. Sixthly, all my personal & moveable estate, money & moneys worth I give to the same my sister & brothers & brothers children as above mentioned, I say all my moveable goods I order to them to dispose there of at their pleasure. Appointed my friend Willem Van Nes for Executor

In testimony of the truth, I give this under my hand & seal

In the Presence of                                               David Esselsteen {Ls}
Gloude de Lamattre
Christina (Cathalina) de Lamattre
Barent [his mark] B. Cammell

Proved 17 January 1748

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