[S1174] A. Van Doren Honeyman, Joannes Nevius and His Descendants A.D. 1627–1900 (Plainfield, N. J.: Honeyman & Company, 1900), p. 669-671. Described by Honeyman as the "curious will of Swantje Jans," recorded in Register's Office, Kings Co., NY, Liber I pp. 208-222:In the Name off the Lord Amen, Knowne all men to who this Publicq Writing Shall Come who affter the Nativite oft our Seavor Jesus Christis, 1676, the 31st day off March att ffryday in the Marning about tenn the Cloke beffore mee Willem bogardus Publicq Notario admitted by the Right honnorable Sir Edmund Andros Knight Governr General and Vice admirall under his Royall heighnesse the Lord James Duke off Yorke and albany ecz ffrom New Yorke and Dependencie off the Saime in america ecz. In owne Person did appeare the honnist Mrs. Swaentie Janse Laste widdow of Cornelis De Potters deceased Lying att the ffery uppon Long Island knowne by Me Notario
being Sieke uppon hurr bedd but by hurr full understanding and Memorie and Speake So Mutch wy Could See who did considre the weaknis off a Mens boddy The certaintie off the Death and the Uncertaintie off the owre and nott willing to Part out off this worrelt beffore see Should have Made hurr Dispositie by making hurr Will and testament att Laste and that in Manner ffollowing Se did Make with a ffrey will without Direction off any Make hurr Laste Will as above Sd.
Inprimis Se do Recommand hurr unsterfly Sole in the Marsiffull hands of God almaighty and hurr deaths boddy to be Chriestly decented,
Secondly Revoced annullating and Voyd all fformer Wills or testaments Made beffore the Date hereoff and Now denove disposing of hurr timely Estate so Declairett the testatrice out off good Reasons and Consideration hurr thereunto Mouving and by Reason hurr Daffther adriantiens Children had fferry Little off thir ffather Johannis Nevius deceased his Estate and Sy Sins is Come to Remarry So is the will off hurr testatrice that hurr Daffther Shall be in the ffull possession of all hurr Estate affter hurr Deceasing - Mouvable and Unmouvable Notting Excepted and that During the time off hurr Lyve and Not Longer With this Condition ffor to Receave all the Renths and fruths off the Sd Estate ffor to ffeed up hurr Children and to Mentine the Saime So well Now in Lyve as affter the date herreoff to Procure untill Such time that the Saime shall all become to thire ffull and Lawful age and that Notting off the Sd Estate Shall be Embaiseld away or Paid And the will off the testatrice is that the Sd Estate shall be Lawfull taken up by Inventary by hurr Executors Presently and affter hurr Deceasing onely hurr Cloaths off Woollen Silke and Lyning belonging to hurr boddy shall be given and delivered to hurr Sd Daffther Adriaentie ffor to Do with the saime as with hurr owne and the Rest of hurr Sd Estate to hurr Daffthers Childrn by Name Maria, Cornelis, Petrus, Sarah Catharia, Johanna, Catharina Nevius and Helena Aertsen Procurett by hurr Present husband Jan Aertsen and Such Children as they shall more Come to procure all the Saime se declaired to bee hurr Nominated and universall heires and by Deceasing off one off them that then hurr Lawfull heire and by want off them or any off theire Visibel Children than to Come from one Childe upon the others and affter the above Sd hurr Present Children or those who sy Shall affterwards Come to Procure Shall become off thire Lawfull age that then they shall head ffor head divid and Part the Sd Estate Equally and Every one a Lyke Portie and Nott before. Except hurr Sd Daffther Shall Come to Dey beffore that the time above Mentioned and ffurtherr it is the will off the Sd testatrice that hurr Negerr and Negerr woman by Name ffrancis and Katharina merried togeather Presently after hurr Deceasing be ffrey and Liber off all ffurther servis to any one in the Worreld and during hurr Living time a Piece Land ffor hurr use to keep and to hold fforr to worke and to have the ffruiths ffurr hurr Maintaining and Concerning the Neger booy Domingo itt is hurr Will that he Shall be a Servant to hurr Sd Daffter the time off ffifteen Years ffollowing to be Reakenett ffrom the Day off hurr Deceasing and nott to transport the above Sd Domingo out off this Country and Moreover Nott to Sell him or to make him to Serve to others or to bessel him away and affter the Expiratie off the Sd time to be in his ffull ffreydom and Liber and iff hurr Sd Daffther Shall Come to Dey within the above Sd time that than the above Sd Domingo Shall be ffrey and Libre and that this hurr Will and testament in all Parts Shall be Perfformed Sey testatrice Do Nominate and appoint hurr Testamentaire Executors off this hurr Will Jan Gerritts Van Conwenhooven and Daniel d'Rapale hurr good ffriends who by this Presents are Impowred and desired to take good notice off hurr Estate and Chattle and that the Saime Maybe used ffor thar benefitte off hurr Sd Daffthers Children hurr benefitte and that by Such Power as all testamentaire Executors Can haive according to Law and further excluding all others by this Presents all which above Mentioned affter the Saime was Promptly Readed before hurr Sey Declaire this to be hurr Laste Will and testatment and Sy desire that affter hurr deceasing Shall Stand in ffull fforce as a testament Codicile or giffte by Reason off Death or Lyve allthough all orders off Law nott well ware observett, keeping the Saime in the ffull fforce and Vitne wittnisse whereoff
Seigned by the testatrice with Jan Gerrits Van Couwenhooven and Claes Cornelissen as witnisses with My notorio Seigned att he Record in New Yorke the Day and Mounth and Yeare above Mentioned was Seigned as Wittnisse here Unto
SWANTIE JANSE (Seale.)
WM. BOGARDUS Publ. Not.
The originalle Will being into Dutch affter the Saime Was translated and the Declaring of Jan Gerritts Van Couwenhooven Readed in ordered to be Recorded by the Courte off Sessions held att fflackbush in Kings County this 28th Day of January 1689-90.
I underwritten declaire uppon oath that Swaentie Potters wan Se did make hurr will or testament was by hurr full with aknowing and ffull understanding. Dated this 27 Day of January A. D. I690.
Yourr willing servt and ffriend, JAN. G. V. COUWENHOOVEN.
[S1158] William S. Pelletrau, compiler, Abstracts of Wills on File in the Surrogate’s Office, City of New York (New York: New York Historical Society, 1893-1913), II:6, citing Liber 7:498–499:In the name of God, Amen, the 11 August, 1707, I, John Aerson, of the Ferry, in the township of Brookland in Kings County, on the Island of Nassau, being of good and perfect memory, I leave to my wife Elizabeth, the house where I now live at the Ferry, and all my garden, and one half of my orchard, and a horse to ride, at her pleasure, during her life. And she is to have two cows to be kept with fodder and pasture, winter and summer, and my farm at the Ferry, with firewood and bread corn, and liberty to keep fowls, and £10 yearly, and a negro girl. I leave to my children, Aert, Matthew, and David, after my wife’s decease, all my houses, lands and tenements lying and being at the Ferry in the township of Brookland, bounded south by the lot of Adriaen Hoogland, formerly George Jacobs, north by the river, east by a creek, adjoining to John Reportes land, and west by the highway leading from Brookland to the Ferry. Containing about 200 acres of land and meadow. And also all my lands in the county of Somerset in New Jersey. I leave to my youngest son John, £50. I leave to my daughter Helena, after my wife’s decease, all that my house and garden spot at the Ferry, wherein my son David now lives. I leave all oods and chattels to my sons, Aert, Matthew, and David. I leave all my negroes to my said sons, and two of the old negroes, Sambo and his wife Mary, are to stay on the farm, and are not to be sold, and they are to have every Saturday afternoon to work for themselves. I make my sons, Aert, Matthew, and David, executors. Witnesses, Henry Filkin, John Evertse, Josias Crego. Proved before Thomas Wenham, June 8, 1706.