In the name of God Amen,
The thirtie first of December in the yeare of our Lord One Thousand Six hundred and Eight Thomas Holbrooke of Weymouth in New England being Sick and weake in body but of a good and perfect memory Thanks be to the Lord, & minding the uncertaine Estate of this Transitory Life & desiring to Settle that Estate that God hath blessed me with all, Doe make this my Last will & Testament in manner and forme following. Committing my Soule to almighty God through Christ my Saviour & Redeemer & my body to decent buriall and for the settling of my Temporall Estate I do order Give and dispose the same in manner and forme following That is to say first I will that my debts and funerall Expenses be truly paid out of my Estate.
Item. I Give and bequeath unto Jane my beloved wife during her Life my whole Estate of what quality and quantity soever the Same to be at her dispose for her necessary & comfortable maintenance and do request my Son John Holbrooke my Son William Holbrooke & my Son Thomas Holbrooke to be helpfull to my wife in assisting of her in what she may have occasion to dispose of for her Subsistance & comfortable maintenance during her life and give their mother the best advice as she is ancient and weake of body Suitable to her necessity without being burthen some to any.
Item. I Give and bequeath unto my Endeared Children all my Estate of whatever quality and quantity soever the Same Shall be that Shall remaine at my wife Janes Decease there being Six of them Three Sons & Three daughters. To be Equally divided between them alwaies provided that my Eldest Son John Holbrooke Shall have a double portion and the rest of my Estate to be Equally divided namely unto my Son William Holbrooke unto my Son Thomas Holbrooke unto my daughter Annie Reynolds unto my daughter Elizabeth Hatch and unto my daughter Jane Drake. To be equally divided amongst them as neare as may be, and in Case any Sons or daughters should decease before my wife Jame, Then their respective Children and my Grand children.
Item. I Give unto my Grandchilde John Holbrooke the Eldest my Sword.
Item. I Give unto my Grandchilde Peter Holbrooke my Gun & my gray mares colt.
Item. I Give unto my Grandchilde William Holbrooke my musket.
Item. I Give and bequeath unto all my grandchildren that Shall be Living at my wife Janes Decease Two Shillings a piece.
Item. I do Hereby make & ordaine my loving wife the above said Jane Holbrooke Executrix during her Life and at her decease I do appoint make and ordaine Executor of this my Last Will & Testament my loving Son John Holbrooke whome I do order and intreate to perform this my will and pay the Legacies out of my whole Estate of what Shall remaine at my wifes decease.
In witness whereof I have hereunto Sett my hand and Seale the day and yeare before written as in the other side
my Loving Son John Holbrooke was Enterlined in the 42d line before the Signing & Sealing hereof Published
(The mark of Thomas T. H. Holbrooke)
Signed & Sealed in the presence of Us
(The mark of Rebecca R. B. Burrell)
William Chard
[codicil]
Whereas Peter Holbrook my Grandchild hath been as a Servant & hath bene helpful to Thomas Holbrooke & my wife Jane in our old age for the space of about Eight yeares before the date of these presents and still remaines with us as a dutifull child I Thomas Holbrook Senior the Thirty first of December 1673 do will & bequeath unto my beloved Grandchilde Peter Holbrook his heires and assignes my dwelling house and three acres of Orchard & arable land scittuate & being in Weymouth, bounded with Edward Kingman's Land & the River Northerly & Easterly, & the Highway Southerly & the river westerly or the creeke descending from the River as the said Peter Holbrookes propper Estate of Inheritance to have & to hold after the decease of me. Thomas Holbrooke & Jane my wife & not before. And I Thomas Holbrooke do hereby declare not to alter in any particular from my aforesaid will Dated this day. Was five yeares Since but in this respect as afore written. Concerning my beloved son & grandchilde Peter Holbrooke which accordingly I do desire my Son John Holbrooke as Executor in all points to fulfill Dated the 31st of December as above written in the yeare of our Lord God One thousand Six hundred Seventy and three.
Published Signed & Sealed in the presence of us
Thomas While
William Chard. Seal of Thomas Holbrook
T.H.
[S166] Robert Charles Anderson, Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, III:350-5, citing Suffolk County, Massachusetts Probate Records 11:326.