In the name of God, Amen. Know all men whom it may concern, that on the 19th of July sixteen hundred and ninety, at New Albany, being the second year of the reign of William and Mary, king and queen of Great Britain, Capt. Sander Glenn, residing at Schenectady, sound and hearty of body, able to walk and stand, having to all outward appearances the full use and command of his understanding, senses, memory and speech, who, considering the shortness of human life and the unforseen hour of death and wishing not to depart hence without having first disposed of the temporal estate granted to him by Almighty God, and that without the inducement, persuasion or misleading of anyone, but of his own motion, commending in the first place his soul into the hands of God and his body to a Christian burial, nominates, constitutes and appoints hereby his wife, Antje Glenn, his sole and universal heir of his whole estate and effects, real and personal, money, claims and credit, nothing in the world reserved and excluded, the same to be used, granted, alienated and sold in such manner as the testator if living might do, saving that the land now occupied by the testator and half of the land which he bought of Jan Luykasse, and two negroes named Pieter and Wouter shall not be alienated or sold, but the usufruct thereof be enjoyed during her lifetime. Item. So soon as it is known that the testator is dead, his wife shall permit all the linen and woolen that have belonged to his body and also all the arms to be equally divided among the sons of his two brothers, but the son of his brother, Johannes, name Sander, shall first receive his shotgun that Mr. Teller brought from Holland. Furthermore it is his will that she shall not be troubled by the blood relations, or the guardians of the minors, constable or constables, the honorable orphan masters, the court of this county or city of New Albany or any high or low court, or judge of this province, of what name soever, to deliver an inventory of the estate, much less to furnish security or sureties, notwithstanding any law or laws, custom or customs of this province may otherwise direct, desiring that the same shall herein be suspended and without effect, making her to this end administratrix and executrix of the whole of the aforesaid estate and effects in manner and on conditions as aforesaid during the time of her widowhood; but entering the marriage state again, she shall give up the just half of the effects and personal estate as the same may be found to the behoof of his deceased brother Jacob's children and of his brother Johannes or, if deceased of his child or children, said just half to be divided between both sides into two like parts. But the aforesaid lands and two negroes she shall have use of during the time of her life, without having the power of encumbering, much less of alienating or selling the same; but after her death they shall go to the lawful sons of his brother Jacob and to his brother Johannes, or in case of their deaths before partition to their son or sons, to wit, the one equal just half to the sons of his deceased brother Jacob Glen and the other half to his brother Johannes, or in case of his decease to his son or sons, with this understanding, that the half of the aforesaid land that falls to the son or sons of his brother Jacob shall be lawfully valued and appraised by impartial persons in order that their just portion be paid over in wheat or money to the sister or sisters, as the testator wills and desires that each of the said children shall participate to the same extent in the appraised land but that the son or sons shall possess the same (provided that they make a proper compensation to their sister or sisters), in order that it be not alienated by the next of kin lawfully bearing the name of Glen, which the testator likewise wills to apply to the son or sons of his brother Johannes, if he happen to die before the aforesaid land is divided. The two aforesaid negroes, namely Piet and Wouter, shall also be divided, whereof the one shall go to the children of his deceased brother Jacob and the other to his brother Johannes or, in case of his death before the partition, to his children. Item. The share in the grist mill standing at Shennectady and all the real estate acquired by him through inheritance on his aforesaid wife's side, his aforesaid wife shall have and retain for herself, with power in all respects to do therewith and to dispose thereof, alienate, use and sell the same even and in like manner as the testator might do. Likewise the testator grants to his said wife administration of his affairs during his absence to Canada. All that is hereinbefore written the testator declares to be his testamentary disposition and last will which he desires to have full effect from the least to the weightiest article, whether as will, codicil, gift in anticipation of death or among the living, or any other bequest however it may be named, notwithstanding that all the formalities required by the laws of this government may not be observed herein, desiring that the utmost benefit may be received for the maintenance of what is hereinbefore written.
In witness of the truth of which, without craft or guile, he has subscribed and sealed this with his own hand on the 19th of July at New Albany aforesaid.
Was signed,
Sander Glenn (L.S.)
Signed and sealed in presence of us,
1690, the 28th July
- Willem Ketelheyn
- Joh: Becker Junr
- J. Becker
The land which I bought with my brother Johannes Glenn from Jan Luykase, it is my will that my brother Johannes' son named Sander shall receive by privilege [and] in case of his death, his brother Johannes.
Signed,
Sander Glenn
As witness
This is the mark IoS of Isaak Switts
Dirk Bradt*
* Page 43 [in original records] contains letters of administration in English to Annetje Sanders on the estate of her late husband Sander Glenn, dated February 20, 1696.