With 7th great grandfather John Myer (1684?-1757) I'm so far up my family tree I'm can barely see the ground and I'm starting to feel acrophobic* Unusually for the time, John left each of his children, sons and daughters, the same bequest with the exception of the youngest, Henry, who got the land. He also asked that they each give twenty shillings to the local Mennonite Meeting.
The only mention of his wife Mary is in the context of "the Yearly Maintenance" arranged for them with Henry which he directs should be equally divided among his children after "our Decease" so it's not clear to me whether Mary was still alive when he made his will in May of 1757.
In the Name of God I John Myer of York
Township in the County of York and Province of Pennsyl=
vania Being far advanced in Years but of Sound Mind
& Memory Thanks be given unto God therefore I Remembering
the Mortality of my Body and that it is appointed for all
Men to die do make this my last Will and Testament in
Manner following That is to say Principally I recomend
my Soul to God who gave it and my Body to the Earth to be
Buried in a Christian Manner at the discretion of my Executor
and as to what Estate it hath Pleased to God to bless me within
I Give and dispose of the same in the manner following
Imprimis It is my Will that all my Just Debts and funeral
Charges be paid by my Executor hereinafter named as soon
as may be convenient after my Decease Item I will &
bequeath unto my Son Christian Myer the sum of twenty
four Pounds to be paid to him by my Executor in manner
following four Pounds Sixteen Shillings part thereof one
Year after my Decease four Pounds Sixteen Shillings
more thereof two Years after my Decease four Pounds Sixteen
Shillings more thereof three years after my Decease four
Pounds Sixteen Shillings more thereof four Years after my
Decease and four Pounds Shillings residue thereof
five Years after my Decease Item I Give and Bequeath
unto my Son John Myer the Sum of Twenty four Pounds
to be paid unto him by my Executor in Such Sums and at
Such Times as the like Sum is disposed and above appointed
to my Son Christian Item I give and bequeath unto my
Daughter Barbara the Wife of Jacob Coaffman the sum
of twenty four Pounds to be paid by my Executor in such
Sums and at such Times as the like Sum is above appointed
to my Son Christian Item I give and bequeath unto my
Daughter Mary the Wife of Peter Brillhart the sum of
Twenty
Twenty four Pounds to be paid by my Executor in such Sums
and at such Times as the like Sum is above appointed unto my
Son Christian Item I give and bequeath unto my Daughter
Catherine the Wife of Jacob Beghtell the Sum of Twenty
four Pounds to be paid by my Executor in Such Sums and at
such Times as the like Sum is above appointed to be paid by
unto my Son Christian Item I Give and Bequeath unto my
Son Henry Myer all that Tract of Land and Plantation where
I now dwell as the same was Surveyed and laid out by Thomas
Armor Esquire to hold to him my said Son Henry his Heirs &
Assigns forever Item It is my will that each of my Children
above named shall pay the Sum of Twenty Shillings each to the
Menonest Meeting in the County of York Item I will all
that shall be and remain of the Yearly Maintenance I have
for my and Wife Mary from my Son Henry after our Decease
to be equally divided amongst my Children Lastlye
I do hereby nominate Constitute and appoint my beloved
Son Henry Myer Executor of this my last Will and Teata=
ment, here revoking and making null and Void all former
Wills and Testaments by me here before made and ratifying
and Confirming this and no other to be my last Will and
Testament In Witness whereof I have hereunto Set my
Hand and Seal the third day of May Seventeen hundred and
fifty Six~~~ his
John M Myer {Seal}
Signed and Sealed Published } Mark
Pronounced & Declared before us}
Tho's Armor John Adhim Sen'r John Adhim jun'r
York County ??
Before my George Stevenson Esquire
Deputy Red'r for the Probate of Wills and granting of Letters
of Administration for the said County of York Personally came
Thomas Armor and John Adhim Esquire two hereof the Sub=
scribing Witnesses to the foregoing Instrument of Writing
and on their Solemn Oath say that they saw and heard John
Myer sign Seal Publish and declare the foregoing Instrum't
of Writing as and for his Testament and last Will and
that they subscribed their Names as Witnesses to the same
and saw John Adhim jun'f subscribe his Name as a Witness
at that at that Time the said John Myer was of sound and
disposing Mind & Memory Tho's Armor
Sworn & Subscribed at York the 2. Nov'r 1757~~ John Adhim
for Geo Stevenson the Dep Reg'r
["Pennsylvania Probate Records, 1683-1994," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L99B-KCK7?cc=1999196&wc=9PM8-FM9%3A268493601%2C270202601 : 3 July 2014), York > Wills 1749-1779 vol A-D > image 104 of 647;
county courthouses, Pennsylvania.]
Memorandum That Letters Testamentary in common Form
were granted to Henry Myer Executor of the last Will Testament
of John Myer Deceased Inventory to be exhibited into the Registers
Office at york on or before the second day of December and an accompt
ot Reckoning on or before the second day of November next Given under
the Seal of the said Office at York at York the second day of November
Anno Domini 1757 _____
*Here's the line, traced all the way back to Germany (where he and his children, including
my direct ancestor Mary, were born of Swiss Mennonite heritage):
[Ancestry.com]
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