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Will of Thomas Olcott - November 10, 1653
In the name of God, amen. I, Thomas Olcott of Hartford, being weak in
body, but through the mercy of God of perfect memory, yet calling to mind
the certainty of death and the uncertainty of the time thereof, do make and
ordain my last will and testament in manner and form as following:
First, I commit my soul into the hands of my most merciful Father and
blessed Redeemer and eternal Comforter, hoping and being fully assured that
it shall be kept safe in the arms of those everlasting mercies which have
from eternity before time loved it with a infinite and everlasting love, and
in time manifested this love unto me in (by a mighty and unresistible power)
plucking me out of the chains of darkness and the dungeons of sin and misery,
and translating of me into the kingdom of his dear Son.
My body I commit to the earth from whence it come, and out of which it
was formed, knowing and being perfectly persuaded that the Lord by his
almighty power will raise it up at the last day, and then both body and soul
shall be reunited, and this frail and mortal body shall be made like unto
the glorious body of the Lord Jesus.
My wife I leave her to the care of the church whereof the Lord hath made
her a member, and to the counsel and advice of them in general and my
overseers, and Mrs. Hooker in particular, and desire their utmost care and
endeavor for her good, and I earnestly desire her to attend their counsel
and advice to the utmost.
The children which the Lord of his mercy hath given me, I firstly commit
them into the arms of that mercy, and beseech the Lord to make good his
everlasting covenant that he hath of his rich mercy made with them, and to
circumcize their hearts that they may love and fear him forever; and
secondly, I leave them to the love, care and faithful endeavor of the church
with whom they live and whereof they are members, entreating them according
to the covenant of the Lord, that they would be helpful to them and watchful
over them, both for their outward and spiritual good.
And touching the wordly goods which the Lord hath been pleased to lend
me, my will is, that after my debts are paid and discharged, that my estate
shall be disposed of as followeth, viz: Unto my dear and loving wife I give
unto her the sum of twenty-eight pounds per year during her life, to be made
fair unto her out of my estate, partly out of what rents and yearly
annualties are coming to me, and partly so much of my estate to be put to
it as will procure so much to be assured to her during her life; the whole
remainder of my estate, except twenty pounds, I give and bequeath unto my
children, five or six, more or less, as it pleased the Lord to leave me,
which are surviving, to be divided, if I have six children, into seven equal
parts, or if seven children, into eight equal parts, and I do give and
bequeath unto my eldest son Thomas two equal parts of the estate so divided,
and unto the each of the rest of my said children one equal part of the
estate so divided; my mind and will is, that each of their parts and
portions shall be due unto them and payable unto them at the age of
twenty-one years, or day of their marriage, which shall first happen; as
also, that if any of my said children shall die or depart this life before
that their portion shall become due and payable, that then their part and
portion shall be equally divided unto those that are surviving, I mean each
of them, both eldest and youngest, to have each of them an equal portion.
Also my desire and will is, that my estate which I have given to my children
may be ordered and improved to the best advantage of my said children, by my
overseers. And my mind is, that my said overseers may be paid out of my
estate for such time and cost and expenses as they shall be at, in ordering
my estate from time to time, as also that the said overseers would so order
of the bringing up of the children as they conceive may be best for the
children's spiritual and temporal good. And the rest of my estate not given,
I give and bequeath as followeth: Unto my dear and tender mother, Mrs.
Margaret Charlfount, for her own peculiar use, two pounds; to my dear and
much respected sister, Mrs. Mary Hardy, five pounds; to my indeared friend
and faithful counsellor, Mrs. Hooker, fifty shillings; to my revered teacher,
one pound ten shillings; to my mother, Hoare, twenty shillings; to my
brother, Will. Wadsworth, one pound; to brother Will. Lewis, senior, one
pound; to my overseers of this my last will, each of them apiece, three
pounds. My desire is, that all my said legacies shall be paid within one
year after my decease.
I do make and ordain my loving wife and my son Thomas, executors, of this
my will; and I do desire my dear brethren and friends, Mr. John Talcott and
Edward Stebbin, to be overseers hereof, and desire their utmost care and
faithfulness herein.
And lastly, I do desire to leave a record of God's faithfulness and
goodness towards me, who hath been infinite and abundant in his goodness
and fatherly mercy toward me even unto admiration, who though he hath seemed
to me to deny for a long time, yet hath heard all my prayers, supplied all
my wants, overcome all my evils with his goodness, and when I have been as
proud and stubborn as I could be, yet then hath he magnified his rich
compassion to me, that all whom it may concern, especially my wife, children,
kindred, and friends, may learn to humble and abase themselves before that
God, to seek and to wait upon that God who is nearest to help when all other
help is furthest from us, and to love and fear and serve that God forever,
who is a God full of mercy, and faithful in his covenant to his poor
servants and their seed. And I do revoke all other wills by me made, and do
acknowledge this as my last will and testament, and in witness hereof have
hereunto set my hand and seal this 10th day of November, 1653.
Thomas Olcott
Witness by us,
Henry Hardeye,
Elizabeth Roberts.
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