In the name of God Amen this second day of October Anno Dimini 1745 Benjamin Wheelock of Mendon in the County of Worcester in the Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England [...] Being ancient and under bodily infirmity but of sound and [disposeing] mind memory and judgement (thanks to God therefore) therefore calling to mind the mortality of my body as it is appointed unto men once to dye do make and ordain this my last will and testament that is to say whenever it shall please God, to call me out of this world by Death principally and above all [do] [earnestly] recommend my immortal soul into the hands of God who love it hopeing to obtain the full and free pardon and remission of all my sins, and eternal life and salvation through the [...] death and merritts of my lord and saviour Jesus Christ and I commit my body to the earth to be burried in a decent Christian manner at the discretion and direction of my executor herein here hereafter named believing that I shall receive the same again by the quickening power of Jesus Christ at the general resurrection at the [last] day and as [touching] such worldy estate as it hath pleased god to [bestow] me with in this present life I hereby give [demise] and dispose of the same in the following manner and forms.

First: of all my will is that all my just debts which I owe to all and all manner of person or persons whomsoever together with the charges of my [sickness] and funeral shall be well and faithfully paid and discharged out of my estate by my executor of this my last will and testament in conveniant time after my decease.

Also: Thereby give and bequeath unto my dearly beloved wife Rebecca Wheelock and to her heirs and assigns forever the sum of forty pounds in bills of publick credit of the old tenor to be paid unto her my said wife or to her heirs or assigns out of my ready money or money due by bonds to me within six months after my decease and also I hereby give unto my said wife and to her heirs and assigns forever all and singular the household goods and utensells which she brought to me at marriage and also one of my cows which she or they shall choose also the linen and woolen wheels, which she now uses and a new coverlet for a bed which we made since our marriage together.

Also: I hereby give and bequeth unto my well beloved son Benjamin Wheelock and to his heirs and assigns forever all and singular my tract or parcell of land which I laid out in Mendon aforesaid and it is bounded partly by land of Thomas Taft [...] and partly by land of Benjamin Cragen and as it is butted and bounded in the records kept for the use of [...] proprieters of the township of Mendon aforesaid and also a small peice of meadow being about two acre which I bought of Nathan Penniman is being a part of the round meadow [...] in Mendon aforesaid and also all the meadow bottom which I have lying together on both sides of the Mill River in Mendon and aforesaid and northerly up stream from the bridge over said river on the road from Allens Corner to [...] Thayers and also about Three acres of upland, which I laid out additional thereunto bounded southwesterly by the [...] meadow bottom.

Also: I hereby give and bequeth unto my well beloved son Daniel Wheelock and to his heirs and assigns forever all and singular my land which I have and had in the Township of Uxbridge that is to say all my lands from the Collony Line Westerly to his own land and also a five acre right in all the comon and undivid lands in the Township of Mendon and Uxbridge from and after the tenth division of all said lands.

Also: I hereby give and bequeth unto my well beloved son Jonathan Wheelock and to his heirs and assigns forever the sum of Forty shillings in Bills of Publick Credit of the old Tenor to be paid by my executor here after named within six months after my decease additional to what I have given to my said son here to fore to promote his settlement and support in the world.

Also: I hereby give and bequeth unto my well beloved son Paul Wheelock and to his heirs and assigns forever the sum of Forty Shillings in Bills of Publick Credit of the old tenor to be paid by my executor hereafter named within six months after my decease additional to what I have heretofore given him my said son in order to his settlement and support in the world.

Also: I hereby give and bequeth unto my well beloved son Silas Wheelock and to his heirs and assigns forever Fourteen acres of Woodland which is laid out near [Dam] Swamp and adjoyning to land of John Legg as it is butted and bounded in the records kept for the use of the proprietors of the Township of Mendon aforesaid and also one full [moiety] or half part of the peice of land which I have on the [easterly side] of [Caleb] Hill in Mendon aforesid and on the easterly side of the road leading to his own land to [Ensine] Benjamin Darlings and divided from his own land by the said road refer[...]ing the wood on the last mentioned peice of land for the use and improvement of those whom I lette on my homestead so long as my wife Rebekah Wheelock shall continue to dwell thereon having heretofore made provisions for the settlement and support of my son Silas Wheelock in another manner.

Also: I hereby give and bequeth unto my well beloved son David Wheelock and to his heirs and assigns forever the sum of Forty Shillings of Publick Credit of the old tenor to be paid to him or them by my executors of this my last will and testament within six months after my decease additional to what I have heretofore given him my said son in a way of settlement.

Also: I hereby give and bequeth unto my well beloved son Peter Wheelock and to his heirs and assigns forever seven acres of land according to [...] adjoyning easterly to the meadow bottom which I have herein given to my son Benjamin Wheelock and northerly by land of Samuel Thayer [Tertius] and also the other half of my land on the easterly side of [Caleb] Hill the other half of which I have herein given to my son Silas Wheelock having here to fore made provision for the betterment and support of my said son Peter Wheelock in another manner.

Also: I hereby give and bequeth unto my two aforesaid well beloved sons [viz.] to my sons Silas Wheelock and Peter Wheelock and to their heirs and assigns forever in equal division and proportion between my two sons respecting quantity and quality of certain peice of meadow on the easterly side of the Mill River commonly called the Lower Meadow scituate in Mendon aforesaaid the said peice of meadow being bounded easterly by a ditch and westerly by the said river they my said two sons Silas Wheelock and Peter Wheelock their respective heirs executors or assigns paying the sum of twenty pounds in good and lawfull bills of public credit of the old tenor between them to three of my grand children the children of my well beloved daughter Mary Thayer deceased that is to say twenty pounds in like tenor to each of my said grand children and to their heirs and assigns forever. That is to say the sum of twenty pounds bills of publick credit of the old tenor unto my grandson Peter Thayer so soon as he shall arrive at twenty one years of age and the sum of twenty pounds in like bills of publick credit of the old tenor to each of my grand daughters Mary Thayer and Abigail Thayer as they shall arrive to eighteen years of age the said sums to be paid by my said sons Silas Wheelock and Peter Wheelock between them their heirs and assigns.

And my will further is that if any of my said grand children shall die before the respective time of payment of their legacy herein [...] and leaveing no natural [issue] that the said legacy be paid to the survivor or [survivors] or to their heirs or assigns and that if all my said grand children shall die before the times of the respective legacys and bequests becomeing due and payable to them and leaving no natural [issue] that the said sums and legacys shall be divided equally between all my sons afore named, to be to them [...] their heirs and assigns forever. And I do hereby further give and bequeath unto my aforesaid son Peter Wheelock and to his heirs forever all my [husbandry] utensils excepting my logg chain my old set of [horse] geers and two axes. He my said son Peter Wheelock his [heirs] executor or adm. allowing to my dearly beloved wife Rebeckah Wheelock the south easterly part of my dwelling house in Mendon where we now dwell with the cellar under the same so long as she shall continue to be my widow and shall choose to dwell there, and also keeping for her the cow which I have herein given to her both summers and winters so long as it may be proper to keep her and after that providing for and allowing unto my said wife a cow to imporvee and keeping it for her yearly and every year both summer and winter [for as long] as she shall continue my widow and shall chuse to dwell in the [...] aforesaid and also yearly and every year during her [... ... ...] living allowing unto her my said wife eight bushells of Indian meal and three bushells of rye at suitable time as she shall require and fifty pound of merchantable beef yearly and also keep for her one swine yearly with her [...] in keeping it and allow her an horse to ride to meeting and on other occasions also sufficient fire wood ten pounds of well swing [...] good flax half a bushell of salt, also a suitable quantity of malt, and liberty to pick beans for her use as [...] and liberty to improve the house and well, as her occasions may require and also allowing unto her five pounds of good sheeps wools at shearing time, and all these yearly and every year during her remaining my widow and on my homestead or in my dwelling house in which we now dwell as aforesaid.

Also: I hereby give and bequeath unto my well beloved daughter Huldah Rice and to her heirs and assigns forever the sum of five pounds in bills of publick credit of the old tenor to be paid to her or thems out of my estate by my executor of this my last will and testament within twelve months after my decease which sum is in addition to what I have heretofore given to her my said daughter.

Also: I hereby give and bequeth unto my aforesaid grand daughter Mary Thayer and to her heirs and assigns forever my best bed in the new chamber in my now dwelling house with the bed[stand] and cord curtains four sheets a blankett [bolster] and [coverlet] thereto belonging also a [chist] standing in the said chamber also my largest peuter dish three peuter plates and a peuter [bason] and an iron kittle.

Also: I hereby give and bequeth unto my aforesaid grand daughter Abigail Thayer and to her heirs and assigns forever my next best bed in the chamber aforesaid with the bedstead and cord belonging to it together with a coverlet blanket and pair of sheets. Also one old lock [chist] my warming pan one peuter dish the next largest of size to that which I have herein given to my grand daughter Mary Thayer, also my brass kittle, called the middle kittle, and on peuter plate and one of my iron [tramels]. Also one iron pot and pair of tongues.

Also: I hereby give and bequeth unto my grandson Seth Sanford his heirs and assigns forever my gun and oldest set of [horse] geers and ten pounds in bills of publick credit of the old tenor to be paid unto him my said grandson by my executor of this my last will and testament as soon as he shall arrive to twenty one years of age.

Also: I hereby give and bequeth unto my grand daughter Mary Sanford and to her heirs and assigns forever a feather bed and a trundle bedstead with a [bolster] coverlet blanket and a pair of sheets also my chist of drawers in the new chamber two peuter dishes of my smaller sort and my great brass kittle.

Also: My will is that all and singular the remaining part of my estate of whatsoever sort or denomination it may be shall be equally divided between my aforementioned sons Benjamin Wheelock, Dan Wheelock, Jonathan Wheelock, Paul Wheelock, and Silas Wheelock, David Wheelock, and Peter Wheelock to be to them my said sons and to their heirs and assigns forever.

I hereby appoint make and ordain my well beloved son Benjamin Wheelock to be my sole executor of this my last will and testament to execute perform and fulfill the same in all the several clauses and parts thereof according to its true intent and meaning hereby directing him my said executor not to take the intress of any note or bond which I have taken of any of my aforesaid sons which intress I hereby will and order to be foregone and remitted and I do hereby utterly renounce [disanul] and make void and of none [effect] all and all manner of former and other wills testaments legacies bequests and executors by me the said Benjamin Wheelock at any time or times heretofore made given granted and ordained and do hereby ratify and confirm this and no other to be my last will and testament.

In testimoney whereof I have herunto let my hand and seal the day and year first herein written that is to say this 2nd day of October Anno Domini 1745 his W mark and seal signed sealed published pronounced and declared by the said Benjamin Wheelock to be his last will and testament in presence of us the [...] William White, William Thayer, Josiah Marshall, [Worcester] - by the Honorable Joseph Wilder Esq, Judge of the Probate of Wills and for the County of Worcester [...]. William White and Josiah Marshall personally appearing made oath that they saw Benjamin Wheelock the subscriber sign and seal and heard him publish pronounce and declare the same to be and contain his last will and testament and that when he so did he was of sound disposing mind and memory according to these [deponants] best decerning and that they with William Thayer the other evidence set to their names at the same time in the said testator presence.

Joseph Wilder

Province of the Massachusetts Bay

[Approved 4 Nov 1746 by Joseph Wilder]

(Transcribed by Roderick B. Sullivan, Northborough, MA, May 1998)