I ffrances Lawes, of Salem, being weake in body, but of pfect memorye (through the Lords mercye) doe make this my last will and Testament, this sixth daye of November Anno Domij: 1665: Impr my will is that my son in law John Neale & my daughter Mary his wife, after my decease, shall haue & injoye to theire owne pper use & behoofe, the time of theire liues, Joyntly & seuerally, all my howseing & land that I shall dy possest of, or is of right belonging vnto mee, both upland & meddow, with ye Oarchard & all appurtenances, lying within the bounds of Salem, aforesd, whoe shall keep the pmisses in good repaire, & soe leaue it at the time of their decease, to be disposed of as followeth. I giue vnto Jeremiah: son of my said son in law John Neale, my pt of a ten Acre lott, lately bought in ptnership with my said son in law Neale, of frances Scerry, my pt being the one halfe, which my said Granchild shall injoy to him & his heires, after ye decease of his sd Father & mother, John & Mary neale. I giue vnto Johnathon son of my son in law John Neale, my dwelling house which I now liue in, with all ye outhouses belonging therevnto, together with fiue Acres of land Inclosed & adjoying bought of mr tho: Read & a little strip of marsh adjoyning, giuen me by the Town to haue & in Joy the afore mentioned 'rmises to him & his heires for euer, next after ye decease of his said father & mother John & mary neale. I give vnto Joseph son of my son in law Jon Neale, two Acres of ground more or less, with the Barne standing there vpon, which is adjoying to ye aboue mentioned houseing & land, & is a part of that ground I Bought of Mr Edmond Batter, & was formerly Tho: Antrums deceased & is bounded on ye north with the street & on the east with ye land of mine, formerly ye land of Richard graues, on ye south with ye land of John & Jonathan Pickering & on the west with ye land latly of John Kitchin, to haue & to hold the same next after the decease of said John & mary neale, his said father & mother.

     I giue & bequeath vnto my fiue grand children, the children of my son John neale by mary his now wife: viz. Jeremiah, John, Jonathan, Joseph & Liddea: neale, fifty pounds sterling, betweene them, that is to say tenn pounds each of them to be paid vnto them or either of them, out of my estate, by my executors, when they shall accomplish the age of one & twenty years, seuerally, And my will is that yf any or either of them decease before they shall accomplish the age of one & twenty years, that then his or theire portion shalbe divided equally betweene ye surviuers, and my will is that it be soe understood with respect to what I haue before bequeathed to any of them, yf they or either of them shall decease before they come to age as aforsd then there pt to be devided between those that shall surviue & accomplish the age of twenty one yeares as aforesd, I giue vnto Mary my sd daughter my best feather bead, with all that belongs to it viz. bolster pillowes Couerings Blanketts sheets, with ye greene say Curtaines & vallens & all other appurtenances, to be to ye sole & proper use & behoofe of my sd daughter & assignes foreuer. I giue to my grand child John neale aboue said, all my weaueing Tackling as Loomes, slease, harnes & what euer elce belongs there vnto, provided he make use of it him selfe, other wise to be my daughters Maryes use & dispose, Alsoe my will is that in case my said son John & Mary neale shall in the time of theire liues, or either of them, shall make any new Adition of Building to ye howseing aboue said wherby the said howsing is & shalbe bettered at the time of theire decease when theire son John shall com to injoy it, that then ye said John shall pay ye value there of vnto his Brother Joseph yf then surviueing. I Appoynt my son in law John neale, & mary his wife (my daughter) to be executors, Joyntly & seuerally of this my last will & testament.


ffrancis Lawes

     Witness: Hillyard Veren, Bartholomew Gedney.

further my will is that, my Grandchild Jonathan aboue mentioned when he shall come to Injoy the housen & land aboue mentioned next after ye decease of his said father & mother as abousaid: he shall pay or cause to be paid to his Brother Jeremiah & John or theire asignes the sum of thirty pounds sterling that is to say in one yeare after the said Jonathan injoyes the said house & land: ten pounds to John: & in the second yeare after ten pounds to Jeremiah & the third yeare the other ten pounds to John.

     Proved 28: 4: 1666 by the witnesses.

     Inventory taken June 28, 1666, by Edmund Batter and Bartho. Gedney: One howse & Lands, 6 or 7 ackers about the house with barn and other out buildings, 20li.; 15 ackrs. of Land in ye North field, 15li.; 5 Cowes att 4li. 10s. 22li. 10s.; 1 mare & 2 Colts, 8li.; 1 Bed & furniture, 5li. 10s.; 1 chest & 1 chare, 10s.; weareing apparell, 5li.; Lining, 6li.; 1 fether bed, 2li.; pewter & Iron potts, Kitells & brass, 2li. 10s.; 1 Lume & tackle, 5li.; total 192li.