Last Will and Testament of Daniel Stettler

Exhib^t. Nov 8, 1788

 

Northampton County, Pennsylvania

Will Book 2, pages 11-13

 

Translated by Esther Bauer, Ph.D.

 

In the Name of God who has created heaven and earth, Amen. After the Loving God at his pleasure allotted me, Daniel Stettler, with weakness of body and I don't know how close I am approaching my end, and while I still am of sound and well mind and understanding for which I firstly wish to thank the Loving God, I have decided to set in order my small estate with which the God of Grace has blessed me in this world, so that no strife should arise among my heirs after my death. To begin with I entrust my wretched soul into the hands of my precious redeemer Jesus Christ and my dead body to the cool earth, to be buried according to Christian tradition. Henceforth my last will and testament¹ is to bequeath to my beloved wife Catharina Stettnerin² five pounds of lawful hard cash in gold or silver in advance, which shall be paid to her my espoused wife out of my estate immediately one year after my death,  just as provision to this regards has already been made in the contract which I had already drawn up with my son-in-law David Wander on 7^th February 1785 pertaining to my estate. Secondly it is my will and testament that my son Phillip Stettler shall receive five pounds from my inheritance ahead of time; and this shall be paid to him or to his heirs after my death just as was advised regarding Mother. Item My daughter Margareta and her husband Michel Wilgans have received their share of inheritance of thirty pounds already. And I, Daniel Stettler, am revealing herewith and testify that my son Philip Stettler has received his share of inheritance of forty pounds as well; however the above mentioned additional five pounds he shall receive after my death as has been advised. And further I declare that my daughter Maria Eva and her husband Petter Hantwerk still are to receive their share of inheritance of thirty pounds. Further is my will and testament for my son Henrich Stettler to be handed forty pounds which I give and bequeath to him, which shall be paid to selfsame Henrich Stettler or to his heirs. Additionally I also give and bequeath to my son Valliandin Stettler forty pounds of lawful hard cash in gold or silver, to be paid to him or to his heirs after my death. Further I am giving and have bequeathed to my daughter Elisabet Pettrin the sum of thirty pounds, and additionally she has received twenty pounds. And I give and bequeath to my daughter Maria Stettlerin the sum of thirty five pounds lawful money as was already announced, and a good featherbed and bedstead and all items which have been registered in the contract between myself and my son-in-law David Wander, and which shall be handed over to her by the Executors which I have appointed. In same manner I give and bequeath to my daughter Salome Stettlerin the sum of thirty five pounds of lawful hard cash in gold or silver, as well as a good featherbed and bedstead and all items which have been registered in the above mentioned contract, and which shall be taken out of my estate and handed to Saloma by my Executors. And my will and testament is further: After all of the above mentioned articles and inheritance have been paid out in their entirety, of anything that shall be left of my estate or possessions after my death, my beloved wife Catharina Stetterin shall be the first to take one third. Whatever is left thereafter shall be distributed in equal shares among my eight children, Philip, Henrich, and Vallandin Stettler, and Margareta Wilgansin, and Maria Eva Handwerkin, and Elisabet Petrein, as well as Maria and Salome Stettlerin. Further it is my will and testament that my espoused wife Catharina Stettlerin shall keep for her use her bed and bedstead and all that belongs with it, and do with it whatever she desires; she shall also have an armoire³ and an iron stove, a tin bowl, six tin plates and six tin spoons, one skimming ladle, one small and one large washing tub, three buckets, one kneading-trough, one table, and one prayer book. And in regard to all these above listed articles and possessions, after my death, my above mentioned wife shall exercise authority over them to do therewith whatever she pleases, according to her own wishes. And further it is my will and testament  and my absolute legal provision that neither my daughter Catharina nor her husband David Vil..der⁴ nor his heirs or descendants, shall have any legal right nor share to any of the left-over articles from her third of the inheritance that have been given to my above mentioned married spouse Catharina Stettlerin and which I, Daniel Stettler have bequeathed to her. And neither my before mentioned daughter⁵ David Vander nor his heirs, shall from here on out have any additional share in my estate; because he has already received his share of inheritance when I sold him the land as has been registered. Further my will and testament is:  If my son Ballandin Stettler should wish to learn the weaver's craft, then he shall receive one of my weaver's looms together with all of the tools belonging to it. And it is my will and testament that my three sons Philip, Heinrich, and Vallandin Stettler or their heirs and the aforementioned shall have forever the parcel of land which I had in Schamokin, if they treat that matter with justice as I should have pursued it in the past.⁶ And I, Daniel Stettler have decided on the following provision, in case my above mentioned son Ballandin Stettler should die without heirs, then Philip and Heinrich Stettler shall be his heirs in regard to the said Vallandin's share of land in Schmokin. And further is my will and testament to appoint my trusted son Philip Stettler and my trusted son-in-law Philip Pettren to be the Executors of my last will and testament of my estate as well, and to act as guardians to my children who are not of age; and I extend to them complete authority to take care of my estate to the best of their ability for the sake of the children who are not of age, and for Mother; to employ their best knowledge in managing it according to the laws of the land and according to justice. And it is my will and testament that my son-in-law David Vander shall pay to the Executor I have appointed 29 pounds of lawful hard cash. And finally it is my last will and testament that this shall be my Last Will and Testament, and that all other wills and testaments shall be null and void, while this particular one shall remain legally binding and no one shall have the authority to destroy this Last Will and Testament of mine or to reject it, whatever pretext should be made. Whatever pretext should be made, I declare this my Last Will and Testament to be irrefutable because I, Daniel Stettler, was of sound mind and understanding, and it was composed in the presence of witnesses. In order to confirm this fact I have undersigned in my own hand and with my own seal, Weisenburg Township, County Northampton, State of Pennsylvania, 4^th December in the year of the Lord 1786.

Daniel Stettler X his mark

Heinrich Geiger and Christian Schneider as witnesses

 

Northampton County, On the Eighth of November 1788 Before me John Arndt, Esqr Register for the Probate of Wills etc. for said County personally came Henry Geiger and Christian Schneider the subscribing witnesses to the foregoing last Will and Testament of Daniel Stettler deceased and the said Henry Geiger on his solemn oath there before me taken and the said Christian Schneider on his solemn affirmation did respectively depose and say that they were present and did see the said Testator subscribe his mark expressed to be the mark of Daniel Stettler seal publish pronounce and declare the same as for his last Will and Testament and that at the doing thereof he the said Testator was of sound mind, memory and understanding to the best of their knowledge and belief and also that they this deponant and affirmant subscribed their names as witnesses to the same in the presence and at the request of the said Testator and in the presence of each other. Witness my hand

John Arndt Register

 

 

 

Footnotes

 

1   The expression here used could also be translated as "my last will and declaration".

 

2   The spelling of names in this document is inconsistent. Stettler at times becomes Stettner; the surname Wander is on one occasion not even recognizable; Petter becomes Pettren, Pettrin, or Petrein; Valliandin, Vallandin, and Ballandin are used interchangeably; the surname Handwerck is spelled Hantwerk; and so on.

 

3   Kast is a very old term for an armoire, but possibly it also might have described a big chest.

 

4   The name should here definitely be Vander or Wander.

 

5   Here it appears that the writer forgot a word. It should very likely be Tochter Man ("daughter man"), meaning "son-in-law".

 

6   This explanation is lacking and hard to understand, and the meaning is unclear. Daniel Stettler is alluding to a story and facts that are familiar to all of the readers of the probate, but for the modern reader his description of the matter is puzzling and completely unclear. Instead of my interpretation as translated above, Daniel's words could perhaps also simply describe a parcel of land which he didn't work in the past.