[1] B. 409 Test. Leer Notarized Copy! The first draft is without a stamp. For the copy, an amount of 15 Schillings has been taken in for the mark of the stamp. Leer, February 1, 1907 signed by G. Hirschen Secretariate of the District Court, Court Secretary of the Royal District Court ________ 1 Opened Leer on Febr. 7, 1900 and Jan. 19, 1907 Royal District Court 1 Signed by Borner Protocol Regarding the recording of a joint testament [2] Taking place at Leer in the residence of the signing notary on the 8th of April eighteen hundred seventy-five, in the afternoon at 6:30. Having appeared to me, the undersigned, living in Leer, Royal Prussian [?] Notary Gottlieb Fischer today at the just noted time of day, the married couple, known well to me in person and to be of a sound state of mind, the carpenter Cunrad Engelbertus Bru"ggemann und Gesina Maria Bru"ggemann, born Elsen, from Loge [?] and applied for the recording of their joint testament in a notarized protocol. [3] For the occasion of this application the potter Jakob Creutzenberg and the servant Peter Ackermann, both living in Leer, and both known to me for a long time were requested by me as official witnesses of the court. In that now the testators, the married couple the carpenter Cunrad Engelbertus Bru"ggemann und Jesina Maria Bru"ggemann, born Elsen, from Loga, also the potter Jakob Creutzenberg, the above-mentioned testament witness in person and all well known as of a sound state of mind, in which the testators all find themselves to be in a situation of an unweakened possession of their powers of reason [4] and in a legally appropriate expression of their will, as one had to be convinced from an interview carried out with them, in which the testators assured through questioning that it was their completely free well-considered will, to set up thier testament, indeed, jointly, as well as that in the free disposal over their future estate is in no way limited, and in which [5] finally, in my humble person, as in the person of the named witnesses to the testament, as much as was made aware to me through my inquiry, one which takes place designated [Manget?] in the paragraphs twenty-seven through thirty of the Notary Order of the eighteenth of September eighteen-hundred fifty-three, the application was deferred [?] and declared thusly the testament of the testators the married couple Bru"ggemann in common, to this now follows the protocol: [6] We the married couple bequeath first of all, one to the other, including each other reciprocally, the unlimited, without bond (security, fee) life-long interest (usufruct) to the estate of the first deceased, with the authorization (authority, right, warrant), to have access to and use the substance of the estate, and without the obligation to the giving of a Juventur [?]. To the heirs of my estate, I, the carpenter Bru"ggemann, name my only child, Anna Bru"ggemann, married to the farmer Tiedeken, from [7] Heisfelde, from my marriage with my deceased wife Frederika Jansten. I, the wife Bru"ggemann, name to my heir, the same Anna Bru"ggemann, married Tiedeken, my step-daughter. In addition, we determine that in the case of the death of this our heir the legitimate descendants shall take her place. III We forbid a judicial sealing (Siegelung) and Juventur [?] of our estate, and we have no further conditions. [8] After giving this declaration the testators were made aware by me of the determinations of paragraphs forty-four to forty-six of the notary order of the eighteenth of September eighteen-hundred fifty-three and then of the present protocol by me in the presence of the two witnesses to the testament, who were present during the entire proceedings, read aloud, then approved by them and the witnesses, and after that [9] all of them and myself signed it as follows.-- after that the oral reading was read aloud with words, we and "and Juventur" were put in effect. signed C. Bru"ggemann G. M. Bru"ggemann J. Creutzenberg P. Ackermann for Notarization signed Gotlieb Fischer, Notary, living in Leer. III Royal District Court Leer, Feb. 7, 1907 Present [10] District Court Advisor Bo"rner, as Judge The widow of the carpenter Cunrad Engelbertus Bru"ggemann, Jesina Maria born Elsen from Loga appeared. The personality of those appearing were identified by the Court Servant Zientz. The certificate [Hinterlagungsschein] about the disposition (disposal) because of death entered in the record book on the 9th of April 1875 is found in the files, as well as the Death Certificate according to which the heir carpenter ___ Bru"ggemann on the 21st of Sept., 1899 is understood. [11] The testament according to the certificate [Hinterlagungsschein] on the 9th of April 1875 on the special official use (access, disposition) given in common by the married couple Bru"ggemann was taken out of the record [?Verwehrung]. The testament was sealed once with the official seal of the notary Gotlieb Fischer of Leer. It was determined that the seal was undisturbed. Then the testament was opened and proclaimed to the one appearing with the exception of the second sentence of Paragraph 2. [12] The one appearing declared: The worth of the estate comes to 7800[16--looks like this last part could also be a "U," representing some denomination] read aloud, approved, notarized, signed Bo"rner III. Royal District Court Leer, January 19, 1907. Present: Present District Court Advisor Bo"rner, as Judge, no one appeared. The Death Certificate after which the heir the widow Gesina Maria Bru"ggemann, who died on the 29th of Dec. 1906, is located in the files. The joint testament of the married couple carpenter Cunrad Engelbertus Bru"ggemann and Gesina Maria Bru"ggemann born Elsen in Loga, according to the files on the 28th of March 1900 again brought to the special official place of safe-keeping, were [13] taken out of their place of keeping. The testament was closed twice with the official seal. It was determined that the seal was undisturbed. With this the testament was opened, and carefully made known to the use of the wife Bru"ggemann. Notarized. [14] signed Bo"rner. The present copy is given over to the Grand Dukedom of the District Court Friese...[...y"the?]. Leer (Ostfr.) [Ostfriesland], the 1st of February 1907. Signed G. Hi[r]schen A.G. Seterntu"r [?], Secretary of the Royal District Court 1 ----- Present copy is consistent with the version of the Royal District Court Leer. Friesey"the [?], April 13, 1907. Court Registrar B[?]dukely District Court ------------------------------------------------------- Translated by Patricia Reaves, of the Univ. Wisconsin German Dept. in May 1994 at the request of Dennis Nicklaus. Interpretation of dates in above will by Dennis Nicklaus, 1994. The will was signed 8 Apr 1875, which means Frederika Jansten was dead by then. Apparently Cunrad Bru"ggeman died on the 21st of Sept., 1899. This will was opened between Febr. 7, 1900 and 28th of March 1900 to see what Cunrad had said after he died. Gesina Maria Bru"ggemann died on the 29th of Dec. 1906. The will was opened again Jan. 19, 1907 and dealt with for a few weeks after that after the death of Gesina. The other date spelled out 18 Sep 1853 is the date of some laws applicable to protocols regarding wills and witnessing wills.