In the Name of God Amen. I Richard Lake of the State & County aforesaid, being sick and weak in body, but of sound perfect & disposing mind & memory, blefsed be God. Do this fourth day of August in the year of our Lord 1799 make & ordain this my last will & testament in manner & form following. To wit, Imprimis, I Give & recommend my soul unto the Exant of Almighty God , who Gave thus trusting it will be accepted with him through the worthy merit of my only Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ & through whose Almighty power I hope to be raised again to life & immortality at the general reserection of the Dead. And my body I desire to be decently laid or buried in the Earth, from whence it was taken at the discretion of my Executors hereafter to be named. Item I Give desire & bequeath my worldly property & Estate in the following manner Viz. My land & plantation I now live on I desire my family to live on and at the decease of my beloved wife Elizabeth Lake I desire it to be sold & the price thereof to be Equally divided Among all my children or their legal representatives. But if my wife & Executors should all think proper to sell this land & purchase with the price thereof other lands for my children & wife, to live on during her life then in that case it may & aught to be done, & that land it do purchased, sold at the death of my wife & Equally divided as aforesaid. I desire as much of my personal property, which can be best spared to be sold as will pay my just debts & no more, and the rest of my personal property to be kept together in pofsefsion of my wife & necessary to raise my children and as they my children shall come of full age to get an equal proportion or division thereof. And I wish my executors to dispose of the Same when it is apparently for the advantage of my family. The names of my children are as follows: Abin Lake, Nancy Lake, Sally Lake, Polly Lake, Justus Lake, Joseph Lake, James Lake, & Betsey Lake. I do nominate & appoint my dearly beloved wife Elizabeth Lake Executrix & James Gray & John Riley, my friends, Executors of this my last will & testament revoking and disannulling all other former wills etc. by me heretofore made. Witness my hand & seal the date above written.
Greene Court of the Ordinary 24th Aprl 1800
The within last will & Testament of Richard Lake proven in open court by the oaths of Thomas Barron & John Davidson subscribing witnefses to the same & ordered to record.