All has anyone gotten a copy of the will? If not I can check tomorrow and see if there is an LDS microfilm/fishe with the information on it. I would just need the year to see what is avaiable. Liesa On Tue, 4 Nov 2003 19:39:23 -0000 "Chris Sackett" <chris@sackett.org.uk> wrote: >Blanche, Thurmon, > >"Curiouser and curiouser!" cried Alice. ..... > >It looks to me that we have THREE versions of Capt >Richard's will. Weygant >says (p59) that the will was recorded both at Albany and >New York City which >might account for TWO versions. But THREE!!? > >Thurmon, I don't think you said where your version came >from. This might >help. On the face of it, it would appear that Weygant's >version would be the >later version as it contains additional wording. As far >as I can see your >version and Weygant's are the same with the exception of >Weygant's >containing the additional words "... my house, homestead, >orchards and >meadows and all my books. I leave to my son Josiah Crego, >and to the heirs >of my daughter Mary Dean deceased, ..." between the words >"I leave to my son >John after my wife's decease ..." and "... and to my >daughter Catherine >...". There are two additional bits of wording in >Thurmon's version. In line >3 the wording is "the use of my home lot" - Weygant's >version does not have >the word "home". Thurmon's version also names the >witnesses which, >interestingly, include none other than Richard's old >friend Josiah Crego. > >The version quoted by Roy Crego has further variations. >His version has >"..the use and improvement of my homelot..." - the other >versions do not >mention "and improvement". His version also has slipped >into it the word >"wellbeloved" to describe his son Josias Crego. Roy Crego >has Josias; >Weygant has Josiah. These differences are probably not >significant. Roy >Crego also names the witnesses, - as in Thurmon's version >except that Henry >omse appears as Henry Nase. > >Thurmon's version is described as an abstract of the >will, meaning, I >assume, that it is not to be taken as a literal copy but >rather as a summary >of the wording. Crego's version is obviously a summary >apart from a couple >of short quoted extracts. Weygant's version states "It >reads as follows:" >which I would take to mean it was a literal copy. > >It seems to me there were either two versions of the will >or there has been >an error in transcription. If there were two wills then >Thurmon has the >earlier one, the additional bequests to son Josiah Crego >and to the heirs of >deceased daughter Mary Dean being added as an >afterthought. If there was >only one will then the error appears to be in Thurmon's >version in that a >whole line might have been left out in the transcription. > >The possibility of the will being altered at the last >minute is explainable. >It would not be unusual for a testator to forget the >heirs of a deceased >daughter until maybe being reminded by another family >member. It would also >be perfectly understandable if Richard had left Josiah >Crego out of the >first version of his will if Josiah Crego were in fact >only a stepson and >not his natural son. > >Thurmon, I'm afraid you are well and truly side tracked >now! Over to you. >Where did your other version come from? > >Best.. >Chris > > >==== SACKETT Mailing List ==== >Tried the RootsWeb Archives and Search Engine on the Web >yet...? > http://lists.rootsweb.com/~archiver/lists/ > http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl > >============================== >To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online >genealogy records, go to: >http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > Liesa Robarge List admin for SMITH-NEW-ENGLAND, Coffinger, Christian, and Tarbox http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~sackettmckayhistory/LiesasLineage/index.htm