The Will of Joseph Pynn

I, Joseph Pynn, of Musquito in Conception Bay in the Island of Newfoundland, Planter, being in perfect soundness of mind & memory do make and ordain this my last will & Testament in manner & form following, Viz., I leave & bequeath unto my Wife, Patience Pynn, all my fishing Room & plantation now in possession with Houses &c., thereunto belonging together with all the live Stock, furniture &c., in as full & ample manner as now occupied by me unto her during her natural life or while she remains a Widow but no longer nor shall she have it in her power to sell or Mortgage the same to the hurt of detriment of my Children and after the decease or Marriage of my said Wife, Patience Pynn, I do hereby leave & bequeath the said Room & plantation to my three Sons, Viz., Thomas Pynn, Shepherd Henry Pynn, & George Augustus Pynn to be equally divided between them and any of these three Brothers that chuses to hold the House in which I at present dwell as his property he shall hereby be obliged to pay his other two Brothers the Sum of Fiveteen pounds each which is Thirty pounds Sterling to enable them to build each an house upon his part of the plantation and if any of them are desirous to sell his part of the Room & plantation & remove from it he shall give his Brothers the first offer & sell it to one or both of them in preference to all other persons and they are to have & to hold this to themselves & Heirs for ever. I leave and bequeath to my Son, Henry Pynn, the Room belonging to me commonly called & known by the name of Basfords Room. I leave & bequeath to my four Sons, Thomas, Shepherd Henry, George Augustus, & Henry Pynn, all my landed property on Carbonear Island to be equally divided between them. I leave & bequeath to my Sons, Charles Pynn & William Pynn, the Rooms they now are on and to their heirs for ever. I leave and bequeath to my Son, Joseph Pynn, as a token of my love a place on Basfords Room to build an house and a Garden as the limits shall be marked out by my wife, Patience, at her particular request this is required and I agree to it to be his property and his Heirs for ever & it shall not be lawful for my Son, Henry, to hinder his Mother from fixing the bounderys of Joseph’s part.

And I do hereby constitute and appoint John Stretton, Charles Parsons & Thomas Chancey as Executors to this my last Will & Testament and in any Divisions of the Rooms & plantations aforesaid their Judgment shall be final & determine all disputes between my Heirs aforesaid without any formality of Law. Given under my hand & Seal this Second day of January, One Thousand Eight hundred & One.

Joseph Pynn {LS}

Sealed & pronounced to be my last will & Testament in presence of us where no Stamps are used }
William Stow
Robert Andrews

You swear that you were present and did see Joseph Pynn late of Mosquitto, deceased, Sign & execute the annexed will as and for his last Will and Testament…
Robert Andrews
Wm Stow

Sworn before me at Harbor Grace this fourteenth day of January 1811…
L(s) Amadeus Anspach
Surrogate