George Gibson, I

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Robert, James, William, and George moved from Ireland to Pennsylvania in 1727. H. Cummings

Will of GEORGE GIBSON Deceased

IN THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN, The Seventh dav: of December in the year or our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty One, I george Gibson of the County of Lancaster and Province of Pennsylvania being sick and in a weak condition of Body but by God's Blessing of sound and disposing mind and memory Have thought fit to order this my last Will and Testament, reoommending my Body to the Earth to be burried in a decent and christian manner and my Spirit to the hands of God who gave and as touching my worldly Goods I dispose of the same as follows to wit: Imprimis,

I give devise grant and bequeath unto Martha my dearly beloved Wife two seventh parts of my estate after the Deduction of my funeral Expenses and the payments of my Debts and the sum of ten pounds to my Daughter Mary as is hereinafter devised, the house and lot whereon my Wife now dwells being excepted the use Benefit and advantage of which house I allow to my said Wife during her Natural Life. In consideration my said Wife is to support and maintain my Son Thomas now a Minor until he shall be of the age of Twenty one years,

Item, I give and bequeath unto my Son John one seventh part of my estate the house and lot only excepted as above mentioned.

Item, I give and bequeath unto my Son George one seventh part of my Estate only excepted as above mentioned.

Item, I give devise and bequeath to my son Thomas all that my house and lot of ground in the Town of Lancaster whereon my Wife now dwells to him his heirs and assigns forever. Together with all my right title and Inheritance to the Same and benefit thereof I allow my Wife Martha to have during her natural Life as is above mentioned. Item, I give and bequeath unto my daughter Mary and her Husband Mathias Slough the Sum of ten Pounds.

Item, I give and bequeath to my Daughter Francis one seventh part of my Estate only excepted as above.

Item, I give and bequeath unto my Daughter Jean one seventh part of my Estate only excepted as above mentioned.

Item, I give and bequeath unto my Daughter Ann the remaining seventh part of my Estate I also further order and allow all my Estate real and personal the house and lot above mentioned and devised only excepted, as soon as conveniently may be be disposed of and sold by my Executrix hereinafter named hereby fully impowering her so to do In order the batter to enable her as well to satisfy any demands that my come against my Estate as to pay off the above mentioned Legacies. And I do hereby constitute and appoint my well beloved Wife Martha the Whole and Sole Executrix of this my Last Will and Testament Hereby revoking disanulllng and declaring void all and all manner of Wills or other writings the same importing hereby publishing declaring and avowing this and, this only to be my last Will and Testament. In Testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and Seal the day and year written.

Signed Sealed published and declared as his last Will and Testament in the presence of ( the Words Item I give and bequeath to my daughter Frances one seventh part of my Estate, only excepted as above) being first interlined) Francis West Thomas Donnellan Robert Gibson

Francis West and Robert Gibson the Witnesses to the above written Will being duly sworn did Depose that they were present and saw George Gibson the Testator therein named Sign and seal the same and heard him publish pronounce and declare the above written instriment to be his last Will and Testament and that at the doing thereof the said Testator was of sound and disposing Mind Memory and Understanding as far as they know and as theye Verily believe. Sworn at Lancaster the Twenty second Day of December A. D. 1761 before Edw. Shippen D'y. R'r.

Martha Gibson the Executrix in the Annexed Will named being duly sworn did depose that the Instriment on the other half sheet of this paper contains the true last Will and Testament of George Gibson the Testator therein named as far as she knows and as she verily believes and that she will well and truly perform the same by paying first the Debts of the Deceased and then the Legacies in the same Will specified so far forth as the Goods Chattels and Credits of the said Deceased can thereunto extend and make and exhibit a true and perfect Inventory and render a just account When therto lawfully required. Sworn at Lancaster the Twenty second Day of December A. D. 1761.

Before me Edw. Shippen D. R'r

As has been shown, Hamilton laid out the first and central portion of the town in 1730. Settlements had been made here in 1721 or 1722, and by 1730 the little cluster of houses is said to have attained a population of two hundred souls. The locality was known as the Indian Field and Gibson's Pasture. George Gibson kept a tavern here when Hamilton platted the town, and had probably been located for several years. His tavern was called "the Hickory Tree," probably from a tall hickory which stood near the public road, and which was said to have been a favorite one with the Indians, the place of their rendezvous for many years, and the centre of one of their small villages. "A swamp lay in front of Gibson's," we are told, "and another to the north." The one in front of Gibson's, nearly in the centre of the site of the present city, was the Dark Hazel Swamp, which was drained and cleared of wood in 1745. The other was the Long Swamp, extending beyond the limits of the town-plat toward the northeast. Gibson's tavern is supposed to have stood about where the Slaymaker Hotel now does. His pasture, afterwards Sanderson's pasture, was rented by Mr. Hamilton about 1748, to Adam Reigart. The same year that the town was laid out, Stephen Atkinson, says Rupp, built a fulling-mill at great expense, but the inhabitants of the upper part of the creek assembled and pulled down the dam on the Conestoga, as it prevented them from rafting and getting their usual supply of fish.

History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, with Biographical Sketches of Many of its Pioneers and Prominent MenChapter XXIX. City of Lancaster

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