Hunterdon County, New Jersey Wills, File #36J, New Jersey State Archives, Trenton, New Jersey.
[Recorded Copy, New Jersey Will Book 2, 1715-1728, p. 271].

In the Name of God Amen. The Last Will and Testament of WILLIAM MERRILL, SENR. in Hopewell in ye County of Hunterdon and province of West New Jersey in America. First of all, I recommend my soul to God that gave it and my body to be buried in a christian like manner at the discretion of my executor hereafter mentioned. And of touching all my worldly estate that God hath blessed me with I bestow it as followeth after my just debts are paid.
Imprimis, I will and bequeath unto my well beloved wife GRACE all my moveable estate as two negro men slaves and forty head of meat cattle and sixteen horse kind and all my sheep and hogs and all my household goods within doors for her maintenance during her widowhood and then what remains I give to all my children by equal division.
Item, I will and bequeath all the lands in my possession being about three hundred and fifty acres to be equally divided between my two sons BENJAMIN and JOSEPH in quantity and quality and if they cannot agree in dividing, then it is my will that my son WILLIAM MERRILL and Joseph Stout shall divide the land for them equally as they can.
Item, I will and bequeath the crop of winter corn to my two sons BENJAMIN and JOSEPH to be equally divided between them both.
Item, I will and bequeath unto my sons BENJAMIN and JOSEPH all my instruments of Husbandry.
And further I constitute and appoint GRACE MERRILL my true and loving wife my whole and sole Executor to this my Last Will and Testament. Signed and sealed with my seal this twenty third day of February and in ye tenth year of His Majesty's Reign Anno Dom. 1724.
Signed, Sealed, and Declared in                                                           WILLIAM MERRELL
the present of
Us DANIEL (O) GANO
ENOCH ARMITAGE
JOSEPH STOUT

Province of New Jersey, Comitt: Burlington}
This fifth day of May Anno Dom. one hundred seven hundred and twenty four personally came before me SAMUEL BUSSILL, Deputy Surrogate of the Western Division of the province of New Jersey, duly commissioned and appointed for the proving of last wills and testaments and swearing of Executors: GRACE MERRILL the executrix within named and appointed who on her solemn oath which she took on the Holy Evangelist of Almighty God, says that the written writing contains the last will and testament of her late husband WILLIAM MERRILL, late of the County of Hunterdon, Decd., so far as she knows and believes, and that she will well and truly perform the same by paying first the debts of ye decd., and then the legacies contained in the said will so far forth as the goods, chattels, and credits of the said Decd. will thereunto extend or the Law charges, and that she will make and exhibit a true and perfect Inventory and also render a just account when thereunto required.
Sworn at Burlington                                                                             GRACE (O) MERRILL
Coram me
SAML. BUSSILL

Pro. New Jersey, Comitt: Burlington}
This fifth day of May Anno Dom. one thousand seven hundred and twenty four personally came before me SAMUEL BUSSILL, Deputy Surrogate of the Western Division of the province of New Jersey duly commissioned and appointed for the proving of last Wills and Testaments &c.: JOSEPH STOUT, one of the witnesses subscribed to the within will being of full age on his solemn oath which he took on the Holy Evangelist of Almighty God doth depose that he was present and saw the within named WILLIAM MERRILL sign and seal and heard him publish, pronounce, and declare the within written Instrument to be the last will and testament and that at the same time the Testator was of Sound Mind and Memory to the best of his knowledge and understanding, and that the name JOSEPH STOUT so subscribed is the deponent's own proper handwriting, and this deponent does also depose that at the same time also DANIEL GANO and ENOCH ARMITAGE the other two subscribing witnesses were personally present at the said Testator's signing, publishing, and declaring as aforesaid, and that at the same time they did sign (to wit) DANIEL GANO his mark and ENOCH ARMITAGE his name as witnesses to the within will in the presence of the Testator, and that ye mark so put and signed is the mark of said GANO, and the name ENOCH ARMITAGE is the proper handwriting of him the said ENOCH ARMITAGE.
Sworn at Burlington
before me                                                                                             JOSEPH STOUT
SAML. BUSSILL