A record of the descendants of John Clark, of Farmington, Conn ...

16 CLARK GENEALOGY.
Eiglitli day of Feb. in the year
of our Lord One Thousand
Seven Hundred and nine— ten*, as foliowe th, viz: The said
John Clark being at this time in good health and, througli
the goodness of God, in the possession of my reason, for
which I desire to bless his holy name. But being grown into
age, so that I cannot expect the time of my departure out of
this life to be very far off, and not knowing how soon nor
how suddenly it may come upon me, am therefore desirous
accounting it my duty to do what 1 can to prevent trouble
among my surviving children that God shall graciously please
to continue after my decease, I do therefore make and ordain
this to be my last will and testament, and do desire my exec-
utor or executors, whom I shall in these presents nominate
and appoint, to see that this my will be performed when
there shall be occasion for it, after iny decease.
1. I desire to commit myself soul and body to God as ray
Great Creator and to Jesus Christ as my merciful Redeemer
through the merit of whose blood and perfect
obedience I
hope to obtain salvation from the wrath which is to come ;
and as for my body, I desire to commit it into the hands of my
* An explanation of this and numerous other instances of double dating
occurring in this book may be found convenient. The 3'ear in the old
style began with March 25ih, called Lady Day. March was thus the first
month of the year, April the second, February the twelfth, etc. In 1583
Pope Gregory XIII. made the year begin with January 1st, and added ten
days to the reckoning by striking out October 5th to 14lh, inclusive, from
the year 1583. Thus April 10th became April 20th. In England the
change was not made until January 1, 1752, eleven days being struck out
of the following month of September. September 3d to 13th, inclusive,
did not appear in the English Calendar for 1752. September 2d was Wednesday
and September 14th was the following Thursday. From 1583 to
1752, to avoid ambiguity, double dating was introduced. February 8th, the
date of John Clark's will, 1709-10, or 17fg, as usually written, means
Wednesday, February 8, 1709, old style, or February 19, 1710, new style.
For further information see N. E. Historical & Genealogical Register, Vol.
XX, p. 40, or " Coburn's Almanacs for 3,000 Years," Boston, 1882.